Babies"R"Us - Baby Registry

Babies"R"Us - Baby Registry

The Guessing Game is over!!!!

CLICK PIC TO ZOOM!!!!!


From now on, April 15 has taken on a new meaning for me. Last Thursday, we had a Dr's appointment and our first ultrasound since week 7 I believe. The only image I have in my head of the baby is what I've gathered from the gazillion books on our coffee table. How much did the baby grow in this time period? It seems as though it has been an eternity since we have seen anything. Yea the heartbeat is exciting to hear but I'm more of a visual guy. Also, this might be the day we are able to see if we are having a little boy or girl. Now, my preference has already been stated but in all reality just seeing a healthy baby would mean the most to me. The day of the ultrasound I was as nervous as Katie....maybe even more so. I was excited and she could see it all over my face. The doctor started the ultrasound off by showing us the baby's skull and brain. While Katie and the Dr were picking out the features, all I could see was a screen of black and white abstract art. "Hallucinate with me" is what the Dr suggested. As I stared a little longer I could begin to make out the separate parts. To be able to see the heart beating was amazing. To finally put a picture to something we had been hearing for the past 13 weeks was awesome to say the least. The Dr then proceeded down the body and showed us the backbone and ribs and stomach and it all looked to be in good working order. I was content at that point. While he was moving the wand around I could see the baby waving his arms and legs around. I would get claustrophobic if I was stuck in there. Now looking at all this was all fine and dandy but the Dr knew exactly what I was wanting to see. I think he was teasing us by taking his time looking over the entire body. When he passed over an area that looked to be two large circles, he pointed out that those are the two legs. Low and behold, there was a protruding member between the two legs.......IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!! Yes I was amazed.....I was happy before with having a healthy baby but now that I find out it's a boy....I'm ecstatic. All the time being told by everyone that they had envisioned it being a girl, I had prepared myself for that outcome. When little boy rolled around and showed us his parts I couldn't of been happier. I still walk around with a grin all day thinking about it. Every store we go in I always keep an eye out for things the little guy will like to wear or play with. Since he is the first grandkid on my side and the first grand son on Katie's side I have a feeling he will be spoiled. Let's hope that we as parents can keep him grounded. We have been hounded to put together a baby registry and now we finally can narrow things down to all boy things. Naming has also become an obsession of ours. Every time I watch a movie, I watch the credits now to see if any names pop out at me. While we are taking suggestions on names, we are not going to disclose the name until he enters this world. Maybe I like the secret part or maybe I just think that we have to see him before we can give him a name that is fitting. I actually am getting a little nervous about the responsibility of naming someone. Giving a silly name to a dog can create a laughter in a room and be otherwise harmless. The dog will not feel ashamed of his name or will he be ridiculed by other dogs because his name sounds "girly" or "weird". I do not want to handicap our child because we chose a name that is not widely accepted. I also do not want to choose a name that is common or lackluster. Us, as well as every other parent, thinks our child is special, unique and deserves a name to fit. So much pressure. I guess it will all fall into place in due time. As the due date rapidly comes closer, I find myself being more conservative with money also. We are going to have to provide for this little human so I guess I need to balance my budget accordingly. While this summer is my last before parenthood, I need to be at least partially responsible and save some of what I earn. No longer can we go out to eat 3-4 times a week and travel every weekend. Baby will be here before we know it and I want to be prepared.....as prepared as I can be.

Our peach on miracle grow...

I keep finding myself wondering…”When is the part where it all slows down?” The days and weeks - and now months - keep flying past with increasing speed. This really came into perspective when a new friend, Sara, shared stories of two of her friends who had premature babies. The kicker was that they were born at about 6 months. 6 MONTHS! I am almost 5!!!!!! Instantly I began thinking “I’m not ready!” Even though my belly suddenly popped out over the past couple of weeks and I have begun to feel little flutters every once in awhile….it all seems surreal…still. I realized that I hadn't read any of the dozens of books laying around at home updating me on baby size in quite awhile. So, last Friday I did. It described the baby as being the size of my open hand. OPEN HAND. That's big! Last I read (s)he was a peach! And although I’ve had many of the symptoms of pregnancy and I have read that these are all symptoms of pregnancy….it just won’t sink in. The next day I’m fine and all is back to normal – minus the fact that most of my clothes now need to be packed away for next year. I warned Jp that if this sudden growth spurt doesn't slow down and I end up giving birth to a 10 pound baby...he will pay.

I find myself thinking about the baby as an actual baby much more. At one of my recent doctor’s appointments, the doctor listened to the heartbeat for a really long time. Typically it has been a quick 10 second check “Yep, it’s still there!” But this time, she wanted to listen for any irregularities and listened for over a straight minute. The only noise filling the room was our little baby beating as hard as (s)he could. I instantly felt a much stronger connection. All of those motherly instincts of protection and overwhelming love filled me (and of course I cried…again). I sent a quick text to Jp on my way back to work that said “I’m in love with our baby.” A simple, heartfelt “Me too” came back. I felt the connection of our little family really solidify in those moments.

Even after all of these connections, symptoms, communications and visuals show a growing baby…a growing family, it simply won’t sink in that I can be this lucky…this happy….this in love.

Next, I will eat sugary danish for breakfast this coming Thursday to hopefully get the baby moving so we can see exactly whether there is a little spigot on our new love. And for all of you who have texted, emailed and facebooked asking for pictures of the growing baby-bump…you can thank Mr. Willis for their nonexistence on our blog thus far. Apparently, he thought the camera cord was on the menu. We will update with pictures soon!

Time moves too fast......

So it feels like just the other day that we got the "BIG" news. The shock value seems to have disappeared until I talk with someone else that has yet to hear of our special package coming. When I get to tell someone new it excites me again as if it the first time I am hearing it myself. The days keep going by faster and the weeks that we thought were so far off are now approaching us at a speed greater than we anticipated. We have less than 6 months until the baby is here. Six months until we are responsible for the well-being of another life. When I think about it in those terms then I get a little anxious. I am by no means ready to take on another life. I guess there is really no way for me to delay this is there? Can I just have the baby grow in the womb until I feel confident that I am ready? While Katie may not enjoy that, I think it might be the easiest route. While most women who have had a baby and even those who have not will disagree when I say pregnancy is equally as stressful on the man as the woman. No, I do not have to carry the baby but I do feel the extra pounds being added to my figure from always having to have a snack in between meals. And as hard as we try to have healthy snacks laying around, the occasional bowl of ice cream or candy finds its way into my diet. Keeping up the woman's morale is also a very important yet overlooked issue that us men sometimes forget. Every morning I am hit with the "how does this look" followed by the "nothing fits" grumble in the closet. I know it can be discouraging when you find yourself gaining weight and going from a very attractive fit young woman to a very attractive young woman with a "pooch"....this is the only word I have found to not be offensive ;) I find it very difficult to describe to the disgruntled woman that she is just as attractive if not more so because she is carrying something that we created. I just do my best and say positive things. She keeps reading in books that we should be able to "see" this or "feel" that but up until the other night I had not experienced any of these things without the aid of sophisticated scientific instruments (doppler). While giving the nightly belly rub, I felt a little firm line running across the lower abdomen. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say its the uterus....at least that's what the books are saying I should be feeling by now. Even if it really isnt the uterus, I'll tell people that cause it makes me feel like we are progressing. The doctor visit this past Friday was encouraging but not as exciting as the previous ones. I guess I'm getting hard to please. We heard the heartbeat again and there was no mistaking it.....Its gotta be a boy. It was beating so strongly through the doppler I thought I would be able to hear it if I just put my ear to the belly. No such luck. We have 4 more long weeks until the next visit where we could possibly find out if it XX or XY. If we find out its going to be a girl, I am quite happy with the newest Male addition to our family, Willis Poulsen. Willis is a blue male pit bull with one blue eye and one hazel eye. He is only 15 weeks old and acts even younger. We have been having dog withdrawals for quite sometime and finally pulled the trigger. At times I have questioned our decision but while he curls up with us in the bed or on the couch and passes out snoring I know we made the right choice. Housetraining has been difficult and frustrating to say the least but I think this is great training for us with whats about to come. For some reason I don't think we have to worry about the other baby biting us or nawing on the corner of the couch. I could be wrong though. I have seen some pretty odd behavior out of little people. So as time flys by, we keep on trying to accomplish things all the while waiting on this baby to arrive. If you review our itinerary, you would think we are not affected by this so called economic recession. Virginia Beach shopping one weekend, touring San Francisco and drinking wine in Napa Valley the next (no not the expectant mother), Gloucester to visit Dad, Betsy and Nook. Down time is at a premium right now and I do not see it becoming easily attainable in the future. As we wish these weeks by to hear more exciting news and watch the development of the baby....I just want to take it a little slower and cherish the moment. We are only here once and I want to capitalize on that. Living in the NOW

The many faces of JP...

I’ve always made fun of all of Jacob’s faces. He makes a face when he thinks I’m being crazy. He makes a face when he’s concentrating. Another when he is trying not to smile. Another when he has a lot to say, but won’t say it. One when he is perturbed. Even one for scrubbing (dishes, the car, the floor, etc.). There are tons of them. And he has had them all of his life it seems. I have looked back through pictures of his childhood and see the same faces based on whatever situation is in the picture. While so many people think he is shy or “hard to read,” I have found that if you know the faces, you know what’s going on inside.

But there is a new face that I only realized today… the second time I saw the face. It happened when the doctor placed the Doppler on my stomach. He was midsentence in a discussion with Jacob about a subject other than the baby. The Doppler touched-down and the heartbeat came across loud and clear. I looked over at Jacob and saw it, for the second time. It was the same face I got on February 12th when we heard our baby’s heart beating for the first time. Complete elation only begins to describe it.

I have prided myself on naming these faces and pointing them out to him when they appear. He always laughs or rolls his eyes. And even though I have given him a hard time our entire relationship about all of his faces…this one is amazing. This one is indescribable. This one…we love.

It's the little reminders

I would be lying if I said that my slowly increasing body size wasn’t on my mind daily…if not hourly. I’m pretty sure the next time someone (especially a man) reminds me that weight gained with a baby is harder to lose, I may snap. I usually smile politely, nodding. However, next time I might land a “And you think I’m not conscious of this very fact with every 10th of a pound that shows up on the scale?!” Instead I usually reassure them of my knowledge of this fact by explaining my gym schedule and what the actual DOCTOR has explained. Typically this sends them into the “Don’t overdo it” discussion. It’s a never ending cycle.

However, this whole issue came speeding into perspective at my most recent trip to the gym last night. Jp was in a ridiculously goofy mood and after trying to get going on the glider machine while laughing so hard I was crying, I finally began the cardio portion of the workout routine. Not two minutes in I had a sharp pain in my lower abdomen. Taken by surprise, I quickly got off the machine and stretched a little longer before attempting again. 10 seconds into the restart it happened again and kept cramping. So I went to the locker room and sat for a few minutes before giving it one last shot. No go. It made me really nervous, but also sad because I want so bad to keep fit and keep the routine up. Jp offered the explanation that possibly it was the expansion and pulling of all those tendons and muscles to accommodate our growing pea pod. A call to the nurse today confirmed it. I told her I was shocked that it was that sharp and painful and she explained how much it varies for each person and pregnancy. My next appointment is this Friday and that helps to know they will be checking everything out. But I realized I spent the first trimester looking towards the goal of completing that 12 weeks and feeling so relieved to enter the 13th week with everything going well, that I completely relaxed when I actually started week 13. I was shocked last night at how comfortable and confident I had gotten in 3 short weeks, and how precious completing each week really is. A very real reminder that there is a real, live little person growing in there….and that the increasing body size is for that baby we hope to hold this coming September….makes those tenths of pounds not so horrible.

We get our second “communication” with that little person this Friday when we hope to hear the heartbeat a second time. I think I will be that girl who cries every time I hear it. AND Friday will be the completion of week 15. I am beginning to love Fridays for reasons I didn’t see coming :)

"Ohhhhh nooooo"

Me: So, I’ve got some news!
Him: You aren’t leaving are you?
Me: Nope! But I am pregnant.
Him: What?! Oh my. Ohhhhh myyyyy…..
Me: (laughing) yep!
Him: Ohhhhh nooooooo!
Me: What?! What’s wrong?
Him: Well, (clears throat) I mean…..what’s next?
Me: Well, I guess we have a baby!

That was my favorite reaction to the news thus far. I still chuckle about it! As I have begun to tell people at work, you can tell they are DYING to ask, when’s the wedding? But no one will! And if they don’t have the kahunas to ask…then they won’t get my response on the subject.

Other breaking of the news went great. I told 3 of my 8 bosses this week. The Chairman, a Commissioner and the County Manager. All of them reacted in much of the same way. Huge smiles, stories of their own children, plenty of congratulations, and even offers of putting a crib in the meeting room. The Chairman was left speechless and finally said “I feel like my 17 year old little girl just told me she was pregnant!” He ended the convo with “whatever you do, don’t miss a day. Bring the baby to work.” I said “I don’t know, there may be a couple days where I am not here” thinking it has to get into this world somehow!

The more people I tell, the more real it gets! After hearing the heartbeat, everything became real and sharing the news became exciting, often times fun, and not anxiety producing like in the beginning. I’m with JP, I’m ready for “her” to be here now! But am trying to take it each day at a time, enjoy being in regular clothes for a little while longer and looking forward to each step. But I still can’t help counting down the days until my next appointment when we can hear that beautiful sound again.

I had an eye opening moment this week. The doctor asked about my diet and encouraged more protein. So I have gotten up each morning 10 minutes earlier to make an old favorite…an egg, cheese and ham in a tortilla wrap. The second morning while I was folding the wrap in aluminum foil to take to work, it hit me. Mom used to do this for us all the time (with the addition of fresh herbs cut that morning from the garden). Even into high school. HIGH SCHOOL! In high school I should have been making my own wrap! But between her getting ready for work and getting everyone out of the door on time, she took time to make sure we had a nutritious breakfast. I found myself wondering, am I ready to do that? Am I ready to shorten my “me” time in the morning (and every other part of the day) to make a wrap every day for someone else? But then I know once I lay eyes on that tiny bundle of love, giving the world to him/her will not feel like enough. And then I’m ready to have the baby here with me now. Besides….the baby won’t be quite ready for wraps in the beginning anyways ;)

My favorite part of the day has been going home to reenact the reactions of the day for JP. We giggle about them and always find ourselves in a much deeper conversation about details of life once the baby is here. I have begun to wonder, what did we even talk about before all of this?

We’ve recently begun a spinning class. I have gotten many reactions from this. "Ohhh you shouldn’t do that." And "Oh that’s good because you can work out as hard or easy as you want!" JP has been reading in some of the many books we have been given and apparently read a passage regarding my heart rate and the need to keep it under a certain number. Last night as the instructor yells “SPRINT” I look up in the mirrored wall to see JP glaring at me. I look over and he points to his chest and then to the floor as if to sign “keep that heart rate down!” It’s times like these, and even sometimes just as I stand beside him doing dishes at the end of the night, I think how lucky I am to have such a thoughtful, sensitive and caring person to share a child with. That man is my B.D.

And I find it isn't in spinning class, or right before I tell someone the news, but times like those when I struggle to keep my heart rate down...