Sew what?

Long before I was pregnant, my friend Kimberly was getting rid of a few things from her last pregnancy (which was a few years ago.) She had a Boppy Pillow and I said I would take it, knowing that when I did have a baby, I would like to have one and free is good! However, it was a Paddington Bear pillow (see picture on left). So what did I decide to do about it? I decided to buy a trendy Boppy Pillow cover. Only after selecting my nursery bedding I found that they don't make Boppy Pillow covers in fun primary colors. They are all pastel and nothing I really liked. So what did I want to do about that? I wanted to sew one! I found a pattern online and some fabric at Hobby Lobby. I decided on a fun flannel for the top with primary colored alphabet letters and a bright red for the back. And today, I went to work. I opted for the zipper as the pattern suggested (I had considered snaps) and I must say I am quite happy with the results. The top right picture shows the pillow after I was done (from the top). I threw in additional pictures to show my nice handy work with the zipper ;o) and the red back of the pillow. This was the first zipper I have done! Like most things in life, this is far from perfect but I am very pleased with the results. I may even just make another.

By request....kissing cousins

A few weeks ago when in Omaha for my SIL's baby shower, my MIL wanted to recreate a picture she remembers her and her sister taking when they were both pregnant about 31 years ago. She called the picture "kissing cousins." As this is the only time my SIL and I will be together during these pregnancies it was now or never. I wasn't showing that much as I was still in what I call the "fat" stage but I played along. Here you can see Val just wasn't sure about the picture. We took it in the hotel lobby so I'm sure a few other patrons wondered what in the world was going on. However, it is a cute picture and I'm glad we could do it for my MIL.

Our last sonogram...

Today was my last sonogram. I am 19w2d. We invited both grandmas to come with us. Here we are waiting to get called back to the lab. I had to pee so bad. You are supposed to have a full bladder. I couldn't remember how much they told me to drink so I drank 44 oz of water between 1215 and 1230 since it's supposed to be 1 hour before the appt. I knew that once we got in the room and started looking at the baby that I would be distracted enough I wouldn't think about needing to pee but sitting here was difficult.

They called us back to the room and I laid on the table. My mom snapped this quick (and unflattering) picture as I was pulling up my shirt. My back is arched and my chin is down so I look really large. However, you can see the belly. About this time we were also told we weren't allowed to take any pictures. Some weird law. I don't think it's a state law. It's probably just a rule for the clinic. So we didn't get any additional pictures of the procedures. However, this was a different room than I was used to and it had the tv screen that I could watch the whole time too.

The whole appt took about 30 minutes and I think everyone there enjoyed seeing the "little bean." He/she was much bigger than last time. We asked to hear the heartbeat and it measured at 146bpm. The moms had smiles when we heard it. I think it was much faster than they had expected it to be. The tech took lots of measurements and explained what we were looking at each time. We did have to all divert our eyes for a few minutes when she was down in the "gender zone." No we didn't change our minds and find out and the tech didn't document the information anywhere so now we all have to wait and there is no going back. She said my placenta was on the posterior side and even showed us where the umbilical cord attaches. It was really neat to see all the images. The baby seemed to be keeping its arms and hands up by its face. At one point it stretched up and out and arched its back which was neat. Afterwards, she talked about a few of our measurements. I am actually measuring 20w5d which would move my due date from Jan 20th to somewhere around Jan 10th... Looks like it's getting closer to Lissa's birthday. She copied a few of the pictures to a disk for us to keep. I will put some of the best ones below.
Clay and I can't believe that we won't get to see the baby again until it's born. That seems so far away right now. I guess with the fall and the holidays it will be here before we know it. Next week we go back to the doctor for our appt with her and she will prob review a few more things with us.
Well that wraps it up, so I guess I should wrap up with what you prob want to see the most (it may help to make each one larger to get a good look.)......

Our first shared moment

I struggled with what to title this post. Everything I think of seems insufficient. I have been feeling the baby for about a week now and it still makes me smile each time I feel a little kick. I've been waiting to share that moment with Clay and last night it happened ;o) We were on the couch watching a movie and the baby became active. I hadn't felt anything externally yet but decided to lay my hand on my belly. Sure enough with the next kick, I could feel it on my hand. I then took Clay's hand and placed it on the same spot where I had just felt him/her. I told him to apply a little pressure and then wait. He got impatient and was wiggling his fingers a bit. I explained that he can't wiggle his fingers because I can't feel it as well. So, he settled in and sure enough about 1 minute later....KICK! I didn't say anything to see if he had felt it on his own and about that time he asked, "Was that it?" I turned to verify he had just felt his child kick for the first time and the smile on his face was PRICELESS. I wish I would have been able to capture it on a picture. I asked him what he thought and he said it was really neat. Baby must have been content because the kicking subsided for the night. However, it was our first shared moment as a family with all three of us. I'm happy I can finally share the "baby moving" experience with Clay.

19 weeks, predictions, and updates

Tomorrow I will be 19 weeks pregnant. I may have said it before but I am going to say it again... I can't believe how fast time is going. I mean I'm pretty much half way there. It's kind of scary cause that means that Christmas is even closer (17 weeks and 2 days until Christmas...geez!!) I guess I'm showing enough that I actually look pregnant now and not just fat. I am in class this week at work and several people asked today so at least I look pregnant.
Now that I am showing several more people are making predictions. I had two more people predict girl today. One lady said it was because I was carrying high (wives tale). Clay also admitted that he thinks it's a girl too. I asked him why and he said he just settles on girl everytime he thinks about it. I'm still torn. I always said I wanted a girl first but when I found out I was pregnant I thought it was a boy. Now I just don't know.
My good update for the day is that even though I look pregnant now, I got some nice compliments today when I told them I was 19 weeks. They thought I still looked small. I guess I carry my weight well. I have gained more than people would guess but I have always been able to hide the weight.
The baby is about 6 inches from crown to rump this week and weighs about 8 1/2 ounces. That's only half a pound. Super light! It's about the size of an heirloom tomato. BabyCenter also says that the baby's sensory development is exploding and suggests that the baby can now hear my voice. Funny related thought (may be too much for some so feel free to stop reading)... I had just thought this morning about the baby's hearing. It hears and feels the mother's heartbeat and finds it comforting...well my twisted mind had a different thought. I found myself tooting this morning several times and a few were quite loud. (Yes I am human and pass gas.) I chuckled to myself and wondered what that would sound like to the baby. HA! Okay too much I know but that's how my twisted mind works.
Anyways, I will have more updates later this week. Friday is our big sono appt and both grandmas will be coming along. I will also be taking pictures next week.

Butterflies, Gas, or Baby?

It's official. I can feel the baby move. It's not consistent and it's not all the time of course but it's pretty much at least 1 time per day. I thought I felt it last Thursday but wasn't sure. Maybe like 70% sure since they say it can feel like a gas bubble or butterflies. Then over the weekend I grew more sure. Yesterday and today I am like 95% sure that it's the baby. It's such a small feeling but it is really neat. I wish I could feel it more often but the baby still has a bit of room to move about. In a few more weeks when you can feel it externally and things get more cramped as it proceeds I am sure that I will be able to feel it more.

Baby sono ban

The title of this video caught my eye the other day as I was browsing on our internet providers homepage getting ready to check my email. I had tried to blog about it that night but when I embedded the video I got an error. I wrote the help desk and like I expected, they were no help. However it appears the video has been fixed tonight so I decided to post it.

I know several people who have had these 3d sonograms and I know a few more people interested. I think they are really neat to see. I suppose I would possibly consider it if we were going to find out the sex of our little bean, but because we want to keep that a surprise, we wouldn't want to do one of these and then accidentally see if it was a boy or a girl. Well, the fact that it isn't covered by insurance is a deterrent too since we are trying to budget more these days.

I guess the whole point of the video is that these elective sonograms are unregulated by the FDA and there are no long term studies on the possible effects on the baby. The main point I got was that the machines and technicians aren't regulated like the machines and technicians in the hospital or doctor's office.

I don't want to put this out to scare anyone. I just thought it was interesting and wanted to share the short video to spark discussion. I just take it at face value. I'm sure there were some concerns back in the day when regular 2d sonograms were first used.

Do you see a difference? The next big decision almost made.

The crib on the left is the crib we picked out at Babies R Us. It's the Sorelle Tuscany Elite Crib in Cider Oak. The crib on the right is the DaVinci Kalani Crib in Cherry. To us they look almost identical even in color even with the different names. The one on the right is actually a more distinguished brand and looks a a little different in the feet. Both convert to a toddler, day, and full bed although we will prob always use as a crib. Do you see any differences? I think it's just two different companies making the same crib. We like the dresser/changer combo that goes with the DaVinci Kalani crib better so we are leaning that way (It's the one on the right again. I like the bigger drawers.)

18 weeks and growing

Both the baby and I are growing and I'm not sure which of us is growing faster ;o) Today we are 18 weeks pregnant. I have made the full transition to maternity pants and even bought myself a few pairs this weekend. (I got a gray pair and a super cute pair of jeans. Yes I said that my maternity pants were cute.) On Babycenter this week, they say the baby is 5 1/2 inches long, which is about the size of a bell pepper and weighs about 7 ounces so I don't think I can blame him/her for the extra 4 lbs I gained this week. (I should be blaming all the food I ate in Omaha this past weekend while there for my SIL's baby shower). Last week I didn't gain anything but this week I was up about 4 lbs, so averaging 2lbs a week for the last few weeks. I'm actually comfortable right now and don't think the weight gain is too much. I still have room to grow ;o)

We are getting excited for our 19 week sono next week. We invited both of our mothers to come along if they wanted so they could see the baby. We've been told by both of them that sonograms weren't done often "back in their day" when they were pregnant with us so we thought they may like to see the modern medical technology. We hope the baby will cooperate for all the measurements needed but not give too much of a display of its "personal region." We want to be able to see lots of pictures but keep the gender a surprise.

I'm still waiting for movement. I THOUGHT I MAY (MAY) have felt it the other day but I haven't felt it again so I'm not quite sure. Everyone just says "oh you'll know" or "it feels like butterflies" but I figure its something that you don't pick up on at first. Sometime by the end of the month is my goal so I'll stay patient.

I have nothing to wear

You know those days where you stand and stare into your closet for what seems like hours (but really is just a LONG few minutes) and then you profess, "I have nothing to wear!"? Well, I am having a lot of them recently. Now over the past week I have been transitioning into maternity pants and it is a lot more comfortable. I have been given a few stacks of maternity pants from friends to either have/borrow (depending on the source and if they are done having kids or not). So, I am sorta okay on pants. (More on that in a minute...) But the shirts, oh its hard to find a comfortable and semi-flattering shirt. Well let me add, a shirt that doesn't seem "short." Somehow all of my shirts (and I didn't really wear tight shirts before) have lost at least 2-3 inches in length. Now wearing them with the banded maternity pants (noticed I said banded and not paneled...I'm no where near paneled pants and have a slight aversion to the panel anyways), it becomes a constant struggle to make sure that the shirt stays long enough to hide the band. It's a never ending struggle, especially since the band tends to roll and squish. I guess if I go shopping this weekend in Omaha with my sister-in-law (who is also pregnant) that I will need to focus on shirts and not so much pants.

Now back to the pants. The other thing I don't understand about clothes when pregnant are the sizes. I thought I was confused before on how different sizes can still "fit," but it seems more confusing now. The first pants I started wearing were maternity size 12. I also had a few Med and Large. Seemed reasonable to me since I work a 10 or 12 in real life depending on fit. Well I got a second bag of pants from Liz. Looking through them last night I saw that she had some maternity 8s and 10s which I thought were NEVER going to fit. I tried on one of the 10s last night and they were a bit tight in the thigh but okay at the waist. Now today I'm wearing a pair of the 8s comfortably to work. Weird! It all seems a bit backwards but as long as I can find SOMETHING to wear to work I guess I shouldn't complain.

Our 16 wk appt and the main 3

Today we went to the doctor for our 16 week appt. It feels like forever since we have been there. It was a fast appointment and not much happened. We did what I will refer to as the "main 3:" weight, blood pressure, and baby heartbeat. My weight was at 177lbs which is what I expected. My blood pressure was 120/70 which is normal and the baby's heartbeat was just cool. I think I could listen to that everyday. It makes it so real! AlthoughI am starting to show, it seems weird to think a small human is in there growing each day. The heartbeat is just a reality check. It's so fast. It sounds like a galloping horse to me. We also talked with the doctor about the results from the bloodwork of my last visit. Everything was normal and looking good. The doctor also asked us about the quad screen test. We declined. I don't see the need really. It doesn't change anything and the chance of a "false positive" would just freak me out. We also talked about feeling movement. The doctor said that really for a first time mom she would say it would be 19 or 20 weeks before I figured it out as the baby is still really small. So just a few more weeks for that. We go back again in 3 weeks for our next sonogram. This would be the "one" where we could find out the sex of the baby if we were going to (but we aren't). We will have to make sure the sono tech knows that we don't want to know. Then we go back to the doctor the week after for our 20 week appointment. Just right around the corner. 20 weeks, the half-way point ;o) coming right up!

Anyone hungry for Alphabet Soup?

We have decided we love the baby bedding we ordered, so to please my blog followers, I thought I would share. We will be using the Cocalo "Alphabet Soup" collection. I didn't see very many gender neutral sets that I liked and this one by far was too cute to pass up. It is bright and fun. I love the primary colors and the letters and numbers. The set has so many cute accessories so I just have to decide how far I want to take it. I do like light switch cover and the night light. I will have to see how it ends up. I don't have any plans yet for the wall colors in the room but I have plenty to work with on this palette. I have a cute sheet, bumper, and dust ruffle too. Now to more shopping!!

Old wives tales and those "tests"

I guess it's never really to early to guess if we will have a boy or a girl. After all you have a 50/50 shot and plenty of time to change your mind. We have had a few people guess already. Two have said girl and one has said boy. The two that said girl put me through those old wives tale tests... you know like hanging a silver spoon over your belly, a needle over your wrist, or picking up a key. (Yeah I had never heard of the key one either)

We did the "key" test a few weeks ago at Liz's house. Her neighbor said he was 100% accurate to date. He threw a key on the ground and told me to pick it up. Then based on how I picked up the key he said I was having a girl. Now I don't remember any other details so we may have to Google for more understanding....

My mom did the needle over the wrist test. Now this goes beyond telling you the sex of the baby. It also tells you how many kids you will have (and the sex of each). You hand a needle over your wrist and if it swings in a circle it will be a girl and if it swings side to side it will be a boy. It will pause between swinging and then when it starts again that is your next kid....then it stops.. So according to this "test" we will have 2 kids. The first will be a girl and the second is a boy.

I just bring these up because Clay and I recently read the "Wives Tales" section of the pregnancy book and some of them were just too much. I thought I would share some of our "favorites."

• Refusing to eat the heel on a loaf of bread means you're going to have a girl.
  
• Your baby will be born with a hairy birthmark if you see a mouse while pregnant.
  
• Eating berries causes red splotches on your baby's skin.
  
• If you perspire a lot, it's a girl.
  
• It's a girl if you crave orange juice (which I do.)
• Stretching your arms over your head can cause the umbilical cord to wrap around the baby's neck.
  
• If you carry high, it's a boy: low, it's a girl.
  

Those were just a few. We really liked the arms above the head one and the mouse causing birthmarks. Hmm...

Well feel free to share any others that you have heard. When we get closer to baby's arrival (like maybe Nov) I will do a poll to see what you think it will be.

16 weeks

As promised I have done 16 week belly pics. (Maybe one of these Wednesdays I'll get up early enough so that I can dry my hair before my photographer leaves for work.... MAYBE) I did my weekly weigh-in and I'm up to 177lbs and sorta on track. My overall goal is to stay at 200 or below and gain about 1lb a week. I have 24 weeks left (approx) and 23lbs to work with. However, if I gain more, I gain more. Anyways, as I mentioned the other day, I think I'm starting to show. Now if you didn't know me or didn't know I was pregnant then I really just look "thick" but the belly is getting there. Most of it is just the abdominal fat getting pushed up and out of the way for baby but its getting rounder and sticks out just as far as the "oversized girls" if not a bit further late at night when I'm tired and full. The pants help keep it in a bit but even the bigger pants I have are getting snug. It will soon be time to go to the maternity clothes. I'll have to see what I have and I may even have to go shopping. Looking this week on BabyCenter, the baby is approximately 4 1/2 inches from crown to rump. This is roughly the size of an avocado. I should start to feel the baby move in the next few weeks. I guess anywhere between 16-20 weeks. I have heard with your first you need a little time to figure out that is indeed what you are feeling, so I am analyzing each thing I feel these days. We go to the doctor on Friday for our 16 week appointment so I'll keep you all posted. I decided that I would put the bare belly pics at the bottom of each belly post and have the one from the week before as comparison. So, here is the week 12 vs week 16 belly pics. Stay tuned for 20 weeks!

Our first bigger baby purchase and more

So far I haven't really bought much for the baby and really we haven't made many baby decisions yet other than not to find out the sex of the baby and what room we will be using for the nursery. It is our philosophy that we still have plenty of time to make all of these decisions and in reality, we do. However, I have been looking around for baby bedding. I know that I don't need the whole set but I fell victim to another "first baby" trap. I was able to get free shipping so I went ahead and ordered it just to see it in person. If I don't like it I can take it back and return it to the store. There aren't many places in Bloomington Normal for baby stuff. We will see if I like it as much in person as I did online. Really online, its one of the only ones I like that are indeed gender neutral. Now I just have to decide how many of the "accessories" we are going to buy or if I should take my chances and register for them. Hmmm... Well, I know I am being very vague about the bedding but I don't want to show it to everyone until I know it is what we are keeping and maybe even until the nursery is done and ready for baby's arrival, so just hold tight.
Clay and I also started our list of needs and wants and things we thought we would register for. We think we will register in Sept since I'll be past the halfway point. We also started a list of names but those too are TOP SECRET so really I have given you no useful information in this post whatsoever. Sorry ;o) You will just have to wait and see what comes of it all.