Leslie Lee’s Weblog

until Holiday Recess!! Woo Hoo!! 17 days of not having to wake up early, actually of not having to really do anything if I don’t want to! I may not even get dressed the whole 2 weeks!

So, to update you on my last post about the furnace cleaning thing…John spent a little more than I thought, but the ducts got cleaned, the furnace got cleaned, the filter was replaced and he had this UV germ/bacteria light thing installed. It’s supposed to keep everything uber clean forever, and it’s supposedly a lot healthier. I’ve seen a little thing on this new contraption on HGtv a while back, and I guess it’s a legit thing. I will say though, that the dust level in the house has been significantly reduced which really surprised me, and the heat does blow a lot stronger now, so….

Anyhoot, so this week is #23 of being pregs. I’m enjoying it a lot. I’m at a good, comfortable size, I don’t think it’s going to last much longer though. It is getting a little harder to get (or I should really say, roll) out of bed, and I can see a difference in the size of my belly about every other day, it’s so weird. But my favorite part of this whole thing is still feeling her move. It has really changed my whole perspective on being pregnant, I love it! I think that she’s been getting the hiccups lately, but I’m not exactly sure what I’m feeling. It’s kind of like a pulsing tap that only lasts maybe 6 or 7 pulses, but I think that maybe that’s what it is. I’m sure in the coming weeks it’ll get stronger, and I’ll be sure of what it is.

I get my weekly emails from WhatToExpect.com, and here is what they say about this week of pregnancy…

Week 23: All Systems Growing…

At eight inches and slightly over a pound, your baby is the size and shape of a small doll. (But then, you already knew that you were carrying a living doll, didn’t you?) This week marks the beginning of some serious weight gain. Your baby’s weight in the next four weeks alone should double (and you may feel as though yours is too). You have probably heard your baby’s heartbeat through a Doppler a number of times already (though you never get tired of hearing it), but by now you can also hear it through a standard stethoscope. What a heart throb!

Your baby’s skin is reddish in color now because of the developing blood vessels underneath (remember, the skin is very thin still). It also hangs loosely from his or her little body at this point. That’s because the skin grows faster than the fat develops. But don’t worry. By the time your baby is born, he or she will be pleasantly plump and filled out — from chubby cheeks to chubby toes.

ValuPak Coupons

What a rip off. Maybe I’m overreacting a little bit, but it really tics me off. We decided that it would probably be a good idea to get our heating ducts cleaned. So, so far this season we haven’t turned on the heater yet, awaiting the cleaning. I know. It’s been freezing! We’ve been living almost solely in the bedroom with a space heater, but that’s a whole other story…

Anyhoot, I found a coupon in the ValuPak mailer thing, up to a 3 bedroom house for $130, but they’ll match any other coupons, and there was another one for $89. So I figured it’d be like a hundred bucks, not bad. So they’re coming this morning between 8-9am. I had to go to work, so John stayed home to meet them…

Long story short – $900!!! Are you kidding me?? I mean, I don’t know about you, but I almost fell off my chair when he told me. That’s like 10x the original price, ridiculous!! He did it anyways, the guys said that our whole furnace needed to be cleaned because it was only running at 55% efficiency. John didn’t seem to be too thrown off by this, he reasoned that it’s the air that we breathe, and the baby will be breathing, so it’s worth whatever. He’s a lot more calm that I am. I’m kinda pissed. Not because of the price, but because of the advertisement.

Last year I got a carpet cleaner from the ValuPak, and they advertised a hundred and some odd dollars to do 3 bedrooms and a hall, and we only have carpet in the 3 bedrooms. Anyways, the guy got there and all of sudden it was over $300. So I told him forget it, we don’t want his services. He got all pissed off and started yelling at me, I got scared that he was going to kill me or something (I was home by myself) But the point of the story is that it’s total misrepresentation. These people that advertise in these cheap mailers print these prices just to get into your house and sucker you into paying whatever because they’re already there. That’s what really makes me mad. They give you no warning or heads up that because of this or that ridiculous extra costs may incur. That’s what really makes me mad. I don’t like being taken advantage of, and I feel like that’s totally what’s going on.

So I’ve decided that next time coupons come in the mail, I’m throwing it out!

Okay, so before I start on anything else…my cankle situation has gotten better. It must have been all the walking and standing over the weekend. But I am very happy to report that the swelling has definitely gone down, and my ankles have pretty much returned to normal. Thank gawd!

So things have been going really well lately. I feel pretty much great pretty much all of the time. Although it is getting harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning, but that just may have to do with the freezing temps. I’m gettin very excited for Xmas break! Only four and a half more days! YAY! School is out next Thursday at noon until January 7! Ahhhh, I can’t wait for 2 weeks of sleeping in! That is my most favey thing in the world! And I should take advantage now, since in a couple of months that will probably never happen again. (tear)

So I think she’s going to be a dancer. This girl never stops moving! She flutters then pounds and kicks and flutters some more, it’s all over the place! Up and down, on this side then the other, it’s wild. And I both love and get freaked out at how much my belly moves and twitches with her every move. I still can’t believe it’s all really happening! She’s actually in there!

We were thinking about getting that 3D/4D ultrasound done in a couple weeks. I’ve been doing some research on when to do it, and they say anywhere after 20 weeks. I’m thinking the later the better, because then she’ll look more like her rather than a freaky alien baby. But then I think the sooner the better, because it would be a double check that she’s a girl. And wouldn’t that be terrible to find out that she’s really a HE after I’ve finished the room in pink?! Devastating! So, if you have any suggestions when we should have this done, let me know…

Yeah, that’s right. My calves have migrated and have overthrown my ankles. I don’t know how this happened, I thought my ankles were better than that, I thought they would at least put up a fight. But no, they surrendered to the water retention and are now gone. Hopefully they’ll return one day. I miss them already! No, but seriously, I didn’t even really think that this would happen, but John and I spent a few hours walking around the mall on Saturday, and then we went to a Christmas party Saturday night where the seating was limited, so most of the night I was standing, and when I got home, HOLY COW! Both my ankles looked sprained. They were huge! They’ve gone down a bit, but they’re definitely not the same. With all these changes happening, I really wish that I had taken pictures of what some of my body parts looked like before. I know, I know, that sounds bizarre, and if I ever came across a photo album that just had close up pictures of ankles and feet, I’d think that it was a little strange (or maybe it was some weird fetish book). But right now I wish I could remember what my ankles used to look like, maybe they were always this fat and I just never noticed. Gawd, I hope not!  I was putting some of my regular clothes away in storage, and came across the bra I fit in about 6 weeks ago, and it’s funny how perception changes. It looks tiny! It would have been nice to have a picture of those too. I mean I wouldn’t show you or anything, but it would be nice to just reminisce by myself, cuz I’m sure these puppies will never be the same again!

This week is #22, baby is about seven and a half inches from crown to rump and about 12 ounces. Somedays she’s super active and others she’s pretty quiet. It makes me feel better when she moves, because then I know she’s still in there. It’s funny, because a lot of the time when she does move it’s this tapping sensation, so I always joke that she’s knocking, asking to come out already. I can’t imagine what this is going to be like when she gets bigger, it’s already a little distracting.

This morning I was laying in bed because she was moving all over the place, and so John had his hand on my stomach trying to feel her. It was a slight little movement, and he wasn’t that impressed so he gave up. So we’re just sitting there and my belly is sticking out of my bathrobe, and I could feel her a few inches above my belly button. I was pointing to John where she was, and then POKE! She totally punched (or kicked) and we SAW it! Really weird!! Ahahaha, we both looked at each other in shock! It was SO alien! There was no way that I could make my stomach do that on it’s own! Ahahahaha, I think about that and I can’t stop laughing at our reaction. I’ve never seen John’s eyes get so big!

So I rushed home from work yesterday, and since I wasn’t feeling well I stripped off my work clothes got into my pajamas, turned the space heater on full blast and hopped into bed. I was laying there watching the Ellen Show and she started kicking like crazy! They were really strong, way stronger than normal, so I had my hand on my tummy, and BAM! She totally kicked my hand! AND I felt it!! On the outside!! John & Tim were out front building a dog house (they’re so handy!), and gawd forbid I got out of my warm bed, so I picked up the phone and called John to hurry inside. He got to feel it too! It was so awesome. She went on like that for like a half an hour, then it was over. She kicks pretty often, but not that hard. I can’t wait until it happens again!

On another note, I was also watching Take Home Chef in bed yesterday and he made these little bite size baked potatoes that oh-my-gawd, looked so delicious!! He baked these little tiny round potatoes, then when they were all nice and soft he cut an X at the top, squeezed them open a little bit, put a little dollop of sour cream and chopped  chives and viola! Bite size baked potato! So now I’m obsessed with baked potatoes! We went to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner for their baked potato bar, and although that was really good, I’m not satisfied! I think I’ll have to run over to Wendy’s for lunch this afternoon, then go to Lucky’s for a big sack of potatoes for dinner! Mmmmm…..

I’m sick again. Big fat BOO! I got a flu shot back in September, and almost immediately after I got sick too. I thought that that would be the last of me being sick, but here it is again. And it’s miserable! Stuffy nose, drippy nose, headaches, watery eyes, ridiculous amounts of sneezing, really hard which then leads to that other little leakage problem that is associated with pregnancy…

Anyways, so I feel like things have been progressing fast lately. She moves around like crazy! It’s really weird, and I’m really enjoying it. It’s so bizarre because I can totally tell where she is in my belly, it gets really hard, and in that respect you can feel when she moves. John felt that the other night, he kinda freaked out, but in a gross me out-excited way. It’s fun. I have also grown a lot in the last 2 weeks, I definitely look pregnant, rather than just fat, well actually, it depends on what I wear, but anyhoot.

I’m officially half way through this pregnancy, 20 weeks! Can you believe it? It’s gone by so fast! I just can’t believe that I haven’t had a glass of wine in 5 months! That’s amazing!

I’ve finally got her room all planned out. I’ve found her crib, and finally found a sheet set that I love, and it doesn’t cost $500!

Cute, isn’t it?? So between her moving and being able to decorate her room, I am really excited about this baby coming. The most excited I’ve been so far. Searching for all this baby stuff has made it a lot of fun. There’s a website that I really like, pokkadots.com, the clothes are really cute and the gear and decorations are really modern. It’s a fun place to browse.