Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy!!!

We had three huge surprises on Wednesday at our first prenatal visit! First, the midwife let us know she thought I was further along then my estimated 14 weeks, second she sent us for an ultrasound, and THREE: We know which "one" we're expecting!!!!

dun-dada-DAAAAAAAAAAA

Ok, I was completely shocked. Not only did I think we still had a few weeks before we would have and ultrasound, let alone know which we're having, I was still totally thinking I carried a girl in my womb. The ultrasound tech asked us if we wanted to know, I said "really? You can tell already?" She said yes, I looked at David he looked excited and said, "Yea! We wanna know!" So I said, "Ok!" The lady said, "It's a boy!" Then HE gave us quite a show! While it seemed obvious, I was possibly in denial and still thinking we were earlier in the pregnancy and I've read boys and girls look the same for a few weeks. I said, "Is there any chance it will change in a couple weeks?" In good humor the tech smiled and said, "Its not going to fall off!" ha-ha. Ok, so a son. This is great! After getting over my shock I was really excited! David was completely thrilled and totally proud of himself. Of course I let him know, he planted the seed but I had to grow the goods ;-)

I used the t-shirt from this picture to tell the girls from work we know, and we're going to use this pic to make photo cards to send to parents and grandparents for the big reveal.

Here is a grainy, but very happy picture of me enjoying the first look at my little boy :-) I'm smiling just writing "my little boy." This news had made everything seem so much more real, made my love grow more intense, and the excitement really build! I want to meet this kid! And now, we possibly get to two weeks earlier! The new date is October 4.

The place we went was so awesome to give us stills and a dvd. Here is our son sucking his thumb! Isn't he sooo CUTE?!?!?!?



Here is our son getting some tummy time. Look at that tiny butt! Strong spine too, it looks like.

Here is a face shot, he has his little hand tucked up by his head. I think already he looks like his papa, the shape of the head makes me think "David."

So, knowing now that I have actually completed my 16th week, and realizing we've been 2 weeks behind this whole time, I've decided I will completely start over with bump/fruit/veggie photos. Week 16 is supposed to be an avocado and I'm totally stoked because I LOVE avocado!!!

Other updates... I'm totally getting bigger. I have only one pair of jeans I can zipper and button, and those won't last much longer. I had to buy new bras, I just could not make it in the others ANY.LONGER. I went up in the band and cup, so weird for me! I'm finally feeling more able to keep up around the house and actually managed to have a friend over for dinner. I made a soup from scratch! Granted, that's an easy meal when you're throwing everything from your freezer and fridge into one pot, but still, its something I haven't felt up to doing in a long time. I've only thrown up three times this week. I'm managing my nausea a little better as its a little less. I think I have really increased sensitivity to noises. Its weird. TV sounds, sounds of David eating, sounds of food wrappers opening, its driving me CRAZY!!! I realize some other unpleasant changes, with faster growing hair comes more hair in places I don't want, with a growing tummy comes growing pains, and gas pains, AND my tiny innie belly button is already getting bigger and coming more to the surface :-( who knew? More backaches, headaches, and heartburn too. Ahhh the joys of maternity ;-) I love my little bundle though!!! I'm singing to him and read to him the other night from psalms. 

That's all for now. More to come soon!

Best,

M~

Do I still got it?

Today was the first day I've worked outside the home in 11 months!!! So weird. Like everyone will tell you, "nothing lasts forever," "you can't count on things staying the same," "life changes in the blink of an eye." All of that certainly proves true in my life, and very quickly have many changes taken place over the last 11 months, let alone last the 7 years. Ok, so back to point.

I worked for a corporation which owns hospitals. I was an administrative assistant. Basically the company is run by VPs and AAs. Very funny. I had an awesome boss who when my marriage grew closer, and fiance couldn't find work in my city, said she would try and set up approvals for me to work from home in my new city. The situation couldn't have worked out better for hubs and me. He works 3rd shift, so even though I worked regular business hours, we could still be in the house at the same time which allowed us to at least be around each other. I highly recommend being around your hubs as much as possible, especially in the first few months!!! Lay that foundation ladies!

Well, as we've already stated, things change. I had to look for work that we could depend on with the coming child. David does well for us, but we could use a tad extra each month. Who couldn't? ;-)

Once again, who I know helps. A friend had a sister-in-law who needed an assistant. I get the job. Today I began learning what it takes to assist someone in the family law business. Its still assistant work, but a totally different field than I've worked in before. I'm stoked though because I always thought it would be so cool to work in a law office. As a child I wanted to become a lobbyist for nonprofit organizations. This isn't the same thing, but its still cool. So far, just information today. Everyone seems really nice, I'm not the youngest person on staff, and I think its really great that everyone goes to lunch at the same time and half the office sat together for lunch.

Last night I tossed and turned with so many dreams. A rough end to a rough day. Tons of prego-sickness, little sleep lead to not having everything done I wanted before my first day. Isn't that just how life goes? Praise the Lord I managed to survive nausea without throwing up... get into a dress for work for the first time in FOR-EVER, make a protein-infused smoothie, pack enough food for 3 for 3 meals, and get out the door... kissing husband as I dashed to the car.

Unfortunately, did not get the "What I wore to my first day of work" pic. Maybe a little elementary school, but I thought it might be a fun fashion post... I'll just say it was a cute outfit ;-) Husband enthusiastically said "Aw, you look pretty!" When he got home this morning. Very nice to hear when I'm already super nervous.

So since I don't have a pic from today, I'll tide you all over with pix of previous baby bump pix.

 



7 Weeks! Baby was the size of a blueberry. Baby was generating about 100 new brain cells per minute! Baby's heart is becoming more complex too. Now arm and leg joints form!

*What mama wore: Dress/Dots; tank/kohls; leggings/don't remember; necklaces/upcycled from Grandma's jewelry box :-)

This week is pretty cool. 8 weeks, raspberry week! Baby has grown quickly all along but now baby is growing about a millimeter a day, moving arm and leg buds like crazy (though too small for me to feel), developing taste buds, and making mama very sick!!! But still worth it ;-) This is the first week we saw a tiny bit of a bump (though it may have been baby bloat), clothes were getting noticeably smaller and we took a bunch of them to consignment and goodwill.

All baby fruit comparisons and descriptions based on http://www.thebump.com/

*What mama wore: Cropped linen trousers/gap; sleeveless crochet top/old navy; tank/dots; sunnies/kohls; necklaces/same as above; bracelet/one of many worn stacked on wedding day, from maurices

Stay tuned for more adventures as this mama-to-be experiences change after change, and baby continues to grow! Week 13 pix coming as well as first prenatal visit post!!

Best,

M~



Bump Watch -- 11 Weeks

I'm actually starting my 12th week, but I didn't want to do the bump post with the zoo post. So here goes...

11 weeks and baby is the size of a lime! At 1.5 to 2 inches, "baby bear" is fully featured from eyes now protected by eyelids, fingers and toes - no webbing! Fully functioning kidneys, tiny heart, ears, and jumping around like a baby bean (though too small for mama to feel).

I am definitely sporting a mini bump at this point. Really loving my borrowed bella band!

I love how David wants to stay involved. He grows more excited each week! Every once in a while he asks me to stand sideways so he can "see that bump!" Then his face lights up like a little boy and he says "he! he! he! I'm gonna be a daddy!" He's sooo cute!!!

What we wore: me - Scarf cardi/charlotte ruse * tank/charlotte ruse * bella band/borrowed * skinnies/gap * sneaks/new balance c/o hyders

him - t-shirt/leftover from skater boi days * jeans/urban pipeline * sneaks/osiris c/o big shoe discount store (we love those!)

We're sooo excited!!! Yesterday we headed to the big city to meet our midwife! Finding a medical practioner has definitely brought the most stress to this pregnancy so far. Who knew it would be this difficult to find someone to take care of me and baby? Our town has extremely limited resources, especially if you want to go all-naturale. My dream is home birth, but no one is willing to do that for us (well one person was but he majorly creeped us out. that story later). So we got the name of a CNM from a friend and made a consultation appointment. She was A-mazing! She closed the deal when she described some of the crazy positions she finds herself in when it comes to catching the baby and saying "Its not about us and what is convenient, its about you and whats going to work for you to get the baby out. We leave you alone to birth and do almost no interventions unless we have a real medical reason." Whoo!!! I did not want to end up in a situation where I'm kept on my back and after two hours I have some nurse or doctor trying to force pitocin in my arm. They will also leave us alone for the first hour after birth to just bond! They delay cord cutting and everything, its just catch baby, give to mom! YAY!!!!!! She said "everything else can wait, we want you to bond. " She also told us that their c-section rate stays in the teens while the rest of the country is in the high 40(s)%. They absolutely refuse to do elected inductions and will let you go to 42 weeks if mom and baby are still doing ok with everything. How awesome is this??!! We finally found a place that gets it, our hope is now reality.

David and I both just lit up at the moment, we had a moment! We just knew! All we want is to make sure the baby comes in the healthiest way possible, that we can fully bond with the baby, and get on with the nurturing process!

Have a fantastic weekend!

M~

Our Day at the Zoo

We had a blast! Animals, caves, yummy food, just time together! Just what we needed after a long stint of daily grind, semi-typical stresses, you know how it goes. A mini stay-cation was fantastic!

The Kookaburra was pretty cute, but didn't do very much. We never even heard the Kookaburra call.

I loved all the pretty parrots.





We both loved this Umbrella Cockatoo. Practically like a cat, this bird cozied right up to us and almost purred with pleasure at having the attention.

  Lorikeets stole the show however, with their vibrant colors and personalities! So friendly, so eager, and almost overwhelming as they swarmed us when we stepped into their habitat, hands outstretched with nectar cups.

Soo Pretty!!!!

Lorikeets seemed to have an obsession

with hair. They were practically yanking David's hair out by the roots to get more of that yummy axe flavor.

And also ears!!! This was hilarious!

 And of course, Kangaroos and caves!!!

This guy here is supposed to be about 6 ft. tall. We got to pet him, but I was afraid of spooking him with the camera sounds while our hands were on him. No need to get a swift kick box from a powerful beast like this ;-)

I thought she was so sweet. Mama and her joey! She was pretty protective so we couldn't get terribly close, but just enough to get a little peek!

 Cave pictures didn't turn out super-awesome, but you get the idea.

I really love caves! Even small show caves like this one.

All in all, a terrific day! I had planned on using whole wheat penne leftover from the night before to make baked chicken penne, but after 5 hours of fun, hubby was sweet to offer dinner out at a Mexican restaurant! I have craved burritos since conception so I was THRILLED!!!!

Stay tuned for the bump update! If you look at the first picture, you can see me showing just a tad.

Enjoy your week!

Best,

M~

We're Going to the Zoo!!

This is just a tease.....

Hubby gets a 3-day weekend!!! We're so excited because he works 3rd shift and while its great to have him around for mornings usually, we never hang out in the evenings. This weekend, not only do we get to hang out 3 evenings in a row, we're actually dropping all our regular, responsible things, and going out and doing something fun and couple-y! YAY!!!

*Ok, we actually did some of our responsible stuff ahead of time to get rid of my guilt for having fun on a Saturday ;-) Dusting, vacuuming, bathroom cleaning on Thursday; dishes, laundry, and some errands on Friday.

Can't wait to share our Zoo pix and 11th week bump photos with you!!!

Love,

M~

Spring Beginnings - New Journeys

Almost one and one half years ago I began planning a simple, beautiful wedding to the best man I've ever known (Pictures and more of the story to come!). My days and nights were filled with DIY blogs (Wedding Chicks), free wedding offer sites, and ETSY!!!!!! This is when I discovered the featured seller and other great Etsy posts.

Shortly after these fun search finds, one link lead to another and I began reading motherhood blogs. Favs include Tart, Tia's blog, Early Mama, and so many more! These awesome moms started my wheels turning and I decided one day I would want to join the masses and cue my creative, write-y side and blog my own journey through motherhood, once I began the motherhood journey that is.

TA-DA!!!!!!

This spring, my journey began! We're 11 weeks along and soooooo EXCITED! Originally I thought I would want to wait a few years before beginning mommy-hood, then 3 months into marriage I was riding the baby wagon hard! I left the timing up to hubs, and now, both of us couldn't be more excited; except for maybe the day we find out whether we'll greet a son or daughter, and probably the birthday!

Above you see me on the left between 3-7 weeks. Changes since then:

Not as slim

Shorter hair (had to make something easier with all the morning, afternoon, and night sickness!)

The baby is actually looking like a BABY!!!

To the right you see me at 10 weeks. Changes are pretty obvious. Rocking skinny jeans only with the help of bella band. I'm excited though! Growth means good things for baby and me!

I have more pictures in between and since then, this is just to get the ball rolling.

Hubs is SUPER-sweet, supportive, and excited! He already talks to the baby and says goodbye to "baby bear" on the way to work. He shops for baby things on the computer at his job on breaks, and he's really helped around the house with dishes and cooking for himself!! I'm sooo blessed! He tells me how excited he is and how he can't wait to be a daddy *smiles* How great is he?? I have to stop. I'm gushing!!

Love,

Mama Bear (to be)