Prego Moh

I'm still getting used to my prego body. I get surprised sometimes seeing myself in the mirror...I really have a pregnant belly now, it's obvious. Last week I was at 9 pounds for weight gained, which is just right. Now it's probably 10, and should be about 1 pound a week now....hopefully I'll stay pretty close to that. Bear with me all the belly pics, I'm still fascinated with being pregnant :)
What's new this week....baby has eyelids and eyebrows now.
I had a dream that the ultrasound tech and another doctor at an appointment accidentally told us that we're having a boy. I was mad that they had spilled the beans. We still feel like it's a girl.....

Half way there!

Look how big I am, and only at 5 months! I'm going to get huge I know it. These last couple of days I think I actually felt my tummy expanding...is that possible? It would feel really tight and uncomfortable, like a balloon was being blown up inside me. This baby's going to be at least 8 pounds, probably almost 9 like I was. And she's not even a pound yet! The average baby at this point is about 10 inches long and still a few ounces shy of a pound. Hair is sprouting on her head. Her skin is covered with vernix now so that she doesn't turn into a raisin in the amniotic fluid. Still practicing swallowing...hopefully developing a preference for healthy foods. Yay, can't wait for these other 20 weeks to go by so that we can finally meet this little jellybean!

digital story

made this at a training this week...it was fun

our baby's first pictures!

There's our baby! She kept ducking her head way down into my pelvis where the ultrasound tech couldn't get a good picture. I think she was trying to get away from the high intensity sound waves...I'm sorry baby! But she did finally end up letting us get a good profile picture.
Already has islander legs. Doesn't look like one of my skinny legs :P

It was fun seeing baby today. We saw her moving all around in there. So active! Everything looks great. We saw the details of the heart and a bunch of the other organs, they are perfect. Good job baby! I was kind of resisting tests and ultrasounds if it wasn't absolutely necessary, but it is reassuring. I feel more confident in my body and in this baby, that we are strong and healthy.

Happy Valentines Day from Chachi and Chazz!

We made cookies for their mama

Mutts are the best

There's our Kiska girl. The best dog ever. My mom brought her to us from Ruby 12 years ago. True village dog. On our walk today.

"woah, who's fundus is this long?"

Haha EJ was so funny today at our prenatal appointment. When the medical assistant was taking my vitals and all that he found a measuring tape and asked (more talking out loud to himself), "what's this, to measure the fundus?" Then he unfolded it and said, "woah, who's fundus is this long?" The MA, was like, "uh, I don't know, maybe somebody carrying multiples, uhh....ummm....?" I wonder how many other guys have been in there talking about fundus's (fundi?)
The fundus is the top of the uterus.
THEN...it's not over yet....later when I got up on the table for Joan, the midwife, to measure how big my uterus is, he said (again mostly talking to himself), "alright time to measure the fundus." The midwife just busted out laughing and had to stop what she was doing for a second. I love my silly husband.

I think everyone in the room was having a little too much fun to get business done. When Joan put the doppler on my tummy to listen to the heartbeat baby was moving around so much we had to wait a little bit for him to settle down so that she could get the heart rate. It sounded like a record scratching back and forth...we have a little DJ in there. It was cool.

By the way my fundus has already passed my belly button, which usually doesn't happen until after 20 weeks.....just as a general marker. And last time Joan said I measured like somebody at 17 weeks not 14. And I started feeling definite kicking at 16 weeks...so early! Hmmmm......

18 week Lovely Lady Lumps

I'm getting more used to my new lovely lady lumps now. I'm not supposed to lay flat on my back anymore because baby will press down on the big vein bringing blood back up to my heart. I usually sleep on my side anyway so that's fine. This bump is getting big enough that I can't bend and fold up as easily as I've always been able to...that's taking some adjusting to, I'm usually so flexible. Feelin' a little strain on my lower back already! I need to do some yoga and get my back strong before I really have a big load to carry around!

So, they say baby's about 5 1/2 inches long and weights about 7 ounces now..about the size of a big bell pepper. His skeleton is calcifying more and more, arms and legs getting stronger and stronger. I feel him every day stretching and bouncing around in there....I LOVE IT. This growth spurt is making me pretty hungry-- seems like I have to eat every couple of hours. Half my bag is food when I leave for work in the morning. Anyway, baby and mama are doing good!

how do I break this pattern?

Sleeping pattern I mean....wake up at 3 am, lay there awake until 6ish, just start falling back asleep then my alarm goes off at 6:30, press snooze 18 times, get to work late then stay late...tired aaaaallll day....fall asleep on the couch at 8:30/9 until EJ brings me to bed, repeat cycle.

Family Tree

I woke up again in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep, but before I woke up I was dreaming that I was introducing myself to a new group of people. This made me think about how this baby is going to introduce herself. She's 1/4 Koyukon Athabascan 1/4 White (mostly Swiss) and 1/2 Filipino (Kapampanggan).
Mama's side: Me, I say, "My name is Margaret Olin Hoffman David. My mom is Dee Olin from Ruby and my grandparents are Lorriane (Olin) and the late Johnny Honea from Kokrines and Ruby and Lillian (Pitka) and the late Fred Olin Jr. from Kokrines and Galena. My dad is David Hoffman, who grew up in Flint, Michigan and Spokane, Washington, and my grandparents are the late Helen (Wolf) from Livingston, Montana and George Hoffman from Bozeman, Montana." My mom has 15 brothers and sisters so I have 80+ cousins on that side, and my dad has two sisters and I have 6 cousins on that side (but my grandpa was one of 9 children so I have many extended cousins). I grew up in Ruby, Nome, Barrow, Juneau, Sitka, and Anchorage, but rooted by spending summers at fishcamp, Big Eddy, 23 miles upriver from Ruby on the Yukon River.
Taytay's side: Eric John Ramos David from Las Pinas, Philippines and Alaska. His mom is Leonora "Ning" Ramos from Pasay City, Philippines, and her parents are the late Emilia (Manarang) and the late Lucio Ramos both from Pampanga, Philippines. His dad is Leonoardo "Ronnie" David, and his parents are the late Filipinas (Mercado) and the late Estanislao David, all from Pampanga. EJ has 12 aunties and uncles and many cousins also. He grew up in Pasay City and Las Pinas until he was 14 then moved to Barrow, and then Anchorage.
This baby is so rich in family and history and culture. I'm almost nervous about being able to instill all of this in her the way that it's been instilled in us.........