Staying Positive

I don’t love being pregnant. Yes, I’m HAPPY about being pregnant and starting a family with my husband and going on this exciting journey. I’m happy and grateful that we are lucky enough to have no problems getting pregnant. However, being pregnant is not my favorite thing. Let’s just say, I’m not going to be the mom that wishes she was still pregnant after the baby is born. I’m going to be the mom that is happy the baby is here and can now begin on stabilizing her hormones. Or at least make a valiant effort. With that being said, I’m attempting to think positively. Instead of coming up with a top 5 list of reasons why being pregnant is kind of a bummer (way easier to do by the way). I’m going to create a top 5 list of the reasons why I enjoy being pregnant. Once again, happy I’m pregnant, not happy about going through it…but here is what I like about it….

1. I can continue to wear tankinis to the beach, but now, no one is allowed to judge me.
2. If someone tells me “No” I can act like a complete lunatic until they say “Yes” and then blame it on the hormones
3. I have many new and different personalities throughout the entire day. Morning Meghan that is very energetic and nice to be around, 3:30 Meghan that even scares me from time to time, and night time Meghan who is nice but only if you let her go to bed at 9:30 and don’t ask her to do anything. And some days, you never know, another “Meghan” will pop up!! All very exciting and somewhat terrifying for my husband.
4. Every time I make a mistake at work I get to use the phrase, “oops, pregnancy brain” and hope that everyone on the line likes babies and cross my fingers that I didn’t already say it to the same group of people earlier that day because lets face it, I actually can’t remember anything anymore.
5. And of course, the fact that people bring me delicious treat. My sister made me a life size Samoa, my in-laws buy me Cadbury Eggs (Thank you, Matt J), and basically anyone else I’ve seen since I’ve been pregnant has given me something amazing. So, thank you for making my pregnancy that much better. J

Have a good weekend!!!

Topics that REALLY get people going about pregnancy and childbirth

I’m actually terrified to even mention these topics. Especially now knowing what a hot topic strollers are and the sensitivity around them. So, I dare you, go on to any pregnancy blog board and write “Breastfeeding is for losers” and see what happens. These preggo mamas are not messing around nor are the mamas with kids. So, I figured that I’d gather all the “touchy” topics and answer them myself to get them out of the way for future conversations/arguments.

Hot Preggo Topics.

1. Breastfeeding

2. Vaccinations

3. Homebirths

4. Epidurals

5. And of course dying your hair

ME:

1. I will attempt to breastfeed but if my nipple starts to fall off , yeah I may take a break. Or if my baby is starving then maybe I’ll try a different technique. I will never knock someone for making the best choice for themselves or baby. Everyone is different and every baby is different so lets get a grip.

2. We won’t be vaccinating our children at birth because I don’t like the idea of them doing it all at once and I think it’s better to do your own research and not jump on the bandwagon, H1N1 anyone??

3. I won’t be doing a homebirth but I don’t think it’s a bad idea. I’ll more than likely be doing a water birth so you can capture that image in your brains.

4. I say now that I won’t do an epidural but let’s just cross that path when we get there.

5. I’m fairly certain that every time I go to my hair salon every single person is pregnant. I’m pretty sure hair dye makes these girls fertile. YES, I will be foiling my hair. No I won’t be eating it or rubbing the dye all over my body so I think I should be good.

Phew…glad we got those topics out of the way.  Please begin your judgments…now...

"Is Butter a Carb?.."

Alright, get ready to pull out your absolute smallest violin for this blog. I’ve been a worry wart since the beginning of this pregnancy about everything. I worry about what I’m eating, the lotions I’m using, the places I’m going, the activities I’m  doing, everything. Apparently a lot of first time mom’s are like this. Even though I’ve heard “He/She’s” heartbeat twice, seen the heartbeat on an ultrasound and have had no miscarriage like systems, I’m still a nervous wreck.

Well, my worry of today is that I’m not gaining enough weight and basically look the same as I did at 10 weeks pregnant.. Yes, as I said, you can now pull out those tiny violins. It seems like such a silly thing to be worried about but if anyone knows me, you know having a small baby to normal size baby is not my goal. I’m looking for a meaty, thighs touching, not sure if their eyes are open or closed kind of baby. Mainly because that’s how I was and so was my sister. Big ol babies with tons of hair.

Of course, I would be happy with a healthy baby regardless of the size but it does concern me that one day I look like I’m carrying triplets and the next I again look like I’m just coming home from KSC after my freshman 15. I’m 3 weeks away from the halfway point with this pregnancy and have about 30 more lbs I can healthily gain. 

So I’ve been telling myself I should enjoy the time I have left being a mobile human being. Because at some 

point I could potentially be like one of these celebrities…

Poor Jenny McCarthy...80lbs! Someone needs to say something before I reach 200. For real and then make sure I can fit in a little black bikini shortly there after. 

Seriously, Kris Jenner...lock it up...

Last but not least, the queen of baby weight gain..Ms. Jessica Simpson

The Baby Boom

When you are pregnant, you look around and see that there are A LOT of other pregnant people in the world. I never really noticed this before. When my husband and I sat in the mall waiting to get our tire changed we counted all the pregnant women we saw. I think we counted 5 or more and at least 10 questionable ones. It’s CRAZY. I didn’t notice that I was part of the new baby boom. Not only that but I’m riding the baby trail with some of entertainment's finest, Nicole Snooki Polizzi,  Vanessa Minnillo, and Kristen Cavallari. Just like anything else, now that I’m pregnant everything is about pregnancy. Even when I’m watching TV all I see are pregnancy movies. So I thought that my top 5 of the week would be my all time favorite pregnancy movies.

1. Lifetime movies:  OK yes, I know this isn’t a movie but having me pick between “Fifteen and Pregnant” with the performance of a life time by Kirsten Dunst and the informative and edgy “Pregnancy Pact.” You may as well be asking me to choose between Thin Mints and Samoas. Never gonna happen.
2. Father of the Bride 2:  If you think about it, being pregnant  with your mother has to be a huge bummer but I’m going to look pass this as I think it’s one of the cutest movies ever and gave all us girls an unobtainable vision of our baby nurseries.
3. Rosemary’s Baby: Yes, this movie is terrifying and still gives me nightmares but I think all us pregnant women need to watch this and truly think to ourselves “Yeah, I may be uncomfortable but at least my baby isn’t Satan’s Spawn.” I think this truly puts things in to perspective.
4. Knocked Up: I don’t know what is more pathetic, the fact that I truly find Seth Rogen sexually attractive or “Swing” by Savage is still making an appearance on my iPod.
5. Juno: My all time favorite pregnancy movie hands down.  If this movie doesn’t make you smile then I’m fairly certain Mia Farrow birthed you and you have no soul. 

Have a good weekend!!! 

The Name Game

When I was in high school, I boldly stated to all my girlfriends that when I got pregnant and I had a girl I would be naming her ARIES. That’s right, an astrological sign. This is mainly because I was a pseudo-hippie. I was only a hippie in the sense that I bought astrological books, had two grateful dead t-shirts and burnt incense. The worst thing about maintaining friendships with people from High School (Megan Johnson) is that they remember these embarrassing tidbits. Despite my original decision we will not be going with this for the name. Since my husband doesn’t want to play the name game with me until we find out the sex I’ve recruited my friend’s and family. Here are some names that were suggested…

Girl: I’d like to use “Ann” as the middle name after my mom.

Cameron: This is the front runner. My friend Ali text me not knowing that this was my favorite to say “how about Cameron?” so at least someone else likes it. Her nickname would be Cami.

Chloe: Kat’s suggestion. Even though I like it..naming my kid after a Kardashian may be a  regret someday

Madison: Which I also thought was cute. This was another one of Kat’s suggestions

Xotchitl: My sister’s suggestion. Inspiration came from Flava of Love…though I’m fairly certain she was kidding, I wouldn’t chose it on the fact that the kid would never find a name magnet, ever

LeConor: My brother Conor suggested this one. I’m not sure if he intended this to be a girls name but it sounded about right. Again, no name magnets for this kid

Boy: I’d like to use “Paul” as the middle name as it’s the name of my father in law and my husband’s middle name.

Scott: My husband likes the name Scott and it’s one of the only names he has contributed. HOWEVER, I dated a Scott in 7^th grade and I’m fairly certain he is currently in prison now and my good friend Andreo and I almost stopped being friends over this awesome catch so I’m going with a big hell no on this one

Striker-My sister came at me with this gem after 3:30pm. She was really testing my mood then.

Sawyer: Ali’s suggestion. Yes, one of my favorites as well. And no, it’s not only because one my favorite characters in LOST was named Sawyer…just a very neat coincidence

Holden: Ali’s suggestion and yes very “Catcher in the Rye” but I love it!

Conor, Connor,  and Conner: All very great and well thought out suggestions from my brother Conor…I’m not sure where he gets his inspiration but we will definitely take these names in to consideration!! J

Names I’m not allowed to use by request of Sadie Stone: Jude, Leif, and other hippie names I will need to run by her first.

ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS?! 

Why must I cryyyy….

Everyone knows that when a woman is pregnant, she is usually hormonal. No one truly understands the true mental instability of a pregnant woman unless you yourself have been pregnant. I’m going to let the crazy out of the bag. Just in this week alone here are the top 5 things that have truly made me cry or have put me on the verge of tears….

1. I miss my friend’s in the Carolina’s a lot and they make me laugh via text which in result makes me cry…this is not a joke.
2. Why can’t the people on the Walking Dead catch a break, why?? Yeah, I wasn’t a huge Shane fan and Dale was a pain but seriously!? This show should not be making me cry
3. Finding out that BJ’s my favorite ice cream shop is opening up this weekend for the season and the thing I normally get “Cookie dough ice cream cyclone” is not on my pregnancy menu due to the cookie dough being homemade. WHY!?! Summer is officially ruined.
4. I jumped on the bandwagon and watched Kony 2012 because I thought he was a rapper we were trying to get out of jail, I didn’t know I would be a blubbering mess by the end of it.
5. Last but certainly not least,  I didn’t cry but I would have had my husband not fixed it. We came home from CT to find out that NONE of our shows were recording on our DVR except for Letterman. Ew. Thank god he fixed it and we only had one casualty but this would have been a tear fest to end all tear fests had it not been fixed so quickly.

So on that note, I’d like to thank my husband for dealing with me and all the crazy that I have to offer. I can understand why you are currently out playing poker this evening. You deserve it! Now, if you run into a Carvel cake on your way home do what you think would be best. J

Maternity clothes..goo

I’d like to start off this blog by giving a shout out to Kohl’s for being the worst place to buy maternity clothes EVER. I truly appreciate the one rack that you have given me that consists of mainly shirts with horizontal stripes. Yes, I’d really like to dive into a horizontal stripe shirt at this stage in my pregnancy. Can I also say that I really enjoy how you strategically place your maternity section next to the petite section. Makes women feel awesome to know that all the cute clothes that are being featured they can’t fit into. Yes, this isn’t my first choice of clothing stores, however living in Sabattus, Maine this is it until Freeport, Augusta or Portland.  . Or I could go to Maurice’s but I’d rather not look like I was heading off to “Sister and Dates” and/or a basement fraternity party. With that all being said, I did go to Kohl’s because I desperately needed a pair of jeans since I only had one real pair of maternity jeans (Yes Rebecca Sullivan, maternity jeans are a thing and I’m not wearing tights under my pants.) and it is a joke to try and fit into my pre-pregnancy pants unless I was running for “Queen of the Muffin Tops” . That’s really all I needed at this point.

I’m “lucky” that my stomach is/has and always will be my “problem area” Yes, me and about a billion other women in the world. However, this is now working in my favor. Granted, I have had to wear maternity jeans since my 10^th week  but I don’t have to buy shirts at all! This is mainly due to the fact that I’ve been rocking Flowey Empire cut shirts for years even though I’m certain they went out of style in 1994. If the baby doll dress came back I’d be back on that wagon as well. I know there will be a time that even my vintage 90’s outfits will no be able to contain my ever growing belly and I’ll either have to sew them all together or bite the bullet and go to “Motherhood” to find an overpriced white T-Shirt.  On that note, I’d like to take this moment to thank my friend Katherine Mihalek for buying me a gift card to this store. Especially since before I opened the card I said to her face that I would never be caught dead in a store like that. Thanks, Kat for laughing at me and being so nice as I awkwardly opened your present which was a gift card “to one of those stores” you are the best!  J

Cookies, Cadbury, and Carvel, oh my...

Some days I sincerely get nervous that I’m actually not pregnant and just getting really fat in my stomach and I have my own little panic attack that I’ll never fit in to any of my clothes again. That’s why I was thrilled that before I had a nervous breakdown we went to the doctor’s on Friday for our checkup. Here are our stats...

15 weeks- baby is about the size of an orange

My stomach is measuring 15cm (which apparently should equal the amount of weeks you are so I was pretty excited I wasn’t at 20cm at only 15 weeks.)

Heartbeat is 150

My Weight: 134 (I guess it’s only healthy to gain 25-35 at my height and starting weight so I get about 29lbs left before people will start judging me)

And Blood work looks good!

Based on this information there is a baby in there and I’m not slowly becoming a future contestant of “The Biggest Loser” so I’m completely at peace at this point. I’m glad I found this out before I went home to Simsbury where my mom greeted me with 1 box of Samoas Cookies (apparently they aren’t called Carmel Delights in other areas?!), 3 Cadbury eggs, one bag of Pirate Booty and a Carvel Ice Cake. So, I wanted to take a moment to say THANKS MOM! And I’m happy that I’m pregnant and could enjoy these delicious treats without feeling completely guilty that summer is just weeks away.  Anyways, I figured I’d take the time to give a breakdown of where we are at as our next appointment is not until April 12 and at that time we will hopefully be scheduling our 20 week Ultrasound to determine the sex and will have much more to report then!!

Ohhh Simsbury..you are good for some things..

In honor of my trip home this weekend and since you all know how much I love my top 5’s I figured I’d write down the top 5 food products I miss from Simsbury and most I hope to be having this weekend.

1. Cheddar Bagels from Brookside
2. Snow Mountain sushi from Meadows
3. Luna Pizza of any kind (With that being said, I heard from Emy that they are slacking lately so I may have to change this to Harry’s or Little City)
4. Tulmeadow Farms chocolate chip ice cream with marshmallow topping mmm…I still wish October Farms was open L
5. Last and certainly not least, that chocolate dessert from Chart House/Pettiebones/Abigials/Whatever else the kids are calling it these day

If you are from Simsbury and can get one of these items up here to Maine for me on a weekly basis, we will not only be besties for life but I will give you a nice little shout out and a huge hug. Please think about it….Have a good weekend everyone!!!!

Whatcha Lookin At?

I’m at that awkward stage in my pregnancy where I look as though “Yeah she could be pregnant” or “OMG, she looks like she did after her freshman year at KSC.” I’m more towards looking like I need to put down the Bud Heavy’s than a cute baby bump. So I’m completely self conscious when I’m around people that don’t know I’m pregnant and I haven’t seen me in awhile.

Today I had to go in to the office (Ugh, YES again!) for an all day session. I saw a few guys I hadn’t seen in awhile and had no idea that I was pregnant. We shook hands and sat down. I kept feeling like the entire time they were staring at my stomach trying to determine what it was “massive weight gain due to marriage” or “knocked up” which one could it be?? I could also assume they were staring at my ever growing chest that I’m fairly certain could be on the cover of National Geographic at this point (any time I can give my readers a visual I will take it).

Since it’s inappropriate to randomly grab people and scream in their faces that “I’m pregnant..not fat!” I think TD would be mildly upset with me. I had to sit there awkwardly behind my plate of  salad (while my eyes were sealed on that brownie tray, which I didn’t eat because then they would totally think I was just fat at that point) and finish up the meeting without addressing my obvious stomach. So instead of being a complete weirdo and yelling in people’s faces to let them know that I’m pregnant even though they don’t care or didn’t ask, I’m going to hope this blog gets to anyone that is currently in Simsbury that I may come across this weekend so that we can avoid any uncomfortable encounters. 

Workin' 9 to 5

Today was the first day since I got pregnant that I actually had to go in to the TD offices for an all day meeting. Yes, I’m extremely lucky that I get to sit at home in my PJ’s every day without makeup, lay on the couch when I’m feeling queasy and use the rest room as much as I want without my cube mate judging me. My day at the office didn’t go as badly as I thought it would. I didn’t throw up on anyone and I only went to the restroom every other minute instead of every second. I did enjoy the moment when I stood up and realized that the back part of my shirt was tucked into my maternity pants. Yes, the maternity pants that roll all the way up to your boobs. Besides that small set back I think today was a great success. So, I’d like to say that I commend all the women out there that are pregnant and have to go to work outside of the home or have another kid to take care of at the same time. It’s truly amazing. I had one full day outside the home and I look like I was run over by a truck and I’m already sitting here in  my PJ’s and barely have the energy to type this blog. So I’m going to stop here and just show pictures of the things that made me smile today…

This made me LOL..thanks Victoria!:)

My hubby took my subtle hints (blog, text message and phone call) and delivered this delightful gift to me :)

First Girl Scout Cookie Delivery!! Who doesn't smile when they see this heartwarming box..and P.S. Carmel De Lites..you will always be Samoas to me. 

3:30pm on a weekday…Call me at your own risk…

For those women that have been pregnant one time or another, I think we can all say that we have good days and bad days. Most days we are functioning human beings for only a limited time. So, just a fair warning to all my friend’s and family, if you need anything, a favor, someone to talk to, someone to just be there for you, I’m your girl before 3:30 PM. I repeat, BEFORE 3:30 PM is your best chance at talking to “Meghan” and not “Pregnant, hormonal, I’m so hungry I will eat you, Meghan” If you call after the specified time on a weekday I will either cry my eyes out, scream at you, ignore your calls, and basically dislike you strongly for the rest of the day. This is NOT a joke. My older sister Nay thinks that this is more or less a game. She calls me at 4:10pm after I tell her not to just to see if I’ll scream at her. So far I’ve maintained my composure with her because I know she’s planning a wedding and probably stressed about that, yada yada yada, but it’s only a matter of time.

 My only caveat is you can text me but only if it’s to say how amazing I am (or to tell me it's Cadbury Egg season, thanks Amy) , send me Facebook messages, but only if it’s along the same lines as my text message requirement and/or you can play Words With Friends with me. However, just so you know if you are currently beating me at WWF (Joanna Peirce, Phil McLean and probably every other person I’m currently playing with) I’m probably either crying or swearing at you if it’s after 3:30. I think that I’m doing everyone a huge favor by making you aware of this fun little tidbit about my pregnancy. Unless you are calling me to tell me you are coming to my house with a Pizza Hut pizza after 3:30pm, PUT DOWN THE PHONE AND STAY AWAY, IT'S FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!! <3 

Let’s talk about Sex, BABY

There is no question in my mind that I want to find out the sex of this baby. Growing up I thought it would be magical to wait and find out in the delivery room if it was a boy or girl. The thought of that “magical moment” is giving me an absolute panic attack.  I need to know exactly what to get this baby. My mom and I went shopping for baby clothes and the uni-sex department is pretty skimpy. And truly, how many duck outfits could this child have?? With that being said, yes we did buy a duck outfit. It came with a hat, a matching bib and socks. How could we possibly say no? Plus, have you seen some of those cute Oxford shirts for the boys?? I need to know if I can have one in my life. I know that people say “don’t bother getting clothes because that’s all that people will get you.” But, due to my ever growing belly, I’m unable to purchase any article of clothing for myself without falling to my knees and crying (This isn’t a joke, please stay tuned for my maternity clothes blog.) So, to keep myself sane I need to start buying clothes for this little nugget and I need to know if it will be cute Oxford shirts with sweaters or adorable summer dresses with jelly shoes. I also have some very generous friends that have asked me what they could get for the baby. To those I say, please hold off on the clothes and baby items until we find out the sex.  We have our next appointment this Friday and we will be setting up the Ultrasounds to determine the sex then so I’ll let you know! Instead, if you’d like to send me one of following things I would be eternally grateful.

1. Girls Scout cookies, of any kind really but if you think for a minute we will stay friends after you send me a box of shortbreads you are sorely mistaken.
2. Mani/Pedi gift card, my nails are looking as though they belong to the Crypt Keeper so before I can’t see my toes feel free to send a gift card my way.
3.  Moo moos…this isn’t really a joke, I’m going to be preggos in the summer and I intend to live in them
4. Carvel Ice Cream Cake, there is a Groupon for the one in Avon, just an FYI
5. Pirate’s Booty, I explained to one my besties Emy what this was today and if anyone else is unsure, I’ll be happy to explain. I’ll just expect you to send me a bag. J

Strollers are not for everyone…...

I’m going to start off by saying, yes we will indeed be buying a stroller and we will more than likely be using it. Probably very often as well. But we will be using it responsibly. Yes, there are people in the world that take advantage of the invention of the stroller.  

Top Five Examples of Stroller Abuse

5. When your child’s legs are touching the ground from the stroller and can basically Flintstone their way around.

4. Your child is not in the stroller but pushing it blindly through a busy store and into my heels while you are on your cell phone.

3. Your pocket book is now sitting in the stroller as your kid is roaming the store freely, or better yet attached to your wrist with a leash.

2. Listen octo-mom, I know that you have multiple children but strollers with more than three seats can NOT fit in the aisles of a boutique. Keep at least half the kids at home.

1. Strollers should not be allowed at Disney world. PERIOD. If your kid can’t walk around the park then do not buy he/she a ticket. It’s a waste of your money and just irritates me at the site of 500 strollers blocking my entrance to the Magic Kingdom. When we were kids we walked the whole way and when we got tired we left. We went to the pool took a nap and off we were again. I get that you want to get your moneys worth but you are just ruining everyone else’s time by squeezing your huge jogging strollers in the gift shops when your kid is just sitting there sleeping. I get that some people use strollers because your kids can’t walk yet but then again, why waste a ticket for them at Disney!?. This place isn’t going anywhere people.

Please use, don’t abuse.

HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND EVERYONE!! 

“So, that’s what’s up….”

Most girls dream about the same things, getting married, buying a house, having kids. And for many girls that are a little more detailed oriented they even thought of the way they would do all of those things. Even how they would tell their husbands that they were pregnant. Me, not so much. The only vision I had was that of Rebecca Donaldson on Full House telling Uncle Jesse by serving him baby carrots and baby corn to lead him to the conclusion that they were pregnant. I figured when I would tell my husband it would go a little something like that.

However, I had no time to run to the grocery store to set up such a presentation. I took my first test on a complete whim. Jon and I had just completed a diet and I lost 12lbs. Woohoo!! So I thought “There is NO flipping way I would be pregnant. Who the heck loses that much weight while they are pregnant??” Plus the fact that I had absolutely no symptoms except being tired. I chalked that up to the diet and lack of carbs that I usually consume on a daily basis.  On the other hand, that pesky period never came so I figured why not?

I used “First Response.’ For those that have never had the pleasure of using such a device, the way it would indicate if you are pregnant is displaying two pink lines. My first test displayed one bright pink line alright, as the second line was as clear as a Mike Tyson monologue. I decided to take another one the next morning. The same results spread across the window. I had to stop playing games, or perhaps start buying stock in home pregnancy tests. I’d figured a different brand was in order. I purchased a three pack of “Clear blue easy.” The device I made fun of people for buying as it literally was dummy proof, displaying “Pregnant” or “Not Pregnant” across the indicator window. Well, egg on my face as this was the only thing I would use again.

I decided to give it one last college try (now on my fourth attempt) so I ran to the bathroom the moment I stepped in to my house. 3 minutes later and that was it. “PREGNANT.” My plans of a baby corn and baby carrot dinner flew out of my brain. All I could do was walk to the side room where Jon was working and put the device in front of the computer and all I can manage to say was, “So, that’s what’s up.”  His response was as equally sensitive and warming “Soooo, ummm OK, soooo….”(You get the picture).  After our very formal pleasantries we retired to two different rooms until one of us made a move. He was the first to budge. We joked about the app and the ridiculousness of the situation and we started to come to terms with it. We made the usual phone calls to our family to spread the news.

It wasn’t a magical moment that we will tell our kids about someday but it was definitely a very fitting moment for the two of us.