21 Weeks

Somehow, in the midst of all of these pregnancy symptoms, ranging from pesky to miserable, I have forgotten what being pregnant means. I've been frustrated to still be sick enough to need medication at this late stage and whining about throwing up/heartburn/hip pain/etc., but somewhere in there I forgot that we are going to have a baby.

But she won't let me forget anymore! This is one active, feisty little girl! We can already see her kicks from the outside. Daddy is still her favorite, always able to elicit kicks by talking to her. She suddenly seems so real. I talk to her throughout the day, and I can't believe how much I love her already. I didn't know you could love somebody this much who you haven't even met. I can't wait to meet her! But I also know that I am going to miss feeling her rolling around and kicking inside of me.

Here are the latest stats!

How Far Along: 21 weeks. Officially in the 2nd half of this pregnancy.

Size of baby: Somewhere between 10 and 11 inches. When she stretches out, I can feel her on both sides of my belly at the same time! 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Approaching uncharted territory on the scale. You can expect to see this section disappear soon. 

Maternity Clothes: I went shopping!!! It was time. I don't know what took me so long, these clothes are waaaay more comfortable. I know I will be tired of them in a few months, but for now I am loving my elastic!

Movement: Is it too early to sign this kid up for sports?? She is super active and really strong!  Daddy and chocolate are her favorite, and seat belts are her nemesis.

Sleep: Besides a few pee breaks, I sleep great.

What I miss: Coffee on the days that I work

Cravings: Just water. I am always thirsty.

Symptoms: Heartburn and some continued nausea and vomiting.  I am also having more trouble bending over...everything gets all squished and apparently the path of least resistance leads to my lungs. Tying my shoes has become an exercise in holding my breath. I've also started getting Braxton Hicks contractions a few times a day. They don't hurt or anything, but they feel really funny!

Best Moment this week: Still love feeling her move!! 

I am super impressed with my bellybutton. It is not an innie any more, but it hasn't popper out yet either.

The Middle East...from the mouths of babes.

Subbing can be really boring, like when a teacher asks you to have every class do silent reading all day. Or subbing can be really fun, like when a teacher actually lets you teach something.

Recently, I had a fun subbing day. The class: 6th grade social studies. The topic: current affairs in the middle east.  Challenges included the fact that the only prior knowledge the students had about the region was about Mesopotamia and buzz words gleaned from the media, and the fact that the only history class I took that covered the middle east was from a French woman in Spain. She taught the class in Spanish with a heavy French accent, and rather than assign us a text book, she printed us off copies of various texts...in French. (Thank goodness for wikipedia and bilingual dictionaries!)

Moyen-Orient

We started by looking at a map and brainstorming: What do we already know about the Middle East? The responses regarding Mesopotamia were spot on, and the rest...less so.

"Um, well, I know terrorists are from the Middle East...but I'm not sure what terrorists are really. I think they are people who commit suicide, right?"

"Aren't we at war in Iran because they dropped a nuke on someone? Or no, we dropped it on them."

"We have troops in, like, the whole country." 
(Me: Which country?")
"The Middle East."

"Well, they have a lot of oil over there, and they're using it to, like, make nukes or something"

After our brainstorm, we read an article together outlining some of the major issues facing the region. I did my best to provide background information as necessary.  I hope it was accurate, because my French isn't that great.

Many students offered their suggestions. The following was my favorite, all the more so because he was totally serious and his classmates eagerly supported the idea:

"Ok, well, I don't entirely understand the science of it, but what if, like, we sent some astronauts into space. They could go find a big rock, what are they called, asteroids? And then they could just aim it at Afghanistan. We would save a lot of money on bombs that way, and there wouldn't be any radiation like with a nuke." (I know what you're thinking: But what if it burns up or breaks apart in the atmosphere? Don't worry, another student brought up this same concern, and the class decided they should choose an extra big asteroid just in case. If it takes out a little of Pakistan...meh).

I skipped over the "science of it" myself, but we had a discussion about the political ramifications of destroying an entire country full of innocent civilians and a governments with whom we technically are friends. We are fighting a war in Afghanistan, but not against Afghanistan? Minds were blown.

I also liked the suggestion that we bring all the troops home, but send all the police officers in America to the Middle East in their place. "That way the soldiers can get some rest, you know?"

In all seriousness, though, it was pretty easy to make a guess as to their future political affiliation based on their responses ("Well, we should just use less oil, then" vs "Why don't we just invade and take the oil that we need?")

Then, per the teacher's lesson plan, they wrote a paragraph starting with "The most important thing about the Middle East today is..." I did my best to give them a balanced, non-political, and accurate perspective, but a lot of them still wrote about the war with Iran and those pesky oil-based nukes. C'est la vie (and you thought I didn't know French!) Most of them got it though, more or less ... kind of a complicated issue for 50 minutes.

Here is a perspective from a particularly pragmatic student: "The important thing about the Middle East today is its oil. I say this because it says that more than half of our oil comes from the Middle East. They’ve also threatened to stop supplying it to us. That’s made us stop in our tracks a few times. There is no point trying to hide it, that’s the most valuable thing about the Middle East.” 

And from a more sensitive one: "The important thing about the Middle East today is for us to realize that war isn’t everything and to make it stop. I think we should just leave them be. We should try to make the Middle East our friend."


Ultimately, it was a fun lesson to lead. I wish more teachers would make an effort to keep kids up to date on current events. Or that more adults would make the same effort, for that matter.

Oh, and I might be striking it rich soon. I bet each student $100 that Obama and Romney would bring up Iran, Syria, Libya and Israel in the presidential debates...which they totally did. No one has paid up yet, but if they do I've got about $15,000 coming my way. And if they don't...well, at least it made a few of them watch the debate, and I even got a few "You were so right!" comments. For a teacher, that is priceless.

Baby and Belly Updates

First of all, Baby Fry is a GIRL! We had an ultrasound at 15 weeks and it looked like lady parts, but since it was early we held off on the announcement. We had another ultrasound this week, though, and it is definitely a baby girl in there!! (And good thing, too, because I would have a lot of returns to make otherwise!)

Baby girl was folded in half with her feet in her face for most of the appointment, but she briefly unfolded at the end and we got a good profile shot. 

 This 3D image was from the 15 week ultrasound. That is her umbilical cord by her face, not creepy long fingers. She kept chewing on the umbilical cord during that scan; I think she is trying to break out.

This is from 15 weeks, too. You can see that she doesn't like to sit still for long.

We also bought a crib this week. I don't know why, but this seems like a really big deal to me. Paul laughs at me for thinking it is weird to have a crib in our house, because in reality it it much weirder to have a baby in me. He is right, but every time I walk into the guest room/nursery and see it, I am taken aback. I'll post a picture once we get a mattress and bedding and such all set up.

And here are the belly and the stats:

How Far Along: 19 weeks! One week until the half-way point!
When I think about being pregnant for another 4 1/2 to 5 months, it seems SOOO long. But then when I think about having a baby in our lives in 4 1/2 to 5 months... well, that seems soon. Very, very soon.

Size of baby: About 10 inches, head to toe! According to the ultrasound tech, she weighs 9oz.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Not sure...Dr's appointment in a few days so I guess I'll find out. I'm not really worried about this number any more, though. There was some initial concern that I wasn't gaining enough because of being sick, but I'm making progress now and as long as baby girl is ok, I'm ok.

Maternity Clothes: I pretty much wear the same three outfits every day.

Movement:You bet! Sometimes I feel soft bumps and rolls, and other times she really lets me have it. When she really gets going, Paul has no trouble feeling her. She obviously loves her daddy, because he can pretty much put his hand on my belly any time and start talking to her and she will start kicking him.

Sleep: Well, I wake up a lot still, but I guess that is something I need to get used to. I can make it through the night without barfing or eating, so I am going to accept this and be thankful.

What I miss: Not much right now. I'd say I'm a pretty happy camper.

Cravings:Nothing consistent, but I am very easily swayed by suggestion. If we are driving and we pass Chipotle, for instance, I might decide that I NEED IT RIGHT NOW. Last Sunday I saw a picture of Eggs Benedict online... and within half an hour we were at my favorite breakfast restaurant.

Symptoms: Not much to complain about. My back gets sore quickly if I do anything out of the ordinary (like lie in a dentist chair for an hour or wear high heels to work). Oh, and I am THIRSTY. Like, really, really, really thirsty. Thirsty like only a salt-loving pregnant woman living in the desert can be thirsty. 

Best Moment this week: Every time I feel this baby girl move is the best moment =) And of course the big anatomy scan ultrasound! Heart, spine, brain, umbilical cord, placenta, and whatever else the tech checked for all looked good!