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.