Thanksgiving and My 32-Week Belly

Well, it's the Monday after Thanksgiving, and I'm exhausted. But my long weekend was very nice, so I'm not complaining. Matt and I do a three-stop Thanksgiving each year - early dinner at my parents' house, later dinner at Matt's parents' house, and then we spend time with friends at Joe and Sarah's house. It makes for a very long day, but getting to see everybody makes it well worth it.

My pregnancy is going well for the most part; I still feel decent, though I do get tired faster than ever. I will see a hematologist next Monday because my platelet count is so low and has only continued to drop. Probably I'll be started on Prednisone to see if that'll boost my count, and if that doesn't work perhaps a transfusion will be in order. Low platelet count, or Thrombocytopenia, is hardly rare (it occurs in 7-8% of pregnancies), and since I have no history of this problem, it is likely due to the pregnancy (Gestational Thrombocytopenia) and will probably go away within a few months after I give birth. The baby isn't really at any greater risk because of the platelets being low; the main concern (at least for me!) is that if the count drops too low I won't have the option of getting an epidural during labor and delivery. There is also an increased risk of hemorrhage, since platelets are what help your blood to clot. But I'm hoping that the hematologist will be able to get my platelet count up so that by the time Odin is ready to be born, I won't have anything to worry about.

On Thanksgiving, I got Christi to snap a couple of belly photos since it has been so long since I've posted any. On Thanksgiving I was 32 weeks pregnant. (For the record, I don't know why it looks like I have sweaty armpits, because I promise you I didn't, even though my parents' house was as hot as an oven.)

 I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. Can you believe Christmas is only a month away?!

Baby Shower!

Saturday Christi hosted a baby shower for me. It was held at my house, which was really too small for the number of people we had, but it worked out well anyway. Matt and I were very blessed to have so many people come and celebrate with us. Everyone was so generous and we were given many gifts that will be much needed once Odin arrives.

The adorable banner my sister and mom made.

I admit I wasn't as prepared for the shower as I should've been since it was held at my house; I forgot about all sorts of things I should've taken care of before the day of the shower - like washing my dusty wine glasses (I obviously haven't used them in a while, so it didn't even occur to me) and a number of other things that just slipped my scattered mind. I blame pregnancy (I'm told you can randomly blame pregnancy for stuff like that, so I'm taking full advantage while I can). Thankfully I had wonderful family on hand who made all the problems disappear. They were awesome and made the day less stressful for me.

Christi did a wonderful job planning everything; I know she put a lot of time, effort, and worry (not to mention money) into it and I'm so grateful for all her hard work. It was great to have everyone together, but we even received gifts from friends and family who couldn't make it to the shower, either because they live far away or because their schedules didn't allow them to attend. It was so thoughtful of them to send gifts along even though they couldn't join us.

My friend Tammy made an awesome football-themed diaper cake (check out the football rubber duckie on top!), which was cleverly stuffed with bath toys, a hooded towel, and washcloths.

Diaper cake, Brittany & Christi, and Mom!

Matt and I received everything from baby clothes, blankets, toys, bottles, diapers, and books to a pack-and-play, travel system, rocking sleeper, high chair, baby monitor, and breast pump. And lots in between, too! Most importantly, it was just another instance of our friends and family showing us support and encouragement, and being excited for us. People have babies every day; most of our friends and family have had the experience themselves. So for everyone to still be excited for us (and with us) is awesome - it makes the experience so much more fun for us, whereas if everyone was all, "been there, done that, no big deal" it wouldn't be as much fun to share the experience with everybody.

Truth.

Here's a look at my 7-month belly (yes, I'm getting good mileage out of that dress) - sorry I don't have a better one at the moment:

The trifecta: 7-month belly, pale legs, and giant blue Santa sack.

Delicious cake, pretty ladies, and wee favor plants.

I had a great time at the shower, and I thank everyone who attended, helped out, brought food, etc. Thanks again to Christi, who put so much into it so that it would be special for me. It was a fun day for us, and it only got us more excited about meeting baby Odin!

29-Week Belly...Best I Could Do

Although I am 30+ weeks pregnant now, the latest photos of my belly are from Mike and Katharine's wedding, which was on October 27th (when I was 29 weeks). First of all, I have to say that it was a beautiful wedding and I couldn't be happier for my 'little brother.' I'm so proud of him and I'm happy that he married a wonderful woman in Katharine.

Here's a shot of Mike and me taken just after the wedding ceremony. It's the closest thing I have to a recent belly photo, even though it's not taken in profile. Maybe once Mike gets back from his honeymoon in Hawaii (lucky duck) I can get him to take a proper belly photo for me.

Thoughtfulness, Blessings, & Generosity

Last week hurricane/superstorm Sandy rolled through. Matt and I were very lucky that we didn't experience any damage to our house; in fact, we never even lost power, which was not typical. We had only a small amount of water leak into our basement, so we're very grateful that things weren't worse, especially when not too far away there was much more damage. Due to the storm, Matt and I were home from work last Monday and Tuesday, and one of those days we got a surprise in the mail. Actually, it was two surprises, in the form of gifts for baby Odin. We weren't expecting anything in the mail, so getting to open the two packages was sort of like Christmas (I mean, who doesn't like opening presents?)!

The first package we opened was from Kate and Alex, Matt's sister-in-law and brother, who live in Portland, Oregon, and have an adorable 17-month-old son named Mac. They randomly sent us this little outfit at which I can't stop "aww-ing." (The onesie says "Cuddle" on it in red letters.)



The ears! The feet! So much cuteness!

What a sweet and thoughtful thing to do to surprise us and provide an adorable little outfit for baby Odin. Since he'll be born in the winter, I'm sure he'll get to wear this a number of times, and I can't wait to take pictures of him in it.

Our next package was from an entirely unexpected source. A coworker of mine sent us a gift box (which contains an assortment of small baby items) from Citrus Lane, along with a 3-month gift subscription, which means we'll also be getting boxes in November and December! This coworker isn't someone who works directly with me - she doesn't even work in the same area as I do - but she is a real sweetheart; obviously she was under no obligation to think of us and do something so kind and generous, but she did and for that we are so appreciative. Here's what was in box number one:

It included a swaddle blanket, little lamb rattle, Bathtime Baby wash, gripe water, and a kit for making a hand/footprint keepsake. The fun part is that since we'll get a box monthly for the next two months, we'll get to be surprised twice more by what we find in the boxes. What a great way to try out different baby products! Hooray for having such generous and thoughtful people in our lives - we are very blessed!

Week 28: Overdue Musings and Art Update

Things have been busy, so I wasn't able to get it together enough to post last week. My most recent appointment with my midwife was a week and a half ago, and everything was right on target - my rate of weight gain, the measurement of my belly, and Odin's heartbeat were all perfect. Now, at 28 weeks pregnant, the weight gain is starting to show in my face, which is a bummer, but I really should just be grateful I went this long without my face blowing up like a balloon. Usually if I gain any weight at all, the first place it is noticeable is in my face, and unfortunately there's no disguising that.

The countdown is on - 12 more weeks before baby Odin is born. 12 more weeks of carrying around extra weight and bumping into things with my belly. I have to say, there are some pregnancy-related things I am looking forward to getting rid of, like back and sciatic pain, but I have really enjoyed pregnancy up to this point. I know I haven't hit the difficult/uncomfortable part yet and that it'll get worse before I give birth, but it has been a wonderful experience to see and feel Odin moving in my belly and to know that I'm protecting and caring for him until he is born. Plus, the whole pregnancy process is still so fascinating to me; it's bizarre and amazing.

While the nursery is still in a state of disarray, here's a look at the five canvases I painted to hang in there. As I said before, I am not very artistic at all, but I thought it would be fun to make some art for the nursery, just as a personal touch. I wanted something colorful but also simple, since my art skills are so lacking. I decided to pick up some cheap 8" x 10" canvases and paint background colors on them, then trace silhouettes of animals on them and paint them in different colors. It was pretty simple, but it took a bit of time since I had to go so slowly when painting the animals.

Here are the canvases with their colorful backgrounds (and a strategic photo-bomb by Oliver):

And here they are with the animals painted on them:

Not perfect, but the best I could do. Also, if you look closely in the upper right-hand corner, you'll notice a second photo-bomb, this time by Murphy.

There is nothing detailed about these animals, they are just the silhouettes, but I thought they'd be cute and add some color to the nursery. Matt thinks that because I deliberately painted the animals colors that they're not in real life that Odin will grow up thinking that elephants are green and giraffes are purple, etc., but I have faith that Odin will be able to figure it out.

New belly photo coming soon!

26 Weeks and Counting

I'm just checking in here; I am working on another post but it won't be ready for another couple of days. So in the meantime, here's a brief update for week 26.

Matt and I still haven't come up with a middle name for Odin. Honestly, we haven't even discussed it lately. Our calendars have been pretty full and I guess it's just not at the top of the priority list. But I'm sure we'll come up with something before the baby is born.

The nursery hasn't been painted yet; I still need to get all the stuff out of the room so we can paint the walls and then clean the floors. I've gone through some of the stuff in there (there are a lot of old papers in that room that can be recycled or shredded, so I wanted to go through those things and get rid of as much as possible), but there are still a number of boxes and small storage bins that need to be moved out.

A week ago I started the last class I'll take before I give birth. It's an 8-week class, so it will end just after Thanksgiving. While I am happy about knocking out another 3 credits before Odin comes, I am certainly not thrilled about having to manage school work while also trying to get things in order at home, not to mention getting ready for the holidays.

Speaking of getting things in order at home - I have just over a month before my baby shower happens AT MY HOUSE. That means there are a ton of things I want to get done before then, like small projects and a thorough cleaning, but also because there are likely to be enough people in attendance that I need to make my basement look decent as well as the main floor of the house (we're going to have to make it a two-story party!). This might not sound like a big deal, but my house is only one floor and the basement, so there is nowhere to store extra stuff that I might want to move out of the way. The house won't look perfect regardless of how much time I have to get it together, but I'll do the best I can to make it comfortable for guests - I hope they'll cut me some slack.

Odin has been very active the past few weeks, often making my stomach jump noticeably. Feeling him move is one of the few things I will really miss about being pregnant. It's just such an awesome experience.

As for me, I'm doing well except for near-constant back pain. It doesn't seem to matter what shoes I wear, how I sit, how often I stretch and move, it just hurts. And the pain wakes me up in the middle of the night, too, but that's not a huge deal since I usually have to get up to pee anyway. My belly is still looking the same as it did a couple weeks ago, so I'm not planning to do another belly photo until next week.

Coming soon will be a post about the five small, simple paintings I'm working on for the nursery. They are my very humble attempt at putting some personal art in Odin's room.

24-Week Sonogram: Disappointment and Relief

Yesterday morning I had my 3-D sonogram at work, but unfortunately baby Odin wasn't in the mood to be on display. When we started the sonogram, Odin's head was on my left side and he was facing down and towards my spine, so there was no way to get a good view of his face. Plus, he had his face smushed up against the placenta, meaning there wasn't much amniotic fluid between his face and the placenta (the more fluid, the better the image you get). I tried to get him to change positions by rolling onto each of my sides and poking at him. And lo and behold, he did change positions, but we quickly realized that while his head was then on my right side, he was still facing down and towards my spine. And his face was still smushed against the placenta. Aargh.

It was a bummer not to get to see much of his face in 3-D, but the sonographer did take a lot of time checking Odin's anatomy in 2-D and he said everything looks good. But that baby just did not want to cooperate with us! At one point he had turned his head a little bit so we were looking almost at his profile, and he lifted his arm up in front of his face the way you would if someone shone a flashlight in your face while you were trying to sleep. He was determined not to let us get a good look at his face; I guess he wants to keep us in suspense until his big birth day reveal.

Odin's head measured at 26 weeks instead of 24 weeks, which only added fuel to my hunch that he is going to come early by about 2 weeks. I've had that hunch for a while - though I don't really know why - and after having two sonograms where the tech commented that he is a little big, I feel even more sure that he'll show up closer to New Year's Day than MLK, Jr. Day.

Here are the three images of his face we were able to capture (we never got a still image with nothing in front of his face; first it was the umbilical cord and then there were just random things blocking part of his face, as you'll see in the photos):

Forehead, eye, nose, upper lip. That's about all we got. He's definitely got Matt's nose.

An unsuccessful attempt at a more straight-on look.

I think he looks quite comfy in this one.

So while I was disappointed that I didn't get to see his handsome little face very well, I was thrilled that everything looked normal and I could see that he's still growing well in there. I can honestly say, though, that I hope he's not always as uncooperative as he was yesterday! Maybe he takes after Matt in more than just the nose department. :)

A Very Quick Update

I was supposed to have my 3-D/4-D sonogram this morning. However, it had to be rescheduled (major bummer), so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will happen this Thursday morning. I hope to have images and perhaps a video to share with you all then.

In other news, I've decided on an art project for the nursery that involves me creating a number of canvas paintings (very simple ones, though!) for the room. We'll see how that turns out - I'm no artist by any stretch! I'll let you know whether I succeed or fail. Probably the latter, but I'm staying optimistic.

Also, why is it so difficult to find a rocking chair for the nursery that I like AND can afford? Good grief, what a hunt for a chair. As I said in a previous post about the nursery, I do NOT want a glider chair; I am looking for a much simpler, more modern-looking chair; something I'll actually use elsewhere in my house when it is no longer needed in the nursery.

Dorel

Of course this Dorel chair isn't available; I could've gotten it at Walmart for $90. It would have been so simple!

Jasper

This Jasper chair is available for $200, and I like the lines of it, but it is a tad wider than I would prefer. It's still in the running though; I haven't ruled it out just because of my width prejudice.

Holden

The Holden chair is available for $200 as well, and is clearly not as wide as the Jasper chair. The potential issue is that the back is reclined quite a bit; product reviewers noted that it is reclined way too far to comfortably feed a baby. Granted, I could always use a pillow behind my back to help with that issue, but the reclined chair back is the reason for my hesitation on this one. Otherwise I love how it looks.

Chevron

The Chevron chair looks a little wide as well, but it doesn't really matter because I am not paying $700 for a rocking chair for the nursery. Sorry, I'm just not.

Ikea Poang

The Ikea Poang chair would work if the back wasn't reclined so far. It's available for between $69 and $219 depending on the finish and the fabric. I sat in one of these a few weeks ago at Ikea, and decided it really did lean back too far.

There are a whole bunch of other examples I could show you, but the story so far has been the same - they're either not available, reclined too far, or too expensive. For instance, I found one I really liked, but then found out it was on sale for $1,566. A little steep in my book. My backup plan for if I really never find anything that is close to perfect is to buy a cheap wooden porch-style chair, paint it a fun color, and put simple cushions on it. But for now, the hunt is still on...

23-Week Update: A Look Back, Upcoming Sonogram, & Baby's Name

Tomorrow I will hit the 24-week mark in my pregnancy. It seems impossible that so many weeks have passed by already. It's strange to look ahead and think about all the things I need or want to get done before the baby comes. But it's even stranger to look back at my pregnancy experience thus far. I am so used to feeling the Peanut move now that I get paranoid if I don't feel him move for a while. I've gotten to the point where I've accepted the fact that I just can't lift heavy things and I need to ask for help when I'm working on something that requires more physical exertion than I can handle. Sleeping through the night is a completely foreign concept, and back pain is a daily nuisance. I don't mean to complain; I have not yet experienced anything that isn't completely normal in pregnancy, and I'm grateful for that. It's just interesting for me to think about the things that have shaped my pregnancy experience up to this point.

Speaking of hitting the 24-week mark tomorrow, I set up my next sonogram at work (which will most likely be the last one I have) for next Tuesday, September 25th. Just as I did when I was 10 weeks along, I have the opportunity to have a 3-D/4-D sonogram done here at the college. Now that I'm much farther along in my pregnancy, the images will actually look like a 'real' baby and not just a nub with arms and legs. I am, again, so excited for the chance to see what he looks like, and to just watch him move around.

Let us recall the images from previous sonograms:

8 weeks                                              10 weeks                                                    19 weeks

Who knows what the 24-week set of images will look like - all I care about is getting to see him! I will, of course, share images (and video, if I have one) here next week so you can all see him, too!

In other news, Matt and I finally agreed on a name for the baby (well, a first name - we're still working on a middle name)! We chose the name Odin. We like the way Odin sounds, and while it isn't especially common, we don't think it's especially weird either. For those of you who don't know, Odin is the name of a god from Norse mythology. In fact, he's Thor's father (I totally vetoed Thor for a name, but then suggested Odin instead). I've gotten some mixed reactions to the name (one person made a puzzled face and asked, "Is it a family name or something?"), but we love it and have been referring to him by name for about a week now. That's all the news I have for now, but check back next week for sonogram photos!

Belated 22-Week Update

I meant to post an update last week, but time simply got away from me and it didn't happen. My bad.

Check out my crib, y'all.

Matt and I did take a trip to Ikea over the weekend and were able to look at the potential nursery crib and dresser in person. It was definitely a worthwhile trip, because while we loved the crib (we've decided it's the one we want), we found that the dresser was too tall to be used as a changing table. So we're back to the drawing board on that one, but I doubt we'll have too much trouble finding something. Plus, since we know now that the one dresser won't work, we have plenty of time to find something else. Strangely enough, we actually left Ikea with only a trashcan. I don't think I've ever gone there and left with only one thing. I also looked at a rocking chair there, but the back of it leaned back so far it wasn't exactly a good fit for nursing. If all else fails, I'll hit up a Cracker Barrel in the dark of night and swipe a chair off the porch.

Baby has been moving a whole lot lately since he is still at a size where he has plenty of room, and being able to see him move in my belly is strange but incredibly cool. I love when Matt gets to feel the peanut move.

And, as promised, here is the latest belly photo, taken last Thursday when I was 22 weeks (thanks again to my surrogate little brother Mike Scrivener for the photo).

I'm hoping to get my 3-D/4-D sonogram scheduled here at work; I'll share some images/video when I get them in the next couple weeks.

Advice, Opinions, and Judgments

As many mothers will tell you, and as I've found out firsthand, when you're pregnant you get judged. A LOT. People just can't seem to help themselves. It's like people think a pregnancy belly means open season on criticism. Pregnant women also get plenty of unsolicited advice and opinions. Granted, most people who share the advice and opinions have good intentions, but that doesn't always make it easy to listen graciously. I'm sure it's more difficult than I realize for mothers not to dole out advice to moms-to-be. I certainly don't claim to have all the answers about pregnancy and motherhood; I have asked my mom friends a million questions already, and they've been wonderful about answering them. I guess it's just that when the advice is unsolicited it seems to come across as a bit condescending (not always, but sometimes), which is frustrating because while I know I should just be grateful that someone is sharing their words of wisdom with me (or at least what they consider wisdom), at times I just want to tell them to stop talking. I know, not the right attitude on my part. I'm working on it.

Now that it's obvious to people that I'm pregnant, I've started getting some pretty interesting looks and comments when people see me with my morning cup of coffee. Quite a few people have looked at me disapprovingly while I'm holding my coffee cup. I don't let their judgments make me feel bad, but I will say it is a strange thing to receive such disapproving looks and to know exactly what people are thinking. For the record, pregnant women are allowed to drink a certain amount of caffeine each day. And not that it's any of their business, but I only drink one cup of coffee each morning, and each one is decaf. As in not caffeinated. So as far as I'm concerned, the coffee-related judgments are silly, and I refuse to walk around defending myself for having a cup of decaf in the morning. And just for reference, making comments in a disapproving tone of voice like "Oh...You're still drinking coffee, huh?" or "That baby is gonna come out hyper" or "Should you really be drinking that?" isn't likely to change anyone's behavior. It will only serve to make the commenter feel that they are somehow better than you, which is really what many (I would say most) judgments are about.

Speaking of judgment, this one really made me angry. I ran out to the grocery store recently and was standing in the checkout line when I noticed that the woman in line behind me was glaring at me. I mean really glaring; I swear I could feel her eyes burning holes in the back of my head. After a minute, I turned around and the following conversation happened:

ME: Can I help you?
HER: No. But I'm going to pray for you. (said in the most judgmental tone of voice possible)
ME (super annoyed): And why are you going to pray for me?
HER (looking at my belly): Well you've clearly gotten yourself into a bit of a 'situation.'

[At this point I noticed that she had also glanced at my left hand, and I realized that I wasn't wearing my wedding and engagement rings (I had taken them off to put lotion on and hadn't put them back on yet). Things were starting to make much more sense, but understanding where she was coming from only made me angrier.]

ME (in my very quiet, "I'm really mad" voice): Are you really so arrogant that you feel the need to pass judgment on people you don't even know? I'm 32 years old and have been married for 5 years; you're judging me for having a baby because you assume I'm unmarried? Who do you think you are? You think you're justified in judging me because you're religious? Well then I think you're going to hell.

OK, so here's the thing. I realize I was harsh with her and that perhaps I should've chosen a more constructive approach in my response. But the reason her comments made me so angry is because I thought, what if I was unmarried or what if I didn't have enough confidence in myself to disregard her comments? What if I took them to heart and let them really affect and hurt me? You all might not agree with me at all on this, but I thought it was wrong of her to say what she said. She just wanted to look down her nose at someone. I honestly hope she doesn't do that to anyone else in the future.

I just needed to get that stuff off my chest - if any of you are ever feeling particularly judgmental, please consider keeping it to yourself. You might have the situation all wrong, and even if not, what result are you trying to achieve by sharing your criticism?

Next week I'll have a new belly photo as well as another post, so check back (not all of my posts are as negative as this one)!

Random Pregnancy Things...

This weekend is Labor Day weekend, and as I mentioned in a previous post, Matt and I will be going out to western Maryland to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. It has been so long since we've taken a vacation that we're really excited about this little 3-day jaunt. Since I won't be posting again until next week, I thought I'd throw together a list of random pregnancy-related things that you might find interesting, amusing, or just weird. Besides, who doesn't love a good bulleted list?

• My belly hasn't really changed since last week, so I don't have an updated belly photo.
• Matt was able to put his hand on my belly and feel the baby kick for the first time on Saturday.
• The other day my Dad referred to the baby as Mr. Peanut, which is totally appropriate and made me chuckle. I couldn't help but picture the baby with a top hat and monocle.
• I haven't had any cravings for weird foods or food combinations; I craved bagels early on, but the most consistent craving I've had has been for salad (who 'craves' salad when pregnant - why not chocolate?). I think my cravings are boring and need to step up their game.
• Since I became pregnant, Oliver (one of our dogs) has changed the way he snuggles up to me on the couch. Before, he would lie down beside me and smush himself against my leg, but he wouldn't actually be on my lap. Now he sits his butt next to me but lays his head on my belly. He never did that before, but has done it pretty consistently since I've been pregnant. It could very well be a coincidence, but I have to wonder if he can hear (or just sense) that there's a baby in there.
• My two pregnancy complaints right now are back pain and insomnia. The back pain is a combination of sciatic pain and muscle spasms in my lower back. The insomnia is frustrating because I haven't yet figured out the secret to sleeping more than a few hours a night. I can sleep just fine during the day, but they frown on that at work.
• Two people at work were asked to take over my Curriculum and Instruction responsibilities while I'm out on maternity leave. They both declined. I can't say I blame them.
• We still haven't decided on a name for the Peanut. Matt suggested Thor, but I said no.

I'll post again next week. Have a great Labor Day weekend, everyone!

(Almost) 20-Week Belly

Since I will hit the 20-week mark tomorrow, I'm going to consider these photos a record of the midpoint of my pregnancy. Some days I look like I'm barely showing, and other days I look very pregnant. A coworker of mine has started referring to the baby as a 'turducken,' which made me laugh pretty hard because in a way it's sort of appropriate.

Now for belly photos (courtesy of Mike Scrivener - thanks, Mikey!):

20 weeks and counting!

Me looking 'very excited' about my belly

Everyone has been so excited for us, and Matt and I appreciate it very much. We have such great friends and family and have received tons of support and encouragement. Thank you all for that.

It's a...

It's a baby! Oh, and it happens to also be a BOY! Matt and I went yesterday morning for the anatomy sonogram, and were excited to find out the gender of the baby. More than anything, we wanted to hear that the Peanut looked normal and healthy, but we were also definitely ready to find out whether we'd be having a son or a daughter. While we were in the waiting room yesterday, Matt and I joked that because we had decided on a girl's name, but were having a lot of trouble agreeing on a boy's name, we figured the baby would be a boy just so the boy-name-debate would have to continue. Thankfully, we have several more months to figure it out. It's really nice to know the baby's gender; now I get to spend the rest of my pregnancy getting used to the idea of having a son!

For me, the coolest part of the sonogram was being able to feel the baby move and see the baby move on the screen at the same time. It was a surreal experience, and one I'm sure I'll never forget. The Peanut's anatomy and size all looked normal, which was a huge relief for me, as I couldn't help but be concerned that there might be an issue or abnormality.

I promise the next belly photo is coming very soon; I know I've been slacking on that. But for now, baby boy pictures:

Look at my cute button nose!

This is not an x-ray of a turkey leg. It shows the Peanut's "boy parts."

I call this one 'The Thinker'

(Almost) 19-Week Update

I'll be 19 weeks along tomorrow. Almost halfway there! Matt and I have some fun and exciting things coming up, which is actually somewhat rare for us. This weekend we're going out to Oakland, MD to visit with Matt's Uncle Pat and Aunt Barb (we haven't seen them in years), along with Matt's parents and two of his uncles. It'll be lots of fun, I'm sure, and we are looking forward to it. Of course, next Wednesday morning we have the exciting sonogram where we should find out the baby's gender. Next Friday is Mirah's 12th birthday (I can't believe she's 12 already!), and also my cousin Lindsay, her husband, Jeff, and their son, Deacon (who we haven't met yet), will be in town so we'll all get to celebrate Mirah's birthday together. Then, over the long Labor Day weekend, Matt and I will celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary (which is September 1st) by going out to western Maryland and staying at a bed and breakfast called The Castle (see photos below for the reason we wanted to stay there).


Looks quiet there, doesn't it? We're looking forward to getting away, even if it's just for a 3-day weekend.

Pregnancy-wise, things are good. The only challenges I have right now are back spasms, sciatic pain, and difficulty sleeping. I wouldn't have thought I'd have to deal with the back spasms and sciatic pain until later in the pregnancy when the baby is bigger and I have more weight to carry up front, but I guess I'm special because I get to experience it now. I just keep trying not to think about the fact that when I do actually have more baby weight to carry, this pain could get (much) worse. I'm sticking my head in the sand on this one.

I recently got another crib recommendation - for another Ikea crib. I didn't realize I knew so many people who had cribs from Ikea, but their feedback has been wonderful. I mentioned in an earlier post that I'd like to use either a mini crib or a very simple standard crib in the nursery. I certainly haven't decided on anything yet, but I do like this Sundvik crib from Ikea (it's simple and streamlined, which I love, especially since it will be going into such a small room):

I think a trip to Ikea to check it out in person is warranted. (A number of Ikea cribs have been highly rated for safety.) Oh, and I did go to the store to look at the mini crib I liked, and it was nice (again, pretty simple, though not as simple as this Ikea crib); the only thing I didn't like about it was that the whole crib is lower than a standard crib. It's only a difference of 4-5" in height, but the mini crib seemed really low in person. So, since I've heard only good things about Ikea cribs, I plan to grab Matt and go on an Ikea shopping trip soon. There's also a simple low dresser there (in the same finish as the crib) that looks like it would make a perfect dresser/changing table, so I'd like to check that out as well.

I don't have much else to report at the moment, but check back next week for a new belly photo and the gender announcement - I'm really excited to find out whether the Peanut is a boy or a girl!

Nursery Musings

In recent years, it seems like the trend for creating a nursery has been to excessively design the room, making it an elaborate production that often epitomizes form over function. Look through a magazine and you'll see massive cribs, huge wall murals/stencils/decals, and ridiculously overdone themes (often the baby's name is on a wall somewhere, too). And I'm not just talking about celebrity nurseries; 'regular' parents are putting in the time, effort, and money to create over-the-top nurseries. Yeah...I'm not doing that. Need an example of what I'm talking about? Here are two.

Oh for crying out loud.

I understand wanting to prepare the baby's room and make it comfortable, and that decorating the nursery is an exciting and emotional process. I also understand wanting to create a space for the baby that is soothing and calming, yet also engaging, inspiring, and stimulating. But it seems like parents-to-be (especially the moms) feel that not elaborately decorating their baby's nursery must mean they don't care enough. It's as if they need to prove to other people, to themselves, and/or to their future child just how much of a caring parent they are, and they feel that the nursery they provide is a reflection of their love and dedication. Are these super-fancy nurseries cute? Sure, but really, how much of the nursery's decorative merits are actually judged - or even noticed - by a baby? And how much time does a baby actually spend in the nursery when he/she isn't sleeping? I'm not suggesting that there's something wrong with decorating, I just think the "norm" had shifted to an excessive level.

Because a nursery just isn't complete without A CAROUSEL.

But lately I've noticed that many people seem to be getting on board with the idea that a fancy or elaborately designed nursery isn't a yardstick by which to measure how much you love your baby. It looks as if parents are now becoming more focused on creating a highly functional space that is still comfortable and provides visual stimulation for when baby is awake. This approach resonates with me. I'm pretty sure my attention and affection will matter more to my child than whatever hangs on the walls of his/her room.

Since the nursery I'll be decorating is very small, my focus will be on organization and keeping it as simple as possible. I plan to use either a mini-crib (normal crib, just smaller dimensions) or a very simple and streamlined crib in the space (I'm still debating which I'll end up with). A low dresser will serve double-duty as a changing table, and rather than a massive glider and ottoman in the corner, I'd rather have a simple, clean-lined (perhaps a bit modern) rocking chair for those middle-of-the-night nursing sessions. The walls will likely be gender-neutral - probably green, beige, or gray (though I already have a lot of gray in my house since it's my favorite color, so gray might get tossed from consideration) - and I plan to provide visual interest by choosing some great art for the walls, an area rug to cover the hardwood floor in the middle of the room, and some fun curtains. Other than the crib, dresser, and chair, the only other furniture will probably be bookshelves for storage (and books). There won't be an adorable hamper with woodland creatures on it, just a couple of small plastic laundry baskets that will live on the floor in the closet. Speaking of the closet, I plan to use some organizing products to get things as neat as possible, and put a disc light in there so I'll be able to see.

At this point, those are my ideas. Basic, yes, but I hope to make the nursery a functional space without too much furniture or unnecessary stuff packed into it. Going forward I'll report back to let you know if I have accomplished any of this successfully!

17-Week Update (Feelin' Groovy), Nursery Planning, & Flicky Spasms

I am incredibly grateful for the second-trimester respite. While I still get tired even faster than I normally do, I have much more energy now; I'm able to juggle more things, which is good because there's a lot to do before the baby comes. In fact I decided to take a break from classes while I'm in my second trimester so I will have time to get things done while I'm feeling good and not yet the size of a walrus. But I do plan to take one more class before my due date, just to knock out another 3 credits.

The future nursery is still full of random stuff - it looks more like a storage room right now than a bedroom (because that's basically how we've used it for the past 3 years). The nursery is also VERY small, so I'm planning to try to be creative in how I furnish and organize it in order to maximize the space we do have. For instance, I'm putting a lot of thought into how to organize the small closet so that fewer things need to be stored out in the room itself. I have the feeling I'll be glad to shut the closet door and hide a lot of things like clothes, laundry baskets, etc. - for me, the more I can hide away, the better. Too much stuff/clutter stresses me out. (I know, I'd better get used to it with a baby coming, as babies tend to require a bunch of stuff.) I'll be posting more specific ideas for the nursery soon.

According to BabyZone.com, this is what the Peanut looks like right now (he/she is about 5.5" long):

I can totally understand why the baby would start playing with the umbilical cord; it must get pretty boring in there. And claustrophobic. In fact, I'm surprised I wasn't born mid-panic-attack as I fought to get out of what surely was a claustrophobic living environment; I'm sure my "plump" size didn't help matters - I was over 9 lbs so there couldn't have been much room to spare in there. As cool as it is to see these kinds of progress photos and drawings, my first thought when I see them is, "Oh man, it's getting bigger. And bigger. And at some point it's going to have to come out of my body." Seriously, you guys, it's terrifying.

I recently began feeling Peanut moving around in there, which is a very cool experience. I've read all sorts of descriptions of how it feels when you first feel the baby move, and it's clear that it's very difficult to describe, and also it seems that the feeling is different for different people. For me it feels sort of like a tiny muscle spasm in my abdomen, or like I'm being flicked from inside my belly. Other people describe it as popcorn popping, bubbles, or butterflies in the stomach, but I think for me the best description is a tiny muscle spasm. If that kid really is flicking me from the inside, I fear I may have an ornery, Dennis the Menace type on my hands. Time will tell.

16-Week Belly

This will have to be short, but I wanted to post a 16-week belly photo. I promise I'll try to get better belly photos in the future, but for now this is what I have. It may not look like there's much difference between my 15-week photo and 16-week photo, but I assure you, that bump is definitely bigger!

Monthly visit tomorrow morning with my midwife, and some blood work afterward. I'm still pretty antsy to find out the gender of the peanut, but that appointment isn't until August 22, so I've got a few more weeks to wait.

16-Week Update

Well, I'm 16 weeks pregnant, and overall I've been feeling good. My belly seems to have a mind of its own; sometimes it's barely noticeable, and other times I look like I'm six months pregnant instead of four. I went shopping with my Mom over the weekend and got some maternity clothes, and I think the timing was right because I'm really starting to need them! My midwife said at my last prenatal visit that I probably wouldn't start showing until I was about 20 weeks along (because it's my first pregnancy and because of my pre-pregnancy size), but I had a strong feeling I'd prove her wrong. I know every woman starts showing at a different time, but I have to admit that I feel like I'm showing an awful lot more than I should be at 16 weeks. I haven't gained much weight yet, but I'm definitely expanding.

I'm working on putting together baby registries, and I've been asking friends and family members for recommendations on certain items. Now that my Neurobiology class is over I will have more time to focus on things like registering and working on the baby's room.

I'll post an updated belly photo in the next day or two, because it will look a bit different from last week's photo!

15-Week Belly

Alrighty, folks, here's the first belly photo. It's not a great photo, but it'll serve its purpose. I'm 15 weeks pregnant and as I said in the last post, I am showing a bit. I think I'm still in the "is she pregnant or just fat?" phase, but I have the feeling that in another couple weeks I'll have reached the "definitely pregnant" point and there will be no question.

I've been feeling pretty good; I've had a bit more energy (though not as much as I was hoping to suddenly have when I reached my 2nd trimester). Aside from needing naps on the weekend and my clothes getting tighter and tighter, I have no complaints. I actually ordered a couple pairs of maternity pants because my regular pants have gotten so tight. In the morning they're ok, but as the day goes on my belly just gets bigger - I know, it's weird. Onward!

Bumpety-bump

Whoa, belly...

I don't have a belly photo to share with you yet (soon, though!), but trust me when I say I'm starting to show. My pants have been tight in the waist for a while, but now if you see me in profile you can see a definite bump. I'm 14 weeks now, and from about 8 weeks on, by the end of the work day I would be tempted to unbutton and/or unzip my pants while driving home from work (and sometimes I did just that) because sitting was so uncomfortable because my pants were tighter. Up until very recently, in the morning I would wake up with a completely flat stomach, but as the day went on I would slowly but surely gain a belly and by the end of the day I'd be wondering where the heck that belly came from all of a sudden. At that point it was just due to bloating and water retention (lovely), but now I have to get used to the fact that a flat stomach will not be making an appearance again for a very long time (maybe not ever). It's an adjustment. So, before long I won't even fit into my old clothes (at least pants and skirts) and I'll have graduated to maternity clothes. BUT the cool part about all of the belly woes is that the peanut looks something like this.

Baby has made the transition from lemon-sized to orange-sized. Progress!

Wee Little Things

Christi surprised me at work a few weeks ago with some gifts for the baby (and one for me). She's ready and excited to be an aunt, and couldn't wait to buy some baby things, which was incredibly sweet of her. So the first baby things I received were very appropriate in that they are all Washington Capitals items. Anybody who knows me is well aware of my love for the Caps, and since Matt and I have been married he has become just as big a fanatic as I am. Here's a shot of what Christi got for the baby - newborn onesie, bib, and fuzzy slippers:

Little baby things are always so darn cute, aren't they? Christi also got me a Caps maternity shirt, which I will surely wear a lot this fall and winter.

We also got a onesie from Matt's parents, Bob and Pat, that they picked up for the Peanut while they were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary in beautiful Hawaii.

So the little one will have a very cute keepsake from their trip. Oh, and see the fish on the onesie? That's the Hawaii state fish, which is called Humuhumunukunukuapua'a (I know, I can't pronounce it either). I figure Humuhumunukunukuapua'a is bound to be the baby's first word. If so, then he/she can teach me how to say it.

Moving Pictures

I was given an interesting opportunity when I was 10 weeks pregnant. I work at a college, and a new Diagnostic Medical Sonography program was developed last year, but the classes haven't started running yet. The evening of June 14, I got an e-mail from the program director asking if I would like to have a 2-D/3-D sonogram the next morning on campus. The college had purchased two different brands of sonography machines, and the equipment guy would be on campus the next day to demonstrate the differences in the machines to the program director.

In essence, I agreed to be a guinea pig, and I was super excited about it.

The next day I showed up for my sonogram, and made sure to call Christi (she works on campus with me) and have her come down to watch. Even though I wasn't very far along in my pregnancy and the baby was still quite blob-like, it was amazing to see the differences between the 8-week ultrasound and the 10-week ultrasound. Peanut was working hard in there, growing up a storm! It was so great to have Christi there to see everything, and I left with a flash drive of photos and videos of the baby that I could take home and show Matt.

See how even in the 2-D ultrasound you can tell how much development happened between 8 and 10 weeks?

And then there's the 3-D view, which is admittedly kind of weird:

Quite the umbilical cord, no? Anyway, being a guinea pig for this kind of thing was great. The DMS program director said I could come back when I'm about 24 weeks along for another 3-D scan. By then, Peanut will look much more like a baby and less like, well, a mutant alien peanut.

My favorite part of the day was watching the baby move and seeing his/her heart beating away in there. This video shows the sweet dancing skills the little one has already developed (where this kid got his/her dance moves from is a mystery to me). The consensus was that there is definitely some Cabbage Patch and Running Man going on.

It's so bizarre. But also so amazing.

The Blob

The Peanut is due to be born some time around January 14, 2013. I've gotten two other due date estimates based on measurements taken during sonograms, and those were January 12 and January 10. But my midwives are sticking with the January 14 due date, so I am too.

Weeks 4-7.5 of my pregnancy weren't especially pleasant. I was nauseated all the time, and for 2 of those 3.5 weeks I couldn't keep much food down at all. I was warned that if I didn't get more fluids into my system, I would need to go to the hospital for IV fluids. But one day I woke up and wasn't feeling bad at all (except for the ridiculous exhaustion that has been a pretty constant part of my first trimester). In fact, I was able to eat just fine all day, and I even had a bit of an appetite. I continued to feel better in the following days as well. While feeling better was a relief and a blessing, over the next few days I became concerned that something had surely gone wrong. Considering how suddenly I had gone from feeling miserable to feeling pretty normal, I figured something had to be wrong.

I had an appointment for an ultrasound scheduled on June 1st, when I was 8 weeks along. I was so concerned about the baby that I steeled myself for the possibility that the sonogram tech would shake her head and say, "I'm sorry, there's no heartbeat." But when we went in for the ultrasound, we were able to see the baby, watch its heartbeat, and also listen to its heart beating at a strong 168 beats per minute. The relief was overwhelming. It was also the first opportunity to share photos of Peanut with our families. Here's the little (beautiful) blob we saw:

Peanut's first photo!

I know it doesn't look like much, but the baby was there and alive, and that was an incredible thing. Matt and I were so relieved that things were ok and that we got to see the baby and watch his/her little heart beat.

Introducing "Peanut"

The baby has officially been named "Peanut" (by my sister, Christi) while he/she is growing in utero. So, say hello to Peanut!

Is that a good looking kid or what?

In order to announce our pregnancy to out-of-town friends and some out-of-town family (people we wouldn't see in person or tell over the phone), we sent these postcards:

Announcing our pregnancy to friends and family has been fun; everyone has been supportive and excited for us. Thank you all for that.

"Guess what?"

Some women come up with elaborate ways of telling their spouse that they're pregnant. But not me; I wasn't that creative, nor did I have the patience to wait for a clever idea to take shape in my head before telling Matt. So instead of a well-planned pregnancy proclamation, I just woke Matt up (it was early in the morning so he was still sleeping) and said "Guess what?" I can only imagine what he thought I was going to say, since it was early and I don't normally wake him up. Maybe he thought I was going to tell him that the basement had flooded or a spaceship had landed next door. Or maybe he was so groggy from being rudely awakened that he wasn't thinking anything at all. But he mumbled "What?" and I simply said, "I'm pregnant."

I was holding the pregnancy test for backup, in case he didn't believe me or thought I must be playing a joke on him. I suppose at the very least I could have waited until he woke up on his own; that would've been the thoughtful thing to do. But I give Matt a lot of credit for sitting up, asking if I was serious, and then saying, "Well good job." There was a hug, a kiss, and then Matt had to get ready for work. That was May 2nd.

I think it took some time for the news to sink in for both of us. It was a strange thing to know that if all went well, our lives would drastically change in nine months; when there's no visual indicator of a growing baby (no baby belly, no sonogram pictures, etc.), it just seemed like it wasn't real yet.

Matt and I had been hoping to start a family for a while. I'd had to come off of a couple of medications that weren't safe to take during pregnancy, and I wanted them to be totally out of my system before I even got pregnant. Basically, there was a bit of prep work involved. So it wasn't shocking to find out I was pregnant, but it was very exciting that it finally happened.

This blog will be a place for me to share updates regarding my pregnancy and my experiences as a first-time mother. Matt and I have many family members and friends who live out-of-state, so this is an opportunity for them to keep up with what's going on if they choose to. Besides, I figure not everyone on Facebook is interested in seeing my sonogram and baby belly photos. They should all be grateful I've created a different location for "baby central!" I hope you'll all check in periodically and share in our experience.