Just us girls

Spending precious time together

These are the special times I am going to remember. My daughter and I walking to Starbucks (across the street where we live) and getting a quick latte, window shopping at the many little stores at our convenience. Although we don’t walk arm in arm like we did when she was a child, chatting over our favorite lattes and having a few laughs was all I needed to have a wonderful day with her. Of course, we are avid people-watchers and this is a great time to practice doing so. As we walk to and fro to the many shops, she finds kid toys and wants to buy them for the little girl next door. We have a real good time together without thinking of our responsibilities of bills, house-cleaning and homework. I’m going to miss these moments with her.

A Mother’s Wish

Poor kid woke up this morning with a back ache..the kind that you get at the end of a long day. As a mother, I wish I could take it all away and carry her child for her but this is not possible given the income I have. It’s ok. I’ve done my time and now it’s her turn.

Now the fun begins…..

Funny how time seems to heal…even for the scenarios that you can’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. Learning to accept the way things are is easier for me now. The baby is now 5.12 inches resting comfortably (and healthy from what I know so far) in her mommy’s belly. We are now ready to learn about the gender although we will find out later in the month of October. After that, it will be time to start shopping for that certain gender.

As of today, she is now 16 weeks pregnant and starting her 2nd trimester. Her baby is at the size of an avocado. That little angel can hear her mommy’s voice echoing through her body. Tiny bones have formed in her ears. She is growing hair and has lashes with eyebrows. And she is also forming taste buds. 🙂 The baby is moving around my daughter’s belly and this is the time that she will start actually feeling it. Reality is finally going to set in for my daughter. The nausea days have passed and we are now looking forward to her little belly getting even bigger with love.

School is going splendidly for my daughter as she is getting the straight As in each class. The saying in this house is ‘maintain those As!’ every morning that she walks out the door. With an on-going habit of studying, she will hopefully fulfill this semester with flying colors. I am thankful that she is concentrating on going to school. I can remember when I graduated with my G.E.D. at 30 years old. I have pictures of how proud she was for me. I was proud she was able to actually see me graduate and continue on with college. I remember telling her that “not even two strokes can keep me from furthering my education.” With ‘community’, a pregnancy will not hinder her as well. I can honestly say I am proud of her.

http://pregnant.thebump.com/pregnancy-week-by-week/16-weeks-pregnant.aspx?MsdVisit=1

So many wonderful little teachers….lesson learned

Today is my youngest nephews birthday party. Family and friends have come to celebrate with us. Football is on the big screen with all the men piled into the living room while all the women and kids are sitting in the dining room with all the kids joyously eating their birthday cake and ice cream. Everyone crowded around the birthday boy to watch him blow out his candles and open his presents..

Cake and ice cream is always welcomed. 🙂

The day before, we had a wonderful cook-out with my new friend and her family. In their own way, her children have eased my fears about hearing the pitter-patter of little feet and knowing that every child has a different personality, little people are mostly full of smiles and joy. Moments such as this make this transition so much easier for me. I find myself cooking children snacks for the neighbor’s children because I know they enjoy these little thing. They don’t know it, but they are changing my mind in so many positive ways in accepting children. I thank them for this from the bottom of my heart. Last night, I was informed that my daughter felt “fluttering” in her tummy. I do notice a little bump on her and its going to get bigger and bigger while I get more excited.

My point to this story is that I am starting to get “maternal” in the very sense of a grandmother. These little babies are teaching me so many wonderful things to accept this baby, whether it is a boy or a girl. They are teaching me innocent kindness that you can never find in a story book or on a website somewhere.

Posted using Tinydesk blog app

This morning sickness has got to stop!

Ok my friends out there in WordPress World……when does morning sickness FINALLY end? I mean, it seems like my daughter has had morning sickness from day one. She constantly sleeps, and if she isn’t sleeping, she is eating like a bird. When she is not eating like a bird, she is dealing with the morning sickness. As a mother, I wish it would stop! She’s sick at home, out shopping, over at a friend’s house and even at school.

It needs to end. I wish with all my heart that she could actually enjoy her pregnancy like I experienced with her while I was carrying her. I’m not dumb, I know it will come to an end. I have heard a few ‘old wives tales’ about morning sickness. I understand that it does happen; I had my morning sickness for a mere two weeks and I thought that was a long time… We have tried saltless crackers by the bedside, ginger tea, or just ‘sleeping’ through it, (if you knew my family, sleep can get you through the worst ailment!) and they do work to a certain extent. There are a few remedies that I found that would be great in this capacity I’m sure. My daughter has found that one remedy seems to help her.

Does anyone have any recommendations??

Is this going to happen to me??

Walking into the Maryville Health Clinic with my daughter continuously makes me so excited for this baby to come into our lives. We were instructed to go to the second floor via a very thin staircase. As my daughter went to the window to sign herself in, i went to sit in the waiting lobby where the other moms and grandmothers were waiting to be seen. I made the ghastly mistake to sit by three very loud children screaming (at the top of their lungs) with joy. The place was very sterile-looking with an echo that seemed to bounce off the wall directly in my ear. Is this my future? Is this what is waiting for me in March? Knowing that my daughter, who was never like this in public, wouldn’t stand for her child to behave in such a manner. A chill ran down my spine from the very top to my tail bone. Ive never been a kid person but I do know my daughter will not allow her child to scream bloody murder in public. Although the children were having a grand ol’ time, their parents were chasing after them shushing the whole time. Im just going to have to buck up and learn that this is probably the only way they can express their joy with excitement by exercising their lungs. Wow I have a lot to look forward to whether I like it or not!

Actually, their little performance was adorable…

Posted using Tinydesk blog app

What it means to be able to celebrate Grandparent’s Day (next year)!

In all actuality, it will be neat. Hard, but neat. I absolutely can not wait til the day my grandchild arrives. I never thought this would ever happen. Having a condition called A.D.E.M. as a teenager, I was told that ‘children were not possible’. Yet my daughter is here to share her soon-to-be child with the world.

As I look into my futuristic crystal ball, I fantasize about this day next year that I can celebrate what a true grandmother can be. I am going to be a hands-on grandmother, which means that since the proximity of my living quarters are so close, I will be there to help as much as I can without taking over, (which is going to be a feat in itself!) But I do worry..when I lay eyes on my precious bundle of joy, I will have to practice a lot of self-discipline to stand back and wait in the wings to give the responsibility to my daughter. I will have to practice to keep my thoughts to myself and let the mommy handle it, because I feel that I raised her right to take care of what she needs to do for her child. It’s only fair.

I want to be reminded why I am alive. A child can remind you. I do remember when my own daughter was a child and, although it was very scary, I felt a sense of comfort being in her presence. As a grandmother, I will achieve this again. The fact that children are indiscriminating, nonjudgmental little people and are curious to just about anything makes their joy so very contagious. Fear not! I can still come and go as I please without the feeling of handling all the responsibility. I will still be able to have a social life (such as it is). I will leave that responsibility to my daughter. I had my time to be able to raise her myself, now its her turn. There is a reason why women get pregnant in their 20s and 30s. They have more energy to take care their babies where I wouldn’t be able to have the energy to keep up like I once had.

 One of my most favorite thing to do with a child is to teach them. They  are sponges and showing them the proper steps to learn gives me the  feeling of accomplishment. I will aspire to be a role model for my  grandchild. I want to show ethical wisdom, emotional intelligence,  generosity, respect for the environment and being able to accept the  ups and downs that life will offer and how to accept them. As my  grandchild is a window into a future unfolding, they can go either way. I  want to make sure this child will be able to learn what other’s have the  chance to do. I also want to be able to help instill values that we hold  dear without risk of backlash. Yes, I am going to cherish these  precious moments. 🙂

 

http://www.aarp.org/relationships/friends-family/info-07-2011/10-best-things-being-grandma.3.html

So you are RH-negative, huh?

As a young mother in the early nineties, I just gave birth to my beautiful baby girl. Along with many things that I didn’t know about taking care of a baby, I didn’t realize that I had to learn how to take care of my own health as well. I can remember the day of my baby’s birth, a gruff but nice nurse came into the room where I was sharing with another woman. She came next to my bed and said, “Honey, do you realize that you are RH negative?” I looked at her with a deer-in-headlights look having no idea what she meant or the implications that it had. She just gave me a shot in the arm and told me that I could’ve spread it to my baby. Fast-forward into 2013. My daughter had her 12 week check-up today and I had a deja vu feeling again from the prenatal doctor who explained that my daughter is RH negative. Good news….the mother and baby are healthy! 🙂

 Having an RH-positive status means that your blood will more in likely match with your baby’s blood. It has been said that about 85% of Caucasians, 90-95% of African Americans and 98-99% of Asian Americans are RH-positive. Unfortunately for the females of my family, we are RH-negative. This means that if you are RH-negative, you are going to have to take certain precautions during your pregnancy. Don’t worry, if you are RH-incompatible with your baby, it probably won’t harm you or your first child during gestation. If at some chance you and your baby’s blood mixes into each other, your immune system will produce antibodies against the positive RH blood. In the event of this happening, you will become RH-sensitized. This can attack the blood of your future child if you don’t get the vaccine. This vaccine can stop any cross-contamination by an injection called RH immune globulin. This is given to first-time pregnant women if there is a chance that it will be exposed to the second infant’s blood.

 But lets just say that you have become sensitized. You will have the antibodies for the rest of your life. The production of the antibodies will live on in your blood increasing the risk of RH disease with every subsequent pregnancy. But good news is on the horizon. Doctors are seeking new ways to save children born with the RH disease. Keeping tabs on the baby’s condition throughout gestation by either a Doppler ultrasound or an amniocentesis will help your doctor monitor the situation. About 5,000 babies a year still develop RH disease although doctors and nurses are trying to screen and treat as many women as possible.

 So I guess that gruff but nice nurse was right….

 http://www.babycenter.com/0_blood-test-for-rh-status-and-antibody-screen_1480.bc?page=1

Be wise! Protect the eyes! (Especially while pregnant!)

Pregnant women have to deal with a lot of things with the change of their bodies. They have to worry about having morning sickness to back pain….and everything in between. Attach vision problems to that long list of things to ‘look out for’. Hormones (boy, I know how bad it is in the receiving end!), the changes in the metabolism, fluid retention and blood circulation are all the changes that affect the eyes during pregnancy. These changes can affect the thickness of the cornea by increasing slightly even though the changes are very small. This change can affect how you wear your glasses or contacts on a daily basis.

My daughter had an eye doctor appointment last week. The doctor explained to us that during pregnancy, these changes can affect your prescription. He told us on how more pregnant women report that they feel a bit more nearsighted now than they were before they became pregnant. Although this wasn’t a very good time to get a new prescription, the rule of thumb is that these changes are going to be temporary and typically reverse themselves within a month to several month after the delivery. After being asked, he advised that getting laser surgery while pregnant isn’t a very good idea; rather, they do not allow it with most insurance companies.There are many different irritants that can happen to a pregnant woman during this time of her life. It

also can happen during breastfeeding. The eyes can become drier along with other subtle changes in the shape and thickness of the cornea. For better or for worse, this can also bring about other changes during pregnancy. If one has diabetes, one should get screened for damage within the blood vessels in the retina. As this might worsen during pregnancy, there is a name for it. It is called Diabetic Retinopathy. Frequent eye exams before and during each pregnancy would be a real good idea to keep tabs on the damage, (if it were to occur).

Some women that have to deal with Glaucoma usually find that their eyesight improves during pregnancy which is a real good thing. Keep in mind that the medication needs to be adjusted as soon as possible. Lessening the baby’s exposure to the medications is a good thing for Glaucoma patients who would like to plan a pregnancy.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_vision-changes-during-pregnancy_1456567.bc

Off to college but still at home….

School has finally returned for my daughter. As I stay at home alone, I wonder how she is dealing with life during her busy day, even while she is pregnant. Unfortunately, the morning sickness came back. Either it was that, or nerves. Doesn’t matter, she will have to go anyway. I’m sure seeing her friends from last semester was a great meeting. I, on the other hand, stayed home and cleaned. That seems all I do. That and blogging. I really need to get a life or at least a friend. But hoping that she excels in college is worth it.

Today seems like a good day. She didn’t have morning sickness and was able to attend all her classes. She got to see friends from the last semester and told me how excited she was to see them again.

I am happy that she is going back to college to fulfill what she wanted to do before she became pregnant. It shows that she is persistent in making sure this child has a better life than I could ever give her. She wants to make sure that her child will grow up to be proud and that nothing, not even pregnancy can stand in the way of getting an education.