Countdowns

This morning I had a regular check-up at my OB....currently 16 weeks and moving right along! I've felt a few times what I thought to be movement, but it wasn't definite enough for me to actually claim that, so I'm assuming in the next few weeks I'll start feeling a lot more movement going on. My ultrasound date is set for August 12th and I cannot WAIT! I am so ready to start getting the nursery together and either bring up Max's old itty bitty baby clothes or do some shopping (team pink!). I'm still holding true to my beliefs that it's a girl....Mark is convinced it's a boy, but I think he'd say that no matter what....so I guess we have a little over 3 weeks to continue the debate. Next on the list will be baby names once we find out the sex. One issue I'm definitely having more with this pregnancy is my back - ohhhh, my back! Before I was even pregnant I was having a lot of back issues. I had an x-ray done in December, which came back clean. This makes myself and my OB believe it's probably muscular, which we can't do an MRI or much right now since I'm pregnant. And all you pregnant ladies or mommies out there know that pregnancy is not especially kind to an otherwise healthy back, yet alone one that has already been hurting. Lately, sitting for an extended period of time or laying on my back or stomach has really been as issue. My back seems to tighten up severely and just freaking hurts. It takes me five minutes, as well as the embarrassment of looking like an 85 year old woman, to roll out of bed or off of the couch/chair to stand up. So, my OB is sending me for physical therapy since we both know the situation is only going to get worse as I get bigger and more pressure is put on my back. We're hoping the stretches and exercises done at physical therapy will help with the back pain until after the baby is born, which I will then go to my family doctor and have an MRI and whatever else needs to be done to have a normal back again! At 25 years old, there is no way I should feel crippled already. Oh well, I will survive....and thankfully it is nothing serious that would have shown in an x-ray, such as degenerative disc disease (which was what I thought it might have been) or anything else. On a positive note, I've only gained about 6 lbs. so far this pregnancy, which I'm thrilled with. As I've mentioned before, I gained 60 whopping lbs. with Max, and although I did lose it all and go back to my pre-pregnancy weight, it SUCKED losing it and I don't want to go through that again. I'm trying to gain only 20-30 lbs this time, which my OB has assured me is a safe weight for me to gain for the baby. I would LOVE to only have maybe 10 lbs to lose when I can start working out again after the baby is born. This pregnancy I'm really trying to eat healthier, watch my portions and continue my daily 2 mile walks around the neighborhood. Of course, I do have dessert once in awhile, and I'm not over here eating exclusively Lean Cuisines, but I am watching myself and actually looking at the scale this time around. I think that 6 lbs. at 16 weeks is pretty on track...hopefully :)

Another countdown I'm currently dealing with is the countdown to the beginning of the school year...and waiting to see if I'm offered any last minute teaching positions. So far, I have had schools interested, but have not received any offers as of yet. Although Indiana is currently in an education funding crisis, a lot of schools wait until the weeks or even days before school to hire teachers. Although I'm not especially optimistic at this point in time, it is an upcoming event that I'm looking forward to resolving - will I or won't I be teaching this year. It would just be nice to know! One more item I may add to a countdown list is the countdown until Fall....this humidity and heat is RIDICULOUS, especially for us pregnant folks! I've had just about enough of summer....I've gotten the tan, enjoyed the lake, enjoyed the weather, done all the summery things there is to do...bring on Fall! I LOVE love LOVE Fall weather, the time of year right before the craziness of holidays, Max's birthday, Halloween, football season, all the good stuff I've mentioned about Fall that I love. I can take Max for a walk without us dying of heat stroke and him breaking out in a heat rash. Some may kill me for wanting Fall, and I'm sure I'll be begging for summer in the dead of Winter, but for right now I'm ready for Fall :)