February 27, 2009

Week 8










~~Amanda


End of Week 8 Status:
Weight: 140 lbs
Estimated Baby Size: Grape

Week 9 has arrived, and I have been working at Hermitage elementary school observing the art program there. It's intense to think that in a few years I will have one of these little rapscallions that I've been watching weave paper and play with glitter. Actually, I'll have one in a few months, but I am talking about a school-aged child. The kids are all so different; some are sweet, intelligent, and/or shy, while others are rotten, rude, and rambunctious. I pray for patience. If I can handle twenty children that belong to other people for a few hours of the day, I have a feeling I will be fine with one or more of my own all the time every day.

As is usual, I have been really tired all week. Doing exercises helps, but the prenatal pilates made my abs really sore. I am assuming that means they are working, so I plan to continue my regimen of them every couple days, along with a mile run. I have been eating healthy again all week, sticking to Kashi cereals, fruits, yogurt, and other yummy stuff. --Sidetrack-- Dinner is always my favorite part of the day. I love salmon and wild rice.....mmmm...and all kinds of pasta. Getting hungry.....very hungry....

Other than fatigue and hunger I have been pretty crampy off and on. I finally broke down and went to my primary care doctor this week because I was afraid I might have had a UTI. I had one earlier last year and didn't even notice, so I didn't want to take the chance. My abdomen had been pretty sore for a few weeks. Thankfully, I was cleared. Getting sleepy....very sleepy.... Hmmm, what else... We're going to our friends' baby shower this weekend; it was fun looking at the baby stuff on the registry ,yet kind of scary too. There is so much stuff we're going to have to buy! Ok, really, I'm tired....I'm gonna go veg out now, sleepwise and tummy wise...see you next week!

February 19, 2009

Week 7

~~Amanda









End of Week 7 Status:
Weight: 139 lbs
Estimated Baby Size: Kidney Bean

Today is Day 1 of Week 8. So.....I just ate six pieces of pepperoni pizza, which I drove three miles to get...in Norfolk traffic, just a 20-25 minute trip. I didn't wait to get home to eat, so anyone peering into my truck window saw a nerdy, skinny-looking girl with Clark Kent glasses trying to navigate city traffic with an open pizza box in her passenger seat and a silly preoccupation with the slice in her hand. But I didn't notice their stares. I was much too concerned with savoring every cheesy, salty, pepperoni bite. I don't know what it is about pizza, but it's got a hold on me and Gorthar. This is probably the third time this week I've had the craving for it, and I can only hope for both our sakes that this primal hankering for Pizza! Pizza! can be replaced by something a little more healthful.

Prior to this week, I've been very mindful of the quality of food I've subjected Gorthar to. Each day I have prepared an apple, pear, or plum, baby carrots, a PB & All-Fruit sandwich, cheese and yogurt to take to school with me. Andy has been making nice healthy homemade dinners as well. Perhaps we were just not getting enough grease. In any case, every time I indulge in my cravings for grease, an inevitable coma follows that requires me to nap for a minimum of one hour.


I think I may need one now, nothing else has really happened this week, so I'll see you next week (the beginning of Month 3!!!).

February 13, 2009

Week 6

~~Amanda








End of Week 6 Status:
Weight: 138.5 lbs

Estimated Baby Size: Blueberry


Today is Day 2 of Week 7. Very little happened this week, as it seemed to kind of crawl by. Don't be alarmed by the apparent tummy loss, I took the picture in the morning when I hadn't had anything to eat. The others were taken in the afternoon.

I have been dealing with mood swings off and on all week, alongside an apparent case of baby brain. I have developed a strong aversion for going to school, studying and doing homework. I think fatigue is partly to blame, but it can not account for all of the anger I experience at knowing I have to get up and go. It's pretty weird, since I usually enjoy going. I know it will pass, however. In the meantime I am half-heartedly going through the motions.

The baby brain situation is something else completely. It is actually quite amusing until it gets out of hand. Earlier this week, I left for school with a novel I was reading the night before, an apple, and some cheese, but no notebook, or writing utensil. I have no idea why. Just yesterday, I was supposed to complete observation in an elementary school, but despite the fact that I had just talked to the school teacher a day or two before, remembered about it the night before, I woke up and completely forgot about it. This is not unprecedented behavior for me if I go back to say high school, more likely middle school, but I haven't pulled an irresponsible misstep like that at least since graduation back in 2001. Now I have to deal with the embarrassment as best I can, and hope the teacher doesn't hate me and give me a hard time for the remainder of my observation for the next few weeks. Oh well, out of my hands :)

I also started my prenatal exercise regime this week with two videos (Prenatal Fitness Fix, and Prenatal Pilates). I didn't start earlier because I still haven't been able to see a doctor, and one of the videos says women should wait until week 7 before they use the film. Everywhere I've read says you are supposed to keep your heartrate under 140 bpm when you are pregnant, so I wore our Garmin heart rate monitor while I was exercising. Needless to say, it was a pretty ridiculous task. Before I even started the videos I walked/jogged a mile on the treadmill, only walking because I couldn't keep my heartrate low enough otherwise. The videos made the issue even worse, with specific movements designed for the sole purpose of raising your heartrate, do they not know this 140bpm advice I see everywhere? Or is the advice simply outdated? In any case, I completed the first portion of the video after several breaks to keep my heartrate low. Hopefully if I keep going like this I will be able to take fewer breaks. I remember even when I was able to run 21-minute 3-miles a couple of years ago, my heartrate was still never at the target range for my age group. Perhaps mine is just always faster. Surely everyone cannot be lumped into a category of "this is normal for you."

Will all of these mounting frustrations, I am so grateful to have a husband who does everything he can to make my life easier. He has been making dinner from scratch lately, chicken rice soup, and chili, sooo yummy! I also am comforted by the knowledge that God is watching over my pregnancy, and will not give me more than I can handle.

With that said, Yay for Week 7!

February 6, 2009

Week 5



~~Amanda









End of Week 5 Status:
Weight: 138lbs
Estimated Baby Size: Lentil Bean

Today is day 2 of Week 6, and Week 5 was a really busy week for us. We started the week off with an all out house-hunt to accomodate our expected family addition. Anyone who has ever embarked on a similar journey surely knows this is not an easy task. We spent the better part of our time holding our noses and raising our eyebrows in amazement at the quality and condition of the homes in the price range and area we were looking for. Thankfully, with a little effort and perseverence, and a great realtor -- Fran Barbaree of Long and Foster for anyone looking in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia -- we were able to narrow down the search to the quality of houses and neighborhoods we desire. We put an offer on one house today, and have another in waiting in case the conditions we laid out in the first offer are not met by the seller.


As for pregnancy particulars, Week 5 was host to some cramping, spontaneous mood swings, and some monster naps. The fatigue was pretty overwhelming at times; we attempted to attend a super bowl party, but by half-time I was borderline comatose so we headed home.

In other news, we settled on the womb name Gorthar. Apparently a running joke in the Schwartz family, the name just seems to fit and has given our "little one" a pet-like presence. I have recently taken to using such phrases as "Gorthar is hungry" when I feel like snacking, or "Gorthar is renovating" when I start to feel crampy.

Yesterday we attended the memorial service for Andy's grandfather Lawrence Ollie Schwartz, in Southern Pines, NC and it was a very special time. The family was amused at the baby's womb name, and Andy spoke about the connection in the timing of Grandpa's passing, and Gorthar's conception. If Gorthar turns out to be a boy, we are considering giving the baby the middle name Lawrence to memorialize him further. Prior to this idea the Schwartz consensus seemed to be Grover Cleveland Indian Schwartz :)
I am a little peeved right now because my prescription prenatal vitamins are being discontinued, and they are the second prescription to do so. Also, the Navy apparently wants me to go to their hospital in Portsmouth, so instead of having my first appointment next Tuesday at the OB/Gyn they've been perfectly happy to send me to for the last 6 months, I have to wait until March 10. I don't know how long after that my first ultrasound will be, but they said it should follow it shortly. As annoying as all of this felt at the time, I am so blessed to have free health care, and be in good health, so I thank God for that.

Other than that, the week was about going to court and writing papers or taking tests for school. I really don't feel the need to expound on any of these, except to tell you, DO NOT be as dumb as I was and speed on New Year's Eve or you'll end up with a 150.00 fine and an annoying trip to the courthouse.

See you all next week!