Separate Spouse time

For Valentine's Day, I wrote about the importance of couple time, but just as important before you have a baby is individual time. My husband is really good at giving me girl nights, and I've been getting them on a regular basis since I stopped breastfeeding, but he's not as good about taking guy nights. A big part of this has to do with our friends, my one close female friend around here is extremely accommodating to me, willing to come to my house in the 'burbs and we tend to just go see movies and have dinner or lunch all of the time. She also works a regular schedule and gets off relatively early, so we can meet for a five pm movie and I'll still be home at a decent hour. My husband's friends, not so much. If I tried, I could probably count on one hand the number of times he's gone out since #1 has come along. But this isn't supposed to be a rant on their lameness. My point is, it is really important, especially before the birth of your first child, to go out and just DO stuff. All babies are different, but in general it's going to be a lot harder once one comes around to socialize. And the last thing you or your spouse want to feel is trapped and like you can't have fun anymore. And it doesn't always have to be going out, having people over is good, too (although much, much easier to continue once the bambino pops out). Or, if either of you is into video games, on-line gaming with friends. This is our big plan for tonight. We have a lot of friends around the country and one thing that the guys can do is play XBOX live together (plus one of our fabulous friends got us the video cam for it so we can live chat, too). It's not quite the same as going out for drinks with the guys, but at least he can do it with a sleeping baby upstairs.

Non-food cravings

I'm a movie buff, like, seriously, I have an entertainment room with one wall covered floor to ceiling with movies. My husband and I don't have cable, we have Netflix on demand and watch that every night that we don't watch a DVD that we already own (and sometimes we're so lazy that we'll just download a movie rather than get off of the couch and walk the two feet to grab one). So how does this relate to pregnancy? My movie choices have changed. I'm having Disney cravings. All I can think about is curling up to watch a classic princess flick: Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty; I want a happily ever after (the fact that I read Cinderella to my son at least once a day might also have something to do with it).

Before my son was born, my husband and I watched a lot of horror movies, he's a HUGE horror fan and I thoroughly enjoy the undead: Zombies & Vampires (Hello Angel!!). I've met George Romero and Ken Foree has a crush on me (no, seriously, I've met him several times and he ALWAYS hits on me, my one celebrity claim to fame [he was the hero in the original Dawn of the Dead, for those of you not in the know ;) ]). Starting in pregnancy, but really after #1 was born, I can't watch them anymore. Part of this is with a child to protect, scary movies have an addition layer of terror to them. But I think it's more than just that. I can still handle a good drama, I just don't want to watch lots of people die for ridiculous reasons. I don't know, maybe it's me getting older, but I'm going to blame it on the mother hormones.

Product review: belly balm

While at Pike Place Market in Seattle, I bought a bar of Moon Valley Tummy Bar (http://www.moonvalleyhoney.com/products/b-tummy_bar.htm) to try. My verdict: I didn't like it. For me, it was totally a texture thing, this is a solid lotion bar and my bathroom is too cold in the winter for it to get nice and melty to rub in well. It also has cocoa butter in it, and while I like the smell of chocolate, I prefer to smell it right before I eat it (I'm not a big fan of smelling like food). I think if I had tried it during a scorching summer than my opinion would be different. But, I have been using it on my every-expanding breasts and it hasn't caused them to break out any more than they already were (I've just given up on that, my skin will go back to normal a few months after I give birth). I hate to dis a company that I like and support, so I'm leaving it up to personal preference. They do have really yummy honey, regardless, and I think I'll still try some of their other products (soap, lip balm) as I need them.

And the kick is good!

Yep, first kick felt this afternoon! I'll be sixteen weeks tomorrow, so this was totally unexpected at this point. #1 I couldn't feel until 23 weeks. But there are some differences. Last time, my placenta was in the front, preventing me from feeling a lot, and I never got the distinct feet or hands coming through my belly. It was also a first, so it can take longer to figure out what you're feeling, although I was straining for so long that I think I felt things as soon as it was possible. This time around the placenta is in the back (does this mean back labor is less likely??) so #2 has free access to the front! And of course, I recognized the kick as soon as it happened. I was laying down in the nursery, since someone only wanted a short nap this afternoon and I was in pain, and Kick! just like that, right in the middle of my belly. Instantly made me less annoyed at my toddler's antics. And yes, it's nearly as miraculous the second time around as the first :)

Caught up

Okay, I've responded to all of the comments that have been made. Since January. My bad!

A little less pain

As if the normal pregnancy symptoms aren't enough, pregnancy has a way of doing stuff to your body to aggravate anything that should have been taken care of years ago, like my back. Last Thursday was my first appointment with my physical therapist (whom I now love, she made it so I could at least drive to her nearly pain-free). Here I thought I had just pulled a hamstring, nope, the sciatic nerve runs down your leg and if you hurt your back, the pain can localize in your leg. I'd heard of this, but I was SO CERTAIN that all I had was a pulled hamstring. Ha!

Anyway, so seven years ago when I originally hurt my back, instead of the dr. I went to telling me to go home and take some ibuprofen, he should have requested an MRI. Yes, I might have a slipped disk. Aggravated by pregnancy and my body loosening up. Since I had issues last time around, but nothing since then, I had figured my back was fine. Nope! When I showed up on Thursday, I was a mess. Several days of pain had lead me to baby my right leg, which meant that not only was my back injured, but I was all out of alignment from walking funny and my right hip was two inches higher than my left. (When the PT asked if I had noticed I just told her that in my day, I tend to look in the mirror for less than 15 seconds, so it would take a whole lot more for me to notice.) Anyway, postpone the back treatment, first I had to fix my hips. Fortunately, this was a simple exercise, which worked! Today I went back to start treating my back. And a little relief.

I know a lot of people will go to a chiropracter for back issues. For me, I prefer physical therapy. For two reasons. The first is that I feel as though I am in command of my healing. I am responsible for, and am able to do SOMETHING and it helps. Plus, once you know the exercises, if things start going a little wonky again, you have the tools to hopefully prevent anything worse. Second: my mother has had back problems my whole life, and has been going to a chiropracter on and off my whole life. Yeah, still has back problems. I've never seen them ever get much better, which could have a lot to do with my mother, but isn't a ringing endorsement. I have problems with any treatment that requires you to keep going back for an indefinite time. Oh, and PT still spends some time on massage, so yay for that! (My husband may give great massages, but he's still not a professional)

An apology to my readers

On two fronts, one, that I haven't written anything for days: today is my first less painful day in nearly a week and a half. I am so happy to finally be on the mend with what may be a slipped disk (AHHH!). My second Physical Therapy session was today and I can MOVE again!

But more importantly, I sit and complain about no comments and I didn't realize that there were several that just needed my approval. Please, please forgive me and continue to comment, I promise to check daily! I'm still getting used to this whole blogging thing.