How far along? 27 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Plenty. I remember in the beginning when I wasn’t gaining anything and thinking “Awesome, I won’t be gaining much at all!” Umm, yeah, right.
Maternity clothes? All pants except sweats are maternity, and the kind with the thin stretchy band doesn’t cut it anymore. Now I wear the ones with the full belly panel and I love them…so comfortable. Also wearing mostly maternity shirts but a select few normal shirts fit ok.
Stretch marks? A ridiculous amount. They started early on my hips but I was naïve and thought they wouldn’t show up on my stomach. Wrong. You would not believe what my stomach looks like now.
Sleep: I sleep amazingly right now and have been for weeks. It figures that for the first time in years I am on a normal sleep schedule and sleeping great at night, and I only have 3 more months to enjoy it!
Best moment this week: Reaching the third trimester.
Movement: All of the movement is still very low, basically under the actual baby belly. Feels like big thumps. He is always awake and thumping as I’m waking up in the morning and as I’m going to sleep at night, and I can only imagine a decent amount of time in between. Usually not much in the late morning or afternoon, but a lot while I'm relaxing at night. I still don't really understand why the movement is so low if that's where his head is and wonder why I don't feel feet kicking up higher.
Food cravings: Eh, not really. Drinking a lot of water (finally), milk and OJ, eating a lot of raisin bread, cereal and yogurt...but they're not really cravings.
Gender: It's a boy!!
Labor Signs: Nope. They say Braxton Hicks contractions can start around now so I'm curious if I'll get them, although it's not a labor sign.
Belly Button in or out? Still completely in.
Wedding rings on or off? *Sigh* I took them off the other night when they were bothering me and haven't put them back on. I might try, but sadly it may be the end for awhile.
What I miss: Nothing really...
What I am looking forward to: Our 3D/4D ultrasound on October 30th!
Weekly Wisdom: Never say you're thankful such-and-such a symptom/effect of pregnancy hasn't reared its head yet and assume it won't....right after you say that you will wake up the next morning with the morning sickness, the stretch marks, or the extra pounds you were so thankful you were avoiding!
Milestones: Third trimester!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Time is FLYING!
This entry is all over the place because I've been in the process of writing it for 2 weeks. I go back and forth and each time have to change things (It originally started out "Yesterday" then "This past weekend" then "The weekend before last". It's probably a mumbo jumbo of thoughts...oh well!
The other weekend,we my mom painted Baby L’s room! We are thrilled with how it came out, the color is just as I pictured it, a nice deep tan (“Hot Chocolate”). We also got the furniture moved in. You wouldn’t believe how sturdy this crib is. You can try to shake it, pull on it, push it…it doesn’t budge. Even on the tile floor in the store it didn’t move, you would think it’s actually bolted into the floor. I go in the room constantly and try to shake it, just so I can be impressed all over again. Maybe I should stop doing that. We also got the whole house steam-cleaned which came out great. I am so thrilled with the setup of the room and how much space we still have. I had worried that things would look crammed but they don’t at all, it still feels nice and open. We had to run to Babies ‘R’ Us to get money back on the furniture with some coupons we had, and I ended up buying the changing pad and diaper caddy for the dresser and setting them up. I really have been good at leaving stuff on my registry, but I couldn’t resist this time. Hey, I’m his mom, I get to buy stuff, too! I even filled the caddy with newborn size diapers. They are the tiniest things I have ever seen, smaller than my hand, and I wonder if he is really going to be THAT tiny.
Here is a picture of the furniture in place:
And the diapering setup, just need a few more supplies:
Another thing I finally decided on and ordered is a wall decal, a quote that is going to go above his crib. The lettering is in a powder blue color to stand out against the brown paint. This is a Shel Silverstein quote and I love it:
“Listen to the mustn’ts, child, Listen to the don’ts
Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts
Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me
Anything can happen, child
Anything can be.”
Adorable, right?
I also bought these cute nautical closet dividers and separated his clothes out by size. I can’t believe how much he has already. It doesn’t look like a lot hanging in the closet, but when you lay it out it looks like a ton. It’s a mixture of sizes that will fit him over the course of his first year, though, so we definitely don’t have nearly enough yet. We need to get a lot of everyday basics – onesies, footed PJs, socks etc. Right now I actually feel like we have too much room for his clothes. What I should do is take them out of the closet and put them in the dresser drawers by size, and then use his closet for storing our out-of-season clothes, luggage etc., but instead I have been clearing those things out and cramming them elsewhere because I really want it to be his closet. I could actually leave his clothes in there and still fit our stuff just fine, but instead I’ve chosen to be impractical about it.
Here is what his closet looks like so far, the quality is terrible but I will take better pictures when everything is done:
I am in a complete state of disbelief that my third trimester is, as of tomorrow, here. We are now in double digits – just 91 days until his due date. I usually feel like I’m still about 5 minutes pregnant and at the very beginning of this journey. I guess in most ways, it is still the beginning, but the end of the pregnancy part is quickly approaching and he really will be here before we know it.
And here is where I admit that although I wouldn’t say I feel scared or anxious, I have no clue what to expect. Really. I know that we are ready for this little person to join our family, but I can’t pretend for one second that I know or can even imagine what it will be like. As much as I have been around infants, I still have zero concept of what it will be like to have our own, 24/7. I don’t think it’s something that is even possible to understand before it becomes reality. You’re given 9 months to prepare but there is only so much you can really do to get ready. When I say I don’t know what it will be like, I mean it in every sense – I don’t know what it will be like to see him for the first time and hold him, to bring him home, to stay awake all night, to worry about him, to look in the rearview mirror while driving and see him back there sleeping or smiling at me,to say "two plus a high chair" when we go out to eat, to have him as my little companion 24/7. What will it be like to wake up to him every morning and put him to bed every night? And although we already love him, I still can’t imagine what that love will be like when he’s actually here.
A few people have asked me what I picture him looking like when I picture him, and the truth is, I don’t. Is that bad? It’s not that I don’t want to picture him, it’s that I don’t know how to. My brain doesn’t know how to envision a little person that looks just like my husband or I, or both, or neither. The concept that we even created him is still beyond me. I will say I’m starting to picture him with a certain color hair, but then I had a dream the other night where it was different, so I don’t know. That was actually truly the first dream I had about him, which I guess may also seem strange but like I said, my brain still isn’t grasping the reality of this when it’s conscious, let alone when it’s not. In my dream, he was amazing, but I was really screwing up. I couldn’t feed him right, kept putting clothes on him without a diaper and then having to change him, and at one point took a few hours to dress him because I couldn’t find the right clothes. At the end of the dream, when I thought he was just a few days old, he got up and started running around and I was so upset because I had missed out on him being a tiny baby while I was scrambling to take care of him correctly.
These last few days I have really been hit with the “I can’t wait” feeling. It came on pretty suddenly. Before, his birth seemed so far off that I didn’t think that much about it, it just seemed ages away. Actually, it seems like yesterday that even being pregnant seemed ages away. Now the thought of being in my third trimester and knowing how fast time has passed so far has really got me thinking about him being born and major excitement has kicked in. The holidays are going to make the next couple of months fly by and then it’ll be time! We went on a tour of the maternity ward at St. Peter’s University a couple of weeks ago and I loved it. I feel so much more comfortable now having seen the place and being told where to go when we get there, what their policies are etc. We even got to see one of the nurseries, complete with real live babies (I suppose they could have been paid actor babies, though)…which, of course, was my favorite part. I am also determined to start packing my hospital bag, like, yesterday. I know that may sound ridiculous but I know of a few women who were due after me (yes, after me) who have had their babies already. Thankfully they are doing well. I want to be prepared in case the unexpected happens. I know that if anything really happened this early, my hospital bag would be the least of my worries, but still. And as of now, I can say I'm not afraid of the actual labor and delivery.
Also, our 3-D ultrasound is scheduled for October 30th!! I am so excited. We will get a 35-45 minute 3-D/4-D ultrasound, a bunch of pictures and even a 20 minute DVD. We are bringing my mom, too, because it’s her birthday and she “couldn’t imagine a better birthday present than to see Spud.” Yes, she calls him Spud. I am trying not to get my hopes up too high for two reason, 1) I have been told at multiple ultrasounds that I “don’t image well” and that they had a hard time seeing what they wanted to and 2) at my last ultrasound they tried to get a picture of his face but because he is always in his beloved head down/face down position, they couldn’t. Despite these things, the picture we got at our 20 week ultrasound was pretty good, so hopefully it won’t be a problem. Also, most 3D ultrasounds are done somewhere around 28-32 weeks, and many babies are head down/face down at that point, so they must be used to it.
And finally, since I should probably put some of these in here, the only recent bump pic I have. It's from about a month ago, at 23.5 weeks. When I think about how adamant I was that I would take these every. single. week. I just laugh. The most recent one before this was 17 weeks and I haven't taken one since this. Even this is not the kind of picture I intended to take every week...I had a certain outfit and signs and...oh well.
The other weekend,
Here is a picture of the furniture in place:
And the diapering setup, just need a few more supplies:
Another thing I finally decided on and ordered is a wall decal, a quote that is going to go above his crib. The lettering is in a powder blue color to stand out against the brown paint. This is a Shel Silverstein quote and I love it:
“Listen to the mustn’ts, child, Listen to the don’ts
Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts
Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me
Anything can happen, child
Anything can be.”
Adorable, right?
I also bought these cute nautical closet dividers and separated his clothes out by size. I can’t believe how much he has already. It doesn’t look like a lot hanging in the closet, but when you lay it out it looks like a ton. It’s a mixture of sizes that will fit him over the course of his first year, though, so we definitely don’t have nearly enough yet. We need to get a lot of everyday basics – onesies, footed PJs, socks etc. Right now I actually feel like we have too much room for his clothes. What I should do is take them out of the closet and put them in the dresser drawers by size, and then use his closet for storing our out-of-season clothes, luggage etc., but instead I have been clearing those things out and cramming them elsewhere because I really want it to be his closet. I could actually leave his clothes in there and still fit our stuff just fine, but instead I’ve chosen to be impractical about it.
Here is what his closet looks like so far, the quality is terrible but I will take better pictures when everything is done:
I am in a complete state of disbelief that my third trimester is, as of tomorrow, here. We are now in double digits – just 91 days until his due date. I usually feel like I’m still about 5 minutes pregnant and at the very beginning of this journey. I guess in most ways, it is still the beginning, but the end of the pregnancy part is quickly approaching and he really will be here before we know it.
And here is where I admit that although I wouldn’t say I feel scared or anxious, I have no clue what to expect. Really. I know that we are ready for this little person to join our family, but I can’t pretend for one second that I know or can even imagine what it will be like. As much as I have been around infants, I still have zero concept of what it will be like to have our own, 24/7. I don’t think it’s something that is even possible to understand before it becomes reality. You’re given 9 months to prepare but there is only so much you can really do to get ready. When I say I don’t know what it will be like, I mean it in every sense – I don’t know what it will be like to see him for the first time and hold him, to bring him home, to stay awake all night, to worry about him, to look in the rearview mirror while driving and see him back there sleeping or smiling at me,to say "two plus a high chair" when we go out to eat, to have him as my little companion 24/7. What will it be like to wake up to him every morning and put him to bed every night? And although we already love him, I still can’t imagine what that love will be like when he’s actually here.
A few people have asked me what I picture him looking like when I picture him, and the truth is, I don’t. Is that bad? It’s not that I don’t want to picture him, it’s that I don’t know how to. My brain doesn’t know how to envision a little person that looks just like my husband or I, or both, or neither. The concept that we even created him is still beyond me. I will say I’m starting to picture him with a certain color hair, but then I had a dream the other night where it was different, so I don’t know. That was actually truly the first dream I had about him, which I guess may also seem strange but like I said, my brain still isn’t grasping the reality of this when it’s conscious, let alone when it’s not. In my dream, he was amazing, but I was really screwing up. I couldn’t feed him right, kept putting clothes on him without a diaper and then having to change him, and at one point took a few hours to dress him because I couldn’t find the right clothes. At the end of the dream, when I thought he was just a few days old, he got up and started running around and I was so upset because I had missed out on him being a tiny baby while I was scrambling to take care of him correctly.
These last few days I have really been hit with the “I can’t wait” feeling. It came on pretty suddenly. Before, his birth seemed so far off that I didn’t think that much about it, it just seemed ages away. Actually, it seems like yesterday that even being pregnant seemed ages away. Now the thought of being in my third trimester and knowing how fast time has passed so far has really got me thinking about him being born and major excitement has kicked in. The holidays are going to make the next couple of months fly by and then it’ll be time! We went on a tour of the maternity ward at St. Peter’s University a couple of weeks ago and I loved it. I feel so much more comfortable now having seen the place and being told where to go when we get there, what their policies are etc. We even got to see one of the nurseries, complete with real live babies (I suppose they could have been paid actor babies, though)…which, of course, was my favorite part. I am also determined to start packing my hospital bag, like, yesterday. I know that may sound ridiculous but I know of a few women who were due after me (yes, after me) who have had their babies already. Thankfully they are doing well. I want to be prepared in case the unexpected happens. I know that if anything really happened this early, my hospital bag would be the least of my worries, but still. And as of now, I can say I'm not afraid of the actual labor and delivery.
Also, our 3-D ultrasound is scheduled for October 30th!! I am so excited. We will get a 35-45 minute 3-D/4-D ultrasound, a bunch of pictures and even a 20 minute DVD. We are bringing my mom, too, because it’s her birthday and she “couldn’t imagine a better birthday present than to see Spud.” Yes, she calls him Spud. I am trying not to get my hopes up too high for two reason, 1) I have been told at multiple ultrasounds that I “don’t image well” and that they had a hard time seeing what they wanted to and 2) at my last ultrasound they tried to get a picture of his face but because he is always in his beloved head down/face down position, they couldn’t. Despite these things, the picture we got at our 20 week ultrasound was pretty good, so hopefully it won’t be a problem. Also, most 3D ultrasounds are done somewhere around 28-32 weeks, and many babies are head down/face down at that point, so they must be used to it.
And finally, since I should probably put some of these in here, the only recent bump pic I have. It's from about a month ago, at 23.5 weeks. When I think about how adamant I was that I would take these every. single. week. I just laugh. The most recent one before this was 17 weeks and I haven't taken one since this. Even this is not the kind of picture I intended to take every week...I had a certain outfit and signs and...oh well.
Monday, September 20, 2010
It's a BOY!!!
I am a little late in posting this, but…..It’s a BOY!!!
Which means my instincts from the very first ultrasound were correct! And if you go back and look at our very first ultrasound picture, you know that there definitely was not anything to give it away. The ultrasound tech was able to tell right away, not even 30 seconds in – he was not shy at all. I had two ultrasounds when I was about 12 weeks and they had looked to see if there was anything obvious there, and both times they guessed boy, but they always say it’s just a guess. The second time though, it did look pretty obvious, so we were pretty sure about it and were just looking forward to our 20 week ultrasound to confirm it. I didn’t tell most people that we were “pretty sure” it was a boy because I wanted to be “very sure” first!
We are thrilled and can’t wait to start decorating the nursery! Since before I was pregnant I knew that for a boy, I wanted to do a nursery with a nautical theme. Sailboats, lighthouses, ships, anchors, etc….even some pirates thrown in. I had been scouring the internet for things and am in love with some of what I have found so far – a lighthouse lamp, compass rug, treasure map for the wall…I can’t wait to start buying everything now. We are going to be painting the nursery walls a tan color since so much blue will end up in the room already. Today, our nursery furniture was delivered! I can’t wait to set it up but it’s in boxes in the garage until we can get it upstairs. Pretty sure 200+ lbs. is beyond my weightlifting limit for now (although of course I could do it easily). I think we also picked out a rocker/glider for the corner.
We did some more shopping with Todd’s mom last weekend and then picked up some things from my mom that she had gotten for us. Now, the house is really starting to look like there’s a baby on the way! My mom got us a co-sleeper that we wanted in mint condition and we set it up the other night to make sure everything was there; it wasn’t super easy so we’re going to leave it assembled. We also received an early gift from Marty, our Pack ‘N’ Play for downstairs, and I really want to assemble it but if we do, the cats will have a new bed that they won’t be willing to surrender in 4 months. We even already have a bunch of clothes in his closet; I love to constantly open it and look at them. I ordered some nautical themed dividers to separate 0-3 month, 3-6 month etc. and then whichever size he is fitting into at any given time we’ll put in the dresser drawers.
I am close to being 23 weeks now and sometimes it feels like time is starting to fly. Baby L’s movements are getting much stronger. When we had the anatomy scan, I asked what position he was in. He was head down, butt up, with his feet toward my right side. That was definitely consistent with the movement I had been feeling, I knew his feet had to be on the right side and it makes sense that his whole body is because I rarely feel anything on my left. I’m fairly certain he hasn’t changed positions since the ultrasound, so I wonder if he will stay head down until d-day. If he changes positions now, I worry he’ll get too big to flip back to where he needs to be.
For the last two weeks I have been feeling what I think is his head repeatedly slamming into my bladder. I think that he pushes his feet against the ceiling to stretch out and presses his noggin downward. It can be slightly painful but is mostly just a really odd sensation, a feeling like you have to pee really badly which only lasts ½ of a second. The other movements I feel still aren’t “jabs” of fists and feet like I thought they would be and like they probably will be soon, it’s more like repeated heavy throbs or dull thumps in my lower abdomen. They can be strong but still dull, not sharp, which makes even more sense if his head is down there. It’s really interesting to feel and hard to explain. On Tuesday (9/14), I felt him from the outside for the first time while laying on my back in bed right before I got up. I put my hand there and it bounced up a few times when I felt his little thumping. All week I tried to get him to do it for his daddy but he would either stop, or it just wouldn’t be strong enough for him to feel. Then, on Friday night (9/17…trying to keep these dates for the record) we laid extremely quietly on the bed and after a few kicks/thumps, he gave two that were strong enough for his dad to feel! This week, I think it’s possible he shifted (I wrote some of this last week) because he’s not bothering my bladder now (and by that I mean he’s not slamming into it…I am still getting up what feels like 20x per night to pee, though).
Right now, Baby L (who still does not have a name, by the way) is almost a foot long and weights about 1 lb.. He will really start packing on the weight now that we’re in the second half…and I’m afraid I will too! If he has hair, it doesn’t have pigment yet and is pure white. He can sense light and dark, grab onto things, and has a full set of fingernail and toenails, just to name a few things. As for me, not too much new going on except for starting to feel much more pregnant physically (I sit down on the shower floor and realize I can barely get back up, among other predicaments), started noticing some feet and ankle swelling this weekend, and have started getting a burning reflux-like feeling after I eat which chewing gum usually takes away. I can’t remember what it felt like to not have an appetite those first 4 months. Now, I am hungry pretty often and some days, like the last two, I amaze myself at how much I can eat and still not feel full. I won’t share how much, but seriously, it’s amazing. Still, all things considered I am feeling really good and trying to get things done while it lasts!
We also got a new car last weekend!! No more Prius for me, as much as I loved it, I didn’t love it in the snow or even in the rain, and with precious cargo on the way, we didn’t want to put it off. We got the GMC Acadia and so far are loving it – tons of storage room, easy (and safe) to drive, and the second row captain chairs are nice and low for easy carseat in-and-out, like a minivan.
Here is Baby L’s 20 week glamour shot, in 3D!!! He didn’t want to move his arms away from his face, but that’s ok, it's still a neat shot! I do wish they gave us more pictures, we only got two (the second wasn't great) but in about 5 weeks we’re going to go to a place called Visual Miracles where we will have a 3D/4D ultrasound done and will get a bunch of pictures and even a 20 minute DVD of him…imagine having a DVD of yourself when you were in the womb! I am going to try to make the appointment for October 30th.
Which means my instincts from the very first ultrasound were correct! And if you go back and look at our very first ultrasound picture, you know that there definitely was not anything to give it away. The ultrasound tech was able to tell right away, not even 30 seconds in – he was not shy at all. I had two ultrasounds when I was about 12 weeks and they had looked to see if there was anything obvious there, and both times they guessed boy, but they always say it’s just a guess. The second time though, it did look pretty obvious, so we were pretty sure about it and were just looking forward to our 20 week ultrasound to confirm it. I didn’t tell most people that we were “pretty sure” it was a boy because I wanted to be “very sure” first!
We are thrilled and can’t wait to start decorating the nursery! Since before I was pregnant I knew that for a boy, I wanted to do a nursery with a nautical theme. Sailboats, lighthouses, ships, anchors, etc….even some pirates thrown in. I had been scouring the internet for things and am in love with some of what I have found so far – a lighthouse lamp, compass rug, treasure map for the wall…I can’t wait to start buying everything now. We are going to be painting the nursery walls a tan color since so much blue will end up in the room already. Today, our nursery furniture was delivered! I can’t wait to set it up but it’s in boxes in the garage until we can get it upstairs. Pretty sure 200+ lbs. is beyond my weightlifting limit for now (although of course I could do it easily). I think we also picked out a rocker/glider for the corner.
We did some more shopping with Todd’s mom last weekend and then picked up some things from my mom that she had gotten for us. Now, the house is really starting to look like there’s a baby on the way! My mom got us a co-sleeper that we wanted in mint condition and we set it up the other night to make sure everything was there; it wasn’t super easy so we’re going to leave it assembled. We also received an early gift from Marty, our Pack ‘N’ Play for downstairs, and I really want to assemble it but if we do, the cats will have a new bed that they won’t be willing to surrender in 4 months. We even already have a bunch of clothes in his closet; I love to constantly open it and look at them. I ordered some nautical themed dividers to separate 0-3 month, 3-6 month etc. and then whichever size he is fitting into at any given time we’ll put in the dresser drawers.
I am close to being 23 weeks now and sometimes it feels like time is starting to fly. Baby L’s movements are getting much stronger. When we had the anatomy scan, I asked what position he was in. He was head down, butt up, with his feet toward my right side. That was definitely consistent with the movement I had been feeling, I knew his feet had to be on the right side and it makes sense that his whole body is because I rarely feel anything on my left. I’m fairly certain he hasn’t changed positions since the ultrasound, so I wonder if he will stay head down until d-day. If he changes positions now, I worry he’ll get too big to flip back to where he needs to be.
For the last two weeks I have been feeling what I think is his head repeatedly slamming into my bladder. I think that he pushes his feet against the ceiling to stretch out and presses his noggin downward. It can be slightly painful but is mostly just a really odd sensation, a feeling like you have to pee really badly which only lasts ½ of a second. The other movements I feel still aren’t “jabs” of fists and feet like I thought they would be and like they probably will be soon, it’s more like repeated heavy throbs or dull thumps in my lower abdomen. They can be strong but still dull, not sharp, which makes even more sense if his head is down there. It’s really interesting to feel and hard to explain. On Tuesday (9/14), I felt him from the outside for the first time while laying on my back in bed right before I got up. I put my hand there and it bounced up a few times when I felt his little thumping. All week I tried to get him to do it for his daddy but he would either stop, or it just wouldn’t be strong enough for him to feel. Then, on Friday night (9/17…trying to keep these dates for the record) we laid extremely quietly on the bed and after a few kicks/thumps, he gave two that were strong enough for his dad to feel! This week, I think it’s possible he shifted (I wrote some of this last week) because he’s not bothering my bladder now (and by that I mean he’s not slamming into it…I am still getting up what feels like 20x per night to pee, though).
Right now, Baby L (who still does not have a name, by the way) is almost a foot long and weights about 1 lb.. He will really start packing on the weight now that we’re in the second half…and I’m afraid I will too! If he has hair, it doesn’t have pigment yet and is pure white. He can sense light and dark, grab onto things, and has a full set of fingernail and toenails, just to name a few things. As for me, not too much new going on except for starting to feel much more pregnant physically (I sit down on the shower floor and realize I can barely get back up, among other predicaments), started noticing some feet and ankle swelling this weekend, and have started getting a burning reflux-like feeling after I eat which chewing gum usually takes away. I can’t remember what it felt like to not have an appetite those first 4 months. Now, I am hungry pretty often and some days, like the last two, I amaze myself at how much I can eat and still not feel full. I won’t share how much, but seriously, it’s amazing. Still, all things considered I am feeling really good and trying to get things done while it lasts!
We also got a new car last weekend!! No more Prius for me, as much as I loved it, I didn’t love it in the snow or even in the rain, and with precious cargo on the way, we didn’t want to put it off. We got the GMC Acadia and so far are loving it – tons of storage room, easy (and safe) to drive, and the second row captain chairs are nice and low for easy carseat in-and-out, like a minivan.
Here is Baby L’s 20 week glamour shot, in 3D!!! He didn’t want to move his arms away from his face, but that’s ok, it's still a neat shot! I do wish they gave us more pictures, we only got two (the second wasn't great) but in about 5 weeks we’re going to go to a place called Visual Miracles where we will have a 3D/4D ultrasound done and will get a bunch of pictures and even a 20 minute DVD of him…imagine having a DVD of yourself when you were in the womb! I am going to try to make the appointment for October 30th.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Nursery Ramblings
I didn't really have anything to write about when I started this and was just trying to keep occupied at work, but it looks like it turned into some baby gear ramblings.
We are just a few days away from officially finding out the sex!! Our appointment for the “big ultrasound” is this Thursday at 2:00pm. It’s at the hospital where I’ll be delivering, St. Peter’s in New Brunswick, so it will be nice to go there and see it. We have never been there but have heard only amazing things about them. As long as baby cooperates (and his/her track record is not exactly great in that department) they’ll be able to tell us whether it’s a boy or girl…and we’ll see if our instincts were right! I am looking forward to the appointment but have assumed all along that we’re having a [blank] so the suspense is less than one might think. If it’s a boy, he will have an adorable nautical nursery but may not have a name for quite some time. If it’s a girl, the name is pretty much decided, but I’ve got nothing up my sleeve for her nursery, poor gal.
Last week we took all of the measurements we needed in our second bedroom to determine if what we were envisioning would indeed fit, and thankfully, it will...and even better than I expected. My intentions all along were to continue to have a regular bed in the room. I always want to have a place for guests to sleep comfortably. My mom will probably be staying with us for the first week after the baby comes and Todd’s father and stepmom usually come to visit every few months as well. I also want the option of sleeping in there if I need to. We have a queen sized bed in there now but also own a full sized not currently being used. I thought that we would have to put the full back in to free up some space, but alas, the queen fits just fine with everything else we have planned.
Below is the nursery furniture we decided on. It looks even nicer in person than it does in the picture. It’s made of American maple and has a glossy, smooth finish. We were impressed with how solid and sturdy it is and the drawers open and close nicely. It got amazing reviews (you’ll never read so many reviews in your life as when you’re buying baby items) and that sealed our decision. Surprisingly, I didn’t venture far or drive myself crazy looking for the “perfect” nursery furniture. I wanted something solid, classic, functional, durable etc. and this fit the bill. The crib is convertible to a toddler bed and then a full size bed. I could actually take it or leave it when it comes to the toddler bed option. More than likely it will stay a crib for future babies and convert once there are no more babies to be had. I have no qualms about transitioning straight from crib to regular bed (which will already be in the room, conveniently) and actually prefer skipping the toddler bed phase altogether, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. We’ll be ordering the set in a couple of weeks and before it comes I want to get the carpet in the room steam cleaned…a lot of foster kitties have called that room home for a while.
All three nursery pieces, plus the bed and a rocker/glider will fit nicely in the room and we’ll even have some space to spare. At first I considered only getting one of the dresser pieces because we have such a big closet in the room, but everything will look nicer with all three pieces and I’m sure the space will all be utilized eventually, especially when another baby comes along. We aren’t going to be getting a separate changing table; a popular option now is to simply get a changing pad (like this) strap it to the top of the long dresser (they are very secure), and viola, you’ve got yourself a changing table for as long as you need it and not a moment longer. Perfect.
Another thing I have probably decided to forego (and believe me, I surprised myself, too) is a nursery bedding set. I am usually big on the cute factor, but surprisingly after the research I’ve done on baby stuff (and I’m not nearly done), I’ve actually found myself going more for practical than cute. Function over fashion. Even more helpful than asking a seasoned mom “What do I need?” is asking “What do I NOT need?” Your typical nursery bedding set includes a quilt, bumper, fitted sheet and dust ruffle and then has coordinating items that may come with it or be sold separately: lamp, mobile, hamper, diaper stacker, throw pillows, window valance, area rug etc.
Well, you can’t use a quilt in a baby’s crib, it’s not safe so they’re purely decorative and typically end up hung on the wall. Regular bumpers are in general not considered safe now, either, but the manufacturers still continue to put them with all of the bedding sets. I am going to buy breathable bumpers and may not even put them in the crib until the baby starts moving around and then only if we have a problem with little arms and legs getting stuck between rails. Of course we’ll use the fitted sheet, but the dust ruffle I may or may not use. All in all we’d be spending probably around $150 for the main set and only using the fitted sheet and maybe a dust ruffle. As for the other components, they don’t really interest me. I already know the lamp I want to buy, probably won’t get a mobile because they’re supposed to be taken out once baby can pull to a standing position and reach it and there are plenty of other crib toys, don’t need a hamper because I’ll have something out of sight in the closet for dirty clothes, and have no interest in a diaper stacker (but wait, where EVER will you put the diapers if not in a diaper stacker?!?!? umm…in and/or on top of the dresser). Our home already has throw pillows up the wazoo that we don’t use, so I can’t imagine our infant will need any, I doubt I’ll use a window valance, and I already have a little rug picked out. Don’t worry, I will not deprive baby of a cute nursery, the possibilities are endless, but I’m skipping the bedding set unless I stumble upon something that I just cannot resist.
We are going to be registering this weekend once we know for sure what we’re having, although it doesn’t make much of a difference in what we’re picking. We’re going gender neutral with most things so they can be used for future babies. I would say I already have 50% of things picked out and will have another 40% by the time we go, so it’s just a matter of scanning. Still, much of it will have to be done online because Babies ‘R’ Us doesn’t seem to like to carry much in their actual stores. I used to say I loved that store; that was before I was pregnant. When I would walk through the store, dream about having a baby and wallow in what seemed to be baby stuff overload. Now, I go there looking for specific things so that I can see them in-person and try them out and zero times have I found what I was looking for, which at one point included the #1 selling stroller and one of the highest safety rated infant seats. You’d think they would carry floor models of those. My dislike for the store grew even more when, bored one Saturday, I decided to venture an hour out to the nearest Buy Buy Baby, another baby store I had heard great things about. Well, it was even more amazing than I had imagined. It’s owned by Bed Bath and Beyond and set up the same way, so just imagine Bed Bath and Beyond, packed full and stocked to the limit as they always are, but every item is baby. It puts Babies ‘R’ Us to shame. They had floor models of all the car seats I wanted to see and strollers I wanted to take on joyrides through the store check out, also. Thankfully, they are building one just 15 minutes away from us which should be opening next month, and I am ridiculously excited. My friend Angelina just got a job there for when it does open, so now I have the inside scoop on the exact minute their doors will open and I am so there.
Making a real, comprehensive list of everything we plan to get is fun but difficult. There are plenty of checklists available to help you remember everything, but deciding which jumperoo, which car seat, which pacifiers to get is the difficult part. The bigger things are hard to decide on because they require the safety research and review reading and are just bigger purchases in general. I can’t tell you how many times I was 100% decided on something I wanted only to change my mind completely the next day. The smaller things, like pacifiers, are just guesses anyway, who knows what baby will like. I know I can go out and get different things later if I need to, but I’d like to get it right the first time wherever possible. And to be honest, sometimes I picture myself locked up in the house in “survival mode” with a screaming infant and am afraid I will never, ever be able to go to a store again or will need something in a pinch that I forgot to get (hysterical, teething baby in the dead of night and I forgot to get baby Orajel…great). Of course, babies are all different and may not like everything we get, so I fully expect to be running out to get different things and ending up with my own list of “things I bought but never used.” It wouldn’t be any fun if we knew exactly what to expect, right?
Well, enough about baby gear for now. No huge updates on baby. His/her movements have become a little less predictable than they were when they first began, which is a little odd. The first couple weeks I would feel the same kind of movement pretty consistently, but now it’s pretty random. They still aren’t strong kicks and punches, except for one time, a little over a week ago. I was sitting on the couch relaxing and all of a sudden wham, what had to be a foot, right in my side. It scared the hell out of me because I had no idea what it was. I thought something had come up out of the couch cushion and poked me, it was so fast that my brain didn’t have time to register whether it came from the inside of the outside. My heart was racing and it took me a few seconds to realize what it was. Something must have really startled him/her because I haven’t felt anything like that since. There was quite a bit of movement today, some days there is more than others. If I don’t feel much one day I just use my Doppler. I rarely use it for finding the heartbeat anymore, I just turn it on and can hear him/her moving around flailing arms and legs and I know all is well. It’s amazing how much they can move without you feeling it.
I’m finally starting to get a taste of what the insatiable hunger is like. Not every day, thankfully. Last week I came home from work, ate a big bagel with cream cheese followed by a Boston crème doughnut and the second I was done polishing those off, my stomach was growling in hunger and I felt like I hadn’t eaten in over a week. I couldn’t believe that was even possible. Suffice it to say my weight gain is no longer in the negatives, but I still think just a few lbs. during my first bimester is pretty darn good. Did I mention we’re half-baked on Thursday??
Here I thought I had nothing to talk about but this was probably my longest entry yet.
We are just a few days away from officially finding out the sex!! Our appointment for the “big ultrasound” is this Thursday at 2:00pm. It’s at the hospital where I’ll be delivering, St. Peter’s in New Brunswick, so it will be nice to go there and see it. We have never been there but have heard only amazing things about them. As long as baby cooperates (and his/her track record is not exactly great in that department) they’ll be able to tell us whether it’s a boy or girl…and we’ll see if our instincts were right! I am looking forward to the appointment but have assumed all along that we’re having a [blank] so the suspense is less than one might think. If it’s a boy, he will have an adorable nautical nursery but may not have a name for quite some time. If it’s a girl, the name is pretty much decided, but I’ve got nothing up my sleeve for her nursery, poor gal.
Last week we took all of the measurements we needed in our second bedroom to determine if what we were envisioning would indeed fit, and thankfully, it will...and even better than I expected. My intentions all along were to continue to have a regular bed in the room. I always want to have a place for guests to sleep comfortably. My mom will probably be staying with us for the first week after the baby comes and Todd’s father and stepmom usually come to visit every few months as well. I also want the option of sleeping in there if I need to. We have a queen sized bed in there now but also own a full sized not currently being used. I thought that we would have to put the full back in to free up some space, but alas, the queen fits just fine with everything else we have planned.
Below is the nursery furniture we decided on. It looks even nicer in person than it does in the picture. It’s made of American maple and has a glossy, smooth finish. We were impressed with how solid and sturdy it is and the drawers open and close nicely. It got amazing reviews (you’ll never read so many reviews in your life as when you’re buying baby items) and that sealed our decision. Surprisingly, I didn’t venture far or drive myself crazy looking for the “perfect” nursery furniture. I wanted something solid, classic, functional, durable etc. and this fit the bill. The crib is convertible to a toddler bed and then a full size bed. I could actually take it or leave it when it comes to the toddler bed option. More than likely it will stay a crib for future babies and convert once there are no more babies to be had. I have no qualms about transitioning straight from crib to regular bed (which will already be in the room, conveniently) and actually prefer skipping the toddler bed phase altogether, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. We’ll be ordering the set in a couple of weeks and before it comes I want to get the carpet in the room steam cleaned…a lot of foster kitties have called that room home for a while.
All three nursery pieces, plus the bed and a rocker/glider will fit nicely in the room and we’ll even have some space to spare. At first I considered only getting one of the dresser pieces because we have such a big closet in the room, but everything will look nicer with all three pieces and I’m sure the space will all be utilized eventually, especially when another baby comes along. We aren’t going to be getting a separate changing table; a popular option now is to simply get a changing pad (like this) strap it to the top of the long dresser (they are very secure), and viola, you’ve got yourself a changing table for as long as you need it and not a moment longer. Perfect.
Another thing I have probably decided to forego (and believe me, I surprised myself, too) is a nursery bedding set. I am usually big on the cute factor, but surprisingly after the research I’ve done on baby stuff (and I’m not nearly done), I’ve actually found myself going more for practical than cute. Function over fashion. Even more helpful than asking a seasoned mom “What do I need?” is asking “What do I NOT need?” Your typical nursery bedding set includes a quilt, bumper, fitted sheet and dust ruffle and then has coordinating items that may come with it or be sold separately: lamp, mobile, hamper, diaper stacker, throw pillows, window valance, area rug etc.
Well, you can’t use a quilt in a baby’s crib, it’s not safe so they’re purely decorative and typically end up hung on the wall. Regular bumpers are in general not considered safe now, either, but the manufacturers still continue to put them with all of the bedding sets. I am going to buy breathable bumpers and may not even put them in the crib until the baby starts moving around and then only if we have a problem with little arms and legs getting stuck between rails. Of course we’ll use the fitted sheet, but the dust ruffle I may or may not use. All in all we’d be spending probably around $150 for the main set and only using the fitted sheet and maybe a dust ruffle. As for the other components, they don’t really interest me. I already know the lamp I want to buy, probably won’t get a mobile because they’re supposed to be taken out once baby can pull to a standing position and reach it and there are plenty of other crib toys, don’t need a hamper because I’ll have something out of sight in the closet for dirty clothes, and have no interest in a diaper stacker (but wait, where EVER will you put the diapers if not in a diaper stacker?!?!? umm…in and/or on top of the dresser). Our home already has throw pillows up the wazoo that we don’t use, so I can’t imagine our infant will need any, I doubt I’ll use a window valance, and I already have a little rug picked out. Don’t worry, I will not deprive baby of a cute nursery, the possibilities are endless, but I’m skipping the bedding set unless I stumble upon something that I just cannot resist.
We are going to be registering this weekend once we know for sure what we’re having, although it doesn’t make much of a difference in what we’re picking. We’re going gender neutral with most things so they can be used for future babies. I would say I already have 50% of things picked out and will have another 40% by the time we go, so it’s just a matter of scanning. Still, much of it will have to be done online because Babies ‘R’ Us doesn’t seem to like to carry much in their actual stores. I used to say I loved that store; that was before I was pregnant. When I would walk through the store, dream about having a baby and wallow in what seemed to be baby stuff overload. Now, I go there looking for specific things so that I can see them in-person and try them out and zero times have I found what I was looking for, which at one point included the #1 selling stroller and one of the highest safety rated infant seats. You’d think they would carry floor models of those. My dislike for the store grew even more when, bored one Saturday, I decided to venture an hour out to the nearest Buy Buy Baby, another baby store I had heard great things about. Well, it was even more amazing than I had imagined. It’s owned by Bed Bath and Beyond and set up the same way, so just imagine Bed Bath and Beyond, packed full and stocked to the limit as they always are, but every item is baby. It puts Babies ‘R’ Us to shame. They had floor models of all the car seats I wanted to see and strollers I wanted to
Making a real, comprehensive list of everything we plan to get is fun but difficult. There are plenty of checklists available to help you remember everything, but deciding which jumperoo, which car seat, which pacifiers to get is the difficult part. The bigger things are hard to decide on because they require the safety research and review reading and are just bigger purchases in general. I can’t tell you how many times I was 100% decided on something I wanted only to change my mind completely the next day. The smaller things, like pacifiers, are just guesses anyway, who knows what baby will like. I know I can go out and get different things later if I need to, but I’d like to get it right the first time wherever possible. And to be honest, sometimes I picture myself locked up in the house in “survival mode” with a screaming infant and am afraid I will never, ever be able to go to a store again or will need something in a pinch that I forgot to get (hysterical, teething baby in the dead of night and I forgot to get baby Orajel…great). Of course, babies are all different and may not like everything we get, so I fully expect to be running out to get different things and ending up with my own list of “things I bought but never used.” It wouldn’t be any fun if we knew exactly what to expect, right?
Well, enough about baby gear for now. No huge updates on baby. His/her movements have become a little less predictable than they were when they first began, which is a little odd. The first couple weeks I would feel the same kind of movement pretty consistently, but now it’s pretty random. They still aren’t strong kicks and punches, except for one time, a little over a week ago. I was sitting on the couch relaxing and all of a sudden wham, what had to be a foot, right in my side. It scared the hell out of me because I had no idea what it was. I thought something had come up out of the couch cushion and poked me, it was so fast that my brain didn’t have time to register whether it came from the inside of the outside. My heart was racing and it took me a few seconds to realize what it was. Something must have really startled him/her because I haven’t felt anything like that since. There was quite a bit of movement today, some days there is more than others. If I don’t feel much one day I just use my Doppler. I rarely use it for finding the heartbeat anymore, I just turn it on and can hear him/her moving around flailing arms and legs and I know all is well. It’s amazing how much they can move without you feeling it.
I’m finally starting to get a taste of what the insatiable hunger is like. Not every day, thankfully. Last week I came home from work, ate a big bagel with cream cheese followed by a Boston crème doughnut and the second I was done polishing those off, my stomach was growling in hunger and I felt like I hadn’t eaten in over a week. I couldn’t believe that was even possible. Suffice it to say my weight gain is no longer in the negatives, but I still think just a few lbs. during my first bimester is pretty darn good. Did I mention we’re half-baked on Thursday??
Here I thought I had nothing to talk about but this was probably my longest entry yet.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
17w5d Survey & The "New" Nesting
How far along? 17 weeks 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: -1 lb. Which means that by the time I’m halfway through, I may have broken even and not gained anything. I know more weight gain is coming, but hey, to hold it at bay for the first 20 weeks? I’m pretty proud of that!
Maternity clothes? Pants and capris are maternity 100% of the time now. I have some maternity shirts but for the most part am still wearing my normal shirts (not all of them, of course).
Stretch marks? Yeah…old news!
Sleep: Very unpredictable lately. I went through an entire week of sleeping horribly followed by an entire week of sleeping great. I don’t usually sleep flat on my stomach or back, but having to now be conscious of not doing it (neither is safe at this point in pregnant, especially back) is difficult.
Best moment this week: Just the movements getting a bit stronger.
Movement: Still hard to explain what they feel like. It’s more than little tickles now, but still not full on kicks and punches. He/she is getting so big that I can now feel movement in two places, 5-6 inches apart, at once, which is pretty neat!
Food cravings: I still wouldn’t say I have cravings, but I sure do eat a lot of cheddar cheese melted into Tostito scoop chips….oh, heavenly.
Gender: We’ll find out on September 2nd!!
Labor Signs: No!
Belly Button in or out? In, and I intend for it to stay that way, thankyouverymuch.
Wedding rings on or off? On…admittedly, only because I got them resized! I am being told this is a lost cause and that they will come off eventually. Well, for now they’re still on, suckers.
What I miss: Coke Zero, scalding hot baths and my husband cracking my back for me.
What I am looking forward to: Feeling strong kicks, finding out the sex and getting some new ultrasound pictures (maybe even 3D??)
Weekly Wisdom: I don’t feel all that wise, yet, so how about some advice that’s been given to me. I’m being told “sleep when the baby sleeps” by many people and I sure hope that works, because one thing that’s always on my mind is “How do you take care of a baby if you haven’t slept in a week?” Seriously, moms, stop telling me you haven’t slept in 10 days or since your baby (who is now 2, 4, 8 years old etc.) was born. You’re scaring the crap out of me.
Milestones: Every week is another milestone right now!
Aside from the movements getting a bit stronger, there is one pretty significant change since the last time I updated…I have my appetite back!! Woohoo!! This could be a blessing and a curse, but right now I’m loving it (the weight gain question above is probably why I have no remorse yet). I’m not eating us out of house and home, but I can eat bigger portions again and don’t lose my appetite around dinnertime (and at other random times) like I had been for a long time. Sometimes I am hungry again an hour after I eat a meal…that was unheard of until I was 16 weeks. Before that, I could eat a cracker and feel like I was good for 3 days.
Another strange thing has started to happen which may or may not be pregnancy related but is so out of character for me that, coupled with the fact you can never underestimate what pregnancy can do to you, very well may be. I have started to actually cook. As in, look up recipes, buy the ingredients, actually make them, cook them and eat them. I did this on occasion before, but for the most part I have always gotten overwhelmed by the fact that I didn’t know how to make anything off the top of my head that I wouldn’t even try. We had pretty simple dinners, and a lot of the same ones over and over, if we ate at home. I would go to the food store, spend $200 and come home with nothing to actually make meals with. Typically when I left work I would be so tired that I just wanted to relax and not cook. Now all of a sudden I am even going to the grocery store after work and then coming home and whipping up new recipes for dinner. Often, I even whip up a dessert after that.
Granted, like I said, this may have nothing to do with pregnancy, but I’ve never been like that and it started pretty suddenly so I have to wonder…what if this is its own kind of “nesting”? When you have kids, you can’t come home and sit on the couch every night. You usually have to come home and cook, and sometimes go to the food store in between. There’s mouths to feed no matter how tired you are or how much you don’t feel like cooking. So even though this little mouth is still in utero, who knows? Maybe it really is some kind of motherly instinct kicking in and getting me ready. I think I may be on to something here, folks.
Total weight gain/loss: -1 lb. Which means that by the time I’m halfway through, I may have broken even and not gained anything. I know more weight gain is coming, but hey, to hold it at bay for the first 20 weeks? I’m pretty proud of that!
Maternity clothes? Pants and capris are maternity 100% of the time now. I have some maternity shirts but for the most part am still wearing my normal shirts (not all of them, of course).
Stretch marks? Yeah…old news!
Sleep: Very unpredictable lately. I went through an entire week of sleeping horribly followed by an entire week of sleeping great. I don’t usually sleep flat on my stomach or back, but having to now be conscious of not doing it (neither is safe at this point in pregnant, especially back) is difficult.
Best moment this week: Just the movements getting a bit stronger.
Movement: Still hard to explain what they feel like. It’s more than little tickles now, but still not full on kicks and punches. He/she is getting so big that I can now feel movement in two places, 5-6 inches apart, at once, which is pretty neat!
Food cravings: I still wouldn’t say I have cravings, but I sure do eat a lot of cheddar cheese melted into Tostito scoop chips….oh, heavenly.
Gender: We’ll find out on September 2nd!!
Labor Signs: No!
Belly Button in or out? In, and I intend for it to stay that way, thankyouverymuch.
Wedding rings on or off? On…admittedly, only because I got them resized! I am being told this is a lost cause and that they will come off eventually. Well, for now they’re still on, suckers.
What I miss: Coke Zero, scalding hot baths and my husband cracking my back for me.
What I am looking forward to: Feeling strong kicks, finding out the sex and getting some new ultrasound pictures (maybe even 3D??)
Weekly Wisdom: I don’t feel all that wise, yet, so how about some advice that’s been given to me. I’m being told “sleep when the baby sleeps” by many people and I sure hope that works, because one thing that’s always on my mind is “How do you take care of a baby if you haven’t slept in a week?” Seriously, moms, stop telling me you haven’t slept in 10 days or since your baby (who is now 2, 4, 8 years old etc.) was born. You’re scaring the crap out of me.
Milestones: Every week is another milestone right now!
Aside from the movements getting a bit stronger, there is one pretty significant change since the last time I updated…I have my appetite back!! Woohoo!! This could be a blessing and a curse, but right now I’m loving it (the weight gain question above is probably why I have no remorse yet). I’m not eating us out of house and home, but I can eat bigger portions again and don’t lose my appetite around dinnertime (and at other random times) like I had been for a long time. Sometimes I am hungry again an hour after I eat a meal…that was unheard of until I was 16 weeks. Before that, I could eat a cracker and feel like I was good for 3 days.
Another strange thing has started to happen which may or may not be pregnancy related but is so out of character for me that, coupled with the fact you can never underestimate what pregnancy can do to you, very well may be. I have started to actually cook. As in, look up recipes, buy the ingredients, actually make them, cook them and eat them. I did this on occasion before, but for the most part I have always gotten overwhelmed by the fact that I didn’t know how to make anything off the top of my head that I wouldn’t even try. We had pretty simple dinners, and a lot of the same ones over and over, if we ate at home. I would go to the food store, spend $200 and come home with nothing to actually make meals with. Typically when I left work I would be so tired that I just wanted to relax and not cook. Now all of a sudden I am even going to the grocery store after work and then coming home and whipping up new recipes for dinner. Often, I even whip up a dessert after that.
Granted, like I said, this may have nothing to do with pregnancy, but I’ve never been like that and it started pretty suddenly so I have to wonder…what if this is its own kind of “nesting”? When you have kids, you can’t come home and sit on the couch every night. You usually have to come home and cook, and sometimes go to the food store in between. There’s mouths to feed no matter how tired you are or how much you don’t feel like cooking. So even though this little mouth is still in utero, who knows? Maybe it really is some kind of motherly instinct kicking in and getting me ready. I think I may be on to something here, folks.
Winter
It only makes sense that I would have a winter baby. I was born in the winter, and if you know me, you probably know how much I adore the season. I love fall, too, but winter has a special place in my heart. While everyone else is basking in the sun on the beach and wishing summer could last forever, I am daydreaming about the first snowfall of the year.
Everything about winter is magical to me. The snow, the ice, the bitter cold. I watch the weather and wait for any news of the next snowfall on the way, and the bigger the better. I love falling asleep and waking up to the hissing, beeping and scraping of salt trucks and snow plows. I love going to the window constantly to watch for the first flurries, knowing the snow will be falling quietly all night long and waking up to the blanket of silence that seems to cover the entire world. Sure, it’s cold, we have to shovel out, stay inside, cancel plans. There may be no school. There may be no work. It creates unpredictability, but that’s what I like. I like that when a big snowstorm is on the horizon, all bets are off.
Of course, I don’t think it would be nearly as magical without the holidays. I like Thanksgiving and New Year’s is great, too, but I l-o-v-e Christmas. While I’m watching the weather forecasts I’m also waiting for and soaking up the Christmas commercials on TV. Christmas commercials have got to be the best out there (maybe second-best to all you Superbowl fans, but first best to me!). I love when the previews for the holiday movies coming out in theaters starts. I love when the Christmas displays go up in the stores and strings of lights start to go up on the houses. And if you combine all of this with snow, there’s just no way to make me happier.
I ought to do my Christmas shopping early this year (but don’t we all vow to do that every year?). I’m not quite sure how it feels to waddle around the stores when you’re 7-8 months pregnant, but just in case it doesn’t feel fabulous, I should start early. I can only imagine how much more magical this winter and holiday season will be for us…and how different it will be. To think that by the following Christmas we’ll have a baby that is [at least close to] walking just blows my mind.
Everything about winter is magical to me. The snow, the ice, the bitter cold. I watch the weather and wait for any news of the next snowfall on the way, and the bigger the better. I love falling asleep and waking up to the hissing, beeping and scraping of salt trucks and snow plows. I love going to the window constantly to watch for the first flurries, knowing the snow will be falling quietly all night long and waking up to the blanket of silence that seems to cover the entire world. Sure, it’s cold, we have to shovel out, stay inside, cancel plans. There may be no school. There may be no work. It creates unpredictability, but that’s what I like. I like that when a big snowstorm is on the horizon, all bets are off.
Of course, I don’t think it would be nearly as magical without the holidays. I like Thanksgiving and New Year’s is great, too, but I l-o-v-e Christmas. While I’m watching the weather forecasts I’m also waiting for and soaking up the Christmas commercials on TV. Christmas commercials have got to be the best out there (maybe second-best to all you Superbowl fans, but first best to me!). I love when the previews for the holiday movies coming out in theaters starts. I love when the Christmas displays go up in the stores and strings of lights start to go up on the houses. And if you combine all of this with snow, there’s just no way to make me happier.
I ought to do my Christmas shopping early this year (but don’t we all vow to do that every year?). I’m not quite sure how it feels to waddle around the stores when you’re 7-8 months pregnant, but just in case it doesn’t feel fabulous, I should start early. I can only imagine how much more magical this winter and holiday season will be for us…and how different it will be. To think that by the following Christmas we’ll have a baby that is [at least close to] walking just blows my mind.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
They Grow Up So Fast
Here's attempting my first picture post....fingers crossed.
This is what you looked like at just 6 weeks...
And at 7.5 weeks, your head is on the right, and the little dark spot below it is where your heart is!
At 9 weeks...you finally look a bit like a baby!
Just shy of 12 weeks...my favorite picture so far
And at 13 weeks and 1 day...we couldn't get any great shots, but I loved having one of your little arm and your hand on your head..
Our next ultrasound should be the first week of September, give or take...the "big" one where they tell us if you're a boy or a girl (although we're pretty sure already, shhh!)
This is what you looked like at just 6 weeks...
And at 7.5 weeks, your head is on the right, and the little dark spot below it is where your heart is!
At 9 weeks...you finally look a bit like a baby!
Just shy of 12 weeks...my favorite picture so far
And at 13 weeks and 1 day...we couldn't get any great shots, but I loved having one of your little arm and your hand on your head..
Our next ultrasound should be the first week of September, give or take...the "big" one where they tell us if you're a boy or a girl (although we're pretty sure already, shhh!)
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