38 Weeks...and Still Pregnant!

We have reached 38 weeks! We are finally full term and baby should be coming to visit us any day. The last 2 visits that I had to the doctor made me think that he would be here a little early. However, we have had no signs of labor and are still pregnant. Clearly he is in no hurry to come out and is enjoying his time in there. I have had days where I have experienced the wonderful Braxton Hicks contractions and it overwhelms me with joy to know how the real ones are going to feel...not. These 'preparation' contractions are far from comfortable and can be painful. At the last visit to the doctor, we were 3 centimeters dilated and already 80% effaced! She said that this was a great sign that his head is low and in the perfect position that he should easily come out. He weighs a little over 7 pounds now which means he is decent size, I just hope he doesn't get much bigger while he is in there. We will see at our visit on Thursday how much things have progressed. Mommy thinks that he will come on Sunday the 12th and Daddy thinks that he will be here on Thursday the 16th. We definitely don't think that he will be here on or past his due date.

In the time being, Mommy is staying at home taking it easy. It is hard to be on my feet for too long or sitting for too long as my feet swell incredibly and my back doesn't agree with me either. It's hard staying at home when I have already got everything done. I made sure to have our bags packed after our last doctors appointment as I wasn't sure how soon he would be joining us so at this point it is simply a waiting game. I am getting more and more nervous as the days go on to give birth. Although I know that I will be just fine, my natural instinct is to be scared of what is to come. I will be so relieved when he is finally out and I know that the scary part is over. I think I will miss the feeling of him moving around inside of me, feeling his kicks and hiccups every day. However, I know that I will not miss the backaches, swollen feet, inability to bend over and definitely won't miss wearing maternity clothes. Although they are comfortable (most of the time), they definitely don't make me feel the most flattering and can occasionally be a pain to wear. Not only that, but we are ready to be able to hold our little guy and admire all of him from the outside and enjoy the little one that we created together. It's such an amazing feeling already and he isn't even here yet.

How Far Along? 38 weeks
Total Weight Gain:  That remains between me and the scale.
Size Of Baby: He is comparable to a small watermelon. He weighs around 7 pounds and is around 20 inches long!(We will see how accurate this is when he gets here)
What's Baby Up To? We are full term! Baby's organs and internal systems are fully developed now. Although they will continue to mature the longer he is in there, he would be a healthy baby if he came tomorrow.
Maternity Clothes? Yep. When I am at home, I'd rather be in sweats.
Stretch Marks? Sure do. Wont ever go away.
Sleep: I am able to sleep through the night pretty good, but I usually wake up between 3 and 5 every morning to use the bathroom. It's like clockwork.
Miss Anything? My normal clothes, wearing my wedding ring.
Best Moment This Week: Hearing how dilated and effaced that we were. It made it that much more real and exciting the he could be here any minute.
Movement: Like crazy. Sometimes more movement than other times but he definitely has let me know that he has run out of room.
Food Cravings: I have been enjoying a lot of fruits and vegetables lately.
Anything Make You Queasy or Sick: Luckily no.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Not yet. Still having some Braxton Hicks contractions.
Symptoms: Heartburn, swelling, inability to bend over. Ha.
Belly Button: Still an innie. Don't think it's going to pop with this baby.
Wedding Rings: Currently off, makes me sad.
Happy or Moody: Happy most days!
Looking Forward To: Mason finally arriving!

We will see if we make it another week and I will be able to do another post before he is here. The last thing to do is finish the blanket that I am making for him and installing his car seat and we are all systems go! My hope is that the next post is for his announcement coming into the world, not that I am still pregnant for another week!

Maternity Pictures

After much thought, and some convincing, I decided to do maternity pictures. I have always considered myself conservative so I didn't really want pictures of my bare belly plastered everywhere. However, after taking them I am glad that I did. There are some pictures in which I don't even think that I look pregnant. But those that we got where I do, turned out really cute. I just have to remember that I have to do the same thing for each of my children! That will be the difficult part. These pictures will at least give us some remembrance of how I looked while pregnant with Mason and I have to admit they are kind of fun. Here are some of my favorites!

Cannot wait to meet our precious baby boy!

9 Months and Growing

We have finally hit the 9 month mark and we are in countdown mode! I am so excited to say that we now have less than a month that our little guy will finally be here! I definitely can tell he is growing and he is moving like crazy. Nick says that he moves all the time cause he has no more room to grow. Poor little guy, it's probably true. At this point, I can't see a huge difference in the changes in my belly but I definitely know that it is getting bigger (as can be seen by the lovely stretching of my shirt-which is a maternity shirt). Yikes. I know it's healthy for him and myself to be gaining weight but it's hard for me not to be self conscious about it and the difference in how I looked before and how I look now. I suppose that I can be relieved in that I have only 4 weeks left and I can feel myself again!

Daddy's Weekend Project

Daddy was able to put some of the baby stuff together this weekend. He got the bassinet, swing and the pack and play together like a champ. He was glad to get it done but we still have a couple more boxes of things that need to still be put together but I'm trying to not become anxious as I know he will get them done. He has been so great supporting my roller coaster emotions and embracing my need to begin nesting and get everything organized. Thank goodness I have him here to keep me sane the next few weeks.

Yikes! This room needed some love!

I have been procrastinating putting together the baby's room. "Putting together" as in cleaning up the mess that became after the baby shower. This included toys, clothes, bottles, bathroom stuff, and so on. The list was endless of what I had to do. Every time I tried to tackle this task, I became distracted and found something better to do. This picture shows just how unorganized I was-not the mama I thought I would be at this point! The crib was the only thing put together. However, after a few days of digging in, I was able to organize all that I can and the room seems to be complete. *Breathes* We have bottles in the cabinets, burp cloths and bibs in drawers and all of the clothes and toys organized. I can say that I am starting to get anxious more now for the baby rather than everything in preparation for him.  I hope now the only other preparation that I need to do is to get us ready for the hospital! Yay!

How Far Along? 36 weeks
Total Weight Gain:  Um...I'd rather not admit. Definitely more than 20!
Size Of Baby: He is comparable to a honeydew. He weighs close to 6 pounds and is around 18 inches long already! I hope he doesn't grow much bigger.
What's Baby Up To? At the end of this week, we will be full term! Baby is beginning to shed the vernix (protective coat in the amniotic sac) and will swallow the substances! Ew. This is the explanation for the lovely tar-like poopy that they will take in their first days. Lucky mommy.
Maternity Clothes? Of course. Most comfortable in sweats these days though.
Stretch Marks? Unfortunately, yes. A couple marks on each of my sides.
Sleep: Uncomfortable. So uncomfortable. Wake up with heartburn constantly and the need to use the bathroom. He is definitely on my bladder.
Miss Anything? My ankles.
Best Moment This Week: We could not only see, but feel his tiny little feet poking out of my side. There was no silhouette of toes or anything, but it was tiny enough we knew it was feet.
Movement: Every hour I feel something.
Food Cravings: Nothing out of the ordinary, seems I have lost some appetite here lately.
Anything Make You Queasy or Sick: Luckily no.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: No-Have had some Braxton Hicks contractions though. Not fun.
Symptoms: Heartburn. Swelling of the ankles.
Belly Button: Slowly disappearing.
Wedding Rings: Off. I didn't want it to be cut off from the swelling.
Happy or Moody: With the way I have been feeling and having to work, definitely moody.
Looking Forward To: Enjoying the last few weeks.

Holy Heartburn

2 hours and a handful of Tums later and I still have the worst heartburn in the world. It's somewhat painful at this point as a bubble sits between my throat and my belly. No matter what I take or do, tonight it just does not want to go away. To add to my misery, a swollen foot (I look like a relative of the Flinstones) and baby has seemed to have the hiccups on and off now for about an hour. Although these hiccups can be oh so precious at times, tonight they are making trying to fall asleep almost impossible. I am beyond uncomfortable and am certainly at the point where I feel like I can complain to try and help me take my mind off it all. Ha. As my head is throbbing, my feet are aching and my heart is still a blaze, I can't help but ask my sweet baby to please, please let mommy sleep. Her nights of that are running low and would like to enjoy it now. I love you baby boy but goodness, I know you will be a handful when you arrive!

Where Have My Ankles Gone?

As the weeks continue on, not only do I continue to gain weight, but my ankles have become non-existent. With the combination of the tortuous heat and being pregnant, the swelling in my ankles and feet continue to get worse and worse. No matter how long I keep my feet elevated or how much water I may intake, it does not get better. These are now how my ankles look on a good day, after they have had much rest. I am ready for the day when I can see my ankle bone again and I don't have to worry about whether or not my hearts (tattoo) are going to change shape! Unfortunately, its been semi-painful the past few weeks as I have been swollen and gaining weight. Working on my feet all day doesn't help either so I will be relieved when I won't have to do that everyday! So for the next 5 weeks (Yay! We are already at 35 weeks!) I will have to stay off my feet as much as possible, keep my sodium to a minimum and drink tons and tons of water!

Nick sure does love me as he knows just how to get to my heart! When we registered, he told me not to register for a diaper bag that he was going to pick one out. Well, once our shower had come and gone, I realized that I did not have a diaper bag. I certainly feel like one lucky, spoiled mommy as this is what he decided to get for me, oh do I love that boy!

 We took our maternity pictures today so I hope to have those soon to be able to update. They came out really good! I am such a conservative person that it was all I could do to get a belly shot. I'm glad Nick convinced me to do it cause they turned out really tasteful. We also were given a baby shower by all of those at work who love us! It was definitely so generous of them to do so. I am hoping that I can get pictures from both showers here soon and be able to update about the shower before baby comes! It's already been a few weeks since our big shower and I haven't posted any pictures at all (shame on me).

Baby is still doing well and healthy! Measurements are great and moving around like a little monkey! I am waking up more at night from him moving or having to go potty and feeling more uncomfortable from getting bigger but otherwise, looks like we are right on schedule! I cannot wait to hold my little man. I'm sure that he won't be in any hurry to get here, but I hope he doesn't show up fashionably late either!

Our "Monkey's" Room

We are now at 34 weeks which means that we are in the home stretch of this wonderful pregnancy! I am so excited to meet this little boy and get back to my normal self again. I am so tired of the heartburn, swelling, aching and so forth. I certainly have enjoyed feeling our baby move each and every day and being able to feel him inside of me. However, the sacrifices that we have to make are certainly not fun by any means. I'm sure a day will come in which I may miss being pregnant--but it's not today!

Baby is still growing and growing and so is mommy's belly. Here we are at 32 weeks in which the camera began to focus on my belly rather than on my face. I suppose it's a good thing that my face hasn't blown up to twice it's size--but still. I am now having fewer and fewer clothes that I have been able to wear and am certainly not enjoying the wonderful Colorado heat. As if the swelling in my feet and ankles doesn't get bad enough, the heat makes it even worse which leads to all the other symptoms. Miserable. Note to self: plan next baby to be born before summer starts. Despite the 'growing pains', baby seems to be growing right on pace and looks to be as healthy as can be.

We were finally able to finish putting baby's room together! *Cheers* Although it is now full of stacks of clothes, boxes and other goodies from the shower, there is paint on the walls, furniture built and in place and decor. I am definitely a little relieved that we were able to finish prior to the baby shower. Unfortunately, I have to now organize everything to finally be prepared for him. We went back and forth deciding whether or not we wanted to do a themed room. After shopping around and seeing such adorable things, we couldn't help but surround our little monkey with some jungle friends of his own. Our safari/jungle theme has come together quite well and has included some DIY projects done by mommy to add that extra love in the room. Here are some pictures as we began completing the room:

This is the view looking into the room from the hallway. 

After moving in, we painted the room a light green. Mainly cause we didn't want white but also just in case a baby were to come eventually. We didn't maybe think it would be this soon--but we are just fine with it.

We decided to go with the green and brown. Both neutral colors that would suit either boy or girl. We taped off the room to paint the bottom brown and we would later add the chair rail--a sophisticated touch (we think so).

A view of the room from the back corner looking out into the hallway. Daddy was finishing putting up all the tape to start painting. 

After we had finished painting the bottom brown, we added the white chair rail along the border to tie the 2 colors in together. I think it broke up the room just enough. (Here it does kind of look like mint chocolate chip ice cream). The pictures don't do it justice-it looks much better in person.

The top picture is the same view looking into the room from the hallway and the bottom picture is in the room facing the window.

Here's a few pictures of daddy being a good sport while putting together the giant crib!

I sure do love him!

The bunches and bunches of pieces!

Attaching the box spring for the mattress

The finished product!

He was such a trooper climbing under and behind things in order to get the darn thing put together!











The crib definitely has a red tint to it. After starting to put it together-I became worried. However, with all of the other furniture in there, it doesn't stand out too much. I think it is a beautiful crib!

Jungle animals!

This is the adorable decor that we chose. I think it tied everything in together really well and I cannot wait to get bedding and everything else to make it a completed room!










I made these pictures from some stencils, scrapbook paper and some ribbon. The stencils of the animals are so cute and the middle on is the alphabet. 

These are his name blocks that will go above his crib. I found a great deal online and then painted them the same color brown as the walls. I used the ribbon from the pictures for a way to hang them. 

More jungle animals above the closet. 

After the letters were hung above the crib

I had to get a picture after we got everything together because I was so excited that we finally had a 'room' for the baby. It was no longer a storage facility, but a place that he would be able to enjoy after he arrived! 

The crib is just to the right of the window.

This is the same view of the room from the hallway looking into the room. There is a dresser on the right side and we will put a glider right in front of the crib. There is not much room for anything else. It will take much organization on my part to make sure that things don't get too cluttered!

A very proud mamma!

After a long few days of working straight, we were finally able to finish the room. Nick was so great in putting up with my need for perfection. I helped with painting when I could, and screwed in a few nuts and bolts on the crib. Although he did the majority of the work, I still have my motherly touch surrounding the room. I cannot wait to get all everything else together and reveal the finished room. Until then, we have began to establish the next chapter in our lives and I am definitely looking forward to it.

30 Weeks!

Okay. So clearly I stink at updating this regularly so I am not going to promise anything from here on out. Ha. However, we are finally at 30 weeks which means that there are only 10 more to go. I cannot believe that 30 weeks have already passed as I felt at first that 40, pregnant, was going to last a lifetime. Baby is continuing to get bigger and bigger at this point, yet so is Mommy. Of course we have pictures to prove it! I am definitely not feeling flattering by any angle at this point.

We have started making progress on the room and I hope that we can have it pretty much set before the baby shower on July 1st. Registering for baby was not as fun as I thought that it was going to be. We went into it thinking we knew pretty much what we were looking for and was completely overwhelmed when we were handed a 2 page checklist of things that we should register for. How do we know what kind of bottles, car seats, sheets, and so forth to choose from? There are like 1,000 different types of each one! I realized I must trust my Mommy instinct and know that it will all work out. It was a relief though to know that we were able to get it out of the way.

 As the day is slowly approaching, I am getting more anxious and nervous about how this baby boy is going to come out! It seems surreal that it will have to happen sooner than later. We have registered for Mommy and Daddy dummy classes to help us with the preparation. (I know that they are very important and informative but that is how the descriptions of the classes make you feel!) Nick is such a great support and I know that he will be a great coach and help me through it all. I'm sure I will feel relieved after getting more information at the classes. Otherwise, at the last doctor visit, we were told everything looks 'perfect' on paper and the baby is healthy and growing just as he should be.

How Far Along? 30 weeks
Total Weight Gain:  I think I'm up to 20 lbs. now
Size Of Baby: He is between 15 and 16 inches long and weighs about 3 pounds. He weighs as much as a large head of cabbage!
What's Baby Up To? His hands are fully formed and his fingernails are growing. Eyes are opening and closing which means that they could be dreaming. Eyebrows and eyelashes are developed and baby's head and body are proportioned like a newborn.
Maternity Clothes? Yep. Loving the leggings and maternity shirts.
Stretch Marks? Nope. Thank goodness.
Sleep: Getting better, sleeping more than I had been and able to sleep through the night but having crazy dreams in the meantime.
Miss Anything? Cute clothes and shoes.
Best Moment This Week: We could see him moving from one side of the belly to the other. It was amazing to see more than just a few flutters.
Movement: Moving like crazy, kicking, somersaulting and rolling. 
Food Cravings: Chocolate, but what's new.
Anything Make You Queasy or Sick: Not this week.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn. Swelling of the ankles.
Belly Button: At this point, it's in between!
Wedding Rings: Glad that they are still on.
Happy or Moody: Happy
Looking Forward To: Cleaning up the nursery and celebrating baby at the baby shower.

Less Than 100 Days to Go...

We are now at week 26 which means we now have less than 100 days to go! It's hard to believe that 26 weeks have already gone by, it seems like the next 14 are going to take forever. I have definitely felt lots of changes the past month including my weight, belly size and the movement of our little monkey. The kicks are getting stronger and his movements are more often. It's such a wonderful feeling to know that there is a little one inside of you. Even better, Nick can often feel him moving too. We are excited to get the nursery put together here soon. We have had so many other household projects, including re-doing flooring in multiple rooms and re-landscaping our backyard, that we have put the baby's room on hold. I am ready to start nesting and get things in order. Too much chaos makes me nervous at this point in the game.

However, we did buy our crib a few weeks ago and I absolutely love it. Although it is still sitting in the box, I feel a sense of relief that one of the big furniture purchases is out of the way. The best part is that it comes with the changing table which eliminates having to purchase another piece of furniture and it frees up a lot of space in the room. I couldn't help but fall in love with the jungle theme, it's too precious. This may not be the one that we get but I'm sure it will be quite similar. (The picture of course is one from the store, not from the crib set up in the room). I hope now will come the fun part of decorating the nursery. I'd rather not stress about what colors to paint, but knowing me, I will until it is completed. I'm crossing my fingers that we will be able to finish the nursery (or the majority of it) before the baby shower at the beginning of July. This way, we will only have to fill in the missing pieces, and not put the entire puzzle together.

I thought it would be fun to try and update every week (I reiterate the try portion of that statement) of the changes and growth of the baby. It's at the fun point now where the baby is growing rapidly and of course my moods are constantly changing that the documentation of it will be fun to look at later on.

How Far Along? 26 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 15 lbs. (not too bad I think)
Size Of Baby: About 2 lbs. and 12 to 13 inches. Baby is the size of a head of lettuce!
What's Baby Up To? Baby's ears are more developed and he can hear mommy and daddy's voices now. He is inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid which will give him good practice for when he takes his first breath once he is born.
Maternity Clothes? Of course-I can still wear some of my pre-pregnancy shirts but most bottoms and tops for that matter are maternity.
Stretch Marks? Nope. Not yet.
Sleep: Most of the time pretty good, once I can fall asleep I am usually out for the night. But, he is usually active right as I lay down so sometimes it takes me a while to get to sleep.
Miss Anything? Tying my shoes, thank goodness it will be summer time and I can wear sandals from here on out.
Best Moment This Week: Nick was able to see Mason move. After feeling his tough kicks, Nick looked at by belly and was able to see our little boy active.
Movement: Moving like crazy, some days more than others
Food Cravings: Nothing too outrageous, just a sweet tooth.
Anything Make You Queasy or Sick: Chinese food. Uck.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn. Horrible Heartburn.
Belly Button: Still an innie!
Wedding Rings: Although my fingers swell quite often, the rings are still on.
Happy or Moody: Every week changes but this week was so happy. Lots of great things going on right now so nothing to really be moody about.
Looking Forward To: Getting more furniture and items to prepare baby's nursery. Mama is getting anxious.

Our Peanut is a Boy!

We were lucky to find out this week that our little peanut is a baby boy! It seemed like we had to wait forever to find out. We are so excited to finally know what to expect and are definitely ready to break out all of the blue! Baby looks very healthy and everything seems to be going great. Thank goodness! At 21 weeks baby seems to be getting bigger and bigger by the day.

Now we are ready to finally begin picking things out for the nursery, choosing paint colors and preparing for our little boy to come. Luckily, we had names for a boy and a girl picked out even before we found out we were expecting. So when we found out we were having a boy, there was no doubt in our mind that our little one would become Mason James. Although this name is making its way up the popularity list, it was about what name sounded best for us. Thus far, I don't know of many Masons but it could be that once he is in school, there may be 4 other boys with the same name. For now (and I'm sure when he arrives), the name is absolutely perfect for him.

Now that the tough part is out of the way (that is deciding a name), we have all of the other small decisions that seem so huge at this point. Preparing the nursery and registering are just a few of the things that are on my mind daily. I hope that everything will come together, in a timely manner, and my stress will be at ease. From this point forward, we pray that everything continues to go smoothly and baby Mason stays healthy and grows just as he should. Everything else that will come with having him in our life, is just icing on the cake.

Halfway Done!

I cannot believe that we are already halfway through the pregnancy! It seems like it has gone so incredibly fast! I'm sure that the next 20 weeks may not feel as fast, August feels like so far away. After the first few visits with our doctor, she told us that as of week 20, we could rest assure that the baby was here to stay. It's certainly a relief to know that we have finally reached this point in time and that hopefully the rest is not so stressful.

Although I have enjoyed the feeling of being pregnant and knowing that I am going to be a parent, I definitely miss the times of being young. I do have friends that are in the same position that I am: married with children (or 1 on the way at least). But I still have friends that are still enjoying going out occasionally and having fun. I always wanted to be a mom, first and foremost before anything else. I just don't think I realized how much your life changes when you become responsible for another. I cannot help but laugh when looking at this because it certainly describes the changes between partying and pregnancy.

Although I miss the times that I am able to go out and be a part of the party scene, I have a great husband, family and really supportive friends. They know that even though I am lame and unable to party with them, they still invite me and make sure that I am a part of things. (Usually though it's to be the designated driver). Soon enough I will be able to join in the festivities again but I guess until then I will take in the joys of being a soon-to-be mama. I have heard that once the baby is hear, you miss being pregnant. I will have to see for myself soon enough I suppose.

Boy or Girl?

It's almost that time to find out whether our little peanut is a boy or a girl! It's such an exciting time. We are so ready to start preparing. We keep talking about what we think it is but there is really no way to tell until we can get that confirmation. Mothers intuition is telling me boy, although we are hoping for a girl. However, as long as baby is healthy the gender doesn't matter. As first time parents, it's hard not to be excited about finding out the gender! We will find out April 9th!

I cannot help but read in the books and look online about the different wives tales about predicting gender. Some are obviously way more ridiculous than others. My favorite to have come across stated that if you don't eat the heel in the loaf of bread then you are having a girl. Really? Nobody likes to eat the heel of the bread. Just absurd. However, there are some that I question as they are not too far fetched.

1. If you are carrying high, break out the pink. If you are carrying low, its a boy. (I don't think I am big enough to tell yet so this one is tricky.)

2. During your ultrasound and/or doctor visits, heart rate of 140 or above indicates a girl and beats below 140 indicate a boy. (Baby's has been all over the place every visit!)

3. Craving sweets indicates a girl and craving salty foods indicates boy. (I have always loved sweets, even before a baby was growing to enrage new cravings.)

4. Chinese Gender Chart--indicates a girl and so many people swear by it. We will see if I fall into that 90% accuracy or not.

5. Mayan legend. If mothers age at conception and the year are both even it's a girl, if one's even and one is odd it's a boy. (Age 24 in 2011, one even and one odd. Mayans guess a boy.)

6. If you are breaking out like crazy, it's a girl. Baby girl wants her mama's looks, therefore the breakout. (I figured that it simply was the increase in the pregnancy hormones.)

7. When your face gets fuller and rounder when pregnant, it means you’re going to have a girl.  If your face is long and narrow, it’s a boy.  (My face looks the same as before I was even pregnant. Not sure what to make of this one.

8. If your legs get really big, you’re having a boy.  If your legs stay in shape and lean, it’s a girl. (I don't think that I have examined them enough at this point to decipher how they have changed. I don't think that I want to know!)


9. If you have dreams that you are having a boy, you will have a girl.  If you dream about having a girl, it will be a boy.(I have had dreams about both, but more dreams about having a boy. I think that is why I was so convinced that it is a boy).

10. If you're sick as a dog during the first trimester, it's a girl. Little to no morning sickness indicates a boy. (I thought I was never going to stop throwing up. Was absolutely miserable. Girl?)

After reading all of them, half would indicate a boy and the other half would indicate a girl. I cannot seem to convince myself that any of these are true since every woman is different. However, we seem to get a kick out of reading a lot of them and trying to figure out if they apply to this pregnancy or not.

Come soon enough, we will find out whether to start buying in pink or in blue. Mama's instinct says blue...

From Misses to Maternity

I think one of the first things that all women think about when they first realize that they are pregnant is "When am I going to have to wear maternity clothes?" I'm sure that some women are more excited for that shopping experience than others, I was definitely not one of them. I have been procrastinating as long as possible to make the dreaded shopping trip. Now, after 15 weeks of pregnancy, I had to cave. Not that the pants are absolutely necessary at this point, but I am sure uncomfortable wearing my regular jeans. I knew that getting a pair of maternity jeans would relieve my stress on the belly as well as the stress on baby.

The only jeans that I could picture in my head, were the "full panel" jeans. Those lovely jeans that have the giant elastic band that goes clear up to the chest. I couldn't imagine how small bellied mommies could possibly wear these jeans. I told myself I would suck it up and manage, anything would be better than the pressure and indentation that my current jeans leave daily. Luckily, I was naive in the world of maternity as there are a plethora of "band types" to choose from.

Thank goodness, I didn't have to buy the jeans that I was absolutely dreading. I'm not sure if I will regret it later down the road or not but I decided to go with the demi panel. These sit nicely below the belly and have plenty of room for baby growth. Although those with the full and extended panel leave much room for growth, I can't be sure how big I will be or how uncomfortable I may need  to buy them. Being pregnant during the summer is going to be absolutely terrible. The horrible heat that Colorado gets will be extremely uncomfortable for a pregnant woman. That means that I will then have to go shopping for shorts and tanks that I will only be able to wear for 3 months! 

I think that I will wait before doing anymore maternity shopping as the price tags are not cheap. Hopefully I will be able to go a little bit longer without having to worry about buying shirts. I would definitely much rather spend money on the baby than myself. I would have liked to wait at least another 5 weeks or so before buying jeans but it just wasn't worth it anymore! With our next appointment this week, we should be able to see how measurements are coming and how baby is growing. It might give me an idea of when I will have to make this glorious shopping trip again.

Feeling Uncomfortable

I cannot help but search for pictures online and look through baby books and magazines to give me an idea of when I should be showing the pregnancy and how I may look. It seems to be a curiosity for never experiencing it before. I use the books that tell me "Your baby is the size of a lime," to help me in estimating where it may be sitting and how big before I will feel it. Unfortunately, I feel nothing but uncomfortable. I have began to feel pressure in my lower abdomen and it is the worst. My jeans are too tight and maternity pants are too big! I see a small difference in my lower stomach and that is it! There is no sign of an actual shaped 'baby bump' so at this point I try to keep myself comfortable without worrying what I look like from another perspective. I understand that each woman is completely different with each pregnancy but I am hoping that within the next few weeks I can begin to have a small bump. Maybe this will eliminate some of the discomfort and give me a little bit of confidence in what I am wearing. I am certain that the discomfort will arise again later in pregnancy, but at that time, I should be in those clothes that are made for expecting mommies. For right now, I feel it may still be a little too early to be shopping in the maternity section.

I talk to many different women and I hear so many different things about pregnancy. At times, I wish there was some consistency in having a baby so I can really understand it. At this point, I have no clue what is going on, what to expect or what is going to happen and it absolutely drives me crazy! Living with a man doesn't help either cause they don't know squat about anything. I guess I have to take each day with a grain of salt, try and educate myself as much as possible and pray that my mommy intuition will eventually kick in--and not steer me wrong. 

Baby Looks Like A Baby!

February 1, 2011

About 9 weeks through the pregnancy I and I finally began to start feeling normal again. I regained my appetite and was not feeling quite so nauseous anymore. I was starting to have a better outlook on pregnancy. However, I woke up one morning and thought that my pregnancy was all over. With the thoughts of miscarriage running through my head since I found out about the baby, I couldn't help but have overwhelming emotion that morning. I called the doctor just to be safe, explained my symptoms and was told I needed to be seen. I took it easy that day trying to prepare myself for what the future of the pregnancy may look like.

When I arrived to the doctor, the only thing I kept thinking was that I wanted to see my baby and hear the heartbeat. Of course, they anxiously make you wait until the last few minutes of the appointment. I was finally admitted to ultrasound and was graciously relieved that I could see my baby fluttering and heard the strong heartbeat (around 200bpm!) I was given the news that everything was fine with baby and that I had a small blood clot, or a chorionic hemorrhage,  around the area where the baby was growing. I was assured that everything should be fine but to make sure to take it easy, no heavy lifting or moving, and hope that my body absorbs the clot. (Luckily, I have a wonderful husband to take care of all the dirty work for me.) Although I was relieved, the 'mommy' side of me couldn't help but continuing to worry until I really knew that everything was okay.

Our follow up visit was great! There was no sign of the hemorrhage still and the baby was growing great and still had a strong heartbeat. My mind was definitely put at ease to know that this clot may have just been a small bump in the road. We went in on the 1st, 11 weeks, for our infamous Down Syndrome and Trisomy testing. As I find out that we have to wait 4 weeks in between testing and then wait an additional 4 more weeks before finding our results, made feel feel a little uneasy again. I'm sure its common between all first time mommies but I am still not sure how I should react to everything. However, our ultrasound tests went amazing! Everything measured just how it should be and we were so excited because baby finally looked like a baby! There was certainly a noticeable head and little body and it was no longer just a white peanut, there really is a baby in there.

At that point,  I realized that it doesn't matter how testing comes back but that we have an amazing miracle joining us is the greatest gift I could get. I could not feel the baby and I didn't look as though I was having a baby but I knew that one day, when it did happen, it would be indescribable.

Our First Doctor Visit

January 4, 2012

After all of the hype and excitement of the new baby, it was time to get down to business. The first doctor visit had arrived and it was time to find out when we would welcome our new addition. I was so incredibly nervous as I have obviously never had a visit to this extent before. It's quite intimidating being around other women who have gone through this process numerous times. I was the newbie. I had no clue what I was doing or what was to come and I was one of the only ones who carried my "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book as a bible in my purse. Luckily, I was able to drag Nick along with me so that I wasn't alone.

They call us into the office and of course do the usual testing, measurements and weighing as they do with every usual routine visit. However, this time, they were testing for that baby hormone that should be streaming through my body at this point. After a good hour of waiting and answering questions, we were told that in fact we were expecting and that the tests that I had taken had not proven me wrong. I think that we both became overwhelmed and glanced at each other with smiles but we weren't sure what else to say. After the doctor had completed all testing and other necessary 'shenanigans', she decided that we could have an ultrasound done to determine baby's due date.

We thought that it was way too early to have an ultrasound done, as we were only 7 weeks at this time. After being moved to the ultrasound room, I wasn't quite ready for what I was about to see.

In fact, there was a tiny little one growing inside me. At this time, everything went from being surreal, to being incredibly real. Lucky for us, technology has grown tremendously and we were able to hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time. It was moving quite rapid, but at a healthy pace. A sigh of relief came from both of us as we knew that this was not just fun and games any more but we in fact were becoming parents. A little baby was about to be with us and we hoped we were ready for the next months that were about to be upon us.

The Big Reveal

December 24, 2011

Over a week had gone by since we had found out. Thoughts of doubt kept running through my mind about whether we really were pregnant or not. With no visits to the doctor, I could only rely on the little stick to give me the thumbs up. Although I had already taken two (yes, two) tests, I still felt that I needed reassurance. I decided to take one more test, just for good measure. 

This time, it was written clear as day. There was no need for interpretation if there was really two lines or just one. We in fact, were expecting and we knew that Christmas was the perfect time to reveal it to our parents. Especially since we had been now assured numerous times that there was a baby on the way.

We went back and forth the last week about how we were going to tell everyone. We knew that our parents had to know first and everyone else would just fall into place. It was difficult to figure out how to tell your parents such big news. We weren't sure whether to make a phone call and just spit it out or whether to mail them a letter. Since it was Christmas, we decided to get creative. We wrapped a gift for each of our families, with a baby bib saying "I love grandma" or "I love grandpa" inscribed into it. Just to clear up any confusion, we posted this to be the first thing that they saw when they opened the gift:

The poem reads: "To all those that we love, We have some news to tell you today, Seems that the stork is coming our way! A cherished little on, a boy or girl, Will soon bring us all the happiness in the world!" We placed them under the trees as any other gift but made sure that it was the last present that everyone opened that day. Our parents were thrilled. There was much laughter, joy, excitement and tears for the next few days but we were surely relieved to know that it was no longer our little secret. We weren't quite sure how everyone was going to react but it was better than we expected.

Now that the hard stuff was done, the next step was figuring out how to get through the next 8 months of our lives....

And Our Family Becomes Three..

December 14, 2011

I had been feeling under the weather within the last few days, I just knew that something was different. After a long day of work and talking with Nick, I decided to take the infamous test. After 3 long minutes of anticipation, the 2 pink lines appeared and I was overwhelmed with emotions. I ran into the other room to show Nick the positive test.

Expressions surely speak louder than words sometimes as I don't think he knew what to say. Both Nick and I knew that it could be a possibility before I even took the test, but was shocked that it happened so soon. He gave me a kiss on the forehead and an embrace I will never forget and we then knew that this was the next chapter in our lives. 

The next few hours all we could talk about was how we were going to tell our family, whether or not it was too soon to tell friends and what the next steps were. We were still a newlywed couple, enjoying our honeymoon time together and now we were going to become parents. 'Parents'-seems like a word for the individuals with a Monday through Friday 9-5 job and lacking the desire to go out on weekends. Were we really ready to become parents? Either way, we were ecstatic as the only thing I have wanted in life was to have a family. We were married, both with jobs, finished school (well I will have finished school the following May) and living in a house with plenty of space to accommodate the new addition. What is there to be scared of? We began to feel absolutely blessed. After many discussions, we decided that the perfect time to tell our parents was on Christmas, and give them the greatest gift ever. We spent the next week figuring out the creative way in which we could declare our new addition to the family. And, begin exploring all of the things that come along with the new bundle of joy.