Friday, December 30, 2011

Baby has a name!

Given my cravings lately, I should probably just name the baby "Fudge." I'm really uninterested in anything 'savory' lately and would be completely ok skipping every meal in favor of dessert. Of course, I am eating normal foods but even then I try to sweeten them up. Breakfast? Waffles and syrup or a sweet cereal. And I get through my lunch and dinner just to get to the fudge, thin mints, ice cream... or all 3.
While near and dear to my heart, Fudge might not help him with his popularity in school. 


And so, we will call him Trent Alexander.


I used a name book and some online name dictionaries and came up with a list of names for my husband to review. This was the only one he liked which made it easy! We think that it's unique enough to be different, but common enough that people will recognize it and not wonder how to spell it or say it. 


And so there we are. I will no longer have to refer to him as 'baby' when blogging and now you all know who we are welcoming into the world. I can't wait to meet him!!!!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

22 weeks and dreaming...

Sorry blog followers!! I realize that I have been a bit absent from filling you in the last few weeks. I committed to writing at least once a week to let you know what's going on with my growing belly and the cutie pie inside of me. But I missed week 21 and now you'll have to bear with me as I catch you up on everything. So get comfortable.


To be honest, the last few weeks I've been achey and moody. The Christmas holiday was getting me down - but forget all that! I have this whole week off, Christmas is OVER (yessss) and I'm feeling good (today)!


So where do I start?
Well, I'm 22 weeks today and looking at the calendar it's starting to sink in that we will get to meet our son in the next 4 months!! WHOA! That is SOON! January will fly by because we're traveling to Mexico, we have snowy February, March is my baby shower, and then the baby could really come anytime in April!
I feel him move all the time now and the "fluttery" or "squirming" feeling has been replaced with real kicks. He's letting mommy know that he's growing strong and he's getting ready to meet his family!! Unfortunately Daddy hasn't felt it yet but I'm sure he will soon. I can feel it from the outside every now and then but as soon as I move over to Daddy to snuggle in hopes that he'll feel a kick, baby settles down.


I find that I dream about him often. I picture what he will look like and he is always the happiest baby. In my last dream he looked at me after he was born and just smiled the cutest happiest smile. That's what dreams are for :-) I KNOW he will be born screaming his tiny little head off but in my fantasy he is cute, pink, has a head FULL of hair and just loves his mommy to pieces. 


I'm also getting a lot bigger so he's making his presence known there. All I can say is THANK YOU for maternity clothes. I really don't know what I would do without full panel maternity leggings, maternity jeans, and maternity tops. I'm telling you, buying a medium or a large just does NOT work. Not for me anyway. I'm very lucky to have the maternity wardrobe that I do. I got some great hand me downs, a gift card for my birthday to Motherhood and lots more gifts for my bday and xmas. It's just too depressing to even try to put on any of my old clothes. They look SO weird. Maternity clothes aren't baggy all over - just in the belly. So they fit everywhere that you are NOT pregnant. It will probably be an adjustment to get back into clothes that aren't so comfortable!


And speaking of gifts - baby got some AMAZING gifts this xmas. Notably, a friend handed down her son's wardrobe to the baby and I can't believe how much there is. It's truly amazing. Baby also got his first pair of Nike Jordan's from his Aunt and Uncle and they are TOO cute!! His grandmother knitted him a blanket and daddy's family recorded their voices onto a book! He also got some really sweet gear for the upcoming Red Sox season! A green 'monstah' onesie and a 'Yankees Yuck!' onesie. Daddy bought him a Sox jacket to match.


Daddy also got me these really cool things called Belly Buds. They are specifically designed to play music to the baby!! They stick to my belly and I have been playing music for him and he seems to respond! I created a Pandora station of classical music and baby lullabyes. Here's a picture of me using them:






Ok what else?
Well, onto the standard weekly update, baby is as long as a spaghetti squash! Which explains my expanding waistline! He is almost a pound and has lots of deep wrinkles in his skin because really soon he's going to start to fill in with lots of fat, making that cute chubby face that we'll get to see soon!
We get to go see him in 3D after we return from Mexico and I can't wait!


I think that just about covers it!! I hope to have some more exciting updates for you as the weeks pass. To end, here are a few pics of me from Xmas:








Monday, December 19, 2011

Nesting!!!

I finally understand what this nesting phenomenon is all about. I am in full force nesting mode and loving it. The baby's nursery is coming right along.


In the past week we had the nursery painted, furniture delivered and crib assembled. I had a friend basically give me her child's entire wardrobe up through size 3 months and it was SO fun to look at everything, fold it all and organize it into the dresser. I bought some of the items for the baby's "theme" and started to decorate and I love how everything is coming together. I love walking by his room and picturing him in there. Looking at the clothes I couldn't wait to see them on the baby. So, yeah, I'm getting really excited!!


If I didn't have to wait for the shower, I would have everything purchased and set up by now haha. But I'm really looking forward to having all my friends and family together to "shower" the baby in presents and I can't wait to start planning it with my sister. 


Here is a sneek peek at the baby's crib with the "monkey rockstar" theme:



Tuesday, December 13, 2011

20 weeks - HALFWAY THERE!

WOOOHOOO!!! I'm halfway there!
Ok I really had to muster up that excitement. Yes, I am truly happy that I am halfway there, but I have had a tough couple of weeks...


Let's just say mommy isn't doing too well. Pelvis aches. Lower back aches at night, keeping me up most nights. I'm sleeping propped up on a hundred pillows (which seems to help a bit.) I'm having another tooth pulled this week (ow.) The holidays are depressing and stressful. 
All I want to do is hold my baby boy in my arms and shower him with love and kisses...


Ok ok ok ... before this gets TOO depressing, there is a bright side. We booked a trip to Mexico in January and we are definitely excited to be getting away, into the sunshine, into the pool, and for Jay - into a lot of tequila. This babymoon concept is a great one, except for the sobriety part. I think I'll have to plan this vacation again for 2013. Daddy will watch baby by the pool while mom drowns herself in a drink that will look something like this:
(I actually drank this drink, nicknamed 'Wilson' on our honeymoon. And then passed out by the pool for a few hours. GLORIOUS.)



Ok, now onto baby. He's kicking up a storm and it's the most amazing feeling in the world. Despite the aches and pains, I love those kicks. He's getting bigger and stronger and now at week 20 we measure him from head to toe (rather than head to bum) and he is as big as a banana! At this point I've gained about 10 pounds and I'm expected to gain about a pound a week for the next 20 weeks. Whoa.
A lot of the same stuff continues on this week for baby... baby's bones are hardening, tooth buds sprouting, finger prints almost completely in place. New this week is that the eyelashes and eyebrows are in place (cute!). 

My hormones are taking over and I already love this little person with such a protective force, I can't describe it. I love my husband more and more and feel closer to him each day. It's truly amazing... So here's to hoping that the next 20 weeks pass even more quickly than the first 20!!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

19 weeks - almost halfway there!

So my 19 week update says this:
"Think you're big now? You'll start growing even faster in the weeks to come."


Oh boy. Oh I KNOW I said I couldn't wait to get the trademark pregnant belly. I know. I'm sorry. I take it back. Go easy on me, I'm new to this.
I'm not ready to grow anymore! This is big enough, thankyouverymuch. I'm already having trouble sleeping due to lower back pain and it doesn't look like my maternity shirts can handle much more! And I have 20 more weeks to go!? Yikessssss.....


I feel the baby move a lot now. It's really cool. It's the strangest sensation and I'm sure will change with time as this little hockey player inside of me grows bigger and stronger. For now it feels like squirming. Sometimes a thump here and there. I felt it from the outside of my belly for the first time yesterday when I had my arm there and I was typing. I can't wait for Jay to feel it, but it's not consistent enough yet, or strong enough yet.


Ok but enough about mama. For this week's food comparison I bring you an heirloom tomato. Baby is 6 inches head to bum and about 1/2 a pound. His brain is developing senses like hearing, taste, smell, touch, etc. They think he can hear me now and I tried to put headphones on my belly to see how he'd react. He was squirming around alright! I think baby is due for a flashlight hip-hop dance-a-thon
His arms and legs are the right proportions to the rest of his body now so they say that he actually looks like a very mini baby now. In the next few weeks he will start to develop all that good baby fat that makes babies so chubby and cute. We get to see him again in January for our 3D/4D visit and I hope he bulks up by then so we can get some good chubby cheeks pictures!





Monday, December 5, 2011

Some days a tear, Some days a smile...

I have seen my share of both over the last week and it's been a tough one. I am certainly being tested and have been trying to focus on relaxing and laughing. Stress in my body now affects two people and I am working hard to make a calm happy place for baby to grow.


In the last week, I have had to deal with heartache of seeing my Dad in a nursing home, and the sadness and struggles that are a part of that life. I've found out that my baby is a boy and while this is not a sad thing, it was most certainly a surprise and a stressful event. I had the traumatic experience of having a tooth pulled and the fun that's come with that healing process. I've had to deal with terrible customer service at Comcast (oh I know this sounds silly to include but you all know what I am talking about if you've ever been in the situation...) My company was acquired which in many ways is a very exciting and profitable thing for me and my family, but leaves me with many uncertainties and questions, specifically around my healthcare at a time where I cannot afford any major changes in that aspect.


So, as the title of this blog suggests, some days there were tears, and some days we've had smiles.


We decorated our tree last night and it was a particularly fantastic end to a rough week. We had a lot of fun doing it. Lots of laughs, lots of smiles, and lots of memories made. 
I also attended the most amazing yoga experience ever - Restorative Yoga. It was 2 hours of relaxing stretches, cool eye pillows, massages and essential oils all meant to detox my body from stress. Yep sounds super hippy but it was unbelievable. I plan to make this a monthly ritual until I get too big. The teacher was really accommodating and worked with me when I couldn't participate in certain poses (like all of the back work.) And baby LOVED yoga class too. I think the rushes of happiness neurons made him happy too and he was moving all around. I imagined he was doing baby yoga :-)


I have had enough surprises for the last week, and I'm hoping for a quiet and predictable week, though I suspect that it will be anything but... We are attending my work Xmas party (Bruins game!) this week and we're also having dinner in Boston this weekend for my sister's birthday. So I'm hoping that the excitement will divert our attention away from some of our stresses.


Here is a pic of my growing bump in front of the tree!