Fat Pregnant Mom

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(Written 5/09/13)

What’s better than being told by a doctor that you’re fat? Being told you’re fat at EVERY appointment.

Before I got pregnant, I was 5’4″ and 180lbs. I weighed 135lbs on my wedding day – and I was too damn skinny. For my height, American Medicine says I should be between 140 and 150. When I’m actually that weight, I am more depressed, I can’t sleep, and I am a very disagreeable person. When I’m in the 160s to 170s, I am happy, healthy, and ready for more life. In my 180s, I’m still happy and ready for life but I enjoy eating barbecue.

So now in this pregnancy, I am 11 weeks and have lost 3 pounds. But do I hear a “good job on losing weight?” or a “Your blood pressure and tests all came back healthy”? Nope. I get “Because you’re starting out so overweight, you should only gain about 10 pounds with this pregnancy,” and “We’re going to do an early glucose test just to make sure you don’t have gestational diabetes this time. Even though we know you didn’t have it last time. And you may have to take it again at 20 weeks, even if it comes back negative.”

I’m sorry that I’m not sorry. I would rather be 160 than 140. Unfortunately I’m neither of those numbers, but I’m eating better now than I have in years. I don’t exercise because all I want to do is sleep and/or throw up. I can barely carry my toddler up the stairs without wanting to hurl. But I digress.

The biggest thing that bugs me is that I’M NOT EVEN FAT! I still wear a size Medium maternity pant and a size 10 dress. I’m smaller than the average American. The only thing “fat” about me is my boobs. After years of trying, the girls won’t shrink no matter how much weight I lose. Thanks, genes.

I’m going to semi-ignore the doctors and continue giving my body what it needs: healthy food and moderate exercise.

[ end rant ]

Insurance

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(Written 4/24/13)

Our first OBGYN appointment was today. I went in thinking it would be similar to the care I received in Lynchburg – long waits, Southern accents, and sonograms. I was wrong. I only waited 5 minutes before I had a quick financial meeting about what our insurance covers – 100% That’s right! Our insurance covers our birth and wellness visits 100%! I was shocked. I thought we had crappy coverage. I was very wrong.

We soon met with a very pleasant and very New England-y nurse practioner that was witty and to the point with her questions and answers. I love her. She went through everything from our medical history, my previous 2 pregnancies, my 10lb baby, my miscarriage, and my nausea. I asked if we would be getting an ultrasound today – she let us know that our insurance doesn’t cover ultrasounds in their office.

That’s right – our insurance doesn’t allow us to have an ultrasound in their office. I even asked if we could pay out of pocket for it, and she said no. I dare you to tell me that isn’t the weirdest thing you’ve ever heard.

Because my appointment was so late in the afternoon, we couldn’t get an appointment at the nearby facility that same day. In fact, we wait a week. A WEEK. So we didn’t see or hear our sweet baby. The doctor assured us that since I have been so incredibly sick with this pregnancy, it’s much more likely that the baby is doing well.

So all in all, it was a very successful appointment. We didn’t hear a heartbeat or see our sweet baby, but our finances seem more secure than I thought they’d be. Thanks (and no thanks) insurance.

Live Long and Procreate

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Hi friends.

I’ve been keeping something from you all.

I’m knocked up again :)  You’ll see a lot of blog posts today because I’ve been saving my pregnancy related posts until after we made our announcement public.

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I am 11 weeks pregnant and we are really excited! I’m as far as we were when we lost Buddy last year. It’s bittersweet but we’re hopeful. Our doctors are pleased with the ultrasound and my awful nausea.

Let the double duty/doody begin!

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Every Kirk needs a Spock.

Nuby Review and Giveaway: Stepstool

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It’s time for ANOTHER giveaway!

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I waited to review the Nuby Step Stool because Joanna wasn’t quite ready for it when we first received it. Now that she’s eagerly independent, she loves being able to reach things she couldn’t before. The photos above are a quick view of how she washes her hands with grandma.

One thing that we LOVE about this stool is the rubber grips on the bottom. It won’t slide or budge when Joey climbs up onto it.  I use the step stool too since I’m only 5’4″. At first I was scared to use it myself until I read the packaging – it can hold up to 800 pounds!! Holy crap!

In addition to being a great stool for in the house, we also use it on the floor of the car so she can climb into her carseat. Our little thing weighs 30 pounds and she’s already giving me and my mom back issues from trying to pick her up. The more she can do on her own, the better off our backs will be. This stool is not only giving her more independence, it’s giving us more pain-free days! The stool retails for $12.99 on BuyBabyDirect and up to $16 on Amazon.

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And now Nuby is giving you the chance to win this great piece! Entering my giveaways has never been easier. All you need to do is leave a comment below [only one comment per person]. I use a random number generator to pick a winner on May 14th then announce who the lucky person is on my Facebook page. Will it be you?

18 Months

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Eighteen. Months.

For some reason I’ve been waiting for this milestone for a long time. Clothes for infants come in “month” sizes, and 18 months is a size Joanna has worn since she was 6 months old. (She can sometimes squeeze into her 18 month cotton dresses and wear them as a shirt, but most of them are  in a box.) Now she’s actually 18 months old. Weird.

Joanna is back to eating the foods she spurned as a 1 year old (YAY!). She is now re-enjoying pears and strawberries while still loving macaroni, waffles, bananas, beans, rice, peas, cheese, etc. Her diet is much more well rounded than it used to be. Fingers crossed that we can keep this up!

Her words are still increasing by the day! The new words include Pa Pa (Grandpa), Maw Maw (Grandma), Cheese (Chzee), Eyes (Ah-ee), Nose (Noss), Hair (Hah), Mouth (Mow), Eye Brow (Ah-baw), and a mumbled version of “See You Later”. She still loves her dolls and we’ve been able to add a a brand new one to her collection, thanks to the incredible talent and generosity of Cullen’s mom, Courtney!

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Our new house has a modified baby proofing scheme going on. We have the large baby “fence” that we still shape if we need to have the living room to ourself, but sometimes we let her have free reign in the entire room. We’re still teaching her not to touch things, like books on the bookshelf. Her biggest accomplishment is when she can grab the remote from us when we’re not looking. She can climb the couch without batting an eyelash, she dances around the room like a drunken leprechaun, and she sings like a cockatoo. And we love it :)

18 months. So weird.

Mary Kay Review and Giveaway

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Hormones: they help our bodies prepare for babies, make babies, bake babies, and then they lash out against us again each month. Add a little unemployment and “I had to move back in with my parents while still being a wife and mother” into the mix and you may get full blown acne like I did.

In high school, I was very fortunate to have very few blemishes. When I turned 28 my face finally went through puberty. My forehead and nose were manageable but my chin became hideous. In the words of Shania Twain, “Even my skin is actin’ weird. I wish that I could grow a beard.” My skin was so bad that my close friends and family were [lovingly] giving me advice on how to improve my complexion; from diet to exercise to expensive skin lotions.

I bought several different brands at the grocery store and gave each brand a week to sway me. Nothing helped. My mom let me use her more expensive lotions. Nothing. I then saw on my friend Sarah’s Mary Kay Facebook Page that she was having a sale – so I bought the Velocity facial cleanser and moisturizer. AND IT WORKED. (I don’t have any before and after pictures because I was too embarrassed to even document my chin. But trust me, it was bad.)

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The Velocity line of Mary Kay was originally created with teenage skin in mind. Now it’s one of their top selling skin care lines! It is lighter (and less expensive) than their main line of skin care products. It was also less expensive than buying Neutrogena in the store! I also LOVE their acne treatment gel (and it’s also cheaper than the drug store option). It’s a great spot treatment that dries those little buggers and renders them helpless against the awesome superpower of Mary Kay.  The Velocity line is available in separate pieces or as an Acne Fighters Set.

mary-kay-lash-love-waterproof-mascara-hSo in celebration of my post-motherhood hormonal chin, I am hosting a Mother’s Day giveaway sponsored by Sarah’s Mary Kay business. She is giving away a Mary Kay Lash Love Waterproof Mascara! This mascara will give you thick, lush lashes that will survive through the happy tears of motherhood. I have dozens upon dozens of Mary Kay makeup products in my arsenal and I love each item. Mascara is the one thing I never leave home without. I could roll straight out of bed and forget to brush my hair – but you will never see my naked eyelashes.

To enter the giveaway for a free Mary Kay Lash Love Waterproof Mascara, leave a comment below. [Only one entry will be counted per person]. Be sure to include your email address in the space provided so I have a way to contact you – but do not leave your email address in the comment box. A winner will be chosen at random on Sunday May 5th.  They will get their brand new (and free) mascara just in time for Mother’s Day!

(Note: I am not receiving any financial compensation for my review. I am instead receiving a Lash Love Waterproof Mascara – and I couldn’t be more excited!)

Tired

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I am 3 weeks into my new job. I am grateful to have a job, I don’t regret returning to work and allowing Joanna to thrive in her daycare, and I’m thankful we moved out of my parent’s house.

But I’m tired.

How do working moms do it?

I wake up at 6 am, get Joanna ready at 6:30, get myself ready, take her to day care at 7:00, drive 30 more minutes to work, work for 8 hours, drive 30 minutes to her daycare, take her home, make her dinner, eat something if I remember, give her to Jonathan when he gets home at 6:30, put her to bed at 7:45, and I collapse on the couch while we watch TV.

If I’m lucky, I’ll be awake enough to walk up the stairs to our actual bed. Sadly, this doesn’t always happen. Damn that comfortable middle cushion! 

Phew.