Another growth spurt on the way?

The kid seems to be growing in fits and starts and I think it’s ramping up for another growth spurt. Yesterday I was starving all day, cold and thirsty. Our gas heater has been acting up and I had a few words with it on more than one occasion. I finally gave up on it and told it off…“I hope you know I think you’re f%@kin’ useless!” I’m sure it’ll be working much better today. I drank so much water, tea and juice that I couldn’t be away from the toilet for more than 45 minutes. I had breakfast, 2nd breakfast, lunch, 2nd lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. With plenty of grazing in between of course! Should be an interesting and somewhat tiring week.

Set to ride in style

Stroller
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

We bought our stroller a couple of weeks ago! You may be interested to know that in Japan it’s called a “baby car”. Just like every other car in this country it has as many names as a pedigree Shiba Inu. This particular model is the “Combi, A-Style, Stylish Sports” and it has a sticker on the side that proclaims it to be “As gentle as a mother’s arms”! Shopping for a stroller is a task not for those who easily succumb to option paralysis. Buying a stroller in Japan narrowed our choices quite nicely which, was a bit of a mercy. First on the list of “must haves” Sean had to be able push the stroller while standing completely upright. Sounds crazy but we tried out a few that had Sean bending at the waist to reach! Then we both agreed that it had to be sturdy and that I had to be able to open and close it using only one hand. Due to the general lack of space to store anything here many strollers fold into shapes and sizes that are really quite remarkable. Sadly this requires many folding components and more moving parts than you would believe which makes for a pretty rickety feel. Next it needed to have a push bar that could flip from side to side (a wise recommendation from our dear friend Jess!) and a sun hood that would completely cover the Kid from the darn harsh northern Japan UV. Price was also a concern. There are more strollers in the $400 to $550 price range than there are in the $200 to $300 range. The stroller we bought was originally $200 and we picked it up on sale for a mere $150!

We are currently shopping for the car seat. Then the bassinette and all the big stuff will be out of the way! Yippee!!

The 3rd trimester is officially here!

Not quite the final countdown but we’re getting close to it. The ‘ol belly is noticeably bigger each week and we’re up to visiting the doctor every 2 weeks now. Here’s the goods on the last 3 doc appointments leading up to the beginning of the 3rd trimester…

Dec 20
-baby weight: approx. 470 grams (a wee bit over a pound)
-mom’s weight: as if!
-lots of movement
-all is well

Jan 21
-baby weight: approx. 1300 grams (that’s almost 3 pounds and 2.75 times bigger since the last visit a month ago!)
-I’ve been really tired this month and the growth spurt the Kid went thru definitely has a lot to do with that
-nurses initially thought I had high blood pressure but they spooked me when they didn’t give me advance warning that I had to get a blood test and it sent my BP through the ceiling. The head nurse talked me down though. She wears such pretty pink lipstick. It’s nearly hypnotic. Maybe I can get Sean to wear the same color for the delivery!
-all is well

Feb 4
-baby weight: approx. 1340 grams
-blood test results from previous visit good eg: HIV was negative (apparently they don’t have to ask for your permission for that one in this country!)
-got to hear the babies heart beat for the first time. COOL!
-legs are still about 2 weeks of growth ahead of the body! Hopefully at this rate our child will not end up with a 26 inch inseam like me!
-all is well
-signed up for our prenatal classes on Mar 8. YIKES!

Would it be possible to keep my cervix out of this?

Around the end of November I started to feel the first signs of movement. At first I didn’t really know what I was feeling and was convinced it was gas. By mid December the movement had developed into full on kicking, spinning and what felt like jumping jacks. There is really nothing more life affirming than feeling a baby moving around inside your own body. Up until that stage the doctor told us there was a growing embryo in there and we had seen the “Bean” in ultrasounds. But once it starts moving the reality of being pregnant really starts to kick in as it were. Sean felt the baby moving for the first time on December 17 and some time after that “the Bean” graduated into “the Baby” or “the Kid”. It would appear movement allows for a more human reference!

For the first time in my life I experienced being kicked in the cervix from the inside (not that I’ve ever been kicked in the cervix from the outside!). Took my breath away it did. At the time the kid weighed in at a little under a pound! Good grief what’s gonna happen when “the Kid” gets some more weight on it’s side!