Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Weekly Update!

How far along? 23 weeks

How big is baby? still about 8.5 inches crown to rump (about the length of an ear of corn), and a pound and a half!!!

Total weight gain/loss: Still down between 4-8 pounds. Not sure what is water weight these days and what is actual growth!

Maternity clothes? Almost exclusively. I do still have those few non maternity pants that I can wear but it is getting less comfortable.

Sleep: Hit or miss! I'm feeling those ligaments stretching more and more so if I'm sore there isn't much sleep to be had.

Best moment this week: Seeing her on the 3D ultrasound!

Movement: Pretty regularly though still not really from the outside. She sits low so most of the movement I feel is on my cervix or bladder with only some on the inside of my belly.

Food cravings: Still loving hot sauce, but I think I am officially addicted to strawberries! I wouldn't call it a craving but if I walk by them in the store I cannot resist. The smell, the taste! Oh they are just SOOOO good!

Food Aversions: Nothing extreme these days. It may be time to try a steak again.

Gender: Without question a girl!

Labor Signs: None.

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Not eating eggs for breakfast!

What I am looking forward to: Getting the nursery painted and set up!

Weekly Wisdom: Don't over do it! Exercise is good, but a sore mama to be is not!

Milestones: Getting the 3D ultrasound was sort of a milestone. Fun to see her live and in action!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

3D ultrasound

So we had our 3D/4D ultrasound today. It was a fun experience. The number one reason that we did an elective ultrasound was because I wanted (needed) confirmation of the gender. The way the tech told us at our anatomy scan (this would be the SECOND scan we went to!) was so odd, that I just was terrified that we would plan for a girl and then have a baby pop out with little boy parts!

So in my investigation for elective ultrasound locations I found this place up in Santa Rosa. It seemed good and best of all their prices were better than some others I had seen, AND they had 15% off right now. So we paid for a short 3D what we would have paid for just the gender somewhere else.

We ended up with nearly 60 photos of our little girl after only about 10 minutes of watching her live. It is truly an amazing experience to see this little baby inside you moving around. I know she is active but to see it in action will never cease to amaze me.

My favorite part I think was actually seeing the umbilical cord. I know that is a weird thing to say, but it is the first time I'd seen it in any of our scans. She had it up by her hands so you know she's grabbing on to it from time to time.

She was quite the coy baby today. Although we saw everything we'd hoped to see (profile, facing forward, hands, feet and most importantly those little girl parts!), she kept trying to move away from the "camera". She moved herself into the farthest corner she could so the tech had the wand right up against my pelvic bone just to get the shot. I think she just doesn't like things poking at her! I was thinking the same thing when she kicked Nick in the head the other night. He had the weight of his head on my belly (so on her) and I think she kicked him so he would move! =)

Well enough talk, I know you really just want to see the picture. So here is my favorite shot of the day.


Thursday, March 25, 2010

Disney Photo

We only managed one group picture while at Disneyland but I'm glad we got this one! So here is a picture of Isabella's first trip to Disneyland!
Left to right-
Katie, (baby Shelah), Brian, Vinnie, Nick, (baby Isabella), Karey

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Weekly update

I am changing a few of the questions this week because I'm realizing how repetitive and uninteresting they are getting. =) We'll see how these new questions go! I will also add a picture tonight of my bump, but I forgot to take the picture last night! =)

How far along? 22 weeks

How big is baby? about 8.5 inches crown to rump, and just over a pound in weight (a little bigger than a Spaghetti Squash)

Total weight gain/loss: It is swinging quite a bit more these days but still down between 4 and 8 or so pounds from before pregnancy

Maternity clothes? Still mostly for comfort more than necessity although I definitely cannot wear any pants that are "low riders"- only at the waist.

Sleep: Still mostly pretty good. I move from side to side a lot at night though.

Best moment this week: Nick feeling her kick from the outside!

Movement: Regular and clear each day. Not at regular times or intervals yet (probably a couple more weeks before that happens) and still not totally felt on the outside.

Food cravings: Not exactly a craving but hot sauce has been a winner for me lately. Everything from Tapatio on my tacos to Sriracha on my sushi.

Food Aversions: This week has been pretty good- nothing totally nauseating me. I think the GD diet has helped get me back on track with eating healthfully.

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: None.

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Eating what I want when I want it. I miss spicy tuna and not eating protein with every breakfast!

What I am looking forward to: Our 3D/4D ultrasound this weekend!

Weekly Wisdom: Acupuncture is good.

Milestones: Nick felt her from the outside! Pretty big!
Bump Picture:

Soccer Star?

So Nick has historically been scared of pregnant bellies. I think he may have been a little traumatized as a young boy when his mom was pregnant with his brothers. (Let's be honest, it is a little "Alien" to see and/or feel something moving inside you or someone you love.) As a result I was totally prepared for him to never want to touch mine.

But he's been making an effort, putting his hand on my belly and asking if she's moving, etc.
Last night in bed he tried again and then said "You never tell me when she's moving! You need to tell me!" I laughed and told him that wasn't true, but she hasn't been SUPER active this week (until yesterday when my cervix apparently became a trampoline or punching bag) and it just hasn't been when he's around. So I said "talk to her, maybe she'll respond to you".

So he put his head down where I told him she was, and started talking to her. Then he laid his head down so his ear was near where I had felt some movement. I felt a small movement and he said "was that her?". I wasn't sure (it was really small) and then as soon as he put his head down again he got one solid hit to the ear! There was no question at all that he had just been kicked (or hit) in the ear by our little Isabella.

He was so surprised but excited, so he immediately posted on facebook that he felt her (he had his phone on his nightstand). Then he put his head down again and felt her at least 3 more times- again solid kicks/hits.

I couldn't be happier that a) now he's felt her and b) that he's so excited about it. It is fun to feel her more regularly myself (albeit a little weird at times) but now to have Nick know that this is for real too, it is really exciting to share. Plus she clearly responded to his voice (she wasn't moving until he started talking to her). It was a very sweet, and funny, moment.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Registry Madness

This weekend we were dog sitting for Nick's coworker. The dog is actually Sadie's brother (litter mate) and the two of them could be twins. Anyhow when the coworker dropped the dog off she brought a little thank you gift for watching him of some very cute baby outfits. She also asked if I was registered at Target "yet".

For those of you who have never had to register, particularly for a baby, or perhaps for whom it has been awhile, let me tell you, this is no small task. I don't know why I got it in my head, but Babies R Us was the first place I went. Nick and I spent an afternoon with the gun in the store logging items into our registry. Then I added a few items at Hellers for Children, which is a higher end baby store, because a couple of our items are not carried through the other major retailers.

Well after getting the majority of this task done at these two stores I decided "that's plenty- who needs more than two!?!" Unfortunately Nick's coworker asking me about Target made me realize that Babies R Us is not particularly convenient for those local friends of ours. Although they added an annex in San Rafael, the majority of items are only at the Marin City location. And so, yesterday afternoon, I took on the massive task of moving most of my Babies R Us registry over to Target.

I am about 95% done with this task now, thank goodness. I still have to decide on a rocker/glider and a mattress, as well as some bedding. These all require an in person visit however to verify quality to price. Of course the rocker/glider and the mattress are items I will likely buy myself, but I think putting items like that on are good because it helps add to an overall picture of style and quality selection for those who wish to purchase off the registry.

The good news is that I am nearly done. Or at least I think so. The bad news is the deeper into the registry I got, the more overwhelmed I became! So many choices and things I should be researching! There's only so much research you can do though before it all starts to look the same.

At the end of the day though this is for a good reason. I'm lucky enough to have people in my life who want me to register and want to spoil this baby rotten. So I'm not complaining, just very glad to not have to look at 8,000 different hooded towel options again. =)

Tomorrow is weekly update- and this time I'll be adding my first bump picture!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Baby's first Disney trip!

This past weekend Nick and I drove down to Southern California to visit some family and celebrate my girlfriend Katie's son's 5th birthday at Disneyland.

If you know Nick and I at all, you know already that we enjoy Disney very much. We go every couple of years at least for a couple of days. So much that I no longer need to pick up a map at the front of the park because I really do know my way around that well. Nick even proposed to me there right next to the castle.

So we left about 3pm on Friday and eventually made it down to his Aunt Diane's house by about 10pm. They had some stew on the stove for us, so we ate and chatted a bit and finally went to bed. I was exhausted. On Saturday the rest of the So Cal family came over for a visit. It was nice to see everyone even for a few hours.

Finally Sunday was Disney day! We got up a little early and hit the road to get to Anaheim. It was only about a 20 minute drive so we parked at the hotel and walked down to the park.

Walking even through the shuttle area it was easy to be reminded that the next time we visited Disney, we would have a child with us. It certainly brought a smile to Nick's face.

The visit was really fun, especially since Katie is the friend who is 3 weeks more pregnant than me. We walked (slowly) around the park while waiting for the boys to go on rides. It was nice to have someone to sit with and eat with in the same boat as you! =)

We didn't have any time to shop, since it was such a quick visit, but I will definitely be keeping my eyes out for some cute Disney dresses. We walked through the emporium on our way to dinner one night and there were some awfully cute little outfits!

One true baby experience that I mentioned yesterday in my post was my first shocking baby movement. We were sitting on Pirates of the Caribbean and had just gotten going, floating by the Blue Bayou restaurant. The next thing I knew I felt three swift kicks to my cervix! It was surprising and made me jump and gasp a little. Nick thought there was something wrong because of my reaction. It just surprised me a little. Then throughout the ride she was moving up a storm. Guess I know which ride will be her favorite! =)

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Weekly Update 21 weeks

I've not been a very good blogger this week I guess. I managed to go from one weekly update to the next with nary a post between (and a day late to boot!). Last week was a little rough so the long weekend was greatly needed. I'll write about our Disney trip soon, but wanted to get the weekly update up before I was another day late!

How far along? 21 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Still down about 7 lbs

Maternity clothes? Still mostly for comfort more than necessity although I definitely cannot wear any pants that are "low riders"- only at the waist.

Stretch marks? I may get rid of this question. Nothing that I've noticed.

Sleep: Still mostly pretty good. I move from side to side a lot at night though.

Best moment this week: Feeling the most distinct movement yet! On Pirates of the Caribbean she kicked or hit me right in the cervix three times in a row. It surprised me so much I jumped a little and made Nick nervous. =)

Movement: Definitely. I feel her several times each day now with distinct movement.

Food cravings: I had actually been wanting cake for some odd reason, but that was finally satisfied by a piece of DELICIOUS Disney cake for my nephew Vinnie's 5th birthday.

Food Aversions: Fortunately this seems to be improving. Steak is the big hold out though I was able to eat several taco salads with steak over the last few days. Strong fish smells still get me too. Oh and I was totally turned off by a pizza at Disney too. The smell was awful.

Gender:
Girl! Though I'm getting nervous since it was such an odd "reveal" that I may get a gender verification elective ultrasound done.

Labor Signs: None.

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Sleeping in any comfortable position without being woken up. For example if I fall asleep on my back, I will wake up because I can't breathe well.

What I am looking forward to: Getting the nursery cleaned out and painted.

Weekly Wisdom: Sometimes you just need to listen to your body regardless of what the doctor says.

Milestones: Distinct and consistent movement.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Weekly Update

I was reading a stranger's blog (from TheBump.com) and found that she had this very cute baby check in. I've been so terrible at keeping up with the writing on here that I figured at the very least this would be a nice weekly update. So every Tuesday I will do my best to post this baby update.

How far along? 20 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Down 8(ish) pounds from pre-pregnancy.

Maternity clothes? I have 3 pairs of non-maternity pants that I can still wear, but other than that, it is maternity or dresses. The weather is still too cold to only wear dresses, and I need to drastically improve my selection, so my 3 pairs of maternity pants and 3 pairs of regular pants will have to suffice.

Stretch marks? no new ones. Of course I had them before pregnancy, so I may not notice!

Sleep: Restless or very very hard. I seem capable of getting enough hours, but never enough in truth. I'd like to not set my alarm for the rest of pregnancy.

Best moment this week: Finding out it's a girl! (well technically that was last week, but nothing new has happened since then so I'll go with it)

Movement: Yes. Nothing distinct where I can say "oh there's a kick!" but more than fluttering and with some regularity. Especially in bed at night and in the morning.

Food cravings: none. Only aversions!

Food Aversions: Meat. Steak, fish, chicken, turkey. They've all turned my stomach at least once. I've been able to incorporate chicken on salads somewhat regularly, and a few turkey sandwiches. I also had beef tacos the last two nights, so that was exciting. Still though if you put a steak in front of me, that gag reflex gets going!


Gender:
Girl!

Labor Signs: None.

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Not constantly thinking about what and when I eat, or sleep. I would like to be able to just function normally again.

What I am looking forward to: Next monthly check up on Friday. I'll get some more details regarding what to expect at the end (if and when they would induce, how do we keep track of baby's growth, etc).

Weekly Wisdom: The most important thing I can do for myself and my baby is to take a deep breath, and not worry so much.

Milestones: Finding out the gender!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The fun stuff!

So now that we know the gender I am thinking seriously about the design of the nursery. I want to paint the walls and put in carpet for sure, but beyond that and the furniture we've already purchased, I'm just not sure!

I decided step one was to start looking at bedding in hopes that I would find a spring board for the room. I don't know if I'll actually go with it, but I found this bedding through Babies R Us and liked it (and hated most everything else).

What I like about this bedding is that it is bright and colorful, without being too busy. I like the bold but simple pattern, and I really like the color combination. It is more green and brown than anything else, but still has that hint of pink. The crib pictured here is also similar in color to our furniture.
Then I looked at a couple of design sites and found some similar color combinations to see wall color and carpet color and other decorative ideas. This one shows the latte colored walls that I'm considering.


This one shows a darker carpet color (just the rug) which I'm thinking I will go with.


And going a completely different direction, I sort of like the more soft vintage feel of this room. The softer pink with the beige is nice.
I just thought I'd share some fun pictures of what I'm looking at. I haven't made any decisions yet. Just looking for "color stories" and other design elements.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Reward Number 2

So I promised a name and am ready to deliver! Nick and I actually picked out our girls name years ago. With all the trouble we had over boys names it was amazing how easy our girl name came to us. With the level of opinion that Nick and I both tend to have, any agreement usually means we lock in quickly.

Okay so the name-

Isabella Rose Marie

I've always loved Isabella. It is classic and sweet and has fabulous nick names of all sorts. Nick plans to call her Izzy. I haven't settled yet. Bella was what I always had in mind until Twilight went and ruined that for me.

Rose is my middle name. It is a namesake from both sides of my family and something I believe is worth carrying on.

Marie is Nick's Noni's name, and the middle name of all his aunts, female cousins and his mom too. Clearly a tradition worth keeping.

Put it all together with our last name and you have a lovely (French sounding) name. It flows nicely I believe.

We are happy to share the name since we are 100% settled on it (despite its popularity and Twilight connection). We hope you love it as much as we do.

Monday, March 1, 2010

A reward!

A reward for those of you reading this. =) We've only told a couple of family members, but we found out the gender of the baby this morning!

It's a....

GIRL!

I'm in total and complete shock. I had myself convinced it was a boy. So much so that I've had all boy dreams for months. Just over the weekend in fact I dreamt that we were at the ultrasound and the tech said "oh yeah, it's all boy!".

So my friends- we are officially team pink! Or purple more likely. =)

I have to totally wrap my head around this now and really nail down what I want to do with the nursery. I'm not actually that "girly girl" so it isn't like I'll be painting the walls pink, but this throws a whole different spin on things.

Name to be shared soon. But not today. =)