Now it's America's Funniest Videos

"I'm not sure how Ross and I stopped on the show, there must not have been anything else on TV last night, but it was way too funny. I'm not sure if it was actually funny, or if it's because we're expecting a child of our own we're falling prey to this kind of humor. The show had videos of kids doing silly things and a whole section on people falling off of or crashing bikes (which for some reason is always funny).

Again, I laughed so hard I cried. It was ridiculous! I was bawling over someone else's home video bloopers. This time I was laying with my head on Ross' lap so he couldn't see that I was crying at first, that is until the sound of my trying to catch my breath alerted him. He tried very hard not to laugh at me, which was sweet, but given that I was also laughing at myself I gave him permission to do so... I mean, really, this is just ridiculous. But I did sleep pretty well afterwards -- this crying out of the blue stuff is pretty exhausting."
--Clare, 10/24/05

"Things I miss terribly and can't wait to do again:

1) Eat restricted foods like brie cheese and sushi, and drink as much Dr.
Pepper as I want.

2) Sleep on my stomach, or even on my back. This sleeping on my side thing is really getting to be a pain!

3) See my feet again. They have vanished. I look down and can't see
either one. I know they're there because they ache at the end of the day,
but when I'm standing they hide."
--Clare, 10/22/05

Will the trend continue?

"Last year, before my pregnancy, all the pregnant women I knew had girls (you've already met Viola). Not one single boy among them. This year, however, things are a little different. First of all, there are ten babies on the way, compared to the four from last year. Of the nine other women I know of who have been pregnant this year, two have already delivered healthy bouncing boys, and two have since learned they are having also having boys (one confirmed name: Grayson). Of the remaining five mommies-to-be, there are six possible boys -- one lucky family is expecting twins!

It's very entertaining hearing from my fellow mommies-to-be and I thought you might like to read some of their remarks, as well:

Joanna: 'Ron and I went for our third ultrasound today and discovered that we are having a boy! He took no time today in revealing his gender. We are still discussing names and such, but will share that info when we decide. We couldn't be any more thrilled to know that he has all of his parts (brain, heart with four chambers...). We are so excited. Ron has not stopped smiling all day, and I have not stopped shopping! We can't wait.'

Claire (expecting twins): 'Got to see the babies yesterday and they are so big! They're moving around and Baby A was kicking poor Baby B so hard that he/she kept pushing his/her brother/sister off the screen!'

Cece: 'We had our second ultrasound on Wednesday, 9/28, so we're happy to announce that we'll be balancing out our family with a baby boy! He's now due on Valentine's Day, and we're all thrilled with the news! I should also say that his name will be Grayson Thomas. Memphis (soon to be a big sister) had the hardest time dealing with this revelation, though she has taken to whispering, "Hi, Baby Gray!" to my stomach. Grayson was sucking his thumb during the ultrasound (soooo cute!) and had his little legs crossed!'

The excitement doesn't stop there. As we hear from Hunter, we have a lot to look forward to in about a year:

'Viola crawled tonight! We had her on the kitchen floor. Beau [their dog] was circling, trying to figure out how to get my mom's attention. So, he went over to his bed, found his bone, then brought it over to Viola. He dropped it in front of her. We thought, "Oh, how nice of Beau to share his toys," but Viola thought, "I want that toy, and I'm going to get it." She promptly positioned herself in crawling position, arms out, legs out, belly up, head up, and she went for it. At first, it was only a couple moves, but as the evening wore on and our cheers increased, she went for the smelly, old, chewed-up dog bone wherever it was. Her daddy will be so proud! The chase begins.'

Since this year is shaping up to be boy-heavy and Ross and I generally feel that Bucky is a boy, we're probably going to be the oddballs and have a girl. I'm totally and completely fine with that. I just hope 'she' doesn't wind up dating all of these boys!"
--Clare, 10/22/05

Acid reflux is no fun

"Of late, I have had a not so great feeling in my throat. It's not constant, thank goodness, but when present it is not enjoyable. I tried to explain this feeling to people: a slight burning, a feeling that something is lodged in my throat, and an upset stomach. Everyone told me that acid reflux is like heartburn, and you feel it in your upper chest. I've discovered this isn't always true; my doctor said that what I was feeling was in fact acid reflux.

Pregnant women are prone to acid reflux, because during pregnancy a woman's internal organs get pushed upward (or downward) by the growing uterus. This places added pressure on the lungs, stomach, intestines, bladder, etc., and results in occasional shortness of breath, or smaller but more frequent eating, or other not so fun adjustments the body has to cope with.

In the case of the stomach, which is where acid reflux begins, it gets pushed upward, leaving it little space to expand or relax. Because it is smaller, food has to be taken in more frequently (as I mentioned above) but also, the food stays in the stomach longer. This has something to do with how the digestion slows down to get the most nutrients to the baby, and because of the new scrunched location. The last bit of changing the stomach goes through that can cause problems is that the sphincter (laugh all you want) between the stomach and esophagus loosens up, making it easier for food and acid to move back up. All of these changes work together to produce a lovely burning sensation in the esophagus.

When I visited Becky while in Portland for work, she got to see my acid reflux in full force... literally. It wasn't so pretty. And it was actually much more painful than I expected. Luckily, I've learned since then that the solution is simple: Tums!"
--Clare, 10/20/05

"Birds do it, squirrels too. Now I've joined the fun...

...of nesting, that is. I've started getting our home ready for its new duty of sheltering three of us instead of just two.

I never thought the nesting urge would get to me (just like those hormonal emotions) and yet I now find myself fantasizing about reorganizing closet space, making ornaments for Christmas, building a new laundry station, fixing the bathroom, and getting this house clean! It is crazy, this internal feeling that I MUST get moving to prepare the house. My urge to get everything in order is overwhelming.

It took me a while to recognize the feeling. I didn't think the nesting instinct could start so soon (is 6 months soon? I don't really know), but I'm completely positive that I've now become a typical pregnant woman in this regard. Which to me is odd because I don't think of myself as being typical in anything.

I think Ross is getting a kick out of seeing me this way, but also has become very good at disappearing whenever a "it's got to be done now or it'll never get done" idea hits me. His knack for hiding has probably saved us a fair bit of money, so he's really doing both of us a favor. Nesting in moderation, that's what we're shooting for. And really, Bucky won't know the difference between just a washer and dryer, and a washer and dryer with a folding station, and cabinets, and shelves for detergent, and a hanging bar to dry delicates, and an ironing station, and..."
--Clare, 10/19/05

What happens to fetus poop?

Clare dug up the information below, in response to a Bucky Blog reader question.

In utero, the fetus is connected to the placenta via the umbilical cord. This cord passes nourishment and blood to the baby, and takes waste away from the baby.

Here's some information from WebMD.com:

"Meconium is the baby's first stools. This is a greenish substance that builds up in the bowels of a growing fetus and is normally discharged shortly after birth. However there is the possibility that this is sometimes passed right before birth or during birth. Meconium in the amniotic fluid may be a sign of fetal distress, and infants that inhale meconium into their lungs can develop a potentially fatal lung disease called meconium aspiration syndrome. But fear not, only about 10% of babies have meconium-stained amniotic fluid, and even fewer develop meconium aspiration syndrome."

Any "waste" that the fetus has before the meconium is taken away by the placenta (as indicated above). But also the baby can swallow amniotic fluid and pass it as urine back into the amniotic fluid. Mind you, this is not really what we think of as urine. It's just a cycling process, getting the baby's body functioning and prepared for working on it's own out in the world.

100 days left

Today, Clare has exactly 100 days of being pregnant left to go (if she delivers Bucky on the due date).

Bucky's holder flies cross-country

"John, my father-in-law (versus John, Ross's father- or brother-in-law), has taken to calling me the 'Bucky holder,' which I think is really funny. He also sends us little candies in the mail for no reason. One for Bucky and one for Clare, taped to company letterhead. All the grandparents-to-be have taken to doing fun and thoughtful things like this, I think it's their version of "nesting," and preparing for grandparenthood.

I, the Bucky holder, flew to Portland, Oregon last week for a conference for my job. Lucky for me, I know a number of people who live in or near Portland who I could visit in my downtime. It was quite fun to visit with people who had yet to see me pregnant (in person, at least, which really makes an impact). Also lucky was the fact that the flights to and fro didn't bother me as much as I feared they might.

Blog-master Becky (aka Rebecca) blew me away by flying up to Portland to see me (and her family) since I was going not only be on the same coast, but would be in her hometown. Bucky was so excited that s/he convinced me through a series of morse-coded kicks to wear the BUCKY shirt for a Becky-Bucky photo.




The three of us posed for this in front of The Fireside Cafe in Kalama, Washington.

Kim, another good college friend and former roommate, lives in Portland and is working for a very cool company called HABA. She passed up a hot date to hang out with us, which also blew me away. Bucky must have been just as touched as I was. At dinner s/he kicked hard enough that Kim and Becky could both feel it and see it!




Here we are in Kim's apartment: Kim, Becky, Me, and Bucky (lower right corner).

After a wonderful dinner and amazing gelato, the 3.5 of us were met by yet another college friend, Scotty. He wasn't as eager to feel the kicks, but was still impressed with my being pregnant. It was so nice for me to know that my friends are just as excited for this baby as Ross and I are. I stayed up well past our bedtime for want of spending as much time as possible with those close friends that I don't get to see but maybe once a year.

The next morning Becky drove me to meet up with Pam and John (of grandparent fame). We enjoyed a surprisingly good brunch at the Fireside Cafe in Kalama before Becky officially handed me and Bucky off to the future grandparents. The rest of the day was spent learning about Ross's infancy and what we might be getting into with the birth of our first child. I'm looking forward to it even more; a little Ross wouldn't be so bad."
--Clare, 10/19/05

What's Bucky working on?

Here is an update from Babycenter.com that tells a little more about what's going on in Clare's womb at this point (generally speaking):

"Head to heels, the baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. The
weight -- a pound and a half -- doesn't sound like much, but is beginning to exchange the long, lean look for some baby fat. The wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and soon will start to look more and more like a newborn. Hair is probably recognizable now (in color and texture), although both may change after birth."

The third ultrasound

"I recently had my third ultrasound. This one was to make sure that Bucky's little heart's right exit valve was pumping and fully formed.

Everything seemed a-okay with the little four-chamber heart. It oscillated Beautifully -- right, left, right, left -- flow blood, flow! It is so tiny, yet so strong.

Bucky is advancing well. I'm at 25 weeks and Bucky's development measures at a little over 26 weeks! This is starting to concern me a little because my siblings and I all weighed eight pounds or more at birth, and I have since learned that Ross, arriving a few weeks early, weighed over seven pounds.

I am also curious to know if Bucky will arrive early or late -- my family all arrived late, the kid's in my husband's faminly all arrived early. I asked my doctor at this visit and she said that the trigger for when a woman goes into labor is just as much a mystery as, say, the trigger for hiccups.

We didn't receive a great ultrasound photo this time around, but it's comforting to know Bucky is still healthy and growing.  We also learned that Bucky is now pointed head down, and probably will stay that way. This seems early to me, but it's good to know that we wont have to deal with a breech-birth (feet first). Our little one is so advanced!

After the ultrasound, I had my regular October check-up. I'm shocked to say that I gained just as much weight in the last month as I did the first five months! I think my inability to avoid sugary treats has something to do with that.... I promise for Bucky's sake to put down the pudding pops (which I just found after years and years of searching) and pick up a carrot stick more often."
--Clare, 10/19/05

Couvade Syndrome (aka sympathetic pregnancy)

"Many husbands are known to have some sympathy pains during their wives' pregnancies. I've heard of grown men turning into complete babies themselves because they are 'sick' or having 'pains,' and expect their ever-growing wives to forget their own aching feet and sleepless nights to take care of them. There are also fathers-to-be that don't experience the actual aches, but acquire a pregnancy-empathy of sorts. Their new sensitivity results in comfort, compassion, and understanding, rather than whining. Luckily for me, Ross has fallen into the later category.

Ross had his very own pregnancy dream a few nights ago. Ross's dreams are always a little more realistic than mine, though I'm not sure I'd want this one to be our reality.

His dream was that we were in the hospital. I had just delivered our babies. Yes... babies. Ross dreamt I delivered three healthy, and fully naked (unlike the babies I dream about) sons. All boys. Upon seeing all my sons I proclaimed, figuratively, that they were going to eat me alive.

All I can say is that I'm glad Ross had the dream, and that if I ever had triplet boys -- well, I may flip out at first -- but upon seeing them I'm sure I'd be the happiest mother around. (Since I'm not actually ever going to have triplet boys, I can truly believe that. Knock-on-wood)."
--Clare, 10/3/05

Pregnant friends

"Our good friends Lisa and Avi are also expecting their first child, just 'one month' after we are. I say 'one month' because our due dates are one month apart, but you can never tell who is going to be early, on time, or late in the birthing process. It's been such a comfort to have local friends going through this same adventure. We couldn't have picked a better couple.

In this picture I'm 22 weeks and Lisa is 18 weeks along:



Lisa says she loves that I'm a month ahead of her because she knows what's coming up next. After hearing our kicking stories, they're now excitedly starting to feel movement and kicks, as well! I love that Lisa is a month behind me because then Ross and I get to see another couple going through what we just went through, and it makes the whole thing even more fun. Lisa and Avi also just had their big ultrasound, so we were able to compare that experience. Lucky them -- their technician took a picture of their baby sucking it's thumb! How cute is that?

I think Lisa and I will soon be on the same page with milestones. Apparently after week 20, genetics (i.e. if the baby will have long legs, or a big head, be six pounds or 10) begins to dominate the growing process and there's no telling who's going to experience what first.

Lisa and I see each other about twice a week. We're attempting prenatal yoga -- neither of us has done yoga before -- and swimming at the community pool. While the yoga is providing good stretching techniques and allowing us to see what we'll look like in a few more months (we're considered the 'flat bellies' of the class), I think it's fair to say that we are enjoying the swimming a little more. Mostly because it's 1) free, 2) allows us to feel weightless and light, 3) lets us stretch out while laying on our backs and stomachs, and 4) allows us to talk and laugh all we want.

Every trip has been pretty full of chuckles and good exercise. We amuse ourselves -- I mean just look at us, we have matching swimsuits! We're a vision of loveliness at the pool, swim caps, goggles, and all."
--Clare, 9/24/05

October photo

"At our last big ultrasound I was at 21 weeks, and had gained a total of eight pounds. Bucky, at that time, was measuring in around 22-plus weeks and almost one pound.

Now it's October. I am at 23 weeks (aka six months) and I'm definitely looking bigger than I did two weeks ago, not to mention a month ago.

This has me thinking... if in five-and-a-half months I've gained eight pounds, Bucky accounting for one of those pounds, and if the average woman gains a total of 20-30 pounds, the average baby accounting for seven to eight of those pounds, what is going to happen to me in the next four-and-a-half months? How much bigger am I going to get?

The rate of weight gain for both of us will be exponential since apparently those 20 to 30 pounds (some doctors say it should be 25 to 35) get distributed as follows:

Baby: seven to eight pounds
Placenta: one to two pounds
Amniotic fluid: two pounds
Breast tissue: one to two pounds
Uterus: two pounds
Extra blood: three to four pounds
Increase in body fluids: three pounds
'Maternal stores' (extra fat to serve as protection for the baby and act as a source of energy for the mother): five to twelve pounds

If you add it all up you can get from 14 to 35 pounds."
--Clare, 10/1/05