Did I eat a goldfish?

Nope .... no post college sorority initiations here.  The last few days, I've had this feeling below my belly button like there's a goldfish flipping around in there.  But it's not a goldfish, it's Sea Monkey!  I can't believe I'm starting to feel him or her already.  When I sit in certain positions, I can feel the movement more, but whenever I feel it, it's so exciting!  I tried to see if I could feel it from the outside too, so Mike could feel it, but it's too early for that I guess.  Poor Mike will have to wait a little longer!  

The countdown to our anatomy ultrasound continues .... 10 days and counting.  I can't wait to go shopping once we find out!  Hopefully the next 10 days go by quickly .... I'm so impatient I want to go now!  

We continue to make good progress on the nursery, and should have it pretty much set up in the next few weeks.  So stay tuned for a fun picture journey as we get everything ready.  Painting is done, we've  (well, Mike really) moved 90% of our stuff to storage, the closet hanger rail was installed (thanks Mike!) and now we're just waiting for carpet to be installed which should be done on March 9th.  Originally I had it scheduled for the 30th, but since we're done painting, I don't want to wait that long!  Once the carpet is done, we can put together the crib and order the rest of the furniture (just a dresser and a glider).  And of course we can start filling it with really cute boy or girl things after March 7th!  Now if I could just convince Hooper it's not his room anymore ......

Yes, you can often find him in this room - where we used to keep his litter box and food.  Poor little guy has been kicked out.  He just hasn't figured it out yet.  

We also got back the results of the genetic testing (2 blood tests).  Usually, they also add in a measurement from an ultrasound, but Sea Monkey was not cooperating and they couldn't get the measurement.  Regardless, we are in the lowest risk group for the 3 types of chromosomal abnormalities they test for.  While it's not a guarantee, it's very unlikely Sea Monkey will have Downs Syndrome or Spina Bifida.  *phew*!  

Now, just a few fun facts about Sea Monkey:

He or she is the length of a sweet potato this week.  We're certainly working our way through the produce section aren't we?  Sea Monkey may start to yawn and hiccup soon, which I may be able to feel too.  Great, so it's not bad enough if  *I*  get hiccups, but now if Sea Monkey gets them I can feel that too!  Crazy but really, really cool!  

Lots going on .... here's to the next 10 days passing quickly!  

Oh baby!

Mike has been taking pictures of me each week so we can see how fat .... I mean so we can watch Sea Monkey growing.  Well this week was the first week that I said to myself (after looking at the photo), "WOW, I look pregnant!" Of course, I know I'm pregnant, and I certainly feel pregnant, but now I really LOOK pregnant.  Here's a photo journey from weeks 9 through 16 .... except we forgot to take a photo week 14. 

Oh yes, I look pregnant at 16 weeks.  Kind of crazy to think that Sea Monkey is growing in there!  This week, Sea Monkey is the size of a turnip.  Here's a photo of a turnip in case you have no idea what one looks like .... (I didn't).

So, now that we all know how big I am, and how big a turnip is.... you get an idea of how big Sea Monkey is.  This week, Sea Monkey will develop fingerprints!  Kinda neat right?  Until I think about all the messes those little fingerprints will create for me to clean up someday.  Just kidding, (sort of) I look forward to cleaning up after Sea Monkey ... I think.

In other news, we have finally decided on paint colors for the nursery.  Photos to come in another post, but we will have 3 walls tan (Raffia Cream Behr paint to be exact) and one wall green (Corn Husk Green by Behr as well).  And because I know you're dying to know the theme of the nursery and just can't wait until my nursery reveal post, here's a teaser: 

Only 16 days left until we have the big anatomy scan which will reveal if Sea Monkey is a boy or girl.  I'm so excited!  I'm wishing I took that day off from work and scheduled the appointment for the morning, because I'm not sure how productive I'll be all day waiting for our 2:00 appointment to come! 

Well folks, that's about all I've got this time.  Here's to 16 days passing by quickly ......

Everybody's got an opinion

Opinions are like @$$*&!#% - everyone's got one.  And when you're pregnant, you get to hear opinions and advice from everyone.  When I say everyone, I mean everyone - from your friends to your boss to the lady behind the register at Target - whether the advice / opinion is solicited or not. 

As soon as people (mostly women who have already had children) find out your pregnant, you're in for more advice than you can handle.  From what kind of diaper to buy to the things you need (or don't need) and even what foods you can or can't eat. 

The other day, someone said to me, "Ya know, you don't need all that stuff they tell you to buy.  A baby can sleep in a laundry basket or a dresser drawer."  Really? Of course a baby can sleep in a laundry basket or a dresser drawer .... but I'm still buying a crib.  And I may not need a swing or a changing table or a bottle scrubby thing (yeah, I said bottle scrubby thing) .... but they're going to make my life easier.  Yeah, I'm that rebel mom who actually bought a diaper pail too.  "Oh those things never work.  You can still smell the dirty diapers."  Well maybe for me, it's not about the smell so much as it is to #1 have a convenient place to throw a dirty diaper and #2 have a secure place to put them so my dogs don't decide to treat themselves to an appetizer before dinner.  (Yes, I have a dog who eats poop). 

Another popular opinion is whether or not we should find out the sex of the baby.  We want to know.  Others do not - which is fine for them.  But I'm sort of a control freak .... and I need to know every little thing about Sea Monkey - including if it's a boy or a girl!  "But there are so few surprises in life, I can't believe you're finding out early.  You know, a lot of times they are wrong so you shouldn't buy pink or blue stuff anyway."  We're still going to be surprised - when we find out on March 7th.  And yes, I'm aware the doctor or ultrasound tech could make a mistake.  But that's why they make receipts and return policies.  Jeez people - RELAX!  I had no idea my choices and decisions were such a big deal to you. 

While it's flattering you feel the need to be concerned about the choices we make about Sea Monkey and his or her arrival, it's exhausting having to justify your choices over, and over, and over again. 

  

Which is why .... we will not be sharing any name choices with anyone.  We are going to make that decision all by ourselves - and Mike and I may have a hard enough time coming to a decision just between the two of us, we certainly don't need 100 other opinions on what's a good name or a bad name.  Don't worry dad, Greenleaf is officially off the list.   

Our little avocado .....

Today I am 15 weeks and 1 day pregnant.  Which means I'm into the 16th week of pregnancy!  Wahoooo!  Sea Monkey is about the size of an avocado now. 

(Yes, I posed for a photo with an avocado in the grocery store)

I have an app for my iphone called "What to Expect".  It's a spin off of the book I've been reading - I get daily tips and a weekly update each Sunday.  Well last night I was reading the update, and it was very interesting!  Here's the part about Sea Monkey:

"Listen up: Tiny bones in your fetus's ears are in place this week, making it likely that the baby can hear your voice when you're speaking (or singing in the shower).  In fact, studies have found that babies who are sung to while they're in the womb recognize the same tune when it's sung to them after they are born (so choose your baby Muzak with that in mind...).

And baby's busily boning up in other ways.  For one, the backbone (along with the back muscles) is stronger now - strong enough, in fact, to enable your baby to work on straightening his or her head and neck even more.  Baby's crown to rump measurement is between four and five inches in length, and weight is hovering around three ounces. 

This little one's a looker - with a face that has both eyebrows and eyelashes - but a skinny looker since there's no baby fat yet.  And here's the skinny on baby skin: It's practically translucent now, so if you took a peek inside your uterus, you'd be able to see your baby's blood vessels under that thin skin."

Pretty neat, huh?  Sea Monkey has eyelashes and can hear me sing (poor thing)!  Amazing how much he or she has developed in a few short weeks.  I read this blurb out loud to Mike so he could learn about Sea Moneky's development.  I mean, what proud dad wouldn't want to know his kid has eyebrows, right?  In typical male fashion, when I've finished reading, he says, "You don't have bones in your ears."  HUH?  Really?  That's all you got out of that?  Cracked me up to try and understand the male perspective.  :-)

(I LOVE YOU MIKE!)

In other news, we are starting to accumulate a few baby items in the house!  We hit the last day of the Babies R Us trade in event - if you trade in an old car seat, bassinet, stroller, etc., they give you a 25% off coupon for a new item!  We were able to score some free stuff to use to trade in and purchased a swing, pack & play, and put half down on the crib.  Of course if you know me, you know I can't pass up a good deal.... and 25% off is way too good of a deal to let it pass me by! I also ran out to pick up a few packages of diapers ... yes, I said diapers.  (I'll be posting about my theory on diaper stockpiles soon!)

So the nursery is starting to come together (yes, I'll post about that - with photos - soon too), Sea Monkey has eyelashes, and I'm starting to actually look pregnant instead of like I ate too many donuts. 

Oh - and only 24 days until we find out if Sea Monkey is a boy or girl!  And I have a really fun way to share the news with everyone!  A post on that to come too - wow, I've got a lot of writing to do!  

Did you really just say that?!

I'm currently 14 weeks pregnant.  Well, 14 weeks 2 days to be exact, but whose counting?  Oh yeah, I am.  That means there's 25 weeks and 5 days remaining until Sea Monkey's estimated arrival date.  For the first few weeks of pregnancy, nobody knew.  I looked the same to everyone except maybe myself.  Slowly, your body changes.  Not only have I put on a few pounds, but my face goes through periods of breakouts most of us remember as teens, and of course I haven't highlighted my hair in ages.  My boobs are bigger (like I needed help in that area) and I'm always tired.   

Since we've made the announcement, and my body started changing, people feel like they have the right to say just about anything regarding my appearance.  Common comments I've heard .... and the responses I would have liked to provide:

"WOW! Your boobs are huge!" ...... "So is your backside, but I have the decency to not point it out to you."

"Your face is really breaking out lately, huh?" ....... "Oh, I hadn't noticed.  I'd like to break your face right now."

"Your belly is starting to pop already!  Are you sure you've only got one in there?"  ...... "Your belly looks like it's popped too.  But you're probably just eating too many doughnuts.  I'm pregnant.  I have an excuse".


Generally I just smile and take the comments with a grain of salt.  But add in feeling tired, and raging hormones that have you gloriously happy one minute and in tears the next, some of these comments can be hard to swallow without a snappy comeback.  I suppose society feels that when a woman is pregnant it's perfectly normal to point out all her physical flaws.  Well I'm telling you, it's not. 

All that being said, I know Sea Monkey is only about the size of an orange right now - in length, not width - and that all my "popping" is probably just bloating, but I'm getting used to the bump that's appeared. 

Here's a photo of me at 12 weeks:  (thank you Mike for snapping it at exactly the same time I blinked)

 It's been several weeks since my last doctor's appointment, and I miss seeing our little Sea Monkey on the ultrasound.  Last night I listened for the heartbeat and it sounded perfect (to my untrained medical ear).  Next appointment is February 13th!  We are starting to get ready for the arrival of the Sea Monkey and it's been kind of fun thinking about designing and preparing the nursery! 

Until next time ....

Heartbeat!

When you're pregnant, you're constantly wondering if everything is ok in there .... is the Sea Monkey developing?  Has it stopped growing?  It's pretty much all you think about 24 hours a day.  Pregnancy would be a whole lot easier if your stomach became clear - like a fishbowl - and you could just look inside and see how your Sea Monkey was doing.  Neat idea huh?

Anyway .... How do you confirm Sea Monkey is ok between doctor visits? You buy a handy dandy fetal heart rate monitor!  It's a little device that has a wand you put on your belly and it can detect the Sea Monkey's heartbeat.  Mine looks like this:

I will say, it was VERY frustrating to use at first.  You hear all these different sounds - swooshing, beating, wind, and you have no idea what you're listening to.  Where is Sea Monkey?  Is it high, low? Where do I put this wand thing?  I had a million questions when I received mine in the mail.  So I did what any normal person would do and read the instructions booklet.  Do you think there was an ounce of helpful information in it?  No.  I had to resort to Google and YouTube to figure out what I was doing.  They were far more helpful than the instructions manual.  What would the world do without Google and YouTube?!  

So back to Sea Monkey.  I searched for WEEKS.  I could only ever find my heartbeat and the sound of the placenta (gross, I know.) Until last night ..... I FINALLY FOUND SEA MONKEY!  Did you know that a baby's heartbeat sounds like a galloping horse?  Me either, but it's pretty neat to listen to.  Here's a video so you can hear it too:

Did you hear the galloping horse sound?  That's Sea Monkey!  Pretty neat, huh?  He / she likes to hide out pretty low and on my right side.  Someone told me the quick sounds that sound like blowing into a microphone is Sea Monkey kicking ... but since he / she is too small right now and I can't feel it, I can't confirm that.

I was so happy to have found the heartbeat and now I don't need to worry, wondering if Sea Monkey is ok.  If I'm concerned, I'll just have a listen to that beautiful heart beating.