Preventing the Pooh-Apocalypse

I wanted to do my part to prevent the Pooh-Apocalypse.  As you may know, Jessica and I are not finding out the sex of the baby.  This has lead to a couple of conversations about how people can buy stuff if they don't know what sex the baby will be.  We have mentioned that we are doing a few pictures of Winnie the Pooh in the nursery, and painting it yellow.  Now we are worried that we might get invaded with so much Winnie the Pooh stuff that it will be overwhelming.  I am reserving the right to respond to a Pooh- Apocalypse the same way and with the same weapons I would use to respond to a Zombie Apocalypse.  Rule #2, Double Tap.

For the nursery, we will be doing a yellow color.  (Apparently, there are about 45 different shades of yellow, each with a different name.  The color wheel I have lists the name of all 45 of them as yellow.) We will be doing Classic Winnie the Pooh, not the modern one.  We will have decorations that are old fashioned and antique.  Think Velveteen Rabbit, Victorian kid stuff, and a big book shelf full of kids’ books.  I will be steering away from things like lead paint covered blocks, but other old fashioned things will be a part of it.  Hope that helps with ideas.

Overwhelmed with thoughts

As I get further along in this pregnancy, I start having the "oh crap" moments where I realize we're having a baby this year. There's so much to think about: How am I going to manage the pain? Should I hire a doula? Will they whisk the baby away right after birth or will we have skin to skin contact time? Will I be able to breastfeed? What are the labor suites like? What should we name the baby? What if the baby doesn't look like any of the names we've picked out? Do we need one carseat or one for each car? How many newborn diapers will we need? Do we get 2 girl and 2 boy going-home outfits since we won't know the baby's size or sex? I mean, do I want the baby to look like a he or a she on the drive home? You get the picture...

After months of having NO questions for the doctor, I'm fairly certain I have about 3 dozen questions for him at the next appointment. I keep telling myself this is normal and he won't be annoyed. Oh well, I'm sure he deals with tons of first-time parents and their hundreds of questions.

First pregnancy food concoction

Since today is Memorial Day, we decided to splurge on food. We had potato salad, pasta salad, and brats with sauerkraut and sauteed onions & garlic.These were our first brats since Adam's first stent in August 2010. Dinner also inspired my first pregnancy concoction... Well, you can blame pregnancy, but truthfully, I probably would've done it without being pregnant. I took a spoonful of potato salad and put sauerkraut on top. It was delicious (even Adam agreed). So, there you have it, my pregnancy "craving."

Here is Friday's picture at 17 weeks:

We have movement, ladies and gentleman!

First off, I owe you all last week's picture. Here I am, at 16 weeks and without makeup. Adam has to leave our house to go to cardiac rehab no later than 6:15am now, so I threw some clothes on so he could snap my picture before leaving:

On to the good stuff. About a week and a half ago at pilates, we were doing some exercises on our tummies. Now, I can't do all of the exercises anymore, because it feels like I'm lying on top of something, but I do participate in what I can do. While I was resting on my stomach, I felt an odd sensation in my lower-left abdomen. I can only describe it as what felt like an eyelid twitch in my belly. I thought it might be the baby, but I chalked it up to gas.

Fast forward to yesterday. I'm lying on the couch because I have a headache from my fabulous cold when I notice the same twitchy, fluttering sensation. That's when I figured it might not be a fluke. Keep reading, this gets better...

I went to bed early to combat this cold. At about 11:20pm, I woke up and went to the bathroom. After coming back to bed, I settled in on my left side. Just as I was about to doze off, I get that sensation you get when you hit a dip in the road (we called these "tummy ticklers" growing up in my family)...except I wasn't moving. This went on for a few minutes and subsided. After consulting with a few mommy friends today, I know it was the baby!

It's so weird to feel something moving in your abdomen, knowing it's none of your muscles. Since last night, I've actually felt the baby a few times. I'm guessing I've been feeling the baby for a few weeks and just dismissed it or didn't quite recognize it. I better enjoy it now because in no time, he or she will be kicking me in the ribs/bladder or dancing up a storm when I'm trying to sleep!

The pregnant comments begin

We have lots of updates this week. First off, we got the cutest ultrasound picture on Friday. Zyggie seemed to be sucking his/her fingers. You can see his or her profile fairly clearly. Because of the angle, you don't see the baby's body. It was quite exciting to see Zyggie moving his or her arm to suck on his or her fingers. :)

I'm accidentally "out" at work now. One of my coworkers was looking at this ultrasound picture on Friday, when another person arrived to work. When asked what we were doing, my coworker answered without thought, "Looking at the baby." Well, the cat's out of the bag now! Oh well.

In other news, my belly doesn't look different from last week, perhaps smaller. Maybe it was just the day or the angle, but it seems the same to me.
15 weeks exactly:

Despite the seeming lack of change from last week's picture, I actually got my first pregnancy comment from a perfect stranger this weekend. Adam and I grabbed a bite to eat at a Chinese restaurant in Kansas City. When our food arrived, Adam requested chopsticks. Well, she only brought one set, so we had to ask for a second set. She kind of chuckled and said she only brought one set because she thought I'd rather use the fork since I'm pregnant; it would allow me to eat faster. She's lucky I actually am pregnant.

Finally, we've gotten a better baby-mobile for Adam. The old Dodge just wouldn't cut it for toting a baby and me. We got a few "godbye" pictures in before Adam takes it in tomorrow. He's getting a 2006 Jeep Liberty and couldn't be more excited. The best part about it is that I can drive it comfortably!

I figure I'll throw in this glamorous picture from the truck, so you can see how my bump varies from day to day. Behold the awesome power of my wardrobe - stripes and plaid! Hey, I was doing laundry and just threw on whatever was comfortable and actually fit.

15w2d:

It's beginning

The wayward glances have begun... Adam and I went to a BBQ competition and to Target yesterday. I didn't notice, but apparently throughout our excursion, women were looking at my belly out of the corner of their eye. I guess I still look like I've been hitting the drive-through too often.

I guess it's only a matter of time now.

Officially Second Trimester

There's not too much to update... I've officially reached the second trimester by all accounts. Woohoo! According to BabyCenter, Zyggie is the size of a lemon now. I've also learned that the hormone relaxin is starting to loosen my abdominals and pelvis - I guess that accounts for the burgeoning belly.

14 weeks, 0 days:

It's getting harder to hide at work. Obviously, I stay away from form-fitting shirts like the brown one we use for weekly pictures. It's not that we're really *hiding* at work, but just trying to keep things quiet until Adam returns. While it will distract from his heart surgery, it will also prevent me from having to deal with all of the attention. *grin* Less than 2 weeks to keep hiding! Wish me luck that I'm able to keep it quiet until then...