Edit: I think it’s a crazy raccoon.

A little before 6 a.m., Shane and I heard a crazy sound.

Some sort of animal was making a major racket outside, and since the weather was nice and we slept with the windows open, we certainly heard the thing.

It was the first time I heard it. Shane has heard it three times now and on one occasion, he tried to record it with his cell phone, but it didn’t work.

I have no idea what it could possibly be, but I’ll do my best to describe it:

It’s probably a large rodent or some other unflying, two or four-legged creature. It sounded like someone threw him in a washing machine, turned on the spin cycle, and let him free. When he made his sound, it sounded like a crazy, rabid animal who wants to scare the pants off anyone who dared get near him. Parts of his noise almost sounded like a turkey or a flustered chicken.

He carried on with his ruckus for less than a minute this time. In the past, Shane estimates that he was louder and carried on for a few minutes before fading into the night.

Maybe some unfortunate turtle wandered by this creature’s home and startled it awake. I can just picture a surprised little turtle, flipped onto its back and taking cover from such a freak show.

Its noise reminded me of an attacked creature taking its last few breaths, but after I heard it for more than a few seconds, I realized that it wasn’t dying–it was just being what it is, whatever that may be.

We’re truly baffled at what sort of an animal would sound like that.

If we lived in a tropical rainforest or even in the desert, I wouldn’t be as surprised to hear it. But we live in the city. There is nothing rural about where we live. The small patch of trees behind our apartment provide enough shade and protection for birds and small animals, but it’s not the wilderness. And we’re not close to the zoo, so I’m pretty certain nothing has escaped and wandered our way.

I’m just going to chalk this thing up as yet another crazy sound we’ve only heard in Pittsburgh.

I know we’ll probably never find out what it is. I hope I don’t ever encounter that crazy thing.

I think I’ll post some pictures of my belly. Cuz why not? When I realized my mirror was really streaky, did I clean it? No way. Gotta keep it real, folks.

Taking a self-portrait is no easy task. I tried using the timer setting with a tripod, but it didn’t work so well. A shot into the mirror it is, then.

The pic of my belly with my toes peeking out was taken at 55mm (pretty much exactly how your eyes see it) and I tried to hold the camera at my eye level. Yup, my toes are disappearing before my very eyes! Pretty soon, my feet will be a distant memory. At least, when I’m standing totally upright

Yesterday, I was 21 weeks and 6 days pregnant. I thought about the woman who gave birth to the youngest surviving preemie, who was born at 21 weeks 6 days.

This little girl was about 10 ounces (a can of Pepsi weighs 12 ounces!) and was about as long as a ballpoint pen. Oh my goodness.

The mother delivered via c-section. Had the doctors known just how young her baby was, they probably wouldn’t have operated. Her life is absolutely a miracle.

Technically speaking, I’m 22 weeks pregnant today. I have no intention of delivering any time soon, but it’s comforting to know that if I do go early, my little boy has a fighting chance.

—

So far, I’m actually liking this whole being pregnant thing. I’ve had it ridiculously easy. Had just a few days of minor nausea, and it wasn’t bad at all. Some tiredness, but who isn’t tired once in awhile? My hair and nails have never looked better, and my skin has cleared up. I’m eating better than I normally do.

My biggest complaint is that it’s annoying having to go potty a bajillion times per day, but I’m getting used to it. Oh, and when I was scrubbing the bathroom tub (with Dawn soap…it worked better than my bathroom cleaner stuff!) I couldn’t bend over so well. My belly isn’t huge, but it got in the way and I was like oh…guess I can’t clean the tub next time. Aw man!

I know plenty of women have rough pregnancies, and I feel so fortunate that I’m having it really easy so far.

—

I’ve been feeling much stronger baby kicks this week. So strong, in fact, that at times I can actually see my belly move from the kicks and punches and headbutts. It cracks me up!

—

Over the weekend, I had another ultrasound so they could get a better view of Baby’s heart. They don’t suspect anything is wrong, but they couldn’t see it very well the first time because of how he was positioned. He was still curled up in a tight ball this weekend (but had flipped around the other way) and they couldn’t quite see all they wanted to see.

I might have a fetal echocardiogram to potentially get a closer look at his heart. We have some family history of heart problems, so they’d like to make sure everything is a-ok. I kind of would prefer to just wait until he’s born for them to take a closer look, but perhaps they think there could be a problem that would complicate delivery. I’m not sure. I’m optimistic.

—

If the stork or Santa Claus himself showed up and handed me my baby instead of me actually birthing him, I don’t think I would be surprised.

It’s weird. I’ve seen Baby Boy three separate times on an ultrasound monitor. I’ve heard his heart beating several times. I’ve felt and seen his kicks.

And even though I’m starting to gain weight and grow an obvious baby belly, none of it seems all that real.

I have hundreds of diapers lined up along the wall in my bedroom. I have a bunch of baby clothes.

I don’t drink coffee, soda, beer, or wine now because duh, it’s bad for the baby.

Maybe I’m in super-denial, but this still doesn’t seem real!

It’s like…really? There’s a person growing inside of me? Really? There’s a little baby who will require his parents to take care of his every need? Really? Our lives are about to change so drastically? Oh, yes ma’am.

I thought reality would sink in when I heard the heart beat. And then I thought it would when I felt him move. Or when my belly looked pregnant. Maybe it’ll finally feel real when I hold him in my arms.

–

From BabyCenter.com

See what your baby looks like this week.

A few weeks ago, we set up a Target registry so I could get a $20 gift card. We spent some considerable time in the car seat aisle, looking at the available options and fiddling with the features.

Our favorite one on display was the Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 car seat. We liked how you could use it for a long time, how the buttons were easier to manipulate than other seats on display, and it felt sturdy.

Turns out, this car seat was not highly rated by online consumers. A considerable amount of people had bad things to say about this model (it’s a pain to install, the straps get twisted, and the baby grows out of it too fast) and it was enough to make me want to look for something else.

I did some more research on car seat options to learn about the features I should seek. I’m a member of a parenting message board, and one of the boards is completely dedicated to car seats. Some of the moms on there are true car seat experts–and are certified to install seats and do safety inspections in the US. They know what they’re talking about.

I described our car, budget (actually, price is no issue for the car seat. I’ll save money on diapers, but when it comes to a device that could save my baby’s life–yeah. I’ll try to get a good deal, but we aren’t cutting corners on a seat), and features we hoped to have.

They gave me several recommendations–one of which is called a True Fit, and I’ll talk about that in a minute.

Going off on a bunny trail to talk about why I don’t want an infant car seat…

Some moms swear by the infant seat carrier. You know–the “travel system” type where you can snap a car seat into a base and then carry the baby in the carrier or put it on a stroller. This option seems sort of convenient, but honestly, it doesn’t appeal to us at all. Maybe we’ll regret it later (and if we do, I’ll let you know).

For one, those seats are heavy. Some of them are 10 pounds, and that’s without a baby in it! Lugging 20 pounds by carrying it at my side away from my body is a great way to wear out my arms and get a sore back. That’s exactly the feeling I hope to have while recovering from childbirth. Um.

We live on the third floor of our apartment building. It’s gunna feel really heavy. If you’re going to carry 10-20 pounds of anything, it’s much better to carry it up against your body rather than awkwardly at your side.

We do NOT want one of those strollers that come with the infant carriers. They’re the bulkiest things I’ve ever seen and seem difficult to maneuver. It would take up half our trunk. Shane and I really like the idea of using slings or wearable carriers to tote our baby around. They’re only little for so long, and it seems nice to be able to snuggle with him (while keeping your arms free) than trying not to run over people with a stroller. Once he’s big enough, we’d probably get an umbrella stroller. Shane found a carrier he really likes and I’m going to research sling options. We might wait until he’s born so we can actually test em out.

Finally, the infant seat will last for the first 22 pounds or so, or until the baby is too tall to fit in the seat. That means that you’ll need to get another seat early on. Shane and I are taller than average height so I’m expecting a lanky baby. He could grow taller than the seat requirements before he hits 22 pounds. That could happen well before he’s a year old. We’d need another seat and then we’d have to store the old infant seat.

Yes, I hear some of you saying, “But your baby is due in December! You’ll have to put the baby in a cold car seat. And you’ll hate having to wake him up to carry him inside! Think of the children!!!”

We’re looking into getting a remote car starter so we can get the car nice and toasty without even having to go outside (yay fuel economy! lol).

True, we might wake him up by carrying him in our arms instead of in a carrier. I might be really regretting our car seat choice at that time. But, as I said before–babies grow so fast and you’ll need a bigger seat soon anyway. You’d have to lift him out of the bigger seat to carry him inside when he’s a little older.

So if you had an infant carrier-type seat and absolutely loved it and you think I’m nuts for not wanting one–keep that thought to yourself, please. I’ve been second-guessing myself a lot lately regarding baby things. And believe me, that doesn’t help my confidence in being able to make decisions as a mother. If we have to learn the hard way, then that’s how it has to be. Kthx

… Back to the seat I’m now considering

There are a few convertible car seats that I’m considering, and right now, the winner is the First Years True Fit. It’s not the same as a 3-in-1, as it does not have the ability to morph into a booster seat.

Instead, I’d be able to keep him rear-facing for up to 33-35 pounds (and I forget the height maximum) and then turn it around to use as a forward-facing seat for up to 65 pounds or slightly over four feet tall. This seat ought to last until we’d need to put him in a booster.

Even though the minimum time to keep a baby rear-facing is just until they hit 20 pounds AND one year of age, it’s actually safest to keep them rear-facing for as long as possible. Their bones aren’t fully formed by their first birthday, and keeping them rear-facing drastically reduces the chance of them dying in a car accident. If my baby protests riding backwards because he’d rather see out the window, well that’s just tough stuff, McGruff. I’d rather he be safe, and that’s just one battle that I’m not going to let a toddler win.

I’m leaning toward the True Fit model because according to reviews, it accommodates newborns quite well, as well as older kids.

Now, I just need to take my car over to Babies R Us one more time and see if their store model will fit in our car (I suspect it will). It has a removable headrest that can be taken off until the baby hits 22 pounds or comes within an inch of the top. After that, the headrest goes back on and we’d probably increase the degree of recline so he’s sitting up straighter.

If it fits and we like it, we’ll probably buy it on Amazon. I’ve seen in-store prices for about $180, but on Amazon it’s about $160. I’ll get free shipping, no sales tax, and with some coupon codes and stuff, I’ll be able to get it for even less. Surprisingly cheap for a quality car seat that ought to last for several years, no?

I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve spent countless hours researching car seats. There’s so much to consider! It really is easier to take it one baby item at a time, rather than trying to decide on cribs, carriers, and more all at once. Last night, I had a really long dream about car seats. It was a boring dream, full of chatter about different car seat features.

Hopefully this seat works out, and then I can move to the next item on our shopping list: Cribs!

OK, so I’m 21 weeks pregnant and nothing much has changed since last week. I don’t feel like posting a belly pic, because I’m smaller than my last pic and that’s just ridiculous.

Yesterday, I went to the dentist to have her repair a filling that got knocked loose. She didn’t use Novocaine because it was just a small little cavity. I’ve had enough dental work to know that the Novocaine shot hurts! I was glad to skip that and the several hours of numbness. Honestly, it didn’t hurt.

I tried to distract myself by focusing on our honeymoon when we were on a cruise ship and woke up in Juneau, Alaska. So peaceful! Such pure air! The total opposite of dental work.

I consciously relaxed my body and tried to hold as still as possible while thinking about Alaska. Next thing I knew, it was over. Piece of cake.

While in the chair, Baby was moving a LOT. I don’t know if it was because I was sort of reclined and holding still (and more in tune with my body at the time), or if he was dancing to the music on the radio, or if he could tell that I was stressed and was reacting to that. He was a nice distraction.

Shane likes to talk at and sing to my belly. The baby responds to his voice now, and starts wiggling! I don’t know if he can hear sounds or just senses the vibrations, but it does seem to do the trick.

I’m researching childbirth classes, and I’m pretty sure I’d like to take a Bradley Method course. I need to do more research on the class, but it sounds like the best option for what we’re seeking. Bonus: Our insurance will reimburse us 100 percent for this expense! Oh yeah!

We’re trying to get things more organized around here by getting rid of junk, selling stuff on eBay, and getting things in order. I’ve been dabbling in “freezer cooking” and it’s gone well. We added just a few items to a registry at Target, and I’ll need to update that.

Trying to pick out the “best” car seat, crib, and other baby gear is a bit overwhelming, especially considering we have no idea what we’re doing. We have a small car with an even smaller backseat, and we’ll need to find a car seat that is no bigger than 23 to 24 inches from the back of the back seat to the back of the front seat. Good luck to us!

I need to just take one thing at a time so my brain won’t explode. I’ll research car seats for awhile, and pick one, and move on to cribs and research those…and then move on. If I try to get it all done at once, it won’t be pretty.
Here’s what’s up according to BabyCenter.com:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he’s practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to his activity as you get to know him better. In other developments, your baby’s eyebrows and lids are present now.