so sad

i was so disappointed to discover this on google tonight.

"Although the laws governing use of carpool or HOV lanes vary by state, Georgia, Virginia, and California all concur that an unborn baby does not count as an occupant."

apparently occupants need to occupy a seat.

some like it cheap

On Wednesday April 28^th  (that's tomorrow) from 5 pm to 10 pm Baskin Robbins has ice cream for 31 cents a scoop.  You can buy three scoops.

here's the link 

i'm all over it.

oh yeah

ps- chris and i have tried to revive my computer probably 15 times in the last two weeks and i think we should call it lazarus no more.  blogging will probably continue to be pretty rare.  anyone have a computer they'd like to donate to me?

29 weeks

How far along: 29 weeks  (4.24.10)

Total weight gain/loss: +17 lbs according to the weigh in at my appointment on wednesday

Maternity clothes?: still haven't gone back to maternity pants yet.  just trying to find shirts that are long enough.  the weather was so nice this week that i kept wanting to just throw on a skirt and t-shirt.  sad news when your big t-shirts make you look like gus gus.

Stretch marks?: getting a number of marks on the left hip... none on the right.  why is my left side fatter?

Sleep: my dreams have been less intense this week so i'm not so emotionally exhausted when i wake up.  but i frequently dream i'm at work or taking care of the kids from work.  but at least i'm not trying to escape anyone or anything scary.  it really has helped me wake up happier and more refreshed.  not sure what the deal is but i keep waking up around 5 by really noisy birds.  i don't ever really feel like i fully get back to sleep so i spend the next two or three hours in that frustrated half awake sort of deal.  and a few times i've been woken up by some strong kicks or punches.  but all in all, this week has been much improved from previous weeks!

Best moment this week: umm, not sure?  probably just feeling so much movement from an active baby.  i think it is so beyond cool.  and it helps reassure my that everything is okay, because, yes, i'm still phobic about something going wrong.

Movement:  noticeably so much stronger and more frequent this week.  some of it is pretty uncomfortable even.  i love feeling it throughout the day but now it's starting to scare me that i'm going to have an ultra active baby that's super add and never slows down.

Food cravings:  eating is still kind of a hassle.  don't get me wrong, i'm still humbled from my first trimester days.  just saying, i'm not even in to candy that much these days.  chocolate chips have been delicious and of course milk.  but really, maybe that's why i stopped gaining weight.  i'm not obsessed with food.  no real cravings.  i totally count myself lucky that processed and foods with little or no nutritional value don't appeal to me.  i mean, i'll want a cookie or other sweets or something but they don't make me happy.  i keep hearing people tell me that they didn't feel guilty about eating crap because they were pregnant but honestly i feel totally the opposite.  i didn't care what sort of trash i was feeding myself (namely nasty totinos pizzas...yum, to die for) before i was pregnant, but now that i'm feeding a baby i feel terrible eating them.  i naturally seek out healthy foods.  so maybe i'm that odd person that is excited to not feel guilty to eat trash again (and nasty pizzas) when i'm no longer nourishing a baby in my belly.

Gender: GIRL!

What I miss: being happy

Theme:  the week of being pregnant with my third?
Extra:  this week i think i reached the point where people can't resist asking your due date, baby gender, etc.  and when i've got the two boys i watch with me, i also get comments about am i excited to be having a girl since i already have to boys and about the spacing of my children etc.  normally i don't bother explaining to people that they aren't my children (unless they specifically ask or make a comment) but now i find myself telling everyone at the park, grocery store, etc, that i am actually just pregnant with my first.  before i was pregnant i used to worry that people would think i was a pregnant teenager since people always tell me how young i look.  umm, i did not anticipate everyone assuming that i'm pregnant with my third.  three kids three and under?  i'm pretty glad that's not my case!  but on the upside, you wouldn't believe how accommodating people are when you are "pregnant with your third."  ha, people are nice to me when it's just me, but when i've got two kids, 1.5 and 3.5 with me, everyone turns very understanding and patient and chatty and friendly.  in other news, at my appointment on wednesday, i filled out a third trimester depression questionnaire.  my doctor never addressed it during the appointment so i asked (along with my list of questions) if my crazy emotions would be going away soon or stay through postpartum.  she asked if i'd taken the survey, i told her yes, she found it on her clipboard, went over it with me.  all i wanted her to say was "this is totally normal, yes it sucks but it will go away eventually or at least subside substantially (like acne, nausea, etc.) but no, i ended up in tears just talking to her about it.  apparently i'm more depressed than the average pregnant person and in some people post partum depression comes before the baby, in the third trimester.  i told her okay, so when will it go away?  all i need is just little words of comfort, don't give me the truth!  she begins to tell me the wonders of therapy and medication.  i'm sure through all of my tears i sounded super convincing that i don't want/need professional help and/or drugs but whatever.  she kept wanting to call in a referral to a psychiatrist but i told her no.  ugh, it wasn't good. at least there are ups and downs and not just downs.  i can always laugh about it later.  wish me luck.  also, did the orange drink glucose test and i wanna know what all the hype was about.  the drink tasted delicious and it was only a tiny bottle anyways.  why did i keep hearing stories about how super sweet (no sweeter than soda) and disgusting it was and how it made so and so throw up?!?!  oh well.  glad it was a breeze.  so that was my week.  and for the record, i only cried once today and not at all yesterday.  really, i'll be fine.  ;-)

a saturday

well.  i pretty much stopped posting.  partly from being so down so often and partly because i am letting my computer be broken for a little while to decrease my dependence on it.  wish me luck in that regard. 

SO i have no way to post pictures and am pretty boring these days.

but, just so you know, on saturday my husband (yes, it's true, i have one, although he is rarely mentioned) made me french toast for breakfast and took me on a wonderful all day date of my choice.  meaning: we wandered.  we went to gamble gardens in palo alto which was pleasent, lawn bowling (seriously) which left me sore, babies r us to window shop, taco bell where i got a delicious burritto, milk pail for some produce, and safeway for a few gallons of milk (and some frozen burrittos for my honey).

it was a delightful day.

28 weeks

How far along: 28 weeks  (4.16.10)

Total weight gain/loss: +17 lbs still?  i dunno, i'll find out on wednesday at my appt.

Maternity clothes?: i'm doing okay with the shirts but temporarily gave up on the pants.  this week i've been wearing my normal jeans either with a bella band, rubber band, or nothing at all but my hips to hold them up.  it is infinitely easier and more comfortable than maternity pants.  but who knows if that'll be true down the road.

Stretch marks?:   definitely got a new one or two on my left hip.  until now they were confined to my chest.

Sleep: my dreams leave me absolutely exhausted.  i have like six different dreams each night.  i'm at work, then i'm escaping a burning building, then i'm running away from army tanks, then i'm on a vacation with the family i nanny for, then my sister's car blows up.  i mean seriously, how do i wake up from that feeling refreshed?!?!  thursday night though i had dreams that weren't so active and i woke up in a much better mood.  still insanely tired though.  at least i'm still mostly sleeping through the night.

Best moment this week: not really a specific moment but i love the random, nice pregnancy comments.  i mean, i weigh a ton and i'm stopped by friends, strangers, everyone asking me how i'm feeling and then telling me i look amazing!  they don't even say stuff like "you like nice" it's always "you look phenomenal" (or fantastic, incredible, etc) when has that ever happened in my life?!?!  um never.  what's not to love?!?!

Movement: i love it.  i love it.  i love it.

Food cravings:  still just eating enough to satisfy me.  if food is delicious and in front of me then of course i'll eat it, but i don't crave things and go out of my way to eat everything.  and i actually get full at after a smaller amount of food.  i haven't even had a sour patch kid in 24 hours.  wow.

Gender: GIRL!

What I miss: just feeling normal.  y'know, not big and bulky, irritable, tired, headachey (those came back... mildly though), etc.  but really, i had a good day today so maybe the real answer is just "nothing."

Theme:  the week of getting the whole picture.
Extra:  this week i totally felt like i got a balanced act of all the things that accompany pregnancy.  i was tired. i had trouble finding clothes that fit right.  i was moody.  i was lethargic.  i felt like a huge blob.  but then i felt like i had a cute bump.  i loved people's pregnancy comments.  then i hated having to tell everyone i'm pregnant with my first, not third.  i had times where i wanted to devour everything in site and plenty of times where i was full after four bites.  i love experiencing everything but honestly it's so widespread.  it just consumes you!


sorry.  wanted to post this on saturday but didn't get a chance until now.

27 weeks

How far along: 27 weeks  (4.10.10)

Total weight gain/loss: not sure... maybe + 17 lbs?

Maternity clothes?: i'm hating them.  none of the pants stay up and they're not comfortable because they're always moving around.  the shirts aren't long enough to cover the band, and i can't even blame it on my stomach because really, it's small now compared to what it'll be in a few months!  and the shirts are either way big and baggy or if they're more fitted then they just ride up and up and up over my bump.  getting dressed is such a chore.  and it doesn't help that i can never have a go-to outfit because i'm constantly growing and nothing fits the same way twice.

Stretch marks?: i think i'm starting to see new dots that will grow into new stretch marks

Sleep: this week has been really good!  i'm sleeping all through the night (for the most part) and falling asleep quickly too!  now if only i could get rid of these crazy dreams!

Best moment this week: definitely general conference

Movement: not too much action this week.  even though my doctor warned me that i would be feeling a decrease in movement (due to an increase in fluids?) it still worries me from time to time.  but i really really miss feeling her move more often.  it really makes me so happy so see my stomach lurch.

Food cravings:  my voracious appetite has definitely left me.  i still like eating, but i would be just as happy skipping the food and just feeling full and satisfied instead.  i'm not lunging at everything edible within a five foot radius of me.  but i'm still devouring the milk like crazy.  which is saying something for me.

Gender: GIRL!!!

What I miss:  1) walking/sitting/standing/doing anything without my pants falling down  2) being happy

Milestones: finishing the second trimester!  holy cow!
Theme: the week of being depressed
Extra:  i have far too many hormones.  i'm happy sometimes.  but the overall feeling is just sad, lethargic, and apathetic.  this week has really caused me to be worried about post-partum depression.  i have everything i've ever wanted and i'm feeling just plain crappy.  this week i've been crying at least once a day.  i am ultra irritable and i'm really scattered in my thoughts so it's hard to get anything done and regular things take me forever and leave me feeling dissatisfied and i constantly have an overall feeling of general anxiety because i feel like i'm in a cloud like in one flew over the cuckoos nest (or whatever that book was) and it's just terrible.  chris has been so wonderful and patient when i start crying for no reason and he's been so good about taking study breaks to check in with me and see how i'm doing and make sure i'm staying busy and involved in something.  but honestly, i just wish i was more emotionally stable so i could help him out when he gets stressed or whatever instead of him adding me to his already too long list of things to manage and take care of.  i could keep rambling forever about all of this but i'll just say i'm having flash backs of when i was engaged and had just started birth control and i had SERIOUS breakdowns more than once a day and i was horribly mean to chris and i have no idea why he didn't break off our engagement although i'm glad he didn't.  so yeah, my body can't handle caffeine and it can't handle hormones (and i would imagine i wouldn't hold alcohol well either).  wish me luck for future weeks of pregnancy.  but i have to say i'm loving every second of pregnancy.  just in case you were doubting.  chris sure does.

26 weeks

How far along: 26 weeks  (4.3.10)

Total weight gain/loss: not sure

Maternity clothes?: wore maternity jeans for the first time this week!!!  they won't stay up.  they're not huge but with no real waist to them they just slide off my hips.  suggestions?

Stretch marks?: of course

Sleep: i can never seem to get enough.  but i'm doing better at staying awake during the day!

Best moment this week: my honey came home from china!!!

Movement: most of the time i can feel her in one or two spots at a time... but sometimes she just goes crazy!  it's like gymnastics or aerobics for an octopus!  flips, turns, punches, kicks, the works.  my whole stomach looks like that arcade game where the alligators (or groundhogs or whatever) pop up all over the place while you try to beat them with the mallet.

Food cravings:  mostly milk.  i'll come home from work and drink a half gallon before i go to bed five hours later.  oh my goodness it is the most delicious substance on earth!

Gender: GIRL!!!

What I miss:  nothing.  life is so good.

Milestones: only single digits of days left!  holy cow, never thought i'd make it this far!
Theme: the week of wearing maternity clothes!
Extra:  twice this week i've cried for little or no reason.  today i talked on the phone with my blogging sister who told me the price of some shirts i wanted went up six or so dollars each.  i was kinda upset about this because i had wanted to buy at least five.  normal people take a minute and get over it.  pregnant carrie gets off the phone and starts crying.  still emotional near tears at least a half hour later.  umm what?!?!  a night or two ago i was just hanging out talking to chris when i told him "honey, i'm about to cry."  no idea why, but i just felt tears coming on and i couldn't stop crying for a while.  i don't even remember what we were talking about, but seriously, there was absolutely no reason to explain why i should so randomly start crying.  honestly, i'm just a nutcase these days... ANYTHING can make me cry with seriously NO warning.

a large growth

this is mostly for liza, and i guess for sarah too.  for anyone that has wanted proof that i'm as big as i say i am.

ever since january (basically the start of second trimester) i started taking belly shots to basically document/prove to myself how big i was getting.  i would have started sooner than week 14 or so but i was a bit phobic...you know about that.

so in the beginning stages i really couldn't tell if i was getting bigger or if i'd just adopted bad posture.  my solution: three belly shots every week.  i named them "the good, the bad and the ugly."  here's my explanation...

the good: i suck in my stomach as much as i possibly can... normally involves holding my breath because it's so intense.

the bad: i try to stand "normal"... whatever that is.  my posture may be less than optimal.

the ugly: i push out my stomach as far as i can.  i have always had the ability to look grossly pregnant, this is not new.

so, as i continue to consume a very large piece of pound cake, i present you with physical proof of the poundage i'm gaining.

old pictures at 15 weeks...

and the most recent pictures at 25 weeks...

so basically, "ugly" is the new "good."

and there you have it.