A Bump in the Night

Well, not just in the night!  My baby bump is making it's appearance this week.  It's getting harder to look in the mirror and say that there's nothing there yet!  I guess you could say the bump is obvious if you think of me as a woman of child-bearing age but it's not apparent if you don't realize I want children (or you're male!).

19 Weeks Pregnant

Baby is still hovering at the size of a mango, but s/he has reached approximately half a pound in weight!  I think it's pretty cool that we've progressed to thinking about him/her in terms of pounds instead of ounces.  S/he has been making small occasional movements that feel like little bubbles making their way past my belly.  This happens mostly in the evening, when I've finally stopped cleaning and/or nesting for the day.

Craig and I are really excited because his mom announced that she was generously buying the crib & mattress we had put on one of our registries.  That's one big item that we are so happy is now out of the way.  Plus, it's really cool that it's coming from one of the baby's Grandmas!

Thanks Grandma!

It's a ...

We just passed on our first and only opportunity to know the baby's sex before arrival.  Ha!  Now it truly will be a surprise to all of us in October.  So no "it's a boy" or "it's a girl" - just "it's a baby!"  Sorry to anyone who was still holding out for that information; it will not be forthcoming!

I'm very happy but kind of sad as well.  This was our last routine ultrasound.  Baby was moving & his/her heart was chugging along at 150 beats per minute, and then at the doctor's appointment, the doctor said everything seemed well also.  (Hence the happy feeling.)  So now we're just waiting for the official "I read the radiologist's report about the ultrasound and everything is fine" call.  It was anxiety-relieving for me to see the baby was doing well again.  I can't believe it had already been a month since our last time listening to his/her heart beating!  But I am a little sad that we won't be seeing baby anymore until October when s/he arrives!  I hope that soon I will start feeling more kicks/movement to prove that baby's still in there.  The doctor says that should be happening by the time we go for the next appointment in four weeks.  It's hard to believe I'll be entering month five in only one more week.  This pregnancy is flying by!

As usual, we got a plethora of cute pictures of the baby at the ultrasound, and then I recorded the heartbeat from the Doppler at the doctor's appointment.

Baby's arm alongside his/her body - 18 wks

Baby's first footprint - 18 wks

Baby's profile - 18 wks

 

Baby's profile (open-mouthed) & heartbeat - 18 wks

 On another good news front, the baby officially has Godparents now!  Chelsea & Andre Kozaczka, our very close friends from church, graciously agreed to fill that role for our little one.  We know that they will be wonderful "religious guides" for the baby should anything happen to us (God forbid).  What's funny is that we won't know the sex of the baby until shortly before the baptism.  It makes it a little... interesting.  It's our hope that the baby will be baptized sometime in late November, around a month of age, when my dad is in town from Italy.  We just have to select a date and book it with our Deacon.  And maybe I'll be able to have someone use my wedding dress to make a baptismal gown; that would be pretty sentimental and cool.

Nervous

More like nervous system!  This week, baby's nervous system is developing rapidly so that his/her senses will be ready to go come his/her birthday in October.  S/he is also apparently perfecting the art of the yawn, according to WhattoExpect.com.  At 18 weeks, baby is the size of a mango, inside of my uterus which is the size of a cantaloupe.  A mango stuffed inside a cantaloupe.  What a strange picture!  It's almost as weird as the "tur-duck-in" (the chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey - yet is exists!).  There are no internet pictures of a mango inside of a cantaloupe, so I had to settle for two separate pictures (yes, I really searched, but all I could find was mango-cantaloupe smoothies & salsa!).

Baby is the size of a mango this week.

And mango-sized baby is stuffed inside my cantaloupe-sized uterus.

I'm feeling good this week and starting to show the slightest resemblance of a full belly.  I wouldn't call it a baby bump just yet.  It more looks like I overate at dinner... the last few weeks!  That's ok, I'm sure it will pop out anytime now.  It would be nice to sleep better, though.  Between uncomfortable positions, waking up to pee, and strange terrifying dreams, I can't get any significant shut-eye lately.

18 weeks pregnant

I think I've been feeling the baby move a few times in the last two weeks.  It feels like someone in my uterus is whispering up against my belly wall.  Though, last night, I felt a significant flick like someone kicked me!  Craig was so cute, when I said I felt that, he put his hand on my belly for a while, hoping to feel it, too.  I think the baby's a little too small yet to feel on the outside (since I've tried and tried, and I can't correspond the inside movements to anything felt by my hand).  Then Craig put his head on my belly and said he heard sounds like sloshing around in liquid.  (At least he didn't hear my belly grumbling!)  I also make him talk to the baby sometimes because I heard that now that baby has a decent sense of hearing, s/he is supposed to recognize both my voice (though s/he hears it all the time and is probably tired of it already) and Craig's.  So far, no big movements when he talks to him/her.  It's still really cute to watch him get attached to the little being inside me!

Friday we go for our next ultrasound, the one where they do the anatomy checking.  Nope, we're still not going to find out if it's a boy or girl.  Sorry, everyone who wants to know - you'll just have to wait till s/he makes his/her debut in October!  I hope everything will look good.  I am curious whether it's one of those 3D ultrasounds.  They are kind of creepy!  I'm not sure I want to see exactly what baby's face will look like when s/he comes out.  What if s/he's ugly?  Just kidding, whatever s/he looks like will be fine; we just want him/her to be healthy!

After the ultrasound is our next doctor's appointment.  I will admit that I'm excited for both appointments, since it's been a month from our last one, and I'm not sure if I'm pregnant or just getting fat!  It will be nice to have a new picture and hear the heartbeat and get the ok from the doctor that all is well.  (It would be different if I could feel the baby kicking or see a significant baby bump, then I might be reassured without those things.)

Baby shower planning is still underway.  The dates and locations are set.  Craig's cousin & niece are meeting up with me to put the invitations together in mid-June.  (Because you know I had to have a hand in planning & producing them!  Just can't... let... go!  Haha!)

I've been praying a lot for our little family.  It seems like things are moving in a positive direction, at least most of the time!  It's truly amazing the feelings that Craig and I are having for this baby that doesn't quite exist as a full-fledged person yet.  Now if only we could decide on some name options!

Happy 17 Weeks!

17 Weeks Pregnant

I can't believe we're already 17 weeks in!  That's only 23 weeks left!  Good thing the baby's room is done (sans furniture) and the closet is finished (received the cool green bins for the cubby unit yesterday).  Now I'm itching for more - unfortunately, I have to wait for the baby showers in a little less than 3 months.  (If I let myself, I'd want to buy everything on the registries now!)

Looks like I'm getting the slightest baby bump now.  Pants are tight, so I'm trying to cover everything in empire-waist tops while at work.  It's just easier to get through the next two weeks without giving it away.  (And it'll be kind of fun going back in August with a HUGE 7 month big belly - I plan to say "Well, I ate a watermelon seed over the summer, and...")

What you can't see in my weekly picture (thankfully!) are the four HUGE zits that suddenly appeared this week.  Ugh!  I have never really had bad skin, maybe just a single pimple every other month or so.  These are so glaringly yelling "HELLO!" that I can't stand it.  Here's to hoping it was just something I ate and that it's a passing phase.  Other than that, and being out of breath after climbing stairs, I feel fantastic.  Well, except for the "cankles" (aka severely swollen ankles) that suddenly arrived the day before yesterday...

I don't believe I'm feeling the baby move yet, but last night I felt some strange whispering-like feelings.  So we'll see.  Supposedly you can feel a baby's first movements between 16-22 weeks.  My mother says she never felt my brother or I until 8 1/2 months!  I hope I get to feel my baby move sooner than that!

This week, baby is the size of our Galaxy Note III phones (just over 5 inches).  I texted that tidbit to Craig yesterday, and we both laughed.  S/he is about the size of a large onion (not a glamorous vegetable, so you won't be seeing a picture of one on this blog!) and has developed hearing & sensitivity to light.  S/he's also busy making unique fingerprints!

Our next ultrasound & doctor's appointment are next week.  We're excited and, no, not because we're finding out the baby's sex!  Sorry all of you who were looking forward to that bit of information, including Craig (though I think I've swayed him a little...).  We all will just have to wait until this baby arrives in October!

The Beauty of Hardwood

I'm sure all of you were waiting with bated breath as to how the floor refinishing turned out.  I definitely was!  Well, they came out beautifully and we were able to walk on them with socks by the end of the day (aka no having to sleep on the pull-out couch downstairs!).  The landing even looks so much better now - everything looks better with a little sparkle, right?

Beautiful refinished floors in the baby's room

We can't wait to get the furniture in and the closet rods/shelves up so that the room doesn't echo quite as much.  It's definitely the next step in our nesting process!  Also, once Craig installs a couple of venetian blinds, I can get the curtains back up and it'll start looking home-y.

On the Mother's Day front, I got the most amazing, beautiful, thoughtful (etc, etc) card yesterday from my cousin Gina!  It had a picture of our baby (the most recent ultrasound photo) on the front and in the inside the whole Merigelli family wrote a message that they were so excited to meet their new cousin in October and wished me a wonderful first Mother's Day!  (Plus, it had really cute pictures of Emma & Luca, which was an added bonus!)  I get teary-eyed just thinking about it because it was really touching.  So a big shout-out to the Merigellis and their thoughtfulness!  XOXO!

Mmm... Guacamole!

Yes, I know, strange title for a baby blog!  Well, this week, baby is the size of an avocado!  The bones in baby's ear are in place, which means s/he can probably hear my voice (but uh-oh, hopefully s/he is not judging how terrible my singing voice is!) and some of the sounds around me.  Muscles around the face are working - getting ready for those little baby grins - and in his/her body so that s/he can stretch about in there.  Baby's eyesight and eyelashes are also developing rapidly.

Baby is the size of an avocado this week!

I love my husband, but sometimes he is just too funny!  We were having a discussion about a sentence on the "What to Expect" website (www.whattoexpect.com) for 16 weeks into pregnancy that says, "Feeling overwhelmed by your ever-growing breasts?"  I commented that no, I was not, as mine had yet to "blossom" as expected.  Craig said, "Well, they may never get gigantic like you're wanting.  You may have a gigantic belly with no chest."  Then he proceeded to wiggle his hands with his arms tucked up near his armpits.  So I replied, "Thanks so much for the empathy here.  Is that what you think is going to happen?  I'll look like a T-Rex with my boobs like short, stubby arms?"  Oh, my goodness, we couldn't stop laughing!

We're excited because the baby's room floor (as well as the office & the upstairs landing) are being refinished this week.  It's the last "big" thing (other than transporting the bedroom furniture from NY to MA) that needed to be done upstairs.  I can't wait to get things situated so that all of the lovely little baby things will each have their place in his/her bedroom.  I do feel a little bad that the cats have to be locked up for the day & night though!

My clothes are getting snug, which isn't too fun for a girl who has practically always been on a diet.  But, as long as it's healthy weight gain within the parameters my doctor gave me, it'll have to be fine.  I will look forward to the days when I look like a floatation device in my brother-in-law's pool!  At least I feel great - no nausea, no fatigue - other than being a little slower than usual when it comes to climbing stairs and hills.  I'm also getting excited that baby shower planning is underway!  Now if only I could not change my registries every time I find something new or cute...

16 Weeks Pregnant

Decisions, Decisions!

I know this is an "off-cycle" post, but I had to comment on my general indecisiveness recently!  From simple things like what to eat for dinner to complicated things like baby registries, I have been flip-flopping like crazy.  And that's only compounded by the "pregnancy brain" (forgetfulness) that I've been experiencing.  My brother and my husband claim that doesn't exist, but I am not generally forgetful by nature and this is far outside my comfort zone.

I guess it's a good thing that some of the baby room decisions were already made for me:  keeping the color consistent with the rest of the house was Craig's suggestion (Navajo White can be matched with anything!), the bulk of the furniture is my brother's old stuff from my mother's house (thanks, Mom!), and the layout of the furniture can only really go one way based on the dimensions of the room.  But then there are things like what color canvas bins to use in the cubby organizers (that we already had) for the baby's closet.  Not knowing the baby's sex helped a little, since I wasn't about to go with outright traditionally gender-oriented colors like pink or blue.  But boy (or girl), the decision between green or yellow or orange was tough!  I know, you're laughing at me now!  I'm laughing too, but only because I made the decision to go with green last night.

I'm also nervous about things more than usual.  I'm not anxious by nature, though maybe a little worrisome.  I'm hoping the floor refinishers do a nice job (because frankly, that's an expensive endeavor!), and I'm hoping that our household will be in order enough to support three of us come October (space, finances, time management, etc).  I'm hoping I will be able to breastfeed, because I've heard many stories about unsuccessful attempts, and I'm hoping cloth diapering will be as easy as our close friends say it is (because I really am not looking forward to using a sprayer attached to the toilet to rinse them off).  I'm hoping the registry items are reasonable and that I haven't forgotten anything obvious (and that's after several new mom friends & family have reviewed it and made suggestions).

And what are the cats going to do when they're not "#1" in the household as they believe they are?  What a rude awakening they're in for!

Overall, I know that God would not have given us this tiny miracle if we couldn't handle it.  He'll help us through this and He always provides.  I just have to put all of my faith in Him and not worry.  In just over 5 months, our little munchkin will be here and there's no turning back!

News Flash: Baby Ain't Here Yet

That title was totally Craig's idea!  I asked him what I should write about this week, and that's what I got!  Haha!

On the baby room front, things are progressing nicely.  We're almost to the wall-painting stage, and the floor guys are booked for next week.  I can't wait until we can get some of the bedroom furniture in to see the room really take shape.  Of course, it won't be complete without the crib just yet.

Baby showers are in the works for early August - one for NY and one for MA.  (Thank goodness because there's no way all my "peeps" could fit into one place easily!)  I'm excited to see all our family and friends from near and far, and for them (and me!) to see my 7-months-pregnant belly by that time.

At 15 weeks, baby is the size of a large naval orange.  I'm sure s/he is wiggling around in his/her comfortable "home," but I'm not feeling any movement just yet.  A few more weeks to go for that, from what I read and hear.

Baby is the size of a naval orange this week.

I'm feeling pretty good, though still waiting for the blossoming decolletage that was promised me by various literary pregnancy experts.  The only symptoms that remain are very mild nausea when I brush my teeth (still eww!) and slight fatigue when climbing stairs.  Oh yeah, and that nagging need to pee several times a night.  Well, it will all be worth it in the end!  We can't wait to welcome our little one in just over 5 months!  Yikes, that's not too far away!

15 Weeks Pregnant