I love FREE stuff!

Almost all of our baby supplies have been handed down to me by other mothers on the island, meaning I have barely paid for anything baby related! How great it is to have such wonderful friends around with so many babies. I just hope the ultrasound was correct in that it really is a boy, since we do have a lot more things that are blue than pink. We have several play stations, 2 bath tubs, a pack 'n play, car seat, and stroller already waiting for his arrival. I also think our little guy will be set on clothing for the first 6 months of his life as long as he isn't too big of a chunker.

Our crib will be basically free as well. Craig and our friend CJ broke down a fence in a neighbors yard to reuse the wood. Craig has cut all of it up and now he just needs to assemble it. Craig has been really busy working on other projects as well as fixing one of our cars and has had no time to work on the crib. But he really needs to start soon or he is going to run out of time!

I cannot give a review on this product since I just bought it today, but it seems like a great idea and invention. I saw this pack 'n play slipcover called CoverPlay last night on the tv show 'Shark Tank' and decided to buy one. It is just a machine washable cover that goes over a play yard, making spills and any disasters easy to clean. I can't wait to use it and try it out, seems like such a great idea.

On a side note, the baby has been moving around a lot, some days more than others. Now I am able to see it on the outside. It is so weird like an alien is just swimming around in there hitting the sides trying to escape. It is fun to watch though, but it takes a lot of patience. I always call Craig when it is happening and when he starts to watch nothing happens. Hopefully soon he will be able to see what I have seen.

Dental problems

I have noticed a little bit of blood occasionally after brushing, but as I have read that is a common thing during pregnancy due to hormones. Last week I had a really sensitive spot while brushing so I decided to make a dentist appointment. The dentist I went to was great and I am really glad I was referred to her through the first dentist I saw while here since that one was booked until September. So today I found out I really need to be diligent about flossing (which I hate doing). So I had a teeth cleaning today which kind of hurt. The dentist said my gums are swollen and tender especially when she was digging around with that curved pick utensil. I had to stop her a couple times because it was painful. At first, the dentist was doing both the suctioning of saliva and water, but once the tech took over I kept feeling like I was going to drown! She did not suction as good as the dentist.

I also got a lesson on flossing correctly, which I knew how to do, but never do. And I bought this little brush called the interdental brush. It basically looks like a pipe cleaner that you use between teeth with spaces. My front teeth have developed gaps near the gums from both recession of the gums and when I had braces I do not think I brushed around them properly. So now I need to work into my night routine brushing softer, flossing, and using the interdental brush. Hopefully I can keep this extra plaque under control.

I had to make another appointment for Friday to have a cavity filled. I have sealant on most of my molars, but my bottom right ones need replacing. She said she was going to try to fill the cavity without using any anesthetic since I am pregnant. She said there are no known adverse effects to using the anesthetic while pregnant, but if we didn't have to use it then that would be better. I really hope it doesn't hurt. Right now the open cavity is not bothering me so it should not be sensitive while filling it.

On a totally different subject, Craig was able to feel our baby kick. Even though it was dark in the room, I could totally see his face light up and he was really excited.

Food cravings/aversions

I really haven't had any extreme cravings which is nice since I probably wouldn't be able to find what I was craving here anyways. But I have been drinking a lot of milk lately, which should make my grandmother proud. I have probably been more picky of what I don't want to eat than what I crave. Craig had a hard time with me the other night for dinner because nothing he thought of making sounded good to me so I ended up making Velveeta shells and cheese and he ate something else. A lot of the time I do not feel like cooking, but then I do not want what Craig is going to make either. I just need to start cooking for myself and stop frustrating my very loving and understanding husband (at least I hope he is very understanding!).

The one thing I cannot eat right now is chicken. That is a tough food to give up in Grenada because that is one of the staple meats around here. I just can't bring myself to eating it, it really grosses me out right now. The problem is I am finding that there is only so much you can do with ground beef. If anyone has some great and easy recipes, please feel free to share them with me. I have never been much of a cook, I only like the eating part, so the easier the dish the better.

I hope my picky eating does not get any worse as I get farther into my pregnancy because I think I will run out of food to eat.

My First Blog Ever!

Ok, so this is my first attempt of putting my thoughts into this blog. I am not sure how well I am going to do at this so bare with me. I am hoping this will be a great way to let everyone know what is going on with us instead of trying to keep up with phone calls and emails.

I have a due date range. The first doctor I saw calculated 40 weeks to be December 22. Babycenter.com and I calculated it as December 20. The ultrasound lady first calculated 40 weeks at December 27. And finally, my last ultrasound measurements put the due date at December 29. I really have no idea when this baby is coming so we are just saying at the end of the year. So I am either in week 21 or 22 depending on which due date you look at. I have been feeling him move around for at least a week or so. It may have been longer, but since this is my first time I wasn't really sure if what I was feeling was him moving. Two nights ago I felt a kick on the outside of my stomach, right at my bellybutton. Craig tried to feel it, but of course the baby did not perform for him. Craig said I was making it up.

I am definitely showing now and am starting to actually feel pregnant. I love it when I feel pressure on my bladder like I really have to use the restroom, attempt to use the restroom, and barely anything comes out! I am sure this will get a lot worse once I get even bigger. I will start having Craig take pictures of my growing belly, so those are soon to follow.

I have had a conversation with another friend that has a child, and let me know if you are a mother too and this question bothered you. Everyone keeps asking, "How are you feeling?" I am getting tired of the question because I always answer "fine" instead of going into detail of how it really is. So it is an annoying question because you can't go into the details everytime someone asks you. I know my friends are being thoughtful, but I wish it would be put to rest. What I really want to say is that I am constipated (hard to believe after eating Grenadian food), my back hurts, I am really really really really HOT, I cannot sleep in a comfortable position and toss and turn at night, and I am starting to get heartburn.

I am really liking the maternity clothes though, they are quite comfortable (thanks Colleen). I am also really glad I bought the BellaBand. It is a tube top looking thing that you wear over your pre-pregnancy pants. So I can still wear all my other bottoms without buttoning them or zipping them up and the bella band keeps my pants up and on.

Since we are pretty confident in the ultrasound lady's assessment that it is indeed a boy we have already picked out a name. BUT, we are not divulging this information until the day he arrives! Sorry everyone, we think its a great name, but as most parents probably know, everyone has an opinion on the name so we thought we would follow in my brother and sister-in-laws example of not telling!

Well, I think I have rambled on enough for my first time. It seems to be a lot easier than I expected.