Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Baby Latest... 25 weeks!

{this post is dedicated to Eve; the latest person to encourage me to get off my butt and update you!}

Holy Cow... 25 weeks!!
~13.5 in. long
~1.5 lbs. 

the B.U.M.P.
{Ben took these pix of me in front of a white sheet thrown over our projector screen.  They are all on his Blackberry, since our nice camera takes two hands, and his right arm is still in a sling from surgery.  Way to improvise, right?}





so E.X.C.I.T.E.D.

I am so so so so stinking excited for this little girl.  I think about her all.the.time.!!!  I have compiled a playlist of songs that remind me of her, or of being a new parent, to listen to to help control my random baby thoughts.  Most of the songs make me cry... they are so sweet, and our baby girl is so perfect. I am constantly crying while I'm driving, on my computer at home, going for a walk.... Because I listen to that music all day long! I love that music can add some cohesion to the random flood of emotions, thoughts, and words that make up life.  Thank you, music. 


so P.R.E.P.A.R.E.D.

my AMAZING sister, Brett, has offered to make some baby clothes for us! She is so creative and handy with a sewing machine, and I have been admiring her kid's clothes for years.  I am so stoked for the opportunity to get whatever I want! I have decided on a few different dress/ skirt ideas (remember I design my own onesies), and even a nursing tunic.  Here is what I've picked out:



I figure we will get plenty of pink-ish things as gifts, so I'm going for other "girly" looks that I can control-- turquoise, gold, purple, and gray! I can't wait to see what Brett comes up with :)

Also.... We got our crib delivered and set-up! 
I've designed and re-decorated the guest room/ baby nursery, but Ben really wanted to be the one to set up her crib.  He just had shoulder surgery, so everything was done with just his left hand! 


Something about having her crib set up makes the nursery feel so real.  I can just imagine our precious girl sleeping in it soon! I am totally crazy about this crib.  It is the DaVinci Alpha Mini Crib

Features:
-The only crib with a rocking bottom (with stoppers) to rock the baby back to sleep
-Includes casters and is slim to easily move between rooms (eliminating the need for a separate bassinette to keep in our room when she is a newborn)
-Teething guard on both sides
-4 adjustable sizes
-Great for use up to about 18 months, then we can transition to a real bed
-As a mini crib, takes up less room than traditional cribs.  We need all the space we can squeeze out of this dual room!

so A.N.N.O.Y.E.D.


As you can see, I haven't gained a ton of weight during this pregnancy.  In fact, I'm not even 10 lbs. over my pre-pregnancy weight.  Sounds great, but, to be honest, I can't wait to be huge! I try to eat throughout the day, I have a protein shake with a meal every day, switched back to eating some meat (especially fatty stuff like bacon and sausage) all in an effort to gain weight.

So I'm actually pretty sensitive to people saying I don't look pregnant. 

I know it is a cultural thing to be as fit as possible, so maybe people say things like, "You're pregnant? Where?" "You can't be too far along." "Where are you hiding the baby?" "You're so small!" as a way to be nice.  Sure, anyone else would take that as a compliment-- whether it's sincere or not.  But don't be nice to me.  It may be small, and not visible unless I'm wearing a fitted shirt, but I DO have a baby bump, and I'm very proud of it! 

Hearing those things makes me feel like a bad mom.  I do not care about my image more than the health of my baby. Yes, I'm eating.  No, I don't diet. I'm trying to be the best mom I can be already-- which means putting my feet up as much as possible and eating whatever I want (usually with whipped cream). 

So just try to be understanding, ok? 

Wow... Sorry for the mind dump! I hope you all still love me :) 

Friday, August 19, 2011

The Latest Baby News

We have been busy planning for baby lately!

23 weeks:

the size of a saghetti squash!
12 inches long, 1.24 lbs.


First, some sad news.  I have two close friends who each had to emergency deliver their babies: one at 24 weeks, the other at 26 weeks.  One baby didn't survived and one stayed in the ICU for four months.  I haven't been able to stop thinking about those friends and their experiences, and, as a new mom, it really worries me! So I've been really eager for the time that I would feel our daughter moving so I would be able to feel daily that she was growing and healthy.  

I'm 23 weeks and haven't felt the baby move yet. I found out this week that because of the position of the baby inside my body I may not feel her much at all-- even when she gets bigger and close to delivery! That is a major disappointment for me (and Ben... we aren't sure if her movements will ever be strong enough for him to feel, either).  

I'm concerned about knowing daily that she is ok, so I bought a fetal doppler so we can hear her heartbeat any time we want!

This is the Sonoline B.  It was pretty inexpensive, and has great reviews.  I am so excited! her heartbeat is always really strong at my midwife appointments, so I love that we can hear it any time now!

Now for the fun stuff... s.h.o.p.p.i.n.g!

In other ways of preparation, we have been doing tons of research on necessary baby items.  I read all the reviews of items I can get my hands on, and we've asked a lot of mothers we know for their baby must-have recommendations.  We're compiling all our ideas into an Amazon Baby Registry!

Check out our list, and please let us know if there is something we've left off! (We are new parents, after all.)


our r.e.a.d.i.n.g. list

We've also started our parenting research! I thought it was so thoughtful when Ben ordered these books online:

This book challenges a lot of "instictual" parenting techniques.  Ben heard some of it included in an economics book, and his sister recommended we read the entire book.  It really is incredible! We highly recommend it to anyone with children of any age.




This book tells Ben what is going on with me, the baby, him, and what he could/ should be doing week-by-week.  It said that, at this stage of the pregnancy, the baby is moving regularly and responds to her environment.  The author said he would poke his wife's belly once and say "One", then twice and say "Two".  He said the baby would poke back the same number of times, so while we were both reading on the couch Ben decided to turn to me and start poking and yelling at my belly! It didn't work, and I wish he'd warned me, but I love his enthusiasm! 

We are so so so so excited for this little girl, and just pray constantly for her health! We can't wait to meet her!


Thursday, August 18, 2011

Our New House in Greensboro!

Apparently we have "loyal blog followers" and apparently they are upset I haven't updated lately! Well.... you're absolutely right.  The past month has been one of those "We-are-so-busy-I-have-so-much-to-say-and-pictures-to-show-that-I-can't-possibly-begin-so-I-may-as-well-sleep-in-instead" sort of months.  You dig?

The month has been filled with my f.a.v.o.r.i.t.e. things: travel, decorating, work, and baby!


We'll start with the LOTS of re-decorating I've done (and re-done) in our new townhouse in Greensboro. I'm sort of proud of it... We really feel at home here!

t h e l i v i n g r o o m 
My favorite thing about the house is the view from our couch.  I love the book corner we have, the armchair wall's color/ texture combo, and a glimpse of the hallway collage.  The goal was to make the rest of the house as homey feeling as those few nooks!






t h e h a l l w a y
We've been given more compliments on the hallway picture design than any other part of the house.  Strange, since it was the fastest, easiest thing I did.  I'm trying not to be offended.  It's mostly the odds 'n ends pictures I wanted to display but didn't have a place for!


t h e d i n i n g r o o m
I think the dining room/ kitchen is what sold Ben on getting this place. Our landlord installed real tile floors, added the chair rail, very modern light fixtures and appliances, and modern, clean paint colors.  



t h e k i t c h e n
Compared to the galley kitchen we had in Hickory, I love how open and light this kitchen is! I love all the counter space for my special cooking things, and the upper space available to display our china. 


o u t s i d e 
We bought the landlord's patio furniture because we liked it so much :) It looks like another room out here, even though it is too hot to actually eat outside very often. 



u p s t a i r s b a t h r o o m
Newly installed green and white tiles, new vanity and mirror, modern light fixtures, etc.  
Very modern and chic!


Sorry... no camers inside the bedroom! (But trust me, it looks great.) And I've been working really hard on the baby's room, but I won't post pictures until it's all finished!

Thanks for coming to visit our new place!