20 weeks

Twenty weeks today. Usually the halfway mark, I pray that I am no more than 66% done with my pregnancy.

At my Peri appt on Tuesday, Dr. Jakel gave me a prescription for a drug called P17 or hydroxyprogesterone. I will receive it by injection once a week... and I had my first injection this morning. Yow. My hip still hurts. The fun part is that David is going to have to give them to me. I was thinking that I could do it myself but the needle is just too long to do in my thigh. We will manage.

Margaret is doing something lately that I just have to mention. She is absolutely and completely obsessed with clocks- to the point that she can't eat if there is a clock in the room. She squeals with delight and grabs at my shirt while trying to launch herself out of my arms when she sees one. Her eyes get as round as saucers. I have no idea where this came from. It is the cutest!

Mixed Bag... Hmmm...

Perinatologist appt today was okay, I guess. A little scary, to be totally honest. Although my cervical length was still a good 3.4 cm, it was a funnelled internally. So I'm a little nervous. The doc said that since my length was still so long he wasn't too worried about it. Still.... I worry.

Make it five... almost six

Yep! One of Margaret's eye teeth popped through today and it is looking like the other will come through tomorrow. She has been a good baby other than the sleeplessness. Thank goodness. Mommy is tired.

I bought the new baby its first outfit this past weekend. It was not a preemie size or even a newborn size. I chose the 0-3.... living in everlasting optimism. I think all will be fine!

Vampira

My Mom left this morning after a much too short visit... they are always too short. I am comforted to know that when (if) we move, I will be able to see her much more often.

Unfortunately, Margaret had a couple of bad (sleepless, crying) nights while Mom was here. I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what was going on with her until her second diaper change this morning. When I was eating her belly, I looked into her mouth and can see that her canine teeth (both of them) are trying to move in. Poor baby! Tonight I will give her some Motrin and I hope that will help her sleep some. (I am secretly happy that she seems to be getting both at the same time rather than individually...)

She may be getting bottom teeth, too. It is so hard to get a good look with a baby that is tactile defensive about her mouth.

Baby in utero has been kicking up a storm. I'm not sure if he is more active than Margaret or if I just know what to "feel" for. I'll be closing in on 20 weeks soon. I can't believe it is going so fast.

Laughed at by a stranger

Cashier at Target: (pointing to Margaret) Is that your baby?
Me: Yes.
Cashier: (glancing at David, Margaret, and then my belly) And you are pregnant again?
Me: Yes.
Cashier: (laughing with raised eyebrows) Congratulations!
Me: Thank you!

Do you want to know?

It's a
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work for it
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BOY!

Moving?

It is looking more and more likely that our family will be moving soon. David has been interviewing with several companies and has gotten two very, very good offers that would involve moving. These also involve a career change that would have him spending 2-4 nights away from us every week. And although it would be nice to move away from here and closer to our families, I have some pretty big concerns.

#1 Margaret (of course)
Right now we have an understanding pediatrician. She has never made any comments about Margaret's weight even though she is less than 3% weight to height and technically "Failure to Thrive". I don't agree with the FTT diagnosis for most babies, especially preemies. And I'm afraid that it will be hard to find a pediatrician that feels the same way. I really worry about getting into a situation that a doctor makes me feel like I have to force feed Margaret again because she is thin for her height according to the ridiculous American growth charts. I guess if worse comes to worse, we will just have to visit lots of pediatricians to find one who has the same philosophies as I do about Margaret's weight.

#2 This New Monkey
I really worry about changing Perinatologist care in the middle of my pregnancy. The (much bigger) city we will be moving to will have plenty of top notch medical care for myself and any potential preemie... I guess I just get stuck in my ways. Luckily, my current Peri did his residency at a medical university in the new city and I'm sure will have plenty of references for me if we move. I really hate to leave his care, though. You all know how much I like him.

#3 Stress on my Husband and Marriage
I know that David will miss Margaret accutely when he has to spend time away from home. I hope it isn't too much for him. And although he is the best husband I could have ever dreamed of, I worry about the strain on our marriage because of spending so much time away from me. I love my family so much... there is nothing worth risking that.

#4 Stress of Moving on Me
I won't go into details... just the normal worries for someone who is pregnant for the first time after having a preemie.


I just hope that everything turns out fine...

Knock, Knock, Knock

So far this pregnancy, other than the morning sickness, the baby has not let itself be known at all. If I wasn't getting decidedly rounder and clumsier, there would be not much to hint that I am pregnant.

Until last night. After Margaret had gone to bed, David and I were sitting on the sofa when our new little one decided to give me a tiny kick. Just one- a tap hello, really. But it made me smile and made this pregnancy much more "real".

So, "hello" everyone! From our new little Monkey.

Paranoia Justified

Well, Margaret has her first cold. I'm convinced she got it at the doctor's office... more specifically, from the hand-in-mouth incident.

Nothing to worry about with the cold thus far. She has a runny nose (clear), low-grade fever, head congestion, and extreme fussiness. Right now I'm just trying to keep her comfortable and hydrated.

Hopefully, my baby will feel better soon. (and will sleep!!)

Communicating with Whales

Margaret has discovered her loud highest pitch possible screech. She likes to scoot into the hall where she gets a good echo to practice. I swear my ears are going to fall off. Hopefully this new found "talent" is short lived.