18 weeks update

Had my monthly OB visit and ultrasound last week. Was happy to discover that I've gained some weight. I gained somewhere between 6 to 8 pounds. Couldn't tell for sure since the scale didn't seem that accurate for me. But it's a good sign considering that the tummy's starting to show. I'd better have gained weight else where is the baby's weight coming from? Sugar's still a concern with the doctor but got some better idea on diet and food from doctor. Not going to listen to the nurse, gave me some well-meaning advice but only got me in trouble. So just going to watch my diet real carefully now.. hubby's helping.

Ultrasound was on the following day. Baby's growing on schedule, despite my lack of appetite from earlier months. Good sign. Baby was rather active as well, moving all over during the ultrasound. At one point baby gave a thumbs-up. Too bad didn't catch that picture, cause I think that would have been a pretty cool picture. Baby was flexing the hands the entire time; open, close, thumbs-up. Baby also flexing its legs..kick kick..Seems like this is going to be a rather vigorous baby..haih..I'd better get my rest now else I'd be tired all the time from chasing after him.

Yes, you didn't read wrong.. I said him. The baby's a boy. My mom's prediction came true..hahahah.. so now she has a pair of grandson and granddaughter. So it's time for us to start picking names and clothes for baby too. The baby care package that my MIL sent arrived on Friday. Got cotton nappy and some baby clothes. We still have to go buy more to accommodate for the winter season here, but at least it's easier to pick now =)

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Nothing much to blog lately. Life's been plodding along steadily and slowly. No excitement in my life, other than the ocassional visit to the clinic for blood draw. My diet remains the same, appetite might have increased a bit since the portions I've been eating is a bit bigger. I would still have problems if I eat too much (i.e. tummy too full, feel like throwing up).

Baby's been making itself known lately.. lots of mini-kicking. Mostly when I'm lying down or when I've just had some food. The book did mention that so I'm not too concerned. Hubby won't be able to feel the kicks will about the 3rd trimester, so for now only I can feel it. My waistline is also expanding. Now my belly is a bit more obvious. I still wear loose and baggy t-shirts, so you can't really tell unless I pull the shirt tight around my belly. Pants wise, I need new pants. I don't think I can wear my current yoga clothes before the 5th month. Time to go shopping again..hahaahaha..

I think I've also gained some weight (finally). But won't be sure till I see my doctor tomorrow. My bathroom scale can't really give me an accurate measurement, sometimes I'm up and sometimes I'm down. If you are wondering, I weigh myself at the same time each day (when I wake up). So let's see what she says tomorrow. Plus my ultrasound for the second phase of genetic testing is on Friday. This week will be interesting....

Pin-cushion weekend

Saturday was the dreaded 3 hours glucose test. I had to fast the night before and wake up early to get my blood drawn. The test required samples drawn at the starting stage and then at one hour intervals to test how my body is processing the glucose. It's to make sure that I don't have any gestational diabetes and stuff.

Anyway, we woke up early and reached the clinic at about 7.20am. Had to wait a bit since there were quite a few people ahead of me. I had to go to the receptionist to tell her that I was pregnant and taking the 3 hours test after waiting a couple minutes. I think she forgotten about me. After I told her, I was then next in line. I was a bit apprehensive since I had to be poked 4 times and given my needle phobia, it didn't help. I don't mind being poked once every couple of months but it's too soon since I just got poked twice last week.

The first nurse was pretty good, she didn't use a butterfly needle since she said those were for kids. She used a regular needle, which wasn't too bad. However, the second draw was done by another lady and it hurt a lot. So for the third and fourth time, the nurses used butterfly needles. My right arm was poked 3 times and left arm once.

It was about 11am by the time we were done. Once it was all over, we went for breakfast at a nearby diner. By then I was starving and shaking. I wasn't sure if I was shaking due to the cold (as it rained the night before) or the lack of food. I had some corned beef hash and 2 eggs while hubby had an omelet. Mine was ok except that I thought the hash was a bit too salty for my taste. After breakfast, we walked around a bit and then headed home for my nap. I needed one before my yoga class.

Went to class as normal. Felt rather tired during class, maybe it was due to lack of sleep or all the blood that was taken. Seriously, the doctor was concerned about my low blood count and I had blood drawn for the past 2 weeks for tests. Don't think my body replenished it that fast due to my lack of appetite for meat. Had Thai food for dinner, it was a recommendation by my yoga teacher/friend. It was ok, not great-great. Something to eat and not have to worry about cooking...hehehehehe..

Sunday was the usual grocery and bento box shopping. Since it was Mid-Autumn Festival, hubby bought some mini-mooncakes from the Chinese grocery store. I only had a tiny piece from the 2 cakes he tried: red bean and red bean-date combination.

Had some excitement at night cause I think the baby was kicking. I was sitting in front of the tv and suddenly felt some movement in my tummy. Thought that maybe it was muscle spasm but didn't feel like it. It was moving around. Tried to get hubby to feel but baby didn't want to oblige him...ehehehehe.. oh well, he'll have more chances later when the baby decides to act up again :D But I need to read up on my pregnancy book to be sure.

Anyway, doctor's clinic called today and said I passed my glucose test with flying colours. What a relief~!! Now still have to worry about another blood test for second phase of genetic testing. Seriously, baby's making me a pin-cushion.

16th Week Update

I'm in my 16th week now. My tummy has definitely grown a bit since my yoga pants are starting to get tight. Don't dare to wear it since I'm not supposed to cramp the tummy in any way. Even my regular sport shorts are getting tight. I'm making them sit lower on my hips so it doesn't constrict the tummy. Feels a bit uncomfortable too. Hipsters might just be the solution for a growing tummy.

My morning sickness/nausea seem to have subsided by quite a bit; haven't thrown up in about a week or so. The last time was because I ate the wrong stuff. I still get the nausea if I go too long without food. It's a weird incentive mechanism to get the mom to eat, but oh well. I'd rather eat than throw up, just as long as I have nice food around. Still don't have much appetite for food and thinking about dinner is still a chore. At least now I have some sort of a staple menu set up. Sunday is bento box, then weekdays is red bean soup, pork rib watercress soup and porridge. I don't cook everyday since hubby will probably get bored of it soon. Trying to do it every alternate days, this way I get some healthy food in my body.

No substantial weight gain just yet, doctor's expecting at least 1 or 2 pounds increase by my next appointment. My appetite, though still sorely lacking, did seem to be doing a bit better. Eating a bit more now but only slightly. Also drinking more soybean milk now. I'm mixing Silk and the Asian soybean together. I think it taste better :D Plus it's a good way to get my protein and calcium since I'm not eating much meat these days.

Exercise-wise, trying to do more yoga these days. Energy level is a bit better than before. Managed to sneak in 2 yoga classes this week but only because someone drove me to the studio or most of the way there. Hopefully I can keep up the 3 classes a week plan. Else, I have to walk around the block to get my exercise in. Contemplating swimming but 1) swimming pool a bit far, 2) expensive and 3) need to get new swimsuit.

Only concern these days is my glucose level. Apparently I failed my 1 hour glucose test and need to go take a 3 hours glucose test. Now what does that mean: it means that I have to be poked every hour to draw blood to test my glucose level. So I get to be poked 4 times this Saturday. Seriously, this baby is turning me into a pin-cushion. Setting my needle phobia aside, I do hope that I do well for the test since I really don't want any complications for this pregnancy.

Other than that, everything seems to be ok and progressing on schedule. Will have an ultrasound in about 2 weeks time and another OBGYN appointment. Will post update when it done.

Boring boring

Well, there's nothing much to report. Morning sickness/nausea sort of toned down a bit but appetite still hasn't returned. This week was also rather blah. I didn't do anything much, more of the same boring stuff (computer, books, tv, sleep, etc). I did however make it to yoga yesterday and it was such an accomplishment for me. I think I need to start out a bit earlier than normal since I'm walking much slower now. My teacher was quite pleased to see me in class (since I've been missing for about 2.5 weeks). I was asked to take it easier since she knows how I get to class. I think she's quite impressed.

I did cook a bit this week. Made pork ribs and watercress soup. I read somewhere that watercress contains lots of iron, calcium and folic acid, which are nutrients that I really need right now. So I decided to cook it on Tuesday for lunch and dinner. It's easier that way: it's fresh and I get two meals settled with one dish. Also helps since I have a tendency to cook a lot. Hubby also enjoyed the soup, he says he likes watercress. This weekend, we might head out to the Chinese grocery store to get more watercress. Good for me and baby :D

I also cooked porridge today. Figured it's easier to cook and eat. Nothing fancy, just pork slices, eggs and carrots. Trying out the pork slices from the organic farm. Don't think I'll taste much since it's in porridge, but at least it doesn't have the yucky porky smell that raw pork has. Probably a sign of how fresh it is.

Farm visit

This past weekend was a 3 days weekend due to Labour Day. On Saturday, we drove to Pennyslavania to pick up some organic chickens and pork that we ordered from a farm. Since I'm pregnant, I'm going to try to eat as healthily as possible. Lucky for me, hubby supports this decision.

We left at about 9am or so and it took us slightly more than 2 hours to get there. I think we were quite lucky since we probably missed the holiday traffic (or we were just early). Going across the GW Bridge was so smooth (minus a couple of bumps on the road). The drive itself wasn't so bad either since most people have already left for their vacation earlier in the week. I didn't remember too much since I was busy trying not to feel sick in the car.

When we got to the farm, the farmers (not sure what to call them) weren't there since they were at the butcher picking up the last of the smoked pork products (e.g. bacon, sausages). We waited while enjoying the fresh country air. Boy, what a difference compared to Stamford.

The farmers finally arrived and unloaded the meats while we took a short walk around. We didn't see the pigs or chickens or lambs since those were in another part of the farm. We did see some horses but it didn't belong to the farmers. When they were ready, hubby unloaded our cooler box for the meats. We bought 8 whole chickens and a couple types of pork cuts. There were some loin roast, shoulder roast, ground pork, sausages and bacon. Bacon's more for hubby since he likes it :D I also picked up some additional cuts since we were there. It would be a pain to drive 2++ hours just to get a couple pounds of meat.

Once the meats was weighed and calculated, we paid and left. By then, I was getting hungry so it was time to eat. We passed a quaint little town called Frenchtown on the way to the farm. It's what I would call a weekend-er town. There were lots of middle-aged white people on bicycles going around the town and the trails. So that was interesting. As I was getting really hungry, we just settled on the first cafe we saw. The food wasn't all that great but it was enough to fill tummy.

We walked around a bit after lunch was done. The place's pretty small, so there was nothing much to see. We decided to head back home since we were concerned about traffic, plus also because one of the chickens couldn't fit into the cooler and was slowly defrosting in our car. We did wrap it in towels, but you can only hold off the heat for so long.

So we drove back at about 1.30pm or so, and decided to take another highway since we figured I-95 would be jammed on the way back towards NYC. We got home at about 3.30, unloaded the meats into our chest freezer and took a nap. I get tired so easily. Dinner was simple that night since I still didn't have much of an appetite.

The farm isn't too bad and the people were nice too. It's run by both husband and wife, no hired help. They do everything themselves, even KO-ing the chickens for sale. Pretty impressive. They also sell organic turkeys and lambs but those won't be ready till end of the year. So I'll probably start cooking the meats soon and see how I like it. If it's good, then perhaps will consider buying lamb from them. Hubby likes lamb :D