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Showing posts from August, 2009

Nursery

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Now that we know we are expecting a baby girl, we are anxious to start work decorating the nursery. One of the first orders of business was to order the nursery furniture. Saturday we went back to Georgia Baby to check it out one more time and placed our order. We ordered 3 pieces, a bookcase, a double dresser, and a crib all in espresso finish. They won't be in for 4 - 8 weeks, but hopefully that will give us time to get her nursery painted. Here are some pictures of what we ordered. I don't think that this little girl will ever be able to understand just how excited we are for her and how much thought goes into everything that we plan for her.

Crowded Bed

A few weeks ago I mentioned that sleep positions have become awkward for me, and my very generous co-worker and his wife were kind enough to pass on some of the products that she bought to try while she was pregnant. One of those products is something called the Snoozer . The Snoozer is like a long body pillow that curves at the top to make a pillow. The first night that I got it out, I couldn't stop giggling about the name of it and the size of it. It's a little like having a 3rd person in our bed. Once I slept with it, I actually found it quite comfortable. I can use it to prop myself up on while sleeping on my side or as a way to keep me from sleeping completely on my back. All my life I have slept with a very thin feather pillow, so the pillow part is a little more than I am used to, but it's pretty comfy. Now when I go to sleep, I have Aaron on one side and the Snoozer on the other.

Do you really want to know?

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We went for our ultrasound this morning....you don't really want to know if sweet pea is a boy or a girl, do you? Well, we can't resist shouting it for all to hear...IT'S A GIRL! Our ultrasound went great! Such a huge relief! The baby's brain, heart, spine and other organs are looking good. She weighs about 10 oz. right now. The placenta looks healthy and is well-positioned. My cervix is nice and long, which is good for right now because a short cervix now could be a sign of an incompetent cervix. All that water that I crave seems to be paying off because baby girl has plenty of amniotic fluid. We love seeing her on screen. She had her little ankles crossed and would open and close her mouth. We could see the tiny little feet, so cute already! She participated in the ultrasound well and let the lady snap several pictures of her. A sweet girl already!

Is it a girl?

Aaron and I can't wait to find out the gender of the baby. I don't really have a preference either way, I just hope he/she is healthy. Anyway back to our fascination, we have had numerous conversations thinking about if the baby is a boy how we would decorate the nursery, dress him etc. and likewise for a girl. It has been a lot of fun to think about, but as the day to find out the gender draws nearer, we are beside ourselves. Several weeks ago I mentioned some of the old wives' tales for predicting gender and one common one is the Drano test. Well, tonight I decided to give it a try. This is a sign of just how much Aaron loves me because this morning when I asked him to pick up some Drano on his way home from work, he asked if we had a clog and I said no, it's for testing the gender. He thinks this gender prediction stuff is not very accurate, but he picked some Drano up for me anyway. So, after dinner I did the test. The test would predict boy if it changes co

Belly Shot!

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Here's the sweet pea update: Six inches long this week and about eight ounces in weight, your baby is the size of a large mango. Your little action figure is able to choreograph Matrix-like moves at 19 weeks pregnant . Arms and legs are finally in proportion, neurons are now connected between the brain and muscles, and cartilage throughout the body is turning to bone. All these upgrades combine to give your baby more control over limb movements. Which explains all that kicking, stretching, and bodysurfing (or rather bellysurfing ) you've possibly started feeling by now. Something else going on this week: Your baby is getting a cheesy varnish. Say what? Yup — a protective substance called vernix caseosa ( vernix is the Latin word for varnish; caseosa is cheese) now covers your baby's skin. It's greasy and white and is made up of lanugo (that downy hair), oil from your baby's glands, and dead skin cells. This waxy "cheese" may not sound too appetizi

Weekend Catch Up

We had a really nice weekend. Saturday night Aaron and I got dressed up and went out for a fancy dinner at Chops, a steakhouse in Buckhead . This is not the type of restaurant that we normally go to even on a Saturday night, but we had a gift card. How did we come to have this gift card? Well, back in May my co-worker and his wife had tickets to a concert, but their nanny was not available to keep their baby. Knowing that I had nannied previously, they asked if I might be willing to babysit. Aaron and I knew that we wanted to have a baby (didn't know how soon that would become a reality :) ), so we thought it would be fun to get some hands-on practice. This was not your typical babysitting gig because first they cooked us a lovely dinner while we got acquainted with their cute as a button little boy. He was almost a year at the time and wasn't bothered when they left for the evening, a joy for any babysitter! We played with him for a few hours and Aaron got a crash course in wh

Saturday Stroll

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Lucy has been a bit bored lately because it is too hot for her to go out for walks. She's a trooper and will go until she is so overheated that she can't catch her breath and I feel awful for her. So, we just don't take her out much during the hot summer weather. I heard on the news on Friday that we would have rain and that would bring some drier, cooler air. So, Friday night I promised Lucy that Saturday I would take her out. You would think that this has no meaning for her, but her ears did perk a little. Saturday morning I woke up insanely early at like 6 o'clock. I tried to go back to sleep by by a quarter to 7 I gave it up and got dressed to take Lucy on a walk. Lucy is not a morning dog and sometimes doesn't even get moving for a good 15 minutes after I wake her in the morning, but when I woke her up and told her we were going for a walk, she was bursting up the stairs from her room in the basement. I love it when she gets all excited! I got her hooked up in

Sleep

I spent about 6 or 8 weeks in the first trimester dead tired and unable to sleep through the night. I would do all I could to stay awake until 9 p.m., go to bed, and wake up some time between 2 and 3 in the morning. I would either lay there for about an hour or 2 trying to go back to sleep, or get up and do something. Then of course, the alarm goes off at 5:30 not long after I had fallen back asleep. I was delighted to find that the problem completely went away in the second trimester and I sleep mostly through the night. I say mostly because there are still several trips to the bathroom, but at least I go right back to sleep. Now the problem appears to be how to sleep. Sweet pea's bump makes it uncomfortable to sleep on my stomach and Aaron tells me that if I lay on my back it can cut off blood flow to sweet pea, so that leaves sleeping on my side. I usually avoid sleeping on my side because it makes my neck, shoulders, and collar bone do strange things. This morning I am remember

Movement?

For the past few days about once or twice a day I feel a little flutter in my lower abdomen. I wish that it would happen more often so that I could be more sure, but I think it is sweet pea moving around in there. I have visions of him/her turning somersaults and using my organs as something to bounce off of like a trampoline. I guess in the next few months I will know more about the kind of acrobat sweet pea is! I just can't wait for there to be strong enough movements that Aaron can feel it. Patience.....

Reading

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This is the stack of books on my bedside table that I pick from to read each night. They are all about pregnancy or some aspect of having a baby. A few of these we bought the moment we found out we were pregnant and felt like we needed to get educated on what we are in for. The rest have been passed on to us by very generous friends. I just finished reading Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy and I thoroughly enjoyed it. She covers all the symptoms of pregnancy that you have heard of and some that you never expected. She writes in layman's terms and the book is true to its title because I laughed out loud at some of her first-hand accounts. It's also the book that made me feel the most normal, something that can be hard to come by during pregnancy.

Belly Shot!

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Here's the update on sweet pea (a real yawner this time :)). At 18 weeks pregnant , your baby is hitting the height chart at five and a half inches long (remember, that's crown to rump) and weighs about five ounces (the weight of that boneless chicken breast you're making for dinner). And now for the skill of the week (drum roll please…): The art of the yawn has been mastered by your baby (someone's sleepy!). In fact, you might catch a glimpse of that adorable yawn if you're getting an ultrasound this month. You'll also catch a glimpse of all the fetal movement your baby's doing — twists, rolls, kicks, and punches. And would you believe your baby is finally big enough for you to start feeling those movements now (or anytime in the next few weeks). So get ready! Something you won't see on the ultrasound, but you'll know is in working order, is your baby's nervous system, which is maturing rapidly at this time. Nerves, now covered with a substance

Yummy Food

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One of the features on the camera is a setting for taking pictures of food . We tried it out on a couple of things this weekend. We made a delicious strawberry salad for lunch on Saturday. This is the quiche I made for my breakfast this week. It's a low fat quiche with turkey bacon, some swiss cheese, and evaporated skim milk. I can't wait for tomorrow morning!

Our favorite subject

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We love to take pictures of Lucy, and Aaron captured some good ones while playing with the new camera. He captured all of these in just a minute. Painless for Lucy.

New Camera

One of the things that I really wanted before sweet pea arrives is a new camera. Our point and shoot was just too slow. I have tried hard to capture good pictures of Lucy and really struggle because the reset time is so long that she has moved off and is no longer doing the cute thing I wanted to capture. I anticipate that sweet pea will be no more patient to pose for pictures. So, I wanted a digital SLR camera that can take pictures much more quickly. A co-worker loaned me an issue of Consumer Reports that covered SLRs and I looked around online and paid attention to the type of camera that some of my favorite bloggers are using. Everything pointed to the Nikon. We decided to go to Wolf Camera to hopefully find a knowledgeable salesperson who might have an opinion as well. We found a really great salesperson who enjoys photography and was happy to impart his knowledge and opinion. His co-worker was also very experienced and happy to share. Their suggestion was the Nikon D-5000. We h

Sharing the Experience

I have a cousin, Lynsey, on my Dad's side who is pregnant with her first baby and due just 2 weeks before me. She gave me a call the other day and we had a fun time talking about being pregnant and comparing the experience. It was a lot of fun to talk about the changes that we are both experiencing physically and the anticipation. I feel very fortunate to know someone who is going through similar things at about the same time I am. Most women are fortunate to have someone they know who has been pregnant recently. but I think it is neat to know someone else who is questioning whether that little bit of pressure might have been the first time you can feel baby moving in there. Because our due dates are so close to one another, my aunts have offered to host a baby shower for the two of us together. I think it will be a lot of fun to gather with our family and friends from our individual lives. My one wish is that we lived closer together so that our children could grow up really

Maternity Wear

A few weeks ago I started looking at maternity clothes and bought a few things. I didn't go to any of the big maternity stores, but checked out Gap, Old Navy, and JC Penney maternity sections. The selection wasn't huge, but I found a few things that I liked and a number of things that I would have to be a whole lot more uncomfortable to consider wearing. I was mostly looking for things that I can wear to work, which requires it to be pretty dressy. I ended up buying 2 dresses that are made of the softest, stretchy fabric and I liken to wearing your nightgown out in public. Seriously, someone should highlight that as one of the definite pros of being pregnant. You can wear stretchy, comfy clothes and not even feel obligated to suck in your stomach. I was also very flattered because while wearing my going out nightgown, someone at work who doesn't know me or know that I am pregnant commented on my pregnant status. Yay ! I don't look like I've been hitting the

Freebirthing

A co-worker told me about this crazy trend called Freebirthing . Women who choose to freebirth feel that the best way to have their baby is at home without any medical intervention or medical professionals there. Aaron and I caught a program last night on Discovery Health that followed 3 women as they made the choice and followed through with their freebirth . It was quite shocking to see that today, women who have access to medical care choose to give birth without any of the benefits of modern medicine. Just the woman and her husband or a family member there in their home having a baby and handling all the post natal stuff on their own. I have mentioned before that I really like the idea of a natural childbirth and plan to pursue this, but we are most definitely planning to have trained professionals around to monitor and care for me and baby. Although I do not want a freebirth , I must say that the women were incredibly calm, had short labors (2 hours), and seemed very relaxed

Belly Shot!

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Here's an update on sweet pea's development this week. How big is your baby at 17 weeks pregnant ? About five inches long and more than three and a half ounces — the size of your open hand. (Open the other one too and imagine your baby cradled in both your arms right after delivery!) Body fat (baby's, that is) is beginning to form and will continue to accumulate through the end of your pregnancy. By the time your baby is born, body fat will make up about two-thirds of his or her weight (and will make all those chubby parts especially yummy). Your baby is almost certainly listening up by now. In fact, loud noises — the dog barking, the doorbell ringing — will actually startle your baby (and also get him or her used to such noises; for instance, fetuses who regularly hear a dog barking will become babies who sleep right through Fido's outbursts). Your baby's eyes (which have fortunately finished their migration to the front of his or her head) are making small side-t

More Window Shopping

After making me a pancake breakfast, Aaron and I headed out to look at more baby stuff. We had several different stores to check out. First on the list was Precious Cargo, which is right down the street from us. Precious Cargo has really cute accessory type stuff and so many burp cloths and lovies that it is unbelievable! We didn't see any cribs there that we like, but once we know boy or girl, I will definitely be back for some of the cute extras. Next on the list was a store called New Baby Products . The store itself was a little cramped and cluttered, but we found the most knowledgeable salespeople. One person spent forever talking with us about car seats and going over the pros and cons of infant v. convertible car seats. She also spent a lot of time talking to us about strollers and demonstrating how different ones operate. After going to a store like Babies R Us, it was refreshing to have someone know the products and be able to talk about them with firsthand experience. The

Double Date

Friday night we went on a double date with my friend Sarah and her boyfriend. We haven't been on a date with another couple in a very long time. We had so much fun! We started with dinner at a local Italian place called Scalini's . After feasting on salad, fried calamari, and a host of Italian dishes all containing the "good" sausage (that was too funny!), we went over to Bruster's for ice cream. Bruster's is so yummy! I had a baby cone of white chocolate turtle and it was the perfect amount. We finished off the evening by going to see "Funny People" at the movie. It has Adam Sandler and Seth Rogan with cameos from James Taylor, MNM , and Ray Romano. It was part serious and part super funny. Thanks to my increased energy level, I was able to make it up until we got home a little before 11. In case you weren't aware, that is very late for me! 9 o'clock is usually the time when I start heading upstairs. Anyway, the company Friday night was f

I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant

With our favorite TV shows like Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives on break, we started recording shows about pregnancy. Some of them scared us because they seem to show every possible thing that can go wrong, so we quit watching those. Others seem to give a bit of reality, but in a more normal way, like Bringing Home Baby . While watching this program we have continually seen the commercials for the new show, I Didn't Know I was Pregnant . A few nights ago I asked Aaron to record some so that we could see what the deal is with these people and we watched an episode last night. I have to say it is quite interesting how these people did not have glaring symptoms. The 2 people on the episode that we saw both never felt the baby moving and their abdomen did not really increase in size. They both had some symptoms associated with pregnancy and some weight gain, but the symptoms were heartburn and mood swings that can be explained away by other things. One lady was using

Mood Swings?

Aaron would probably be the better person to write about this, but I think I have been experiencing mood swings more in the last few days than normal. I think my patience is a lot thinner than normal. I may have to do more self-monitoring to keep from really being testy. Also, I still really like salad this week. We are out of lettuce and I am seriously missing it today for lunch. Definitely have to stop off at the grocery on the way home.

What a nice thing!

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My sister's friend has a baby girl who is a year and a half and recently they cleaned out some of the baby items that she can no longer use. She was so generous and passed some of the things on to us. One of the items was a bouncy seat. She also had some books on baby care and pregnancy that she shared. We really appreciate how thoughtful she was and we are sure that sweet pea will enjoy the vibrating, bouncy seat!

Belly Shot!

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Sweet Pea at 16 weeks

I don't have a belly shot for the week yet, but we will work on it tonight. I was too slow getting ready this morning to get Aaron to take one before he left for work. Here is an update on what is going on for sweet pea this week. Listen up: Tiny bones in your fetus's ears are in place this week, making it likely that the baby can hear your voice when you're speaking (or singing in the shower)at 16 weeks pregnant . In fact, studies have found that babies who are sung to while they're in the womb recognize the same tune when it's sung to them after they are born (so choose your baby Muzak with that in mind…). And baby's busily boning up in other ways. For one, the backbone (along with the back muscles) is stronger now — strong enough, in fact, to enable your baby to work on straightening his or her head and neck even more. Baby's crown-to-rump measurement is between four and five inches in length, and weight is hovering around three ounces. This little one

Friday Night Entertainment

A co-worker of mine loaned us a DVD that he and his wife enjoyed while they were expecting called In the Womb . This was our Friday night entertainment to watch and it was fascinating! It is a National Geographic video following a pregnancy from conception to birth and showing you what is going on in the womb using ultrasound images and sometimes a model of a fetus in the uterus. The ultrasound images are the 3-D and 4-D type and it is simply amazing. There are parts where you can see the fetus hiccuping and swallowing the amniotic fluid. You can even see the facial expressions that they are able to make. It is really neat to see. I am always amazed just how much they can do while they are inside. If you are or know someone who is expecting, or if you just enjoy biology, I highly recommend viewing this DVD.

Oh, the baby products!

I mentioned that a friend sent me a book called Baby Bargains that seems like a fabulous guide to help first-time parents select the products that baby will need. After reading the section on cribs we decided to go out and take a look at some. We went to several stores, Georgia Baby was our favorite. There we spotted the cribs by Munire ', a brand that came highly recommended in the book and seemed to offer the style that we are looking for. Most of the cribs on display were the convertible style, but Munire ' does make some traditional cribs. The salesperson showed us some in the brochures that go with the other pieces that we like. This one that I really like is the Munire ' Olde World Crib . I like the traditional style of it. There is a dresser that could go with it that we like a lot, too. After we checked out baby furniture at a couple of stores, we decided to see the plethora of products out there and went to Babies R Us. Boy, is there a lo out there! We spent mo