The Pearson Pregnancy - April

This month's web hangouts:

Conceived Dec 3, 1997
Due August 27, 1998
Labor August 29-31
Born August 31, 1998

I started being hungry all the time this month. At the beginning of the month I'd gained about 12 pounds since I found out I was pregnant. Since then my weight has been shooting up too fast (thanks to 2 trips to my folks' house and my Mom's yummy cooking). My belly's sticking out more and more, and we had a shopping spree for maternity shirts early this month. Joe picked out some that are really huge on me right now, but I have a feeling they'll be just about right in 3-4 months. A week later I found my way to the "Inch by Inch" consignment shop and picked out 3 nice outfits that should do quite well now and through the summer.

Joe's clothes (particularly his long-sleeve button-down shirts) work quite well, as do my t-shirts, which I always bought large or x-large anyway because I like them baggy. At the beginning of this month, I still had 6 pair of non-maternity shorts I could wear - now I can only get away with 3 of them. My neighbor who's due a few days after me received a big box of maternity clothes from one of her relatives late this month and shared some of her "loot" with me - shirts, pants, and a couple pair of shorts. We also found a "Maternity Works" outlet in Lancaster late this month, where Joe bought me a couple nice new dresses and a pair of jeans.

We haven't bought anything for the baby yet, but I have the book What to Expect the First Year and have glanced through that on occasion. We also decided on nursery themes this month. We're going with Brandee Danielle's "Rainbow Zebra" bedding and room decor. We've also chosen the Evenflo "On My Way" travel system (stroller/carseat combination). Before we buy anything, we're waiting for several things to happen. First I'd like to move if we're going to move (right now Silver Spring, MD, or Atlanta, GA are strong possibilities). I'd like to hit the 3rd trimester. And before I go crazy with shopping, I'll see what we receive at our baby shower(s) and from family and friends.

We found out that our insurance does cover at least most of the expense for the 20 week ultrasound, so we went in for that on the 10th - Good Friday. The insurance company called it the "anatomy" ultrasound, since we got to see all the different parts of our baby. Everything looked great, so we're expecting a healthy baby to arrive at the end of August!

The ultrasound also predicted our baby's sex. But the prediction does not really change anything drastically. We decided before the ultrasound that we would not buy a bunch of gender-specific items for our baby before s/he's born regardless of what the ultrasound showed. But it does feel great to have a good idea of what to expect, as well as be able to stop referring to our little one with gender-neutral pronouns in conversation.

At my doctor's appointment on the 14th, everything was still great! My "fundus" (top of the uterus) was right at my belly button. We heard the heartbeat, and this time it was only about 132 or so. At this appointment I asked the doctor for ideas for relief from leg cramps and nosebleeds. For nosebleeds, he had no suggestions. For leg cramps, he told me to eat more bananas.

On April 24, my paternal grandfather passed away. He was buried on my Grandma's birthday - April 27. We traveled down to Maryland for the occasion. I'm not superstitious, but my Dad and I both found it quite interesting that Grandma had died while my Mom was pregnant with me (8/25/72), and now her husband passed while I was pregnant with the next great grandchild. I guess what I regret most is that Grandpa Perry won't get a chance to hold his next great grandchild - I know it would really have warmed his heart to have that privilege. But I'm glad I saw him for Easter and put his hand on my tummy to tell him that I was growing his next great grandchild. It was good to travel down to Frederick be with family for a few days for the funeral - to see some family members I hadn't seen in months or even years. And there was at least one Aunt who said she has been waiting for a long time to see me pregnant!

The trip to Maryland was also good in that it gave Joe the perfect opportunity to interview for the job in Silver Spring he just got called about on the 24th. We don't know if this is the job for him or not. When we returned from the trip, he found out that a company in Atlanta also wants to interview him. In the meantime, we're taking one day at a time and waiting for God to provide a good new job for Joe if that's His will, or to make things so great where he is now that there is no need to keep looking.


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