Friday, March 28, 2008

1 Week and Counting...

...'til the big ultrasound!!! Hopefully Baby B will cooperate so we can learn his or her gender. I'm anxious to find out. I'm also anxious to make sure he or she is developing properly, and that there are no problems. I had a bad dream last night where I delivered early and there was a chance the baby might not make it, but right before I woke up the doctor told me everything was just fine. I was so relieved!

We elected not to have those tests done where they tell you if your baby may be at risk for such and such a defect or abnormality. I'm not really sure what the point is. It's still our child, and we'd love it regardless. We don't believe in abortion, for any reason. I'd just be a nervous wreck for the rest of my pregnancy if I was told the baby may have something wrong.

The gas bubbles I've been feeling have turned into stronger, more defined kicks. It's very reassuring to know Baby B is alive and active inside me. I think I felt a somersault earlier today, but of course I can't really be sure. He or she is the size of a mango now and weighs 8 ounces! And I read that my uterus is the size of a cantalopue. Yikes, a whole melon. By the end of the pregnancy, it will grow to rest just under my rib cage. Again, yikes.

I've really enjoyed being pregnant so far. I like sporting my new baby bump, and can't wait to show it off to friends and family at my sister's bridal shower next weekend. The shower should be a lot of fun. I love girly stuff like that; oohing and aahing over all the gifts the bride to be receives and playing cheesy shower games. I'll (hopefully) be able to tell my mom and sister then what I'm having!

Monday, March 24, 2008

18w4d

Well, it did get a little warmer since my last post. Despite a light dusting of snow Saturday morning, the temperature got up to 50 something later in the day and it stayed pretty nice throughout the weekend. My mother & stepfather came to visit as planned and we had a nice time with them. My mom got me a couple of very cute maternity tops and some adorable gifts for baby as well- a bib, pajamas and a onesie. The onesie says "In my little world, being toothless is a good thing!" She also brought me a solid chocolate Easter bunny like I used to get as a kid.
I had my fifth month checkup this morning before work. Pretty routine- they checked my weight, blood pressure, and urine, and all were normal. So far my total weight gain during the pregnancy has been a whopping ten pounds. We heard the heartbeat again, too. This time the doppler picked it up instantly- 140 BPM. I got the okay to travel to D.C. for my sister's wedding five weeks before my due date, as long as no complications arise between now and then.
And now for some long awaited belly shots... hmm, it sounds like something you'd do on Spring Break! Please excuse my lack of photography skills.

Here's me at 11 weeks:



and now at 18 weeks:




Friday, March 21, 2008

18w1d

Happy Good Friday! Spring is finally here and it's... 35 degrees out. So much for warm, light jacket days skipping through the tulips. It was so windy yesterday that I had to force my car door open and it kept trying to close on me! I am so ready to say goodbye to winter weather.

Life has been ridiculously busy lately. I feel like I'm having a hard time keeping up- with work, home, friends. I've been such a slacker with house chores, especially laundry (blech). It's time to get to steppin' though, because my mom and stepdad are coming to visit tomorrow and staying through Easter. We haven't seen them since Christmas, so it'll be fun to see my mom's reaction to my newly sprouted (and ever growing) baby bump! I was feeling like Gregg and I were two ships passing in the night, but yesterday after work we spent some nice quality time together. It was nothing fancy- we went to Staples so Gregg could buy a headset to use at his job and then to Michael's to get netting for the favors I'm putting together for my sister's shower in two weeks. Afterwards we ate dinner at Panera, where a group of women were having a baby shower for one girl who looked very pregnant. I can't believe I'm going to be that big in just a few months. On the way home, we stopped at Mower Meadows Frozen Custard since they were giving away free ices for the first day of spring. We both got cherry and our mouths and teeth turned bright red!

I was feeling pretty yuck-o after eating the entire cup. Me and sweets don't get along these days. I tried eating a bowl of Honey Bunches O' Oats (the kind with cinnamon) this morning and could barely finish it. The Easter candy we have sitting on the kitchen table, which we got from Gregg's mom in our annual Easter package, has barely been touched. It's strange what pregnancy does to you. In more preggo news, I've since retired my non-maternity pants until sometime this fall. Elastic waistbands are now my best friend. A friend let me go through her stash of maternity clothes which had been hidden away in the attic. I have a huge bag of them in our bedroom waiting to be washed and put away. This will save us a pretty penny on a brand new wardrobe, which of course my husband is very happy about.

Over the last few days, I've felt the baby moving around! It's hard to describe the movements, but they're kind of like random, spastic gas bubbles. And I know that it's not actually gas- don't ask me to explain HOW I know this. There's just a difference. The baby was having a disco in there on Tuesday night as I watched Idol. I told Gregg I could feel it moving, so he put his hand on my belly to feel it too but he couldn't. He's been rubbing my tummy frequently and commenting on how big it's getting. Not in a "wow, you're getting really fat" kind of way, but a "wow, our child is growing inside you" kind of wonder. We are both in awe that this miracle is taking place inside me.

In just two weeks, we'll find out the gender of our "tiny dancer". I'm so excited! It will become a lot more real and personal to us when we can say "him" or "her" instead of just "the baby". Then we can start really picking out names. I have my two favorite names for a boy and a girl already, but I don't know that Gregg is sold on them. And we most likely won't be revealing the name we do settle on, even to our families, until the baby arrives.

We took the plunge a couple of weekends ago and registered at Babies 'R Us. Holy cow, babies are expensive. I'm still wondering how such a tiny little being who did just fine living in my womb for nine months without anything suddenly needs a buttload of gear upon the day it's born. Don't get me wrong, registering for all that stuff was definitely fun. We picked out the nursery decor which is really cute and all kinds of goodies that are both practical and adorable. But there was certainly an added element of stress in there. It's not like registering for your wedding. I felt pretty incompetent walking into the store, like a total mommy rookie. We did have some very good tips, however, from our sister-in-law who just had a baby last May. And Gregg's parents offered to buy us the crib and mattress. I think my mom & stepdad are getting us the changing table, too. Yay for grandparents!

Not much else to say except I hope it gets warmer soon. Oh, and have a wonderful and blessed Easter!

Thursday, March 06, 2008

16 weeks

Holy cow. I can't believe I'm almost halfway through this pregnancy already. It seems like only yesterday that I was staring at a positive HPT. I am actually starting to look pregnant now, and not just like I ate too much for lunch.

I bought my first pair of maternity jeans two weekends ago. It was funny getting pants in size medium! I can still just barely fit into my favorite regular jeans, but I think those will have to be abandoned very soon. I've been taking pictures of my growing belly each week, and I can definitely see a difference just between weeks 14 and 15.

Last Friday, I had another prenatal appointment and got to hear the heartbeat for the first time! It took the doctor a little while to find it, but it was a strong 155 BPM. I have to admit, I wasn't really sure what I should have been listening for so it wasn't obvious to me when she pointed it out. Oh well, all I care about is that everything's going well in there. All my bloodwork came back fine, too. I found out that I'm type O positive, which I did know once upon a time but forgot. Apparently, that's Gregg's blood type also. Oh, and since my last doctor's appointment I've gained five pounds.

I was scheduled for another routine check-up on the 24th and an ultrasound of the anatomy on April the 4th, when we'll learn our baby's gender! Which is perfect because we're planning on heading up to Jersey that evening since my sister's bridal shower is the next day, then visiting with Gregg's family. I can't wait to tell my mom that she's having a granddaughter or grandson. :)