Roy G. Biv

Does that title line bring back memories from art class for anyone else?  I had a blast this weekend dying a batch of onesies of various sizes.  It was so much fun to mix the colors, and doing the dying in ziploc bags was a super-clean method.  (Consequently, I highly recommend Tulip One-Step Tie-Dying Kits.  A 5-color kit allowed me to make these 15+ different colors, and there are so many more color combinations that one could make.)  The only hard part was waiting overnight for the colors to set before I could see the final result!  So I felt I had to make the process at least somewhat suspenseful on a blog post!  Here's the picture of the onesies wrapped in plastic after dying:

Now, to wait overnight for color setting!

They came out such pretty candy-colors after rinsing and washing!  Some will get iron-on shapes applied, some will get funny sayings, and some will just stay the beautiful solid color they became after dying.  Don't they look beautiful on the clothesline?  I am very proud of my first attempt at these!

The beautiful onesies, hanging on our clothesline to dry!

Because I couldn't refuse a "backside" view!

And yes, if you're concerned like baby's grandfather & father were, these dyes are safe for the baby once the onesies are washed one more time.

Best Maternity Shirts

I can't stop laughing; I keep coming across these funny maternity shirts, so I just had to share!

Did You Enter Your Hunches?

The Baby Hunch page is in full swing!  If you haven't entered your hunches yet, there is still plenty of time!  Click on the link below, and don't forget to use the password:  babylatour

Click Here to Enter Your Hunches

Here's how the votes stand thus far:

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

I wish sleep were easy at this stage!  "Everyone" (my doctor, all the resources online, etc) recommends side sleeping starting in the 2nd trimester.  Sleeping on one's belly is like sleeping on a melon and back sleeping allows the growing uterus to put pressure on major blood vessels in the body.  However, every time I try to sleep on my side, my lower arm falls asleep!  Talk about annoying!  Then I usually wake up (& have to pee) and change positions.  It's not a very restful sleep at all, I'll say.  At least I don't have bags under my eyes just yet, so it must be that I'm getting enough sleep for now.  And the best (and most frustrating) part is the doctor's response (he uses this one to answer many of my pregnancy symptom concerns):  "Oh, that's too bad.  Unfortunately, it will only get worse and there's nothing that can be done about it.  This is the 3rd discussion I've had about this topic with patients today."  Don't get me wrong, I like my doc; there's just not much one can do about symptoms caused by pregnancy hormones.  I'm just not ready to pack our bed with lots and lots of pillows - there might not be much room for Craig left!

Other than the sleep issues, I feel fantastic this week.  Baby moves around occasionally, but nothing you can feel on the outside of my belly yet (unfortunately for Craig).  I'm happy that I'm a happy & healthy-looking pregnant woman instead of my fear of looking blotchy and exhausted.  I hope I have that "glow" that everyone talks about!

23 Weeks Pregnant

I was a little envious at the doctor's office this week when I kept seeing women with beautiful baby bumps, but I figure mine will come in time.  The baby is supposed to double his/her weight over the next 4 weeks, and eventually that's just going to have to show up on the outside.  And the good part about the bump waiting in the wings is that I can still wear the majority of my regular clothes.

Then I realized that I actually have a picture from 15 weeks in the same shirt, and you can tell that there's more of a bump there now (even though today's picture is slightly more zoomed in)!  Take a look:

15 Weeks

23 Weeks

 I do also think I have a little more on top too - yippee!

All Clear!

We got the all-clear today from the doctor with regards to the brain & heart on the scan from last week.  So it looks as though baby's anatomy is just fine from what they can see via ultrasound.  Great news!

Everything was fine today at our doctor's appointment also.  We got to listen to the baby's heart beat via Doppler again, and the height of my uterus was a few inches above my belly button.  (So where's my baby bump?  Maybe I'll wake up one day with a basketball under my nightgown...)

 Our next visit is late July, and I'll get the "sugar test" (where I have to drink a sugary orange drink) to check for the possibility of gestational diabetes and a whooping cough vaccine (recommended for anyone that will be around the baby before s/he is vaccinated at 6 months of age).  So, if you plan to come visit the new baby, the doctor recommends having your whooping cough vaccine updated too, if you haven't had it within the last year.  We are considering requiring a note from your doctor stating you were vaccinated before letting you enter our humble abode.     

Just kidding!  But, it would be great to know that everyone is immunized (especially since the prevalence of whooping cough has been increasing over the last few years) and that baby won't be getting exposed from friends & family, so I hope you'll consider talking with your doctor about it.

I found a great deal on baby/toddler hangers at Target today ($1.02 for a 10-pack!), so I picked up 2 sets to begin to hang up some of the cute baby clothes we've been getting (including the I-Love-My-Daddy onesie I got Craig for Father's Day and a very cute 6mo-size Wells t-shirt I picked up from campus earlier this month).

The cutest little 6-month size Wells t-shirt!

I also finished 3 crocheted baby toys.  These were my first attempts at making something like that, and I think they came out pretty good!  They are so soft now that they've gotten their first wash & dry.

Homemade baby toys, courtesy of  Mommy-to-be

Baby Pool - Post Your Hunches!

I decided to use BabyHunch.com to put together a Baby Pool where you can guess certain things such as Baby's Birthdate (date and time), Baby's Sex, Baby's Weight, etc, etc.).  If you'd like to play, simply click the link provided below to submit your hunches!

IMPORTANT:  The password for this pool is:  babylatour

Once you visit the page, click 'Enter New Hunches' to submit your hunches

Click Here for Baby LaTour's Birth Statistics Pool!


We will offer a prize (and no, it won't just be baby sitting!) to the person who comes the closest to all the birth stats.  We're looking forward to seeing your hunches - but remember, no one likes a 10 lb baby!

The Baby and the Blanket

I finally completed a new baby blanket that I think is perfectly gender-neutral for the baby.  As much as I dislike crocheting granny squares, this one was fairly easy and looks great now that it's put together!

Baby's new blanket, courtesy of Mama-to-be!

I've been getting several "complaints" about not knowing the baby's sex.  It's amazing to think that many years ago it was the norm to not know a baby's sex before birth.  For me, it's like a little reward (besides the obvious - getting to meet the baby!) when these 9 months of hard work are over.  Even being such a planner, it hasn't bothered me in the least that we don't know.  As long as the baby's healthy, neither Craig nor I care if s/he's a boy or girl. So those of you that are craving the knowledge of whether baby is a boy or girl, guess you'll just have to settle in and wait like us parents-to-be until October!

I have to give another shout-out to my friend Janet, who has been providing us with a plethora of baby supplies (diapers, a bassinet, bibs, etc) as her twins grow out of or are unable to use things.  [The bassinet especially is going to be great, since we don't have room for the baby's crib or pack'n'play in our bedroom while we have visitors staying over and who wants to room with a newborn?]  We are even more excited (and anxious!) with every little item we receive, either as hand-me-downs or as gifts from our registry.  Our wishes are definitely being granted!  We want to thank everyone for their generosity and send out our love!

We had our (last?) ultrasound today.  The ultrasonographer was really good; she gave a running narrative of all the parts of baby's anatomy while she was scanning (like the baby's stomach, bladder, arm & leg bones).  Everything seemed to look good, but we'll get the official ok next week from my doctor.  Hopefully we won't have to go back yet again because baby's position was off - not that we'd mind seeing the baby again!  Baby weighed in at 1 lb & 4 oz, which is about a week ahead of where s/he's supposed to be at this time.  His/her heart rate was 142 beats per minute.

Baby's profile at the 22 week ultrasound.

1 Pound of Fun

At 22 weeks, baby is the size of a spaghetti squash (mmm, tasty!) and weighs about a pound.  What is pretty funny is that if baby has any hair on his/her head right now, it's bright white because hair at this stage of fetal development doesn't have any pigment!  S/he is improving his/her senses of touch and sight.  I tried that idea of shining a flashlight against my belly to see if it made him/her move with no luck, however.

Baby is the size of a spaghetti squash this week.

All the sources I've been reading say that I should have a pretty good sized baby bump by now, but that's just not the case.  It's small at best, and that's if it even decides to show up some days!  That's ok with me - at least my clothes still fit!  If you didn't know I was pregnant, you'd probably think I just put on a few pounds around my middle.  I'm also ok with not having a belly because I'm not really looking forward to folks touching my bump.  Is that weird?  I just find it odd that people would reach out and touch someone else's belly without permission, even if there is something cute growing in it.  I read up on how to stop people from doing it, but it doesn't seem like that will be an easy feat without coming across as rude.  I do like the shirt I saw with a picture of MC Hammer on it that says "Can't touch this!" on the belly!  Or the one that said "It's not a magic lamp, so don't bother rubbing it" across the bump.

22 Weeks Pregnant

Overall, I feel good, especially now that I've had the opportunity to go swimming a few times.  It's nice to have the water take the pressure off my joints.  Having fun in the sun is also mood-lifting, after the long dark winter and spring we had.

We're excited about the repeat ultrasound tomorrow.  Can't get enough pictures of the baby already!  Craig and I have been tossing around various ideas for baby names, but I would put money on the fact that we won't have decided what to name him/her by the time s/he arrives!

Happy Father's Day!

Craig opened his present from baby & me!  (The shirt is from me, and the onesie is from the baby.)  Looks like he liked them!

Daddy, sporting his Father's Day gifts.

Progress

I had some time today to sit myself down and work on some long-overdue projects for the baby.  I will admit that I like having this summer off to do odds & ends!  I finished re-purposing a printer's drawer (that used to hold all the little letters for a printing press font) into an alphabet wall hanging.  Now I just have to send Craig out to get glass or plexi to keep the dust out.  I also created an easy set of clothing dividers for the baby's closet.  Nothing fancy, but hopefully useful!

I love the old feel of the printer's drawer with the new embellishments on the alphabet.  The green shades are so soothing (the picture doesn't really do it justice - the right side photographed better than the left).

There are others for larger clothes, but I didn't photograph them all.

The other part of Craig's Father's Day gift came today, and I picked up a cute card.  He keeps telling me it better be good since I've been taunting him with the idea that he's getting something for weeks now!  We'll see - it's nothing expensive or fancy, just cute.

We also received some baby gifts in the mail today!  It's like Christmas, opening the packages!  I am always grateful for the generosity of our friends and family.  The idea of baby being here in less that 5 months is becoming even more real with every little addition to the nursery.  (I think I've become a baby registry stalker though...  I go on both websites a bunch of times each day to add little things things, change items from one website to the other, and to check if anyone's made purchases.  They must have a medication for baby obsession, right?)

Finished?

I didn't think it could be done, but I think I may have actually finished the baby registries (FINALLY)!  I'm sure I'll probably throw on an extra item or two if something comes to mind, but it's a good thing I'm done, since the baby shower invites went out in the mail this week.  (Speaking of invites, if you got one for the shower in MA, you'll also be receiving a card with the corrected phone number for our wonderful hostess - just chalk it up to my pregnancy brain and a misplaced finger on the keyboard!)

It's been a fairly uneventful week here in the LaTour household.  Baby has been moving around pretty regularly - and the movements have shifted from 9pm all the way up to 9am!  (Church was an interesting experience this past Sunday - try listening attentively to the priest's homily when your baby is tickling you inside!)  Yesterday was a quiet day though; I think baby was lulled to sleep by my vacuuming/mopping/dusting/laundry (Whew!  I'm exhausted just reading about it!), the time my niece and I spent putting together the shower favors (thanks, Justine!), and my assembly line for 6 diaper cakes (courtesy of my friend Janet who has been passing along extra diapers once her twins grow out of a particular size).

I realized the other day that my nausea when teeth brushing is now completely gone!  That was a wonderfully happy moment, trust me!  Of course, it's been replaced with swollen ankles which have even appeared as soon as 2 hours after I get out of bed (when I am actively moving around to get stuff done).  Luckily, the "cankles" go away after an hour of putting my feet up or overnight, and it's not very painful.  And, frankly, if that's the only symptom that's an inconvenience during the 2nd trimester, I can deal with it.

21 Weeks Pregnant

I'm waiting for the other piece of Craig's Father's Day gift to arrive (and it might not for another month yet unfortunately), but the first piece arrived the other day.  Hopefully, I can get a picture of him in/with it to share on the blog.  Sorry for the suspense; I don't want to give the surprise away!

We're eagerly anticipating the next (extra) ultrasound in a little over a week, followed by the next doctor's visit the following week.  Neither of us can believe how fast the time is flying!  I'm already past the 5 month mark!  Just a few more short months until we meet baby!  Can't wait!

The Halfway Point

I can't believe it's already 20 weeks in and 20 weeks to go!  I certainly don't feel (or look?) 5 months pregnant yet.  The baby bump is minimal and (unfortunately) "the girls" haven't swelled to gigantic proportions as some sources suggest.  I'm feeling really good though, and the baby is moving occasionally.  S/he still feels like mild flutters, but sometimes there's a good flick.

20 Weeks Pregnant

This week the baby is about the length of a banana and weighing in at approximately 10.5 ounces.  

Baby is the length of a banana this week.

It's been a week of thinking about baby names.  I bombarded my mother with LOTS of options while we were traveling on our mother-daughter trip in Central NY.  (Imagine four hours - each way! - of baby name suggestions...  She was happy to have me return home to Craig after that!)  It ranged from some realistic options to those that are a lot more far-fetched (mostly to see her reaction!), like "Gustav" and "Dolores."  I have a few picks in my head that might make it to the final round of choices, but Craig has yet to weigh in.  "Plenty of time for that," he always says.  Although he did throw in the interesting choice of "Ginger" a few weeks ago.  I asked if "MaryAnn" would be our next child's name.  Or perhaps "Gilligan."

This weekend includes plans to compile the baby shower invitations and get them mailed out.  I'm excited to see whether some of our more distant friends & relatives will be able to make the trip to come celebrate with us.

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the crib & mattress (courtesy of Barbara, the baby's Grammy), but Craig refuses to put it together until early October.  Well, at least it will be here and ready when he is!  And it's true, the cats would probably go to town on it if we put it together before then anyway.

Oh, I forgot to mention that we are returning for yet another ultrasound later this month.  Apparently our little one wasn't cooperating in terms of positioning during the last one, and the technologist wasn't able to get a good view of the brain & heart.  Everything else was reported as looking good, though.  So we'll get to see our little angel again in a few weeks.  (And, no, we're still not finding out the sex!)