anterior placenta

baby loinette modeling this spring's latest fashion in obscenely large bows.

oh, and my an anterior placenta.

i have an anterior placenta.
there are two safe places for your placenta to be.
anterior (front) or posterior (back).
the place that you don't want it to be is over your cervix, called Placenta Previa.
at my 12 week appointment Dr. Nielson (bless him) got out his handy Doppler to listen for baby loinette's heartbeat.
i heard nothing as he continued to search.
"i just heard it, but i want to get a better listen for you," he said.
i smiled.
"i would expect that you have an anterior placenta, so we're listening through your skin and an entire placenta to hear the heartbeat. that's why it's so hard to hear." Dr. Nielson says.
par, par, bogie, bogie, par, par (this is what i was thinking. click here if you have no idea what i'm talking about).
"is that bad?" i say.
"no. it just is. it means your baby implanted in the back of your uterus, and the placenta is in the front." he says.
"oh." i reply.
then came my 16 week appointment.
"are you feeling any movement?" Dr. Nielson asks.
"no, and it's freaking me out a little. i had felt brennan by now."
then came our 20 week ultrasound, and what do you know!?
the man knew his stuff!
imagine that;-)
i have a fancy dancy anterior placenta with this baby.
have you ever had an anterior placenta?
well, let me tell you, it's an entirely different thing than a posterior (placenta in the back of the uterus) placenta.
with brennan i felt every movement like it was on the surface of my skin, very early on in my pregnancy.
now, after 21 weeks, i am finally feeling all of these jabs and kicks deep inside, like she's right in the middle of me.
most of the time i don't even notice her moving b/c it feels like one of my organs just moved, not my baby.
i have to be doing very little to realize it's a baby that's moving, not my kidney.
so there you have it, all of your anterior placenta questions answered!
except, what is this i just read about anterior placentas often causing the baby to be posterior?
that doesn't sound exciting.
surely this will be a question for dr. nielson at my next appointment.
along with the glucose test right before. blah.
i picked orange.
has anyone ever tried any other flavor???

changing careers & a letter to the scout master

i'm changing careers.
to construction.
just as long as i can get a hat that really fits.

discovery gateway,

where have you been all my life?????

happy day.

...

today i learned:

brennan loves "copters," but is apparently scared to death of them up close.

plastic balls are the answer to all of a toddler's woes.

if a toddler smooshes his banana into your coffee table, the answer is to hand him a wet rag and put him to work. quite entertaining for all parties involved.

it is possible to pull a muscle on your side by coughing (speaking from personal experience, ouch).

backwards driving is sooooooo in style.

you can have a fever of 101.5 and wheezing on thursday and be perfectly healthy by friday (thank you tylonel and "neb").
having your husband get a perfect score on his practical mid-term exam is VERY lovely and makes for a lot of potential on a fall break.

if your toddler goes down for a nap and "ehem's" before he even falls asleep, he will not want to nap anymore, but if you want to watch grey's from last night and you ignore the screaming toddler he will eventually fall asleep. true story.

if you watch a show on hoarders you will want to clean out everything you own.

duct tape really does a great job of keeping your freezer closed if it's too full.

feeling a baby move with an anterior placenta is entirely different than feeling a baby move with a posterior placenta. really, it's strangely different. more to come.

oreo's & peanut butter make a great afternoon snack. dipped in milk.

i love having good girlfriends.

if your husband has his doctoral defense & 3 mid-terms in one week, which also happens to be the same first week of october, your halloween decorations will still not be up in your house after said week (shameful, i know, but really a good compromise for a lasting marriage, lol).

if your husband is going to be home for a week straight the "to do" gets 'a churnin'. list to follow...

...

dear scout master,

i would love it if you would be willing to "help" with the following items:

power wash the high chair (it's disgusting)

clean out the front closet

vacuum my car

get out the halloween decorations

wash the stains out of the couch and recliner chair, yuck

sweep and mop the floors (including the bathroom, pretty, pretty please!)

go to the gateway discovery with us

play scrabble with me (i need a re-match)

let me watch my shows during brennan's nap

go walking with us on at least one morning

watch one episode of orpah with me

and if you do none of these things, i'll understand.

i know you're still working on reading my mind, and THAT is quite a hefty task.

love,

e

from scratch.

i know, i know, a little model-ie, but i couldn't resist.
would you look at that hair!!!
it's been 10 long years folks.
10 long years!
goddesses & gents, you are looking at MY hair.
all na-chur-al!
the hair my mama and daddy gave me!
it's marvelous, isn't it?!
i think so.
i can't get enough.
i figured it was time to enjoy it before any grey changes it again.
and you wouldn't believe the money i'm saving!
especially from the blonde.
yes, before last year i was blonde.
for a really long time.
it was fun.
the stuff literally shines from root to tip now.
like it did in middle school.
it feels amazing.
i feel amazing.
to have myself shining through.
to see the version of me that was meant to be.
and love it.
every piece of it.
even the stretch marks left behind by the pork loin's gestation.
they are my favorite marks.
like little mementos to remind me of when my body made him from scratch.
remarkable.
every last bit.
to love the courage it took to get here.
over hair.
courage over hair.
it's not for everyone.
it's probably not forever.
but it's for now.
and now is empowering really.
liberating.

here's to more mementos...
from scratch.

told you

see, i told you it would be cuter if i had one with olives on brennan's fingers.
what am i talking about? click here.
and i'm still not convinced that you can't count the olive for both a fruit & a veggie.
in other news...
it's the scout master's BIG DAY today.
he presents his doctoral defense to "the committee."
the big sha-bang!
the big ka-hun-ah!
call it what you like.
after today, we'll have the scout master around more often.
and that is what i like:-)
things i need to remember to bring/do:
cookies (or did you just take them with you?)
cookie plate
video camera
set my recorder to tape nie on oprah

puddle shoes & news

first of all, NIE NIE is on oprah TOMORROW (wednesday), so make sure to tune in.
second of all, these are the best shoes i've ever purchased.

on sale, last season, at old navy, thank you very much!

movie pillow

what is the toddler doing during general conference?

watching woody and buzz on the little tv with the movie pillow.
drinking lots of chocolate milk.
this helps with sedation.
...
other excerpts from the weekend festivities:
baked scones with rasberry butter & honey, hot chocbirthday dinner for the scout master.
stroganoff
jello salad
green beans
billowing rolls (my fav part)
cake
cookies