My New Word

We are all familiar with the words/phrases/nonsense words we have to enter to leave comments on many of each others' blogs.  I have it set up on mine! 

I think I may have found my favorite.

CODPROTS.

Tell me that isn't FANTASTIC!  I think it sounds very much like a British curse/insult.  And so I shall be incorporating it into my vocabulary.  As in:

• Codprots!  I dropped x all over the floor.  Again.
• They are such codprots.  What were they thinking.
• This is total codprots. 
• Keep your codprots off of me.
• Don't be such a codprot! 

You get the idea.  I haven't figured out how to make it a verb yet, but I know I will at some point :)  Yay for new words :)

Cherries on Top!

Babybaker gave me this award a couple weeks ago, and I just haven't gotten around to actually posting it! 

Thank ou sweet lady!!!!  

The rules:  link back to the person who gave you the award, pass it on to five (or a bunch of) other blogs, and leave them a comment telling them of the award!

Kir
Fran
AnxiousMummyto3
The2weekwait
Rachel

I love all my ladies!

18w0d

WEEKLY UPDATE

How far along: 18 weeks 0 days. Crciket is the size of a sweet potato! Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon.

Total weight gain/loss: 19 lbs this morning :(  132.4.  So much for slowing down.  19 lbs!  Wowzers.

Maternity clothes: Oh, yeah!

Stretch marks: Hip and thigh ones are flaring up from puberty.

Sleep: Able to sleep harder now in between bathroom runs :) Lovin' that!  I am up to something like 10-ish hours a night.  What a BUM!

Movement: Picking up in strength in regularity, but no patterns yet.  One day I thought she had moved a trampoline in there...it was the most I have felt.  I am openly admitting that each kick kind of surprises me, and weirds me out a bit.
Cravings/Aversions: Cravings: Nothing specific this week. Aversions: Stinky odors, red meat, and whatever doesn't agree with me on any given day.

Gender: at this point, we have decided not to find out...let's see if we hold steadfast to that! DH says boy, I say girl.

Symptoms: Let me update you on the nasty stuff, as I've been silent on it.  Spike has been absent for nearly 2 weeks, but his kid, Junior, is here EVERY day for at least a while.  So, daily headaches, still.  And I get excited now and then because I will get a day or 2 with no vomit...and then it comes back.  So still dry-heaving quite a bit.  Kinda freaked out my new boss this week.  LOL.  I warned him!  Apparently he didn't realize just HOW serious I was.
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach.

What I look forward to: Regular movement, seeing Hubby's face when he gets to feel her move. Ultrasound in 2 weeks - soooooo excited for that!

Moods: Not bad, mostly happy :)  Except when I'm sick, but oh, well.  Yay for Zo.loft.

Milestones: A complete stranger was sitting with me at work, and I was doing a potty dance.  She said, "I remember what that's like when you're expecting."  I hadn't told her :)  So strangers can tell I'm pregnant!
Medical Concerns: Hypothyroid, anxiety, migraines. Ready for the list? Syn.throid 50 mcg, Zo.loft 100 mg, Zo.fran pump, Iron, D3, B12, Vitamin C, Folic acid, no more prenatals, Bene.fiber, stool softeners. I feel like a major pill popper.

Weekly Wisdom: Stop freaking out over my morning weigh-ins.  It's out of my hands for the most part!
Best moment this week:  Being told that I'm glowing, feeling my babe move.

Worst moment this week: Feeling sick at least part of every day.  I'm used to it, but over it at the same time.  Sigh.

I'm doing 3 pics this week, so you can see a 2 week progression, because, as I mentioned last week, I popped.  To be fair, the week 18 pic is AFTER breakfast, but still accurate.

16 weeks

17 weeks

18 weeks!  See, lots of me getting bigger the last 2 weeks!

Pro-Choice or Not...

...this really crosses a line.  In my opinion.  And now, many others.  A couple in Minnesota have posted a website allowing the general public to vote on whether to keep their pregnancy or not.  News articles have generated a TON of feedback, swaying the vote now way toward keeping the pregnancy.

Minnesota's state law allows for aborting a baby up to 20 weeks, and they have the poll set to end 2 days  before their deadline.  This is a HEALTHY child, sex determined, and even nicknamed.  This leads me to believe there is some attachment. 

Here's the thing.  I am completely pro-choice.  And I think there are definite times when it is the right decision.  And it should be our choice.  OUR CHOICE.  But to leave it to strangers?  Really?  I am simply outraged.  If you can't make the decision yourself, perhaps that is an indication that your uncertainty is too high to sway toward aborting. 

I can't bring myself to go and vote, because that, to me, is showing support for the site, for their decision to well, share their decision.  And that I do not approve of it.  At all.  Sigh.  Thoughts?

Dear Baby #3

My Dear Cricket,

It's time for a chat.  I do not think you asked before moving a trampoline into Helga, your temporary home.  Although I am glad one of us is getting some exercise.  LOL.  No one told me how bizarre it was going to feel having you kick me.  While I love it, at the same time, I feel rather like an alien has taken over my body from the neck down. 

As of now, it's obvious that you are a part of me, even to strangers, unless I wear something truly baggy and shapeless.  Pretty cool :)  And in 2 weeks we get to see you again!  You have no idea how excited we are about that!  But you'd better keep those wobbly bits from our prying eyes.  That's an order.

Your kicking, my expanding belly (and boobs) are making your existence so much more real to me, and I'm feeling so much safer about you making it to us safely.  I can't believe we are nearly half-way there!  You are growing so fast!  I can't imagine what it's going to be like once you arrive and blow our minds every day.  I imagine you are going to be a handful, given the way it's been going so far.  Seriously, I forget what it's like to not throw up regularly.  Bring it on, Cricket, we can handle you.  I promise.  We are eagerly awaiting the day we get to meet you (but not too soon, you hear me?  We want you all the way cooked!).

Love you, baby.

Mama

How To?

A couple of people have pointed out that I need to associate an email with my comments and I thought I had. What am I doing wrong? Steps, PLEASE???

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Namibia

So, I had some time to hop on a computer today and get you some pictures.  Hope you enjoy it!  I have umpteen more, but they are in storage, these are the only ones I had scanned to Snap.fish ages ago.  I thought somewhere there was one of me in traditional garb, but I can't find it this morning for the life of me.  Too bad, so sad, no pic of me looking enormous.  LOL.  Anyway, a little taste of things there.  Someday I will get all my stuff out of storage and be able to finally scan tons more.

2 of my brothers, Tjirongo and Tupi

Donkey grazing outside the town where I trained

Fish drying in a hut in northern Namibia

Elephants in Etosha National Park

Herero woman walking

Kids at the school where I worked

My host mom and her youngest daugheter, Tjiandjeua

Traditional huts in northern Namibia

San men showing off for the camera

Sisters :)

Sunrise one of my first mornings

Amazing sunsets

Kids in the school yard

The young kids at my homestead

Tate and Mama