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

Pregnancy Announcement Craziness!

Well, it's official that most people have received their announcements (though Staten Island seems to be the "forgotten island"...).  I have to admit that I love hearing all the congratulations and best wishes!  It's so nice to hear people so happy about a new baby!  It makes me smile a lot!

Now we have to answer lots of questions...

"Are you going to find out the sex?"  Nope!  It's a surprise!

"What are you going to name it?"  We're not telling until the baby's born.  Then everyone will just say "That's a cute name!" instead of "Oh, I knew someone by that name x amount of years ago and they weren't so nice..." etc.

"How are you feeling?"  Good, now that the nausea from the 1st trimester is over!

"Are you excited?"  Uh, duh!  Of course!

"Are you going back to work after your maternity leave?"  Yes, but Craig plans to be at home with baby.  We'll see how sane he stay!

"Is it yours, Craig?"  Just kidding!  No one asked that!  And of course it's his!

We had another doctor's appointment today.  Luckily, a fast one.  The heartbeat sounded good, and the urine results were normal.  Now we have to wait until mid to late May for the next ultrasound and doctor's visit.  The doctor says that shortly after that time, I should begin to feel baby's movements.  I can't wait!  So exciting!  Right now it feels like I'm not pregnant because I'm not showing and I'm no longer having crazy 1st trimester symptoms.  I will be so happy to finally feel this little one moving around!

14 wks pregnant

Work continues on the baby's room.  Craig has been busy patching the walls, readying the room for primer and paint (perhaps this weekend?).  We have to go pick out a ceiling fan to put up, too.  Then a few finishing touches, and hopefully I can call in the floor refinishers.  It's so nice to be "nesting!"

Life's a Peach!

At 13 weeks, baby is about 3 inches long, the size of a peach!  It is possible I'm starting to feel my uterus coming up into my lower abdomen (it's supposedly the size of a grapefruit), though that could just be the pasta I ate last night...  Some days I think this is still all a dream and that they've been showing me pictures of someone else's baby at the appointments.  Minor case of denial, maybe?  Probably just nerves and being reminded daily by my phone app countdowns that there are less than 6 months left till this miracle arrives!!

Baby is the size of a peach this week.

According to What to Expect When You're Expecting, this is the week that baby's vocal cords start developing.  Maybe this isn't such a great thing - we'll see how loud this little one gets when it comes out and wants to be fed or changed!

In other news, our pregnancy announcement cards have been shipped, but the estimated arrival date is later than I'd hoped.  I'll say a little prayer that FedEx picks up the pace from North Carolina and hope that the cuteness of the cards overshadows their just-after-Easter dispersal date.  Lateness has been the story of our life lately, especially with me moving around a little slower than usual due to slight fatigue, carrying this extra 50% blood volume, and some lovely 2nd trimester dizziness.   At least the nausea is 99% gone (still have the teeth brushing delight occasionally in the mornings).

Work is well underway in the baby's room.  Craig and I (well, mostly Craig, but I did learn & try, too) installed a new light switch (location was an issue once the door opened inward, covering the old switch) and three new electrical outlets (love this old house but it hardly has any convenient plugs).  Craig installed some sheetrock patches over some spots in the walls and plastered over them.  It will be time for primer and paint soon - possibly next week.  I mostly can't wait to have the all clear to call the guy to come refinish the floors.  It will be nice to have easily-cleanable finished floors instead of the current mostly-exposed bare hardwood.  Then the list will be mostly done - just a few finishing touches.  I guess this means we're nesting!

13 weeks pregnant

Growing by leaps & bounds!

In the last three weeks, baby has more that doubled in size!  S/he is now the size of a plum.


Baby is the size of a plum this week.

In actual dimensions, s/he measured 6.91 cm (approx 2.7 inches) from crown-to-rump during our 12 week ultrasound.  His/her heartrate was 159 beats per minute.  The ultrasound tech got some awesome pictures!  In one, baby is "thinking" (propping hand under chin) and in the other, baby is waving!  (There were others with baby facing "the camera," but they were not as flattering.)

Baby LaTour at 12 wks

It's so amazing how baby now looks like a baby instead of a little alien blob!  Craig and I were so excited to see him/her flipping all around and waving his/her arms and legs during the ultrasound.  I can't wait to feel those tiny movements in a few more weeks!

12 wks pregnant

 I would like to say I feel 100% amazing at this point, moving into the second trimester, but I have to go with 95% to be truthful!  I still have some nausea, mostly when I brush my teeth, which is a pretty horrible sensation.  My fatigue has mostly gone away and I feel a little more energetic.  I've been able to eat more dinners, and, thankfully, Craig has been willing to cook since my work/pet sitting/tutoring schedule has been quite busy and I still have trouble with a lot of strong smells.

We decided that Easter would be a great time to announce our pregnancy, especially since we're heading into the 2nd trimester at the same time.  (Chance of miscarriage goes down to less than 1% at 12 weeks after seeing a live fetus on ultrasound.)  So, we set out to take a cute photograph with the most recent ultrasound picture to commemorate the occasion and send out to family and friends.  (The Easter eggs & basket match the theme of the card, so don't worry about it seeming strange!)  The result is below, but this did not come without MANY (and I really mean MANY) blooper pictures!  It's amazing how difficult it is to get two people to look in the same direction and smile at the same time!  I give tons of credit to wedding photographers out there - how they can get 4+ people to smile and look at the camera all at once is totally beyond me!  I know they don't use the same technique I did (pinching Craig's behind to get him to laugh)!  Haha!

Our pregnancy announcement picture

So we're heading into trimester 2 with high hopes and anxious nerves (mostly having to do with "Oh goodness, baby will be here in only 6 months!").  Life is great!  We're happily calling each other "Mommy" and "Daddy" to remind ourselves of the little life inside.

Time Flies!

It's crazy to think we're already 11 weeks in!  Baby is the size of a small lime (about 2").  (Ok, I don't think I've ever seen a lime as small as 2", but that's what the baby apps on my phone say...)

Baby is the size of a lime this week.

Craig commenced some "light" construction in the baby's room.  We're turning the door around - it currently opens outward into the hallway, so he's flipping it around to open inward.  This is not as easy as it sounds with the way the old moulding is placed, so there will probably be a fresh plaster job in our future.  We also have plans to refinish the floors and add some more electrical outlets (plus replace the current old-style outlets).  Now, I say "we" but really it's mostly Craig!  Haha!  Oh, and a fresh coat of paint - our "favorite" stand-by, Navajo White, the color in most of the rest of the house.  I'm hoping for a calm, quiet atmosphere for the baby's room.  Neutral enough for either gender and relaxing enough to prompt smooth transitions to sleep!

Only another week and we get a fresh picture at the next ultrasound.  We're excited because the baby is supposed to look less like an alien and more like a human.  Plus, we're gearing up for sending out our pregnancy announcment - it has a cute Easter theme!

11 weeks pregnant

This week, I am finally feeling less nauseous (note the "less" and no sign of the word "gone").  It's mostly in the evening at this point, but I finally was able to eat dinner for the last few days.  Thankfully, because, as anyone who knows me knows, I hate when my meals are interrupted.  I still pee almost every hour on the hour, though luckily only 2-3 hours at night.  No sign of the "rack" I was hoping for yet - I still have my fingers crossed!  Also no baby bump in sight, which is fine with me.  Baby can stay hidden till May 31st if it was up to me!  Once work is out for the summer, s/he can happily make my feet disappear.

Craig and I have also been tossing names around.  I'll admit (though not to Craig!) that knowing the sex of the baby would make this decision much easier, but it'll be fun to be surprised.  It's still too early to pick one, but I have my favorites.  Of course, that might change in the next 6 months, but either way no one but us will know until baby shows his/her face in October.

Time is flying, and I'm nervously excited.  Less than 29 weeks to go!