February Already!

I hope that this blog post finds everyone well and having a great start to February. Things in Norfolk are going really well for me and James, especially the weather. It has been in the 60s and 70s ALL week and me and Lilly have loved being outside so much. I know our friends and family in NC have been feeling similar days so I hope you’ve been outside enjoying it like we have!

James has gotten used to walking the decks (all 900 of them) of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and has really enjoyed meeting his chain of command. This week he is actually taking a class to get his Surface Warfare Pin, which is issued to Naval personnel who are trained and qualified to perform duties aboard United States surface warships. The pin is authorized for wear by any enlisted member of the United States Navy who is permanently stationed aboard a navy afloat command and completes the Enlisted Surface Warfare qualification program and personal qualification standards. The Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist Badge can be obtained at any time after reporting to a ship, but since James’s ship is in the yard and he has been waiting for his medical records to arrive (yes, from Florida…still) he has taken the opportunity to get ahead. He got surprised with the day off on Monday, so he takes his test on Tuesday! Say a prayer for him, although we all know he has had no problem with tests in the past J

As for me, we had a bit of a setback with the work situation. I was offered a position at Navy Federal Credit Union, but after sitting down with them and speaking with them about my pregnancy, since I would only have been working there 6 months my maternity leave wouldn’t be guaranteed. So if I took the leave, they would not hold my position. It was a hard decision, but I turned the position down. If it had been any other company I wouldn’t have minded so much but Navy Federal is a company I’d really like to work with long term. The manager was so sweet and asked me to email her as soon as the baby was born and she would try and find me a position. So we made a decision together that until the baby is born I am going to hold off on a job. I am not the greatest at staying home, that is a work in progress J but until I feel good about accepting a position we decided this was best for us.

Which brings me to the other update, Green Bean! We are 14 weeks on Saturday and officially in the 2^nd trimester. Everything has gone so smoothly, I’ve been so lucky and felt pretty good for the most part. My energy has definitely started an upswing the past week which is amazing. I even have a little bump. It still isn’t a very cute bump, if you didn’t know I was pregnant it is more like a “Whoa, did Julie eat a lot of pasta last night?” bump but I can’t suck it in and it’s weirdly hard.  

A little over 13 weeks

I haven’t moved into maternity clothes yet, but I think that’s because I have been favoring my comfy yoga pants over jeans anyway. One subject has irked me about the world of pregnancy though. A couple of weeks ago I decided I wanted to order James a Dad Pregnancy book since I had like, 3 and was always reading him excerpts. I consulted with Tara who is conveniently about 10 weeks ahead of me and asked if there was one Warren liked and she recommended “Dude, You’re Going to be a Dad” by John Pfeiffer. So the UPS man dropped it off and James wasn’t home yet so I cracked it open and started reading. By the time he got home I was a third in and laughing so hard I was crying. BUT I was kind of annoyed too. Here are two examples to my annoyance.

What to Expect: Large amounts of hormones — chemical signals that circulate in your body and cause physical changes in you — are being mass-produced: estrogen to maintain the levels of progesterone and hCG; progesterone to maintain the function of the placenta, to keep the smooth muscles of the uterus (and other places) from contracting, and to stimulate the growth of breast tissue; and hCG to support the corpus luteum and keep progesterone at its appropriate level. Watch out — these hormones are going to take over your life!

DudeYou’re Going to be a Dad: The implantation of the egg into her uterus causes the production of hCG, the pregnancy hormone. This causes production of estrogen and progesterone. These hormones are quite necessary for the development of the baby, but like steroids and unprotected sex they have side effects. As production of the hormones continues, the levels in her body begin to increase. During weeks 5, 6, and 7 pregnancy hormones start making her crazy. Like DEFCON 1 CRAZY. You versus the hormones is like Spinks vs. Tyson, Joe vs. the Volcano, and Tiger vs. Monogamy. You have no chance.

Mayo Clinic’s Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy:  Why Should I take Child Birthing Class? Learn things you never knew about labor, delivery and postpartum care. Address your fears. Connect with your partner or labor coach. Discuss options for handling pain. Get the basics on medical interventions and possible complications. Check out the facility.

Dude: Birthing class is an event no man can ever be properly prepared for. The descriptions from your buddies do not do justice to the mental scarring you will suffer. The class starts innocently enough, with introductions and a few segments relating to the responsibilities of being a parent. There may be a couple there who already has children and simply showed up for the refresher. Be careful with them, as they’re simply there to prove how smart they are. Just as their know it all act is wearing on you, the class moves on to a time-honored tradition. The VCR comes out and they slap the porno like birthing film form the 70’s with the funkified music and body parts in all of their glory. Good lord. Were those humans? After the class you will return to your life. Your partner doesn’t seem affected by anything she saw or heard in there which makes you wonder if she did some black-ops work for the CIA in Iraq.

Ok I’ll stop with the examples because I’m sure by now you get the point. I am SO glad that the DAD  book is so filled with humor and jokes, but still informative while mine is informative in the health class text book kind of way. I’m the one that actually has a growing human moving my organs around, but let’s make the Dad laugh because of what he’s going through. Ugh. Don’t get me wrong, I actually love that book, and I’m glad it breaks it down for James while not putting the fear of God into him (James can’t handle medical terms sometimes) but I’ve decided I’m writing a book about pregnancy from a sarcastic female point of view. *Sigh.*

Anyway, we are all happy, healthy, and enjoying life. Last weekend we were at the beach with my Dad and the Greens and we had the best time hanging out with everyone and catching up…and celebrating Tricia’s Dad’s surprise 60^th birthday party! Molly is so big, and walking and I love hearing her laugh. Tricia’s brother Ronnie flew in from Texas, so James was so happy to get some time with one of his best pals.  

I already can’t wait to see everyone again in March for Tara’s baby shower and my birthday! This weekend I’m spoiled, Alison and Sara are coming up to visit so I can’t wait for them to get here tonight!

We hope everyone has a wonderful Super Bowl weekend, GO GIANTS!! J