I had the joyous pleasure of going through a 3 hour glucose tolerance test yesterday...ugh. Thank goodness Aunt PH was there with me to do crosswords on her iPad and help me not puke.
I arrived at the lab at 9 AM and they drew the first batch of blood. Then, I had to drink the most awful drink- like flat sprite, but thick- in under 5 minutes. Then at 10, 11 and 12 I had to have more blood drawn. I have tiny little non-existent veins, so needless to say I had lots of extra pokes beyond the 4 they had to do. It was not at all fun.
I had to do the 3 hour test since there is a history of diabities in my family (thanks Papa!), otherwise it would have just been a one shot draw of blood and I would have been done. Oh well...such is life.
We should have the results back on Thursday and, for the next few weeks, I will be in long sleeves to avoid the "she must be a pregnant heroin addict" stares...hahah. Won't be too hard since it's still cold in NYC...blahhh.
Otherwise, I am doing really well. The bean has positioned her foot in my right rib most all the time now, which is not so comfy, especially when I'm sitting. I feel good otherwise, though. :)
It's hard to believe I am 30 weeks tomorrow. I have a feeling this little soccer player is going to come a bit early, so I am starting to feel the crunch to get things in order before her arrival, which could be less than 2 months away! Eddie and I have a huge list that we have to get going on, so our weekends the rest of April are nice and full before we travel to Jax and MD in May. Should help time go by faster at least.
It's been so nice having D in town. She always makes me smile and laugh- I cannot wait until we live in the same city again one day...it WILL happen. I don't know when, but it will...
Come on, you know you want to hear every little detail about this great adventure Eddie and I have embarked on. On or around June 30, 2011 a little Berrang will be born into this crazy world. Until then, follow the bean's progress via the interweb. Since we are boycotting Facebook, we thought this would be the next best way for all our friends and family to cyberstalk us and our unborn child. Not creepy at all, right? Enjoy!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
sun on my belly :)
So I went down to Jacksonville this past weekend to escape the cold and see my fam. The trip was exactly what I needed...family time and tons of sun! It made me wonder if the bean can tell that we are in a different environment. Does she hear the waves and the reggae music playing at the beach? What is that like for her when she is used to traffic and horns honking? Hmmm...
Aunt Jul and Uncle Greggie were amazed by my food consumption...hahah. I still order the same things, but there is never a bite left on my plate, that's for sure! I got to see my Dad at lunch on Saturday and ate half his chips too, which thrilled him to no end. I am up 20 lbs now, which the doc says is ritght on track, so I'll just keep doing what I'm doing!
We all talked about the great name debate at lunch, but I am convinced this child will not have a name until I meet her...I just CANNOT decide.
The beach days were amazing- 85 and sunny all the time. Wendy, my photographer extraordinaire sister, insisted on taking some belly shots at the beach, so here are a few in all my bikini clad glory...ha! I was 28 weeks in these...
Aunt Jul and Uncle Greggie were amazed by my food consumption...hahah. I still order the same things, but there is never a bite left on my plate, that's for sure! I got to see my Dad at lunch on Saturday and ate half his chips too, which thrilled him to no end. I am up 20 lbs now, which the doc says is ritght on track, so I'll just keep doing what I'm doing!
We all talked about the great name debate at lunch, but I am convinced this child will not have a name until I meet her...I just CANNOT decide.
The beach days were amazing- 85 and sunny all the time. Wendy, my photographer extraordinaire sister, insisted on taking some belly shots at the beach, so here are a few in all my bikini clad glory...ha! I was 28 weeks in these...
I have the line down my tummy now, which you can really see in the black and whites. Also, my boobs are obnoxious, but I guess that comes with the territory, ugh. I have to say, it's really strange seeing myself like this, but I don't mind it at all. There is a BABY in there- so cool to think! I saw a lot of old friends on the beach, some who didn't know until now that I am pregnant, so that was fun to tell/show them. :)
On Sunday, I also got to see Katherine, one of my oldest and best friends, and her daughter (my god daughter) Anna. She is the cutest little thing in the world and made me even more excited for our little girl to get here. Anna will be 3 in August and talks like she is going on 15...here is one of my fav shots of her:
It was very hard to leave my family and the great weather, but I was so happy to get home to Eddie. It's hard being away from him now...he really does take such good care of me and I miss that when I'm away.
Tomorrow I will be 29 weeks and we have our next doctors visit as well, so more updates to come soon!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Scout, QUICK! get your jacket and boots! Bus is here!

The Wall Street Journal decided it was time to alarm me about certain NYC facts http://on.wsj.com/hyCSQM. (Summary: Kindergarten Wait List Grows by 42%) SHIT! Wondering about asking patrons of Epstein's if they have any connections to local school boards probably isn't our best approach... we are now looking to see if Harvard has a day car or nursery school program in the City. Autumn continues to exceed expectations with how well she is handling everything. We recently went down and hung with our favorite little niece Nora for her second birthday bash. Little baby factory happening around Grandma Dede's house. Little Scout seems to really enjoy waking Autumn up around 5am every morning with sucker punches to the kidneys and lower ribs. March was a serious month of weather in NYC for momma Berrang and little Scout. It is March 31st, snow predicted for this weekend. Every time I come home Autumn somehow has found a way to get more clothes for her... and thank you to everyone who is helping to turn her room into Maria Carey's closet. It is nice to watch Autumn smile and see her face and how excited she gets showing me the outfits. Get on the bus Scouty! We don't want to be late!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
a new cousin for the bean!
VERY exciting news- Eddie and I just heard that Tracy and Sam's little one is going to be a boy!! Congrats to them and future big sis Nora (whose birthday happens to be today). We could not be more excited to have a little boy cousin who will be the same age as the bean- he's due in August. How amazing and exciting...big hugs to the Emara family.
"and now we start with the measuring tape..."
Last week was wonderful. My Mom came in town on Wednesday night to spend the weekend with us. She got to see the bean's cute little room and all the sweet little dresses we have bought for her...so much fun! She also got to come to the doc with us on Thursday and meet Dr. Young for the first time.
The appointment went very well. I am still on the high end of normal weight gain at 18 lbs, but Dr. Young is happy with that since I was fairly thin to start with. My BP and and that jazz were great. The bean's little heart rate was perfect too- so much fun to hear. :) We asked the doc about the need to test me for whatever toxin cats can sometimes carry (our vet suggested it), but he felt confident that since they are inside cats, I should be fine (unless I wanted another needle- no thanks!). Also asked him about my little heart murmur. I have always had it, but I notice the skipped and double beats more now that I am pregnant- he said that is totally normal. In fact, some women who have never had that issue develop it during pregnancy and it's nothing to worry about. Oh, and apparently I am "now at the stage where we have to measure my tummy with measuring tape." So that's interesting. The doc said it's to check the bean's growth, and so far, she is growing like crazy!
We went to an early birthday dinner for Meg on Saturday night and she got to feel the bean kick for the first time! She was so so excited...it makes it so real when you actually feel it. MC also got to feel her kick the other night at the apartment. She said it felt like little tiny feet- to me, they feel HUGE!
I am still feeling remarkably good. Not too achy or exhausted, which I thought I might be by 25 weeks. Mom and I walked all over creation while she was here and it felt great! I do want to work out more, though. I walk a ton, but I need to get back in the gym and yoga and do some light weights and stretching...one day I'll get around to it....haha.
Also got everything squared away at work as far as maternity leave goes. The policy here is not the best, but my bosses are great and working with me to maximize my time at home with the bean. I'll be totally off in July and August on short term disability (we only get a week of paid official maternity leave...insane). And then I'll be working PT from home in September and October. I plan on working three days/wk and taking two days of vacation/sick time over those 8 weeks. So, overall, not too bad, even though part of it is only partial pay...it's worth it to be home while she is tiny. After that, Eddie and I are going to look for someone to take care of her at home...we really don't want her in daycare that young, but we'll see how it all works out.
Our next appt is 4/14 and, after that, we start going every 3 weeks instead of 4. Getting closer!!
The appointment went very well. I am still on the high end of normal weight gain at 18 lbs, but Dr. Young is happy with that since I was fairly thin to start with. My BP and and that jazz were great. The bean's little heart rate was perfect too- so much fun to hear. :) We asked the doc about the need to test me for whatever toxin cats can sometimes carry (our vet suggested it), but he felt confident that since they are inside cats, I should be fine (unless I wanted another needle- no thanks!). Also asked him about my little heart murmur. I have always had it, but I notice the skipped and double beats more now that I am pregnant- he said that is totally normal. In fact, some women who have never had that issue develop it during pregnancy and it's nothing to worry about. Oh, and apparently I am "now at the stage where we have to measure my tummy with measuring tape." So that's interesting. The doc said it's to check the bean's growth, and so far, she is growing like crazy!
We went to an early birthday dinner for Meg on Saturday night and she got to feel the bean kick for the first time! She was so so excited...it makes it so real when you actually feel it. MC also got to feel her kick the other night at the apartment. She said it felt like little tiny feet- to me, they feel HUGE!
I am still feeling remarkably good. Not too achy or exhausted, which I thought I might be by 25 weeks. Mom and I walked all over creation while she was here and it felt great! I do want to work out more, though. I walk a ton, but I need to get back in the gym and yoga and do some light weights and stretching...one day I'll get around to it....haha.
Also got everything squared away at work as far as maternity leave goes. The policy here is not the best, but my bosses are great and working with me to maximize my time at home with the bean. I'll be totally off in July and August on short term disability (we only get a week of paid official maternity leave...insane). And then I'll be working PT from home in September and October. I plan on working three days/wk and taking two days of vacation/sick time over those 8 weeks. So, overall, not too bad, even though part of it is only partial pay...it's worth it to be home while she is tiny. After that, Eddie and I are going to look for someone to take care of her at home...we really don't want her in daycare that young, but we'll see how it all works out.
Our next appt is 4/14 and, after that, we start going every 3 weeks instead of 4. Getting closer!!
Monday, March 14, 2011
peace and quiet
Eddie and I went to Montauk over the weekend to see the fam and get away from the city for a bit. I have had some trouble sleeping lately, but I think a trip to Montauk revealed why....Manhattan noise! It was so quiet in Montauk and I was able to sleep peacefully almost the whole night, rather than waking up ten times. I guess I'm not as used to the sirens, jackhammers and yelling as I thought I was after almost 5 years in the city.
The good thing is (according to my Babycenter emails) the baby will be used to the noise since she has been hearing it since she was a little gummy bear in my belly. So, even though I may be very unrested, the little lady will be sleeping soundly through the Coned construction and Saturday night 4 AM yelling breakups.
Also on the topic of sleep, I am not supposed to lay on my back anymore according to the doctor and everything I read, but, even when I fall asleep on my side, I wake up on my back! Never fails. Last night I surrounded myself with pillows and it seemed to help. Maternity pillow under my head and front and full body pillow down my back. It actually seemed to work. It didn't stop the wake ups due to sirens and such, but at least I was listening to the sirens from my left side where I belong...it's a start.
In other news, my wonderful Katherine sent me a fetal heart monitor!! Now we can listen to the bean's heartbeat anytime we want, rather than just at the doctor's office. I had no idea how much I'd want to hear that sound until I got pregnant and now I can anytime I feel like it- so so excited.
Mom gets in town on Wednesday and we have a doctor's appt on Thursday, so more updates then. :)
The good thing is (according to my Babycenter emails) the baby will be used to the noise since she has been hearing it since she was a little gummy bear in my belly. So, even though I may be very unrested, the little lady will be sleeping soundly through the Coned construction and Saturday night 4 AM yelling breakups.
Also on the topic of sleep, I am not supposed to lay on my back anymore according to the doctor and everything I read, but, even when I fall asleep on my side, I wake up on my back! Never fails. Last night I surrounded myself with pillows and it seemed to help. Maternity pillow under my head and front and full body pillow down my back. It actually seemed to work. It didn't stop the wake ups due to sirens and such, but at least I was listening to the sirens from my left side where I belong...it's a start.
In other news, my wonderful Katherine sent me a fetal heart monitor!! Now we can listen to the bean's heartbeat anytime we want, rather than just at the doctor's office. I had no idea how much I'd want to hear that sound until I got pregnant and now I can anytime I feel like it- so so excited.
Mom gets in town on Wednesday and we have a doctor's appt on Thursday, so more updates then. :)
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
SIX MONTHS?!
I really do learn something new every day I'm pregnant. Today, I found out that I am 6 months pregnant, not 5 like I have been telling everyone! The weeks to months conversion thing is always confusing. The doctors talk in weeks and everyone else in the world asks "how many months are you?" Well, world, I have been answering you wrong all along!
I found this chart online, so now I will never accidentally lie about how far along I am again...
So, I'm SIX MONTHS PREGNANT people! Whew, I hope every month goes by that fast... ;)
I found this chart online, so now I will never accidentally lie about how far along I am again...
So, I'm SIX MONTHS PREGNANT people! Whew, I hope every month goes by that fast... ;)
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