Friday, March 12, 2010

And The Answer Is...

I got some really good questions! Here are the answers...

1. Aishlea wanted to know if my dad taught and coached at my high school and did it effect my dating life? Ha!
Yes and no! Haha! He did teach at my school the first two years, then was transferred to another school. I didn't have many dates at my school, but for some reason I had quite a few from his new school! It was stinky having a boyfriend across town, but they were great guys and worth it.
She also wanted to know if he was in my business and knew what I was doing. Well, I was pretty boring in high school and there wasn't much to know! Ha! Honestly, he left me and my friends alone and the only time I ever knew he was there was when I wanted to involve him.

2. Katie wanted to know if we are UT or UGA fans. Thats a fun one!
That is a funny story! I actually grew up a UGA fan in TN. My dad grew up in Atlanta and has always been a UGA fan. When I met Michael I was actually a little sad that he was a UT fan because I never wanted to marry a UT fan! (nothing personal, just didn't think I could be one!) Well, about a year after we got married I caved and started cheering for UT. We live about 5 miles from the TN/GA state line, so I am VERY curious to see what team Nicholas pulls for. I'm thinking between my dad and his school friends, he very easily could be a UGA fan!

3. Jennifer wanted to know what I am most afraid about after Nicholas is born and what has surprised me the most about being pregnant?
I am most worried about breastfeeding. I'm worried I won't have enough supply or that it just won't work for us. I will be ok either way, but I really want it to work out for at least six months or so. I'm also concerned about how it will go pumping when I go back to work.
The thing that has surprised me the most about being pregnant is the pain I've had. It is more intense than most have (according to my OB) because of my situs inversus, so there are times I get sad because I am yet to feel as good as everyone says you will in the 2nd trimester. In fact I have yet to have a day where I just feel 100%, full of energy, or pain free. I've been a little sad about that. My OB keeps telling me he wants me to relax and be happy, which I am super happy, but I want to be able to enjoy my pregnancy instead of being in pain most of the time. I am starting to cope with it better and not let it limit my lifestyle as much, but it is still hard when I am hurting a lot after work and I don't even feel like moving.

4. Anonymous wanted to know how I lost weight last year and if I am worried about gaining too much?
This one made me laugh. I did lose about 30-35 pounds starting last February through September. I basically started watching what I ate, I cut out all snacks, cokes, and started running some at the gym. After I got used to the dietary changes, I was able to back off a little and just eat when I got hungry and I didn't really watch what I ate, just cut WAY back. I was also put on a medication for a chronic problem that I have that caused me to not be quite as hungry, but I still had to work a lot at it.
I am not worried at all about gaining weight. I am eating like a crazy person now. For example yesterday I had powdered donuts for breakfast, a hamburger for lunch, and we both ate late lunches yesterday so we just snacked for dinner. Sad, I know! Most days are not like that. I am trying to eat a little healthy! I try to drink a lot of milk or eat yogurt (and some ice cream), vegetables, and always drink water. I did gain about 5-8 pounds the cycle that I got pregnant. I had been very sick at the end of September (you can read about it here) and lost 10 pounds in a week. When I got better I started eating everything in sight and I was ok with that because I wanted to build my strength back up in case I got pregnant the next cycle...which I did. I was also very sick the week 5-16 in my pregnancy, so I am just now starting to gain weight. I don't care if I gain 80 pounds as long as Nicholas is healthy!

5. Beth wanted to know if I have always wanted to be a nurse and when how did I decide to be a nurse? Also, what was the hardest thing about nursing school?
I am not sure when I KNEW I wanted to be a nurse, because I remember playing nurse when I was 5 or 6 years old! I never really played teacher or house like the other little girls, I always played nurse. I was also very intrigued by the human body and how it worked and I LOVED life science and biology classes in middle school and high school. When I was in 11th grade I had my tonsils out and I noticed what the nurses were doing around me at the hospital and I thought it looked like something I would be interested in doing. Then when I was 18 I was in the hospital for a week and had three surgeries in a month. I got to know my pediatrician's nurse and urologist's nurse well and they encouraged me to major in nursing after I told them I was interested. So, I started the 1st day of college as a nursing major and never looked back.
The topic of nursing school is something I could write about forever, it was a MAJOR part of my life for 5 years (including the time I spent getting my 100 hours of general education). Yes, I was in college for five years, but nursing isn't offered during the summer, so it can take longer. I'm going to have to think about that one! I'll make a note to come back and revisit that topic one day.

6. Tiffany (who is a good friend from college) wanted to know if we had decided on a larger car yet?
No, not yet, we know we are going to get a midsize SUV before Nicholas gets here, but not sure when or what kind. We've been looking and I'm leaning toward a Toyota 4-Runner or a Nissan Pathfinder. Any suggestions? I currently have a BMW 530 and driving 30 miles a day, mostly on the interstate, we want something larger off the ground that is safer and more economical payment wise.

7. Angela had a good one about Michael's long hours and how that will effect me on maternity leave and how much time we he be able to take off when Nicholas is born?
That is a good question and I wondered if anyone would ask about his long work week. Michael is an internet and finance manager (he even serves as sales manager if there is more than one customer there at a time) at a GMC/Buick/Cadillac dealership 40 minutes from home. He works Monday, Wednesday-Saturday usually 9 am-7 pm-ish. It makes for long days for him and I have thought a lot about how it will be when Nicholas comes. His plan is to take a week off when Nicholas comes and then go back full time. My mom (who lives 10 minutes away) will take off the next week or two, depending on what our needs are at the time. I think I will get a little lonely during the time I am off, just because I am used to having so much adult interaction. However, the time Michael is home will be important to us. Our plan (again, we all know how God laughs at MY plans!) is for Michael to help bathe Nicholas and spend time cuddling and feeding him when he gets home. I am going to pump when I can to allow Michael the ability to feed Nicholas his bedtime bottle. That is what we hope will work for us, but if it doesn't, we will find other ways for them to spend time together early on. What we are more worried about is what will happen when I go back to work. I have some friends in similar situations and they tell me you figure out what is best for you, so we'll figure that out as I start to work towards a schedule for our family when I return to work near the end of maternity leave.

I hope I got everyone's questions! I'm excited to see some lurkers come out of hiding! I track the hits I receive and I have over 500 hits a day, so I know there are more of you out there! Come out and say hello. :-)

7 comments:

Clementsville: Population of 5! said...

Thanks for answering! I am now a Ole Miss fan too thanks to my hubs, but my Dad still tries to get the boys to like Georgia, they LOVE Ole Miss because of their Daddy, but now they do know how important UGA is to me :)

Have a blessed weekend!

Heather said...

Just found your blog and following along now!! Loved reading and look forward to reading more! Congrats on your pregnancy!!

Jenny Rose said...

I love reading your blog and am so excited about your pregnancy! It's so fun to be following along with it! We have a 4Runner and love it, but my sister who has 7 year old triplet boys and a newborn boy has a Honda CRV and she LOVE LOVE LOVES it! So do I. It runs smooth and quiet, has lots of room, and features etc. I have an accord and love it. As far as safety ratings, etc., we love the Hondas. I am leaning towards a Pilot for our next one since we want something bigger when #2 is closer to reality (which I hope is sooner than later since our daughter will be 3 next month and 2 of my sisters just had baby boys, as well as 2 of my best friends- baby fever is in full swing!) Good luck on deciding! It is hard!

Chris and Lydia said...

Missed your delurker post; we we're at the doctor's getting our anatomy scan done! It's a boy:)

I've been reading your blog since the beginning of your pregnancy and I am sooo excited for you! We are one day behind you guys so it has been nice to have someone to compare symptoms to!

Anonymous said...

Hey Amanda, just thought I would give a little advice on the pumping and breastfeeding when you go back to work. I am working full time too and I was also worried about how it would work out.So far she's six months old and we've been luck enough to just breastfeed. Lactation recommends you breastfeed the first six weeks so the baby doesn't get nipple confusion between bottle and breast. I know with Cameron I wanted to just nurse and I knew I was staying home with him for a while, so I didn't try to pump until he was around five months old. At that point, he never would take a bottle of anything- breastmilk, water, juice, he just wouldn't have it. With Kayla I started back to work at five weeks and worried she was too young, but she was the total opposite and transitioned from breast to bottle without any problems. So, I think there is a balance between being too young and starting bottles too early but also between them being too old and only wanting mom to breastfeed if you wait too long to try bottles. Also, I started pumping a few weeks before I went back to work to get a supply of milk in the freezer built up. It's hard to nurse and pump and have enough for the baby, so it takes you a few days at least. I would also do a trial run if you can and go run some errands maybe on Michael's day off and let him try to feed Nicholas a bottle while you pump when you're out. That's what we did, and I didn't stress out at work my first week back that she was fussing and hungry because I had two afternoons where I left her at home with Sean to get used to me not being there and she did fine. It also helps you work out any kinks in your breastpumping plan (one day I went off and forgot the bottles, the other day my battery pack was dead and I had to get batteries) so you get used to being organized not forget anything when you're packing for you and baby! The only other thing I would say is to nurse as much as you can and only give him bottles when you can't feed him to keep your milk supply up. If you have supply issues (I did around four months and most people I've talked to do at some point during their pumping/breastfeeding time) there are lots of herbs and meds you can take to help. The biggest thing is to drink as much water as you can, it makes the most difference for me. I really think it is one of the most amazing experiences to have to be able to breastfeed, so I hope everything works out for at work to be able to bond that way with you little guy! Can't wait to see him. You look great! Hang in there and all the pregnancy stuff is worth it when you see him the first time : ) Dana

Stacy Brown said...

I have a 4Runner and love it. It is my second one and I have not had a problem with either one in the nearly three years I have had a 4Runner.

I totaled my first one in a nearly head on collision and although the outside was completely demolished the inside was perfectly intact and it protected me from any injury.

The reason I got the 4Runner in the first place is the safety it provides in accidents. A couple in my home church were driving on the interstate and hit a parked car at 70 mph. Their 4Runner was totaled but they were not hurt aside from sore necks!

Anonymous said...

Amanda,
Haha! Your comment made me laugh. You said you have about 500 hits a day and for the "lurkers" to come out. I am definitely one of those lurkers. And I bet that of those 500, my hits on your page are about 200..haha! I only follow 4 blogs (I don't even have my own), and yours is one of them that I check everyday. And I check it like a zillion times a day (I know...like you're going to be making 50 posts in one day). I am having such fun following your pregnancy and am so excited to see those first pics of little Nicholas.