Monthly Habit

We had our 15 1/2 week check-up this past Monday. It was just a quick visit so not much to report. Baby D's (as I have taken to calling him/her) heartbeat was very strong on the monitor. As we listened the sound of the beat kept being interupted by a loud thud. I guess my face displayed my dismay/confusion b/c the doctor explained that it was just the baby moving. I am taking his word for it b/c I still can't feel anything but if it is true, man this kid moves alot! In the mere minute we listened Baby D kicked or squirmed 7-8 times. If that keeps up I think I have some uncomfortable times ahead once I can feel Baby D moving.

We talked about screening for birth defects which really unsettled Curtis. We decided we are not going to screen b/c basically it wouldn't change anything. I'm not willing to do the amniocentesis and termination is out of the question to us. I just feel like we wouldn't gain anything from the test but worry if the percentages came out high. Plus, from everything I have read the screenings are very unreliable and I don't want to worry for nothing.

The Doctor also asked if we had any feeling on what Baby D's gender might be. Since the beginning of my pregnancy I have unintentionally refered to Baby D in the third person as male. I'm not sure if that is really a feeling or just me psyching myself out. I don't have a preference but I think I didn't want to get attacted to the idea of pink dresses, tiny shoes and cute bows. I mean, it's much more acceptable for a little girl to be "boyish" than a little boy to be "girlish." So, I picked out gender neutral baby items and even some things that borderlined on "boyish" b/c it's okay for a girl to wear blue. I will be happy no matter what Baby D turns out to be. It's a win-win situation as far as I am concerned. :)

So, mark your calendars for Oct. 26th! :)

Baby Love Bump

15 weeks 1 day. I'm excited to see a difference. I wasn't sure there was going to be much of a change. Most of my clothes still fit fine but a few are getting a little tight, which of course are mostly work clothes. Maybe it's a sign I should stop working. ;)

I am super tired all the time now. It takes all I've got to make it through class or work. Homework is not going so well. And when I do sleep I feel just as tired when I wake-up as I did when I laid down. I know this is only going to get worse so I'm going to have to figure something out.

Is that you baby or just dinner?

I read today that between weeks 16-22 in pregnancy you can start feeling the baby move. I can't wait for this! I am going into week 16 today and I am hoping to feel something soon. My only worry is I will feel the baby but I won't realize it since apparently for some people it feels like gas. That is a horrifying thought! What if I think the baby is gas? or worse what if I think gas is the baby? :(

Just a quote...

"Having a child is surely the most beautifully irrational act that two people in love can commit," - Billy Cosby

I saw this quote on The Paper Mama today and I couldn't have said it better.

p.s. our doctor's appointment got rescheduled for next Monday. 

Baby Shower Fun!

On Saturday, my husband and I went to a couple's baby shower for Drew and Carissa from The Undaily Daven. It was such a blast! We stayed until well after midnight. The idea was that the guys would play poker while the ladies did the usual baby fare in the next room. At the end of the night we all just congregated in the living room to visit. The baby games were a lot of fun and it was great to have an excuse to talk about nothing but babies. :) I am looking forward to more baby showers, mine and other friends that are expecting. I took a lot of pictures but I am giving sharing rights to Carissa. Hopefully she will post some soon...


We have a doctor's appointment this afternoon! I will try to update tonight but tomorrow at the latest. :)

Baby Bums

I have realized in the last few months that I have much to learn about babies. Even, simple things like diapering your baby's bum are huge debates in the Mommy world and believe me everyone has an opinion. I have not "picked" a side but I have decided to at least attempt to use cloth diapers for our baby. Here are some facts that really made me think...

Fact: According to research, it can take between 250-500 YEARS for one disposable diaper to decompose.

Fact: On average a baby uses 8 diapers daily. That is 2920 diapers a year.

I bought diapers today at my local Wal-Mart for a friends baby shower. It cost me about $9 dollars for a pack of 36. Which according to the fact above means it will last for about 3 1/2 days. Which means you are spending an average of $18 a week. One bumGenius cost $17.95 retail and you only need about 18 diapers total for one child. So, within a matter of 4 1/2 months of disposable diapering you can cloth diaper your child from birth to potty training. I find that pretty impressive and everyone is trying to do what's better for the environment these days. So, I thought, why not?  I can stock up before the baby is born and I even found a website (diapers.com) that allows you to make a gift registry that includes a large selection of cloth diapers.

I've also found diaperswappers.com, a cloth diapering community. The forums are very informative and encouraging. I found a woman with a similar schedule to mine but even more stressful since she is a single mom. She said that cloth diapering has been great for her as long as she sticks to her washing schedule. I was glad to find someone other than a stay-at-home mom who was managing it.

Curtis is less than enthusiastic about my choice but he can't really deal with poo anyway at this point. He also didn't really understand how it works. He has agreed to at least try since more than likely this responsibility will ultimately fall to me.

I did a little shopping at Spot's Corner the other day and found these adorable diapers. They are newborn size which means super tiny. I'm not sure how well they will work but I am going to give them a try. From everything I've read it's good to experiment with different kinds and brands to find what works for you. So, we will see.

Sorry for the super long post. I guess I just had a lot to get off my chest. I will say with cloth diapering you have to keep an open mind because now a days we're not talking about your mom's cloth diapers. These look and act like disposables and these are just one of the many many cloth options out there.

What a wonderful world...

Since Baby Love already has a bear and moose friend I thought what better way to decorate the nursery than with woodland creatures. We don't have much of a budget and so I will be getting creative and crafty but that doesn't mean I can't dream...

I found this amazing bookshelf from etsy seller Graphic Spaces. It's a little out of my budget at $1,500 but it sure is magical. The bookends are also super cute and slightly more affordable (if I do a little saving) at $80. I am in love with the hedgehog!

First Bump Pic?

I took this last week at 13 weeks 3 days. I'm not really "showing" that much yet. I'm already a little chubby in the middle but I decided that I had to start documenting somewhere...I'm going to try and take a picture once a week in that same outfit. That way the changes will be more noticeable.

Baby Love @ 10 weeks 6 days

Baby Love's New Friends

From left to right: Yosemite the bear from Daddy, Bobi from Mommy, Damoose from Auntie Hi

True Story

Today, according to my droid pregnancy app, I am 14 weeks and 2 days pregnant. I am feeling much better than I have the past few months, even though I've had a stomach virus this week. I am at least interested in food again and not throwing up on myself. Speaking of that, I have a funny story. At least it is now.

A few weeks ago Curtis wanted to get Mexican food for dinner. It was late and the only place open was Taco Bell. I hadn't really had any morning sickness at this point so I wasn't staying away from spicy food yet...so, after we get home from eating I start feeling a little sick. I decide to start making my way to the bathroom b/c I'm not sure yet if I am going to throw up. As I walk into the bathroom I have the urge to do what feels like a cough. I luckily had just leaned over the toilet when I "coughed" and actually threw up. Unfortunately, since I was expecting to cough I wasn't exactly aimed well. The liquid hit the side of the toilet seat and ricocheted back all over me. I continued to throw up for several minutes with better aim before Curtis knocked on the door to ask if I was alright.

He has a thing about vomit. He can't handle it. It makes him throw up. So, he says very meekly thru the door. "Are you alright?" to which I anwser, "No, I just threw up all over myself," again thru the door, "You know I can't help you, right?", wanting to cry I respond, "I know."

I decided at this point the easiest way to clean myself was to just get in the bath tub, clothes and all. This was when I decided I was not going to be one of those women who loves being pregnant.  

Dearest You,

Well, it seems I was right in my prediction. I have to written as I intended. I have had time to get over the shock and I am now just excited. We have begun to tell people about you. All three of your aunts are very excited to meet you. I think your Auntie Hi is the most. She actually called me crying after receiving my text message about you. She is in Maine at summer camp for the month. She texted me just the other day that she bought you a stuffed moose toy. We also told Gigi (Grami's mommy) and she told Apo (Grami's daddy) since he is in the Philippines right now. Gigi said he called her twice this week asking if it was alright to tell your great aunt Shari and her family. He is obviously excited too. :)

It took us a whole week before we could see your Daddy's parent to tell them. Your Nana said she wasn't surprised since I have been sick lately and I didn't try any of the wine she brought back from her Texas wine country tour on 4th of July. Everyone is looking forward to meeting you little one, especially Daddy and I.

Your Daddy keeps teasing me by calling me "Myrtle" as in Fertile Myrtle. We weren't trying very long before I got pregnant. In fact, we weren't really trying at all, but we weren't weren't trying and it only took one month. I think it had more to do with God, than me.

I have been thinking lately of all the things I want to do with and show you. We are going to have such fun, the three of us. I would love to give you the world but I realize I have limitations but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try. I will tell you more later.

Love,
Mom
(July 21, 2010)

Dearest You,

I didn't start this journal in vain! You will be arriving (God bless) in nine months. :) I am so excited to meet you little one. We told your Grami tonight. She is very happy. I think she has been secretly wishing for you. I won't lie I am a little scared but mostly excited. I think I am still in shock so I will continue tomorrow once I have had time to digest this amazing news.

Love,
Mom
(July 7, 2010)

Dearest You,

It is a bit hard to decide if I am indeed "late" because my cycle is not exactly regular. I will buy a digital test on Thursday to know for certain. If it is indeed true, as I believe, than I will not have started this journal in vain. I will acknowledge now, in this first entry, that I am not a disciplined writer. I often start with the best of intentions but life has a way of distracting me.

I hope this journal will be different because I want to fill this notebook with letters to you. My mommy (your Grami) wrote a journal for me which was only one short entry. I was always curious to know my mommy before she became what she is to me, so I always found that journal disappointing. This is why I am starting this. I hope you are curious one day like I have been and that you will have this to give you answers.

Love,
Mom
(July, 6, 2010)

Starting a new...

Welcome to my pregnancy/soon-to-be-baby blog! I had originally intended to keep a pen and paper journal for our LO (little one), but that hasn't worked out so well. I started off great...I did better than my mother with her single entry in my baby journal but alas I still have so many memories that I have not documented. I am on the computer most of the day for school and so I thought, just maybe, I would be better at keeping up with a baby blog than I have at my baby journal. Here's to hoping! Tonight I plan to type up the few entries I have written. I intend this blog to be a letter to baby/ place to vent/ sharing of information. Once a week I plan to show a few of my favorite baby items, as well as post pics of things we buy/receive as gifts for our LO. So, I hope you will join me for this joyous/terrifying ride. :)