Pregnancy Survey

I found this on My 9 Months' blog and decided to snatch it. I think it will be neat to do now and then maybe do again later on to compare any changes!


Name: Mrs. P

Age: 22
Birthday: 12/12/1986
Birth Place: Zweibrucken, Germany
Height: 5'6"
Pre-weight: between 150 and 155... SH

Father's Name: LCpl P

Age: 25

Birthday: 2/26/84

Birth Place: Florida

Height: 5'8" or so

Are you still together? Yes, happily married

How did you find out you were pregnant? Home pregnancy test the day of my missed period.

What kind of Pregnancy test did you take? The first one was a dollar store brand, the second was a Clear Blue Digital

How many? Just those 2

What were your 1st symptoms? Funky smell - I thought the meat was bad when in actuality I just smelled it more than ever

Who did you tell first? Husband then mom

Who was with you when you found out? Husband, we were still on our honeymoon!

My 1st reaction: I believe I just kept saying We're pregnant! Mr. P stuffed his face full of chips and then didn't say much of anything haha

Was your baby planned? In a way, I went off BC and we said we'd leave it to God. We weren't actively "trying" but we were not- NOT trying either haha

When was the baby conceived? Between May 2 and May 6

How far were you when you found out? Right away, the day I missed my period.

How did your parents react? They're pretty stoked!

My baby

Due Date: 27 January 2010

Do you want to know the sex? YES! I was so impatient!!

Do you know the sex? Yup!

If so, boy or girl? GIRL!

Any names? Ariana Ralyn, still up for adjustment though

Any Ultrasounds? I had a couple in the very very beginning, like 5 and 6 weeks. Then one at around 7 at the orientation, one at 11, and the 3D at 18. Next one is 17 Sept @ 21 weeks

Have you heard the heart beat? Yes, I love it!

Who do you think it will look like? From the 3D he swears she has his nose, I think it's too early to tell but I'll let him think that ;-)

Will the baby have siblings? In the future!

Have you felt the baby move? Yes just little movements right now, like "Don't forget about me, I'm still here!"

Miscellaneous

Did you have morning sickness? Yes it was horrible. I'm hoping it doesn't come back!

Did you have any cravings? Burger King Nuggets, OJ, apple sauce/baby carrots, pb&j sandwiches, and whatever I see on tv haha

Did you have any mood swings? YES. Poor Mr. P.

Are you a high risk pregnancy? Not that I've been told thus far.

Any complications? So far, no. Knock on wood that this remains the case...

Formula or Breastfeeding? I'm really going to attempt breastfeeding, I am pretty dedicated to that option right now.

Have you bought anything for the baby yet? Bought the first little pink outfit after the 3D scan. Grandma has been buying lots of stuff though, and Grandpa helps A LOT haha.

When did you start to show? I feel like I showed right away, but I'm a spaz like that. I think I finally actually really do have a "pregnant belly" now at 18 weeks.

How long could you wear your regular clothes? I stopped wearing my pants really early on, they just weren't comfy. I still wear a lot of my dresses. Shirts are getting too short.

Will you keep the baby's clothes? Probably, or give them to someone who needs them.

Home or Hospital? Hospital.

Natural or Medicated birth? Most likely medicated, unless she comes really quickly.

Who will be in the delivery room with you? I pray pray PRAY that my husband will be there, that is depending on his deployment. Also my mommy.

Do you think you will need a C-section? I'm not planning on it...

Will you cry when you hold the baby for the 1st time? I'm sure.

What's the 1st thing you might say to the baby? I really think I'll be speechless. Or say something really stupid like "A baby." haha.

Will you let anyone video tape the birth? It's not allowed at our hospital. Which bums me out for if he's deployed so let's just pray he'll be here, k?

Are you excited? STOKED.

Who will help you with the baby after the birth? HOPING my husband, and probably mom and dad

What is your favorite thing about being pregnant? Eating and sleeping. Hell yes. I think I was a cat in a previous life haha.

What is the worst thing about being pregnant? Getting fat and being an emotional monster haha

What's one thing you miss doing since being pregnant? Drinking. Going out and acting a fool. It would be nice to still be able to enjoy a cocktail or two on the weekends... baby's worth it though :)

Any days you wish you were not pregnant? When I was really sick I felt like that often. Not that I didn't want the baby, I just felt like shit.

Are you ready for a baby? To be perfectly honest, no. I'm terrified. I will be ready when it's time though, I know.

Do you have insurance? Lol, yes thank you. Good ol' TRICARE

How many kids do you want? I think 3 is a nice number but we'll see...

Do you talk to the baby? ALL the time. I looked really crazy before people could openly see I was pregnant haha

Do you still feel attractive? No but my husband is good at reminding me that I still am, he's so great.

Have you had your baby shower yet? Nope, not for a lil while.

Do you like kids? I do. It's adolescents and older that are questionable - eep!

How far along are you now? 18w2d

We've Got a Wing-Wing (That's as Opposed to a Ding-Ding)

Well, the news is out...

WE'VE GOT A GIRL!!!

My impatience got the best of me. Yesterday, while hanging out with my mom in Wilmington shopping (where I got tons of fantastic new maternity clothes), I called one of the 3D ultrasound places in the area. I asked the lady when her nearest appointment was, she said she had some this week and I asked Any Saturday ones? She said no, Friday during the day, which wouldn't work. I of course explained to her the main reason I want to do this was so my husband can find out with me, as he leaves before our scheduled doctor ultrasound. She said she'd work with me and let me know on Friday if she could squeeze me in on Saturday. Realizing that when husband came out of the field he'd have all of Wednesday (today) off, I decided to call her back a couple hours later and see if there were any appointments for Wednesday, the next day. Of course, there weren't. She promised that we'd get in on Saturday, though.

SO. Husband came home today from the field. (hehehe) and we took a nap. At 1:46pm (that's 1346 for all you military buffs), we were awakened by my cell ringing. I noticed the number and screamed ANSWER IT, ANSWER IT! He handed it to me and I then hear that there is indeed room for us tonight. SO EXCITING. So, we get up, eat some delicious potato salad, go get things straightened out at the bank, stop by the housing office (which turned out to be the wrong office, long story) and then head down to Wilmington.

After sitting and goofing off in the waiting room for about an hour, it was finally our turn. We were so excited we were giddy. And I mean dorky, OMG YAY giddy. A pile of goo was squirted on my belly and we began watching our little miracle wiggle around my still tiny uterus. It was even more breathtaking seeing her in 3D than it was on the regular ultrasound, you could see her features so clearly.

We began looking for the goods in order to determine the "him" or "her" of the situation. And of course, she decided to be difficult. Someone that is born from me MODEST!? Can you believe it? I couldn't, but she sure wanted to keep her legs crossed and the cord close to her, as if to cover up (MOM get out of here, NO peeking!) What a brat! Finally we got the right angle and saw the "three distinct lines" of girls, according to the tech. Those lines, according to the tech were "labia, clitoris, labia" So there ya have it, baby girl, in the flesh.

As you can imagine I am over the moon! Not only did I want a little girl, I mean either way I am happy, healthy baby girl or boy, hooray. But a little girl! Girls are so cute. Now I'm not even trying to think about my little girl 12-14 years down the road and beyond. Right now I'm just focusing on birth - 2 years (haha short span that will fly by, I know) but HOW FUN is it going to be having a little tiny girl?! Eeeeee!!!

Naturally right after finding out, I had to buy something pink. To celebrate the end of the not-knowing-days and the beginning of the I'M HAVING A GIRL! Days. We headed over to the Jacksonville WalMart (after picking me up some Burger King nuggets, a weird craving, I know) and browsed the girl baby aisle. It was so difficult to pick something! After much deliberation we agreed on a pink and grey zip-up sweatshirt with matching pink sweat pants. Her birthday is set to be in late January, so we agreed that something warm would be best (Although the summer outfits were REALLY, REALLY hard to walk away from).

Now I am at home enjoying my midnight meal of potato salad before hitting the sack. I am just sitting here reeling over seeing my baby again and realizing that there is a real baby in there and that baby happens to be a girl.

18 weeks today

I still can't get over all the miracles of life.

I Love Storms and I'm Getting A Bit Round (Randomness)

This blog was written before the weekend, my computer has just been very uncooperative!

So usually I try to keep my blogs cohesive on one subject. But since nothing big and exciting is going on for me to really blog about, we'll talk about a few things today, mmk? K.

First, I love storms. They are sooo beautiful and powerful and when it storms I get excited. I open all the windows and just love sitting there and watching. It has been storming here since I woke up this morning. It's been loud, and dark, and moody! It looks like it's finally lightening up a bit, but for a while it was really going at it! And man it was loud, almost scary. Almost.

I do not, however, enjoy driving through storms. The only driving I really prefer would be clear, sunny (or a nice moon-filled sky) driving. That's the best kind. Speaking of driving, I'm making the trek up to good ol' Maryland tonight. My high school reunion is tomorrow! I'm pretty excited, lots of people I haven't seen in years, only talked to via facebook and/or myspace. It's at Magerks, my favorite bar in Bel Air (AND Federal Hill, yes, there are TWO!) and while I won't be drinking (duh) it will be a great time spent in one of my favorite places in my home town.

Lastly for today, I'm getting mega round! My belly is starting to look less like a goobly shaky fat area and more like an actual pregnant belly! Haha, ok so the only one who ever said it looked goobly, shaky, or fat was me, but I'm the only one that matters in this situation haha. We had our 17 week check up (ok I was 16 weeks and 6 days) last Tuesday. The heartbeat was 160 bpm, we heard lots of movement (wooosh woooooosh!) and all is well. The ultrasound is scheduled for Sept 17 and you better believe I am more than excited to find out the sex (pleeeease cooperate baby!) It is so fun to document the growth, look how much has changed in only a matter of weeks!

A couple weeks after we got the positive test so... 5 weeks, possibly? Still flat tummy, lookin hot!

"16 weeks," only about 11 weeks after above photo!
"17 weeks," just one week later, look how round I've gotten!

I'm Such a Good Wife! (A picnic dinner)

Hubs has 24 duty tonight. That means from 0700 today until 0700 he gets to hang out at the barracks and make sure the Marines of his company are not being complete idiots. That also means that I get a whole 24 hours to myself! What have I done with my 24 hours, you ask? Well, I cleaned some of the house (yay for motivation!), I lounged around watching TV, I made dinner, went on base, and went to the library. Sooo, yep typical day in the life of Mrs. P.

Something new I decided to incorporate into this day between the making of dinner and the going to base parts, is the purpose of the two - making dinner for hubs stuck on base. Aren't I nice? (Ok, I'm learning, remember?!) As husband is there all day, I figure a nice home cooked meal could definitely do him some good. After hearing from him that this is in fact allowed, and he wouldn't mind dinner around 6, I gussy up (gotta look pretty if I'm being a good wife!) and begin cooking at 1700 (that's 5pm - I'm getting good at this). I prepare steak tips which are cooked in brown beef gravy with white rice (Uncle Ben's quick ready - ready to eat in 90 seconds!), salads, and buttered bread. I pack all the ingredients for dinner into a brown paper bag - bowls, forks, knives, napkins, the salads, the bread, sodas, even salt and pepper. The main dish gets put into a styrofoam container (we're working on keeping things hot, here) and the rice bags (yes, they're cooked in bags) get wrapped in kitchen towels. As the gravy leaks from the styrofoam, I am left to hold it and watch it and drive more carefully than I ever have. Ever.

I, of course, get lost of the way to the duty hut. But it's ok because one speaker phone call later and I'm in the right area. Hubby heads over (in his cami's - ooooooo) and helps me carry the bag over to a little covered picnic table area. We unpack and hubs is surprised and delighted by the effort and full-course-ness put into his meal. We dine outside while watching Marines field day (clean their barracks - I guess I wasn't the only one on the cleaning bus today) and then it is time for me to go and him to get back to, well, duty-ing.

All-in-all it was a great dinner. I felt good for doing something nice and being able to get to see him (duty days are longer than they sound, ok?) and he enjoyed a good meal and saw that I really do appreciate him and enjoy doing things for him. Win-win for all involved.

After dinner, I headed over to the library and picked up a few books. I've got a full carton of chocolate ice cream calling my name for dessert and a long night ahead of me. I'll probably end up asleep early - go figure.

A Little Buggy (Aka Pregnant Blood Must Be Sweeter)

Our house is situated in the country. By country I mean, sure there are other houses around, but there are farms with horses, a cow, a peacock, guinea hens..., fields, and wooded areas around as well. This being sad, you can imagine the amount of bugs surrounding our house along with the farms, fields, and trees. If at night, you turn on our house light, you can see the bugs migrate toward our dwelling, seeking the light. You can see them crawling everywhere... Ew. EW EW EW!!!

So, last night, I was not surprised that one of these lovely little creatures followed me inside. I watched this nasty bug flying all around our house. It kept it's distance from me, so for the time being, I minded my own business as well. Then, the little creeper crept closer! It flew near me. It flew ON me. It BIT MY FINGER! OUCH. It looked like a mosquito but some kind of large hybrid. I grabbed our new wii game case and smacked at it. Did it die? No. It took 2 additional hits to kill the mosquito hybrid.

Look how big this thing is. This is post-smash of course.

After scary mosquito hybrid incident, I was hoping I wouldn't see another bug for the rest of the evening. For the rest of the week, the month even! I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, took my prenatals, and took out my contacts. I journeyed over to the toilet and what do I see waiting for me on the floor? A BIG FAT HAIRY SPIDER!!! *Scream* I go to the cabinet and grab my handy-dandy fly swatter, I was going to be prepared this time. Swat, swat, and the little booger ran. *scream scream* Now I hate killing spiders, for some reason I'm under the impression it's bad luck (I think I read that somewhere once and it's been stuck in my head ever since) but I had no sympathy for hair spider in my bathroom on this buggy night. I followed him with the swatter until I finally crunched him. Then, I dumped him outside, just in case he wasn't all the way dead. I bet he was the culprit for the big nasty bite behind my knee that had swollen up and bothered me all last week.

Too bad I don't have anything to compare size-wise, the thing was huge,
the pic doesn't even begin to show its huge-ness

How does pregnancy tie into this, you might wonder? Well, I would swear they're even more attracted to my pregnant blood than they were attracted to my regular human blood! I find new bites everyday. I think it's time we get our house bug-bombed. Eew.

Training Day (Everyone Needs a Network)

Today I had my training to become a Family Readiness Assistant. Let me elaborate first, on Family Readiness and how important it is to a wife as any kind of military spouse.
When I first moved to Camp Lejeune (to be known here on out as CL), I was extremely lonely. I had my husband, a good friend I had made on a prior trip, Jess, and husband's friend's wife (who has become much more than that as we've gotten to know each other), Tamara. While both these ladies are fantastic (and Jess took care of my very sick newly pregnant self) I still ended up staying in the house moping for the majority of my first few months. I would call them on the phone or swing by their houses and that was about the extent of my social network. Neither of them were in hubby's unit, so while they could give me their tips and personal insights of being a Marine wife, they couldn't tell me what was going on with us, what exactly I was expected to do, or anything specific to us. They could both relate to the long days and late nights, or the nights where he doesn't come home at all. Jess has already survied a deployment and Tamara is preparing for her first, but has survived lots of seperation from her hubs before moving to CL. We have a lot in common just being Marine spouses and we have great times together, but I was still missing that network that I was used to, having come from an area where when I needed advice all I needed to do was walk down the hall to my mom or whenever I needed a sister I could drive 45 minutes at the most and several ladies would be there (one of the perks of being a sister of Phi Mu the second largest "Fraternity for Women" in the nation). I needed some kind of network where I could get busy. Preferrably a network that would somehow make me closer to hubs.

When Tamara started talking about events that were going on in the battalion for the families that would help spouses to meet friends and network, I started to wonder - is there something within hubs' batallion for me? Upon asking hubby this, I began to feel at a loss, there was no way I'd find a way to connect with his unit without feeling totally awkward (aka wife dates and large family days - sooo awkward to meet people that way!) That's when I noticed the card hubby had inadvertantly stuck on our fridge - the number for the FRO - Family Readiness Officer. I shot her an email, and within an hour, I was on the phone with someone from his battalion who could totally help me out. Finally, my existence at CL and as a Marine Spouse had been recognized! I was invited to come to the BN (battalion) the next day to meet the FRO, collect my Battle Book (a binder filled with sheets with blanks to fill in of all pertinent info - the if I had to leave and only had a second to grab my whole life what would I need book), and join her and her assistants on a tour around the base. I had an awesome time! I got to chat with girls from the BN about events, what was going on on base, and events the battalion family readiness team had to offer lonely spouses like myself. It was great. I asked how these girls got to come hang out in the office because it seemed like something I might be interested in - helping other wives (spouses) who don't have a clue what's going on and feel disconnected. I know that feeling and it sucks, what could I do to help out? I was invited to a Family Readiness Team Assistants meeting where I learned lots of goings on in the battalion and once again got to do one of my favorite things - chat! I decided that being a family readiness assistant was definitely a job I wanted to volunteer for.

Today was the training for the job. I learned lots of valuable information that will not only help me as an assistant but as a Marine spouse. I learned about TONS of resources that are available to us as Marines spouses, many I didn't even know about!! And then we got a sweet little graduation ceremony where I got an awesome certificate, that looks like a real Marine Corps certificate and I might just hang on the wall with hubby's certificates

Holding my cert. infront of hubby's, think it goes?

So while I'm not looking for sisters to replace my sisters or my family, it is good finding a sisterhood within the Marine Corps. Whether it be Tamara and Jess, my first CL Marine Wife friends, or Maggie my childhood friend who is now a Marine Wife, Maria (the wife who was there when our car got hit and who is basically pretty awesome - more on that story and Maria later), or the battalion network, it's nice to have people who understand. And of course all my oldest friends are always only a phone call away. It feels good to be unlonely and back to my social butterfly self again.

The Pink or Blue Game

Anyone who really knows me, knows that I am impatient. And by impatient, I mean I hate waiting for ANYTHING, ever. Being pregnant has only heightened this oh-so-wonderful quality of mine. I want to know for sure if I'm baking a little boy bun or a little girl bun. I am just ready for my little baby to be here, and I've got... 5 months? to go. Patience is definitely something I need to work on, because I can not rush my baby and I'm going to need patience more than anything once he or she is here.

We went and worked on our little baby registry yesterday at BabiesRUs. We put on a crib, but I like the one I found at the PX much better. We put on a pack and play (that seems to be the perfect piece of baby furniture; bassinet, play pen, changing pad - all in one foldable and easy-to-go unit!), a matching bassinet (for the times when the baby is so teeny tiny and I don't want to ever leave her/him alone so he/she can be right in our room), bottles (that part was super crazy - I didn't realize there were so many extra pieces that go with bottles), a little bath tub (actually we added 3, one was a little spa tub for babies, couldn't resist that!), bath time stuff (doesn't baby shampoo smell fantastic?!), and sooo much other stuff. The registry can be found at www.BabiesRUs.com under mine and Mr. P's names.

The frustrating part of course, was not knowing what kind of stuff when it came to blue vs. pink to add to the registry. Now, I'm not one of those people that baby can wear only blue or only pink depending on the his or her factor, but having some boy stuff or girl stuff is pretty vital. All of the "big" stuff we have a pretty good scheme going that works for boys or girls. We're going with animals for the general theme of our nursery. But, for example, the car seats - they come in blue/green or pink. Or red (which is NOT a color I enjoy). Or ugly. So rather than getting red or ugly, I would like a gender matching car seat. Don't get me wrong, all the colors are great for boys and girls, but... I don't know. We've got tons of green and yellow stuff right now for a baby of whatever gender but I want some pink or blue. That's all! Haha.

And that, of course is not even mentioning the clothes portion of the registry making. There were the cutest pink home coming dresses, and little cowboy boots and hat with flannel shirt outfits. If I knew what kind of baby was in there, I could buy tons of pink dresses or cowboy outfits! Sometimes society makes things difficult with all these gender roles and rules - and it's so much worse for babies and kids than it is for adults! It will all just be easier when I've got the pink or blue ticket and can go haywire on gender assigning clothes and baby stuffs.

That being said, however, don't think we didn't get TONS of stuff added to the registry. Some of it I know I'll end up changing or deleting, and half of it we probably won't end up needing - but just in case! We had a fun time just scanning different stuff we think we will possibly need one time or another with our little baby. So definitely swing by the registry and check out what we've put, it's pretty interesting and says a lot about us, I think (like the three different health/safety-type kits I picked out).

Hopefully, at my next appointment with my widwife, she will unveil the mystery that has been nagging at me. Every time someone asks "Oh, you're pregnant, are you having a girl or a boy" it nags even more! At the next appointment, I will be 17 weeks (possibly 18 if the due date is a week late, as I imagine) which means that it is possible to have a peek, but the Naval Hospital says they do it between 20 and 22 weeks (another 3 to 5 weeks?!) but I'm going to try and utilize my best skills of persuasion to possibly answer the question, does my baby have a hamburger or a hotdog?

Just for giggles, vote whether you think we're having a boy or girl!

Confounding Newsletters

When I first found out I was pregnant... Ok, maybe not when I FIRST found out, as we were in a cabin on the beach pretty far from technology... but once I was back home and pregnant, I signed up for all the mom-to-be newsletters. I thought it'd be a great opportunity to learn what was awaiting me in the months to come, hear stories from other moms, see pictures. I don't think I've ever been so wrong about anything in my life!

First, there's the confounding due dates. Even the doctors get me all confused as far as when this baby should come. According to my Last Menstrual Period (April 13), the baby should be making his or her grand debut sometime near January 18. According to the Emergency Room ultrasound, baby will be best to come around the 21st. According to the OB I saw at the Naval Hospital a week later, baby will definitely be on his or her way down the vagina path on or around January 27. So of course, I've had quite the time charting exactly how far along I am. At my last visit to my midwife, LCDR S. told me the baby looked about a week ahead, developmentally, than what the due date we're sticking with (Jan 27) would show. So that leaves me to wonder, am I really 15 weeks pregnant? Am I 16? 17? If the baby comes two weeks "early" is that going to be early, or in actuality, on time? This brings me back to the newsletters. I get newsletters once a week letting me know I'm so-and-so weeks along and such-and-such should be happening. This week alone I got ones saying, "Here's what's happening now that you're 19 weeks!" "What You Can Expect at Week 16," and the oh-so-accurate, "Welcome to Week 15."

In addition to the confusing dates, there are the ever changing symptoms and expectations. One newsletter tells me that I should expect movement by week 17 even though I may have already felt it. Another says I won't feel it for a few weeks after week 16 (so... 19??). Now, I thought I felt it once, but was it really? Or was it gas, as it is described to be confused with in yet another newsletter?

And of course, there are the images. The images of other moms. The "I'm 15 weeks and my belly already looks like a watermelon" photo. I look down, see my (still jiggly) "bump" and begin to stress even more. Is my baby too small? Is my uterus too small for the baby? Did my jumping around the other day scramble the baby??

The important thing to remember, however, is that every pregnancy is different. This pregnancy is going to be different from my next. Certainly my pregnancy is different from Jane Doe's, and even my mom's. Just as every baby and every child is different, every pregnancy is different. These are just guides to help you along the road of pregnancy. They are not the be-all-end-all of being pregnant and not every thing they say will apply to every woman who reads. It's just that keeping the anxiety down long enough to remember those few things is not always an easy task!

Just Another New Thing In A World of... Well... New.

*Takes a deep breath* Ok, here goes nothing. As I'm known to be quite spontaneous and apt to jumping into new things, here goes something new, yet again. I suppose I should introduce myself to anyone that might venture across this. Hi, I'm Mrs. P.

And well, this is my blog. Please excuse the messiness for now. I chose to blog here because I have seen some very pretty blogs come from here, and I'm working on making my blog be one of those very pretty ones.
This, is Lance Corporal Mr. P.

Somehow, I put him under my spell and he vowed to love me forever on May 2, 2009. Right after the wedding, we took a "honeymoon" to Camp Lejeune where he is stationed. We stayed in a cabin on the beach. At the end of the honeymoon...

we found out there will be a new addition to our little family!
So now, I'm a bit on the round side, and I'm only going to get rounder.
(That's me, 4 days shy of 12 weeks pregnant.)

So now that you know who I am and why I am here, you may be curious of the basics. Basically, I'm due January 27th, 2010. That makes me 15 weeks pregnant on Wednesday. I still think the doctor was wrong about the due date, but oh well, it's just an approximation anyway. I am 22 years old and although I am a Maryland girl at heart, I am stationed in North Carolina at the moment. I have uprooted my whole life at home to be the best wife I know how to my Marine. As it is 2 o'clock in the morning, I'm going to head for sleepy land, but be on the lookout for more from this Marine Wife Mommy-To-Be!