Seriousully, I am. My tummy's getting all hairy, though it's kinda cute, and tummy itself is getting bigger. Might be because of...well.... Let's just say one of my coworkers told me yesterday: "I think your stomach lokks bigger for each day". Pu that toghether with the fact that our baby girl is growing and making it quite difficult for me to go do number two, and you have your answer....

Being pregnant - awesome
Knowing it's a girl -awesome
Being able to eat without feeling nauseous anymore - awesome
Hairy tummy - kinda awesome
Baby growing - awesome
Constipation and insomnia - not awesome at all
Back starting to hurt after three days of standing/sitting at work - not awesome at all
Looking better than the guy in the picture below - awesome

Only two days left. A frikkin marathon shift today, 10h, and then 7,5h tomorrow. Then I get on the bus and go home to my man, nice!

Gosh, I'm exhausted after only two days of working at Åhléns. Three more days to go, 8h tomorrow, 10h on wednesday (long one) and then only 7,5h on thursday. Then I go back home on new years to work on january 1rst, then I'm for sure gonna relax this weekend.

I'm so not used to wearing make up these days, so just to put regular make up on every morning takes me like forever. And on top of that I have to put on the darn eyelashes, eyeshadow and sparkles which takes me another forever and a half.... I can't tell you how nice it is to come home and take off my face at night. See that's what I like with my other jobs, the fact that I can work in sweats with no make up (goes for both my own business and the newspaper). But it's fun to get out every now and then and do jobs like the one at Åhléns as well. Had such nice customers today and I even got a tip from a real nice lady who didn't think I should be sitting there doing this great job "for free" (even though we do get paid and get commision), so she gave me a tip. Hah, good karma people, good karma!

Right now Im on the train down to Stockholm to work for a week, doing nails at Åhléns City. Tummy's been growing during christmas, but this morning it was kinda back to "normal" again. Still haven't gained all that much, about 7-8 lbs (3-4 kg). But I guess as long as the the baby and my tummy keeps on growing as expected there's nothing to worry about!

Your pregnancy: 19 weeks

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

How your life's changing:

Think you're big now? You'll start growing even faster in the weeks to come. As a result, you may notice some achiness in your lower abdomen or even an occasional brief, stabbing pain on one or both sides — especially when you shift position or at the end of an active day. Most likely, this is round ligament pain. The ligaments that support your uterus are stretching to accommodate its increasing weight. This is nothing to be alarmed about, but call your practitioner if the pain continues even when you're resting or becomes severe.

You may be noticing some skin changes, too. Are the palms of your hands red? Nothing to worry about — it's from the extra estrogen. You may also have patches of darkened skin caused by a temporary increase in pigment. When these darker patches appear on your upper lip, cheeks, and forehead, they're called chloasma, or the "mask of pregnancy." You may also notice some darkening of your nipples, freckles, scars, underarms, inner thighs, and vulva. That darkened line running from your belly button to your pubic bone is called the linea nigra, or "dark line."

These darkened spots will probably fade shortly after delivery. In the meantime, protect yourself from the sun, which intensifies the pigment changes. Cover up, wear a brimmed hat, and use sunscreen when you're outdoors. And if you're self-conscious about your "mask," a little concealing makeup can work wonders.

Fostrets utveckling - gravid vecka 19

Nu är du 19 veckor gången (eller gravid i 20:e veckan, om du föredrar att räkna så). Grattis! Du är snart halvvägs igenom din graviditet. Bli inte förvånad om du blir tröttare nu. Du kommer att växa snabbare under kommande veckor och det kan vara bra att sakta ned på tempot. Det kan också börja bli dags att ta dig en titt på bra midjeresårer — eller varför inte sådana man kan utöka sina vanliga byxor med? Om du kan och vill kan det vara skönt att ta en tupplur framåt eftermiddagen. Din bebis hörsel fortsätter att utvecklas och den håller på att lära sig känna igen ljudet av din röst. Anlagen till din bebis mjölktänder är redan färdiga och det som så småningom kommer att bli vuxentänder håller redan på att formas bakom dem.
Toppen av livmodern når nu naveln och kommer att fortsätta växa med ungefär en centimeter i veckan. Bebisen är cirka 15 centimeter lång och väger strax under 250 gram.

Nu har bebisen börjat svälja fostervatten och njurarna producerar urin. Hår växer på huvudet.

Nu utvecklas sinnena fort. Nervcellerna för de olika sinnena – smak, lukt, hörsel, syn och beröring – utvecklas nu i sina respektive områden i hjärnan. Produktionen av nervceller saktar av när existerande nervceller blir större och etablerar mer komplicerade förbindelser. Du som väntar en flicka kan tycka det är intressant att veta, att hon nu har ungefär sex mijoner ägg i sina äggstockar, vars antal kommer att ha sjunkit till cirka en miljon vid födseln.

Nu har du säkert känt din bebis röra på sig. Ibland kan det hända så mycket därinne att det är svårt att sova. Din bebis kommer att vara mycket aktiv de kommande tio veckorna, tills det börjar bli för trångt i livmodern. Snart väntar tillökning vilket för med sig stora förändringar, så ta en titt på Sex och relationer.

• Breakfast (mucho iportante)
• Make tomorrows dessert for 17 people
• Cook Jansson (noooo, not Mr. Jansson, the dish I mean)
• Last cleaning sweep
• Prepare for tomorrows breakfast
• Work at Ljusnan
• Try to get home from work not too late, have to get up at around 7.30am tomorrow....

They're treating us to christmasfood at work tonight, awesome! My boss asked me what I eat these days so I tried to explain it to her so that she could make the order. Hard to have an employee like me who eats, well, different.....


Weather's nice so Im gonna try to take a walk while the sun's still up. Think it got light around 9.30-10am this morning, and the sun probably goes down around 3pm, scary....

No off to the fridge for breakfast. It's already 11am and I gotta feed the wee one =)

AFter about 2h of spa treatments today I feel like a total princess, 17 and never been kissed (what, you never heard of virgin birth before?) Maternity massge and an organic facial, aaaahhh. Celebrated by eating lunch w beau and giving him a manicure =). Now the ham's in the oven (so is my bun, hahahaha), christmas porridge on the stove, the scented holiday candles are lit and we are so prepared for to just relax this evening.

Tomorrow I'm gonna get some work done at the office, prepare for christmas and then of to work at the newspaper at night. After that its fiiiiiiinaly christmas, woohooo!

Oh yes, as an early christmas gift I booked meeself TWO hours of pure pleasure for tomorrow: 1h maternity massage and 1h organic facial at SPA Valdhav in Söderhamn. Niiiiiiiiice. Omg I can't wait. My body's been so sore lately, and starting this sunday and for one week forward I'll be sitting and standing most of the days during work at Åhléns. So I figured I'd better prepare my body for what's to come.  Lovely!

Oh the things you suddenly need when having a baby.....


http://www.familjeliv.se/hem/mrs_garneij/onskelista.php?wishlist=1084

Last night we had a big celebration at Dinali Center since it was the end of the last semester of Dinali's first year. Omg, the students totally blew me away. The night was filled with bubbles, appetizers and mingelin. And in between it al there were some astounding student shows. I just can't explain how it has felt (and still feels) to see the students bloom and become something or someone they might never have thought they could. The sparkles in their eyes when they nail tricks on the pole they thought were too difficult for them is just awesome.
And then my teachers and my teacher trainees, OMG!!!! I tell you, whoever wasn't there last night really did miss something

I'm so lucky that I get to wear snuggle pants and sock when I don't work AND when I do work, especialy now when I've had such back problems. But in the honor of last night I decided to suit up in a tight black maternity dress (real nice one) and some high heeled boots. Gosh did I get to pay for that later on. First of all at the end of the night my feet started hurting so bad I could barely walk. "Oh well, the night is almost over", I thought to myself. So when all had left I took mee high heels off. Need I say it didn't really help... My feet hurted sooooooooooo bad I could barely walk. And on top of it all (of course) my back started hurting real bad. I kinda already knew my back would start hurting. But I figured it was worth it, big celebration and all. And after all I have about one week of vacay now before I go down to Stockholm to work for a week, so I can just reeeeeelax =). I'll be at Åhléns City doin' nails for Depend as usual. And I tell you, this year I wont be wearing high heels during that time. I'll be wearing comfy shoes that are good for my feet and back. It's enough that I need to put on fake lashes and make up every morning (were I always end up sticking glue right in to my eye...).

Today is all about rest. Nice breakfast, maybe a walk in the snow (all to stimulate our baby girl, she's kicking when I don't move...), nice dinner, more relaxing... Aaaaahh the perks of having a vacay =)

Someone lives inside my tummy. And apparently she's starting to get cramped in there, trying to make my uterus bigger by kicking.....
She was very lively when we first "met" her (looking at the ultrasound). I guess the apple doesen't fall far from the tree right? Especially not when the wee apple is growing inside the tree....
I was a VERY active baby. Before I'd gotten the hang of crawling I started laying down flat on the floor, rolling towards my destination of choice. I guess I thought crawling was tricky business and it was too slow, so rolling was the name of my game. I did get stuck underneath couches and beds though....
Then when I started eating solid food my couisin ('bout the same age as I) was in our summer house with us. My mom was gonna peel each of us an orange. But I started screaming cause I thought she took too long. So I grabbed my orange and ate the whole thing WITH the peel on, yummy....

So if our little girl turns out like me, she's gonna be speedy gonzales with an appetite. Let's just hope she gets some of hubbys mellow manors as well...

Considering the fact that we've gotten 'bout 30-40 cenitmeters of snow in like three days and judging by the look of next weeks forecast I have no doubt that we're gonna have a white christmas after all:

I was prepared to go a christmas without ham since they said they've run out of organic ham except for SCAN's (that I don't eat...). But then they just happened to have gotten a last minute shipment of organic ham when I went to the store, woohooo!

So now we're all prepared for christmas. The freezer is stuffed with candy and other goodies, homemade gingerbreads (my grandma's old recipe) are stacked in the cupboards and the organic ham is in the fridge waiting to be cooked next week.

toodelooo!!

http://www.polarnopyret.se/Shop/Mypages/ShowWishList.aspx?id=4809&cartid=3099904

Organic for the baby (of course), and something for mommy as well =)

....who lives in here:

Just got an early christmas gift from my bestest husband: An eight week prenatal yoga class, starting i february!!!
Aaaah the perks of having a great husband =)

So now my left side is about to fall off, probably after all the christmas candy makin yesterday. I did fell pretty good this weekend and even took a walk on saturday w hubby so I felt well enough to do some good deeds on sunday. Guess Im paying for it today. Oh well, at least Im getting better and the physiotherapist did tell me to be active but careful, and so I shall be!

We were supposed to have our ultrasound in Hudiksvall on wednesday of next week. But since we're thinking about choosing the hospital in Gävle for the birth we figured it was better to go do the ultra sound there as well. That resulted in us getting to do it one day earlier, this coming tuesday, woohooo!

How your baby's growing:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

How your life's changing:

Hungry? An increase in appetite is pretty common about now. Make it count by choosing meals and snacks that are rich in nutrients instead of empty calories (chips, French fries, candy, and other sweets). Bigger, more comfortable clothes are a must now as your appetite and waistline grow.

Your cardiovascular system is undergoing dramatic changes, and during this trimester your blood pressure will probably be lower than usual. Don't spring up too fast from a lying or sitting position or you might feel a little dizzy.

From now on, when you do lie down, it's best to lie on your side — or at least partly tilted to one side. (When you lie flat on your back, your uterus can compress a major vein, leading to decreased blood return to your heart.) Try placing a pillow behind you or under your hip or upper leg for comfort.

If you haven't already had a second-trimester ultrasound, you'll probably have one soon. This painless procedure helps your practitioner check how your baby's growing, screen for certain birth defects, check the placenta and umbilical cord, determine whether the due date you're working with is accurate, and see how many babies you're carrying. During the exam, you might see your baby moving around or sucking his thumb. Bring your partner along, and be sure to ask for a printout for your baby's first photo album!

Fostrets utveckling - gravid vecka 18

Nu är bebisen drygt 14 centimeter lång från hjässa till rumpa och väger lite under 200 gram. Bröstkorgen rör på sig vid andning, men i själva verket fylls lungorna av fostervatten istället för luft.

En ultraljudsundersökning görs vanligtvis i andra trimestern (vanligtvis mellan 17 och 19 veckor) för att bedöma fostrets tillväxt och utveckling, titta efter möjliga problem, undersöka moderkakan och navelsträngen och bedöma om förlossningsdatumet är korrekt. Under denna undersökning kan du ofta se din bebis sparka, böja sig, sträcka på sig, rulla runt och till och med suga på tummen. Ta med din partner om det är möjligt och be om flera fotografier.

Om du väntar en flicka, så kan det vara intressant att veta att hennes vagina, livmoder och äggledare nu finns på plats. Om du väntar en pojke, så är de yttre könsorganen tydliga.

Den vikt du lagt på dig består huvudsakligen av fostervatten, moderkaka och vätska i kroppen. Inne i din mage sparkar din bebis — och vrider sig, sträcker på sig och kanske t o m suger på tummen! Du kanske inte har känt något av all denna aktivitet ännu (särskilt om du är förstföderska) men det kommer du att göra inom några veckor. Nu kan din bebis grimasera och rynka på pannan och har utvecklat sin hörsel så den kan lyssna på ditt hjärta! Kanske har du som är förstföderska fått tid för ditt återbesök hos barnmorskan. Det brukar ske kring vecka 20-21. Då ska du få ditt moderskapsintyg, som sedan skickas in till Försäkringskassan

Just canceled my Facebook account, feels awesome! It's kinda like when you've put off cleaning for a while and it starts piling up. When you finally make an effort and clean it feels soooo much better. I'll stick to only my blog for a while, maybe I'll go back to FB later on (they aparently save your account info w friends n stuff incase u wanna come back), but for now Im good. Just think of all the time I'll have to do other things, awesome!

Another thing that's awesome is that it's snowing outside, woohooo! It's snowing, it's Lucia, I've made honey fudge, orange truffles, nougat rolls and is about to make gingerbreads and saffroncake. Today is a very productive and good day =)

People have started asking for what to buy for the baby. Since we're trying to be as eco friendly as we possibly can, we've created an online (organic) wishlist:

http://www.familjeliv.se/hem/mrs_garneij/onskelista.php?wishlist=1084


Can't believe Ive already gone 45% of the pregnancy, and in a couple of days we get to see the wee one =)

No, not harmless, but hamless! I was after an organic christmas ham but the only one they had left was an organic ham from SCAN, and I don't wanna support SCAN, yuk. Apparently a lot of people are buying organic ham this year so the producers can't keep up. I'm actually real happy more and more people are making sure to buy organic ham, but unfortunately that mean we aren't gonna have any ham at home this year. Oh well, christmas is so much more than ham so I don't really care too much!

My dad has a hard time understanding what I eat and don't, even though I think it's pretty clear. "But, you do eat mom's homemade meatballs right?", he asked when we were talking about christmas dinner. No dad not the way you guys usually make them, but I will if you make them out of organic meat or wild game. So now he is trying to figure out what to feed me for christmas since I wont eat the ham, meatballs, sausages or any other of the meat they usually serve, poor dad. Geez, I'll be fine with some mustard herring, potatoes and christmas candy, can't be too picky when you already are!

How cuuuute is this:

Or should I say b-day, as in baby day =). Cause that's how long it is until we get to see our precious little one for the first time. Im soooooo excited, and so is of course papi as well =).
Twins or not, boy or girl, what think you? Maybe we should open up a gambling site for this, hahaha





Yesterday was full of great surprises, so tonight we're going out to celebrate and have a nice dinner, some wining and dining just the two of us (no wining for me though, and probably some beer'ing for the papi instead of wine!)

This is the first weekend in a while were I don't have any work planned, so Im just gonna enjoy this one!!!

Aaaahahahahahaha

Then I'll hopefully be back to having a normal pelvic bone. It's nice to inherit some things from your peeps, but when it comes down to bones that seem to like twisting themselves with no apparent reason it ain't that fun anymore. I think my mom's symptoms started when she was younger than me, but then again I think I've been more active w dancing, sports, aerobics and of course pole dancing =), so that has probably been my saviour through all of this since movement seem to keep my pelvic bone straight.

I've been really active since I was a kid so that's probably why I havent had these problems before. The only real time I've had these same problems was when I was about 4 years ago when I went through a period of not excersizing at all. It went on for a couple of months until I started working out again, and then it fixed itself. So the medicine (even according to my physiotherapist) is excercise of all sorts. I can't wait until I can get back onto that horse again and get back to pole dancing for real. But then again my stomach will probably be too big and I wont be allowed OR able to do a lot of tricks. Well well, getting back into shape after pregnancy is a piece of cake right? =)

Now breakfast in bed then up to make some christmas candy, yum!

I keep on having the weirdest dreams. I dream about Booth from Bones, and I always end up marrying him in some way. Then I wake up all dazed and confused and for a split second I wonder what the hell Jesper's still doing in the house, I'M MARRIED TO BOOTH GOD DAMN IT! Then I wake up for real and realize it's all a dream and I feel really guilty, hahaha

Anyhoodle, I do like next weeks outlook for Ljusne weatherwize:

http://www.yr.no/place/Sweden/G%C3%A4vleborg/Ljusne/long.html


Good thing we have our snow tyres on since we are driving to see le bebe (or les bebes?) at the ultra sound on wednesday of next week =)

Still havent gained more than 3kg, but at least Im eating. Im not eating more than I did before I got pregnant though but I have another 22 weeks to go so I have almost all the time in the world to gain...
We have about one week to go before our first ultra sound, we're sooooo excited to see the little one =)

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

How your life's changing:

Starting to feel a bit off balance? As your belly grows, your center of gravity changes, so you may begin to occasionally feel a little unsteady on your feet. Try to avoid situations with a high risk of falling. Wear low-heeled shoes to reduce your risk of taking a tumble; trauma to your abdomen could be dangerous for you and your baby. You'll also want to be sure to buckle up when you're in a car — keep the lap portion of the seat belt under your belly, drawn snugly across your hips, and also use the shoulder harness, which should fit snugly between your breasts.

You may also notice your eyes becoming drier. Using over-the-counter lubricating drops may help. If your contact lenses become uncomfortable, try wearing them for shorter stretches of time. If you still have discomfort, switch to glasses until after you give birth.

Fostrets utveckling - gravid vecka 17

Nu är bebisen ungefär 13 centimeter lång från hjässa till rumpa och väger cirka 140 gram. Skelettet består mest att ännu mjukt och böjligt brosk, men det kommer att hårdna senare. En skyddande substans som kallas myelin börjar nu omsluta ryggmärgen.

Med hjälp av ett speciellt stetoskop är det nu möjligt att höra bebisens hjärtslag. Det är både spännande och lugnande att höra det lilla hjärtat galoppera på. Om du är orolig för hur bebisen mår och utvecklas, kan det vara skönt att höra. Och om det börjar kännas som att graviditeten pågår för evigt, kan det vara kul att påminnas om vad som väntar efter 40 långa veckor.

Din växande livmoder påverkar din balans och det kan kännas lite ostadigt. Var lite försiktig och ha gärna stadiga, lågklackade skor. Är det svårt att komma till ro i sängen? Läs våra sömntips för andra trimestern.

Om du planerar att göra ett fostervattensprov men inte ännu har gjort det, så är detta en bra vecka. En fördel: du får en lång titt på din bebis med ultraljudet som används under proceduren.

Some people say "oh but I eat swedish meat, so thats ok"! But I beg to differ. Just because the meat is from Sweden doesen't mean it's good meat. Just read this article:

http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article6236271.ab


It's disgusting, makes me wanna throw up.
This is exactly the reason why we choose to only buy organic meat, preferably locally produced. More expensive you say? Yes of course, but then again we don't eat meat every day, we make sure to eat vegetarian food as well. So if you cut down on your meat it wont cost you more than it already does. I personally don't agree with this whole low carb high fat craze that's going on. I believe you should think of the quality of the food you eat. Since most people can't afford being on a budget AND having their diet consisting of only meat and some veggies without having to buy the cheapest meat possible, my opinion is that you should choose high quality produce (organic that is) and eating a wide variety of food. Don't let the carbd scare you, let toxins scare you instead!
Make sure to buy GOOD meat when you do buy it. And with good meat I don't mean from a good part of the cow, I mean organic meat or wild game. I'd rather eat organic pigs feet than non-organic strip steak!

For all of you who has followed the pork scandal in the news and think that is disgusting as well; please stick to your guns and buy ONLY organic meat this christmas. And make sure your organic ham doesen't come from SCAN, don't have much love left for those guys....