Has the fat lady sung?

Well I don't sing, but I sure do feel like the fat lady these days.  I'm officially in the stage where I FEEL FAT.  Is it legal to just wear a sign saying "I'm not fat, I'm pregnant"?  My clothes are uncomfortable and tight.  I wore a belt today to hide the fact that my jeans are unbuttoned (the shirt pretty much covers my secret anyway).I promise to post a belly pic soon.  Everytime I think of it I'm in my PJs (b/c I get into my comfy pjs the second I walk into the house).

I've decided this means it is time to maternity clothes shop.  I'm not a big clothes shopper, so I usually end up at the bargain stores.  Does anyone know if H&M has maternity?  Which of the maternity stores has the better deals?  I need some maternity clothes advice.  This weekend I'm on a mission to find a dress for a wedding (yeah Erin & Jake!), but next weekend has been designated maternity shopping weekend.  I need a few good work outfits.

Week 15 and Happy B-day Sarah!

Welcome to week 15 Little Bean!  You are growing so much.  This week you will be the size of a navel orange.  He/she will start wiggling their little fingers and toes and kicking a lot.  Facial features like the ears and eyes will also start moving into their proper positions. 

I start tennis this weekend.  Scott and I went out to hit around last night.  It was fun, but we decided it was too cold when my legs started going numb from the cold wind. 

Happy Birthday Sarah!  I hope you have a great day.

Good night, moon

By moon, I mean moonpie.  Boy those are tasty treats.  I just devoured one as an afternoon snack.  My weight gain has been right on track and actually a little under so for now I'll allow myself to indulge =)  I've had a good week overall, but I'm still having some morning nausea.  My craving of the week has been fruit.  Grapes, plums and oranges...YUM!

Today is the last day of week 14.  This week little bean was the size of a lemon and he/she can now squint, frown and grimace!  Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another.  Daddy has some great facial expressions I so hope will show up on our little one.

My cousin Coleman is 4 and start baseball tonight.  Have so much fun Coleman!  One day you'll have to teach our little bean how to play.  Tiff-make sure to snap some pics!

Heartrate debate

Here is the one clue you'll get on gender (actually it's the second...one is in an older post).   The heart rate yesterday was around 149.  The old wivestale is that heart rates above 140 means it is a girl, below means boy.  The votes below show it works sometimes, but the docs swear it's only right 50% of the time. 

I have had a dream where I've had a girl then I had a dream that I had a boy.  What oh what will it be?  We are very anxious!

Pigtails or Mudpies?

We had out next appointment this afternoon.  The main point was to get the test results.  Unfortunately there was a mistake and they couldn't get the results for us today.  Our doc said the one measurement looked good and they'll rush the other results.  For those of you out of the baby game for a while they now measure the fluid in the back of the neck and it can show likelihood of chromosonal abnormalities like down syndrome.  Crazy, right?   The pic to the right shows the area they measure (I'm a novice..might be the darker area to the bottom right of the letters).  Science fascinates me!

Bummer that they couldn't get the results, but one thing made our visit.  We set the date for our gender ultrasound in week 19.  We will either do a gender reveal party that night or that weekend.  We are hoping both sets of grandparents can be there.  It's a great trend a few of my friends have taken advantage of.  You can either wait to find out what you are having in front of friends and family by having the doctor write it on a card sealed in an envelope or you and your hubby can find out and reveal it to the attendees.  I've got some really creative friends who have come up with some cute ideas for the big reveal.  If you have any, I'd love to hear them!  I just cant decide where to have it. 

We'll find out on April 1st, my sister Tiffany's anniversary!  Although it's april fools day, it is a VERY lucky day in our household =)

Where did Spring go?

The weather was absolutely amazing this weekend.  Scott had school (my hubby is getting his MBA at Emory on the weekends) and I REALLY missed him.  I wanted to be playing tennis or taking a walk with him.  Luckily he's ALMOST DONE WITH SCHOOL!  He graduates in May and his last classes are beginning of April. 

I was out and about running errands on Saturday then we met up with Tripper and Holly for dinner at Chili's (I have a major sweet spot for chili's and I had a hankerin' for their fajitas.)  If we weren't pregnant it may have been a form of birth control.  Max and Alex (our cute-as-can-be twin nephews) had some ice cream and the sugar high came to a head at the dinner table.  Max had a little tantrum and Alex decide it was more fun to watch things fall to the floor than eat, thing falling to the floor included most of the food he chewed up and spit out.  It was comical we have at least one get out of jail free card with Tripper and Holly.  They snapped a picture of the floor below the boys which is probably one for the record books. 

Sunday I had a baby shower for my friend Anna from UGA.  She looks adorable and is having a little girl they have named Olivia.  It was fun to see all the items she registered for.  I think I'm going to pull some of my friends registries then take my mom, sister and a few well-prepared mommy friends with me on separate registering visits.  I've heard it's quite overwhelming. 

We have our 14 week appointment later today.  I'll post more tonight.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

I had a fun potluck dinner last night with some college girlfriends.  Janet, Mandy, Heather and Darby- Last night was a blast. All 4 of them are moms.  You know you're having fun when no one realizes it's 10:15p and one of the ladies was due home at 8:30p.  Ladies- we must do it again soon!  Heather it was great to see Hudson and Michael for a bit too.

Besides the fabulous company, dessert was little bean's favorite...Mini Moonpies!  I don't think I ever told the story of buying the moonpies.  I was on a quest to find them and normal stores like Super Target and the grocery don't carry them.  When the snow storm hit our neighborhood was so pretty that we decided to go for a drive in the 4-runner (4x4).  Scott was willing to take a little detour and we tried the gas station for a moonpie.  No luck!  The third store, Walgreens, FINALLY HAD THEM! Not only did they have them, but the had a box of Mini Moonpies!  Perfect sizing for a pregnancy craving.  Maybe that's why they were created.

Maybe I can get Arby's to start selling Moonpies =) 

Happy Friday everyone!  Let the weekend begin.  I've got a baby shower this weekend I'm excited about.  It's my first since finding out I'm expecting. 

Farewell Week 13!

Today is the last day of week 13.  I hope the morning sickness leaves with week 13.  Blaaaah. 

On a lighter note, I haven't been going to sleep at 8:30pm anymore.  Woooo hoooooo!  I actually stayed up for the end of American Idol last night.  My early favorites are Katie (I think that's her name...the young one with long dark hair) and Todrick (had to look his name up).

Mama Lin- glad everything went well with your surgery.  Get well soon!

Future Cousins Playing in the Snow

Little Bean's future cousins had fun in the snowstorm this past week. 

My sister Tiffany's kids are so adorable.  Meet Maggie (2) and Coleman (4).  You guys did such a good job building your snowman.  I love how you used your Mr. Potato Head parts for the nose and mouth...very smart!

Tripper and Holly stopped by Sunday and we got to play with Max and Alex for a while.  They are twin nephews on Scott's side of the family.  They turn 2 in June and are equally adorable.  Boy those guys love the outdoors!  Here are some pics of the boys playing in the snow too.

Grandparents- Get Well Soon!

We've let most of our friends, family and co-workers in on our secret at this point.  It's fun to hear everyone's excitement.  The two main comments Scott and I get are "enjoy your sleep now" and "wow, August...that'll be a hot summer".  Yes and yes.  Hot summer but totally worth it.  We'll just take lots of trips to our new neighborhood pool.

We are in week 13, when supposedly the morning sickness stops.  I had a pretty easy 1st trimester, I was just tired all the time (surprise, surprise).  Well, morning sickness has hit me really bad yesterday and today.  Maybe it's just a bug, I hope this doesn't stick!  Otherwise I'm feeling good and had a great Valentine's weekend.  Our house/n'hood was really pretty in the snow.  I just need it to happen one more time this season so I can take some pics.    

I'm not the only one feeling icky this week.  Please say some prayers for our parents, Little Bean's grandparents!  Scott's mom has surgery today, my dad has a big post-op appointment today (had surgery last week) and my mom threw her back out Sunday and can barely move.  At last report Scott's dad was also sick with a cold.  We hope you all feel better soon.

Welcome Family and Friends!

If you are reading this for the first time, WELCOME!  My sister-in-law Holly helped me design the cutest note to send out in email (see below...thanks holly!).  She also helped us design the save-the-dates for the wedding.  Isn't she so talented?

We are excited to share our news with all of you!  Feel free to follow along with us via this blog during this wild ride of pregnancy and first-time parenthood.    

 

Fetal Doppler says What?

You can put me in the "sucker" category.  I just bought a fetal heartbeat monitor.  That way we can hear the heartbeat whenever we want at home.  I hope it arrives by this weekend.  I figure it will also be fun for the grandparents to hear their newest little grandbaby.  I'm writing this on Feb. 9th hoping it arrives by this weekend, Valentines Day!

Week 13 and Ultrasound #3

Welcome to Week 13 and your second trimester Little Bean!  You are 2.7 inches long and are roughly the size of a peach or a large shrimp. 

We had our next ultrasound today and it took a lot of pokes to get Little Bean active.  I guess little bean is more active in the AM.  At the first ultrasound he/she was moving around like crazy.  Grammy Prather got to come with Scott and I to the appointment and got to see her little grandbaby in action.  He/she moved less, but when they moved he/she would completely change directions as you'll see in the pics.  Maybe the baby was practicing bicycle kicks.  Thanks for coming Grammy.  We love you. 

Here are a few pics from this afternoon's appointment.   Top left- baby on his belly.  see the spine?  top right- baby sitting up.  Bottom- Profile.  Isn't it amazing how well you can see the face/head.  So amazing.   Still can't tell whether it is a he or a she.  Babies still have tailbones that can look like little boy parts.  Hopefully we'll know at our week 16 or week 20 appointments.  We are planning a gender reveal party soon.  Place your bets now. 

Week 13 Ultrasound

Oh, and the Moonpie dessert didn't happen last night.  When-oh-when will I get that tasty, cravable Moonpie???  Maybe tonight, it's been a rough work day and my usual glass of wine isn't allowed = (

Big News Thursday

Tomorrow afternoon, we have our next big ultrasound appointment.  Hopefully all goes well and we will have fun pictures to post.  I also plan on telling my new SVP at work and sending out notes to the extended family and friends tomorrow afternoon. 

We will officially be 13 weeks tomorrow!  2nd Trimester...wow...way to go Little Bean!  Goodness, how time flies.

Oh, and I never got that Moon Pie, so tonight is the night.  Very exciting!   

Mama Lin- Scott, your grandbaby and I are thinking of you today.  We love you!

Dad- Keep up the good work.  You're doing better everyday!

Girl or Boy

Holly found this on a site.  I've highlighted the ones that are true in my case.  Does this change your guess?

It's a BOY

• You didn't experience morning sickness in early pregnancy
• Your baby's heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute
• You are carrying the extra weight out front
• Your belly looks like a basketball
• You are carrying low- ? dunno
• You are craving salty or sour foods
• You are craving protein -- meats and cheese
• Your feet are colder than they were before pregnancy- I don't think that's possible 
• The hair on your legs has grown faster during pregnancy- don't think so
• Your hands are very dry
• Your pillow faces north when you sleep - West or slightly Northwest
• Dad-to-be is gaining weight, right along with you - doesn't look like it
• Pregnancy has you looking better than ever- lots more good hair days
• Your urine is bright yellow in color- depends and I don't feel like discussing my urine on my blog
• Your nose is spreading- say what?
• You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves in circles
• You are having headaches- only a few minor ones
• You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an even number

It's a GIRL

• You had morning sickness early in pregnancy
• Your baby's heart rate is at least 140 beats per minute
• You are carrying the weight in your hips and rear
• Your hair develops red highlights
• You are carrying high
• Your belly looks like a watermelon
• You are craving sweets
• You are craving fruit
• You crave orange juice
• You don't look quite as good as normal during pregnancy
• You are moodier than usual during pregnancy
• Your face breaks out more than usual
• You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread
• Your pillow faces south when you sleep
• Your urine is a dull yellow color
• You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves from side to side
• You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an odd number

Non-belly Shot Week 12

We snapped this yesterday.  Still no bump...I'm anxious to see one =)  I'm mainly bloated beyond belief, a baby bump would be much more fun. 

Bump Watch: Week 12

Dad is doing great and heads home from the hospital today.  You're doing great dad, keep up the good work!

Little Bean Loves Gramps!

My dad is having surgery today so please send him all of your good thoughts and prayers.  Dad- Little bean/lime, Scott and I love you very much.  Get well soon!

Update...He came through surgery fine!!! 

Happy Friday Little Lime

When we first found out we were pregnant, our little one was the size of a kidney bean.  Hence, the nickname...Little Bean.  We are in week 12 and our little bean is now the size of a lime.  "Hello Little Lime!"   Your size is reminding me of a fun trip my best friends from high school and I took to Puerto Vallarta to celebrate the big 3-0 birthdays.  It's also reminding me of margaritas, of which I love lime the best, and corona lights.  Both sides of your family love margaritas so I'm sure you will love them some day too.

Asian Gender Selector

This is the chinese gender chart.  It supposedly predicts the sex of your baby.  For us, it says GIRL.  Post a comment, was it right for you?  I'd do a poll, but then I can't see who it worked for. 

Best Day Yet

We had our big ultrasound this morning for the nuchal screen.  They took what felt like a gallon of blood (proof in previous post for those not scared to look at blood), then we waited for the ultrasound. 

WHAT A TREAT!  We got to see Little Bean move around so much!  We saw him/her kick, gulp, stick out the tounge, saw a genital bone (that isn’t developed into a boy or girl part yet), and at the end he/she even got the hiccups. I think we have a shy one, he/she kept putting their hands in front of their face. You can see this quite clearly on the bottom right pic below.  Our favorite part was the kicking!!   Start young, little bean...soccer is in your genes!

Here are the fun pics:  top left (facial profile), top right farther out pic of little bean head to the right w/ feet curled up in the air, bottom left:  closer look at Little Bean, can you count the toes?, bottom right: arm held up to the head

They said our baby’s heartbeat was regular. They couldn’t see what they really needed to see for the nuchal screen (fluid area in the back of the neck), so we have to go back next Thursday for another ultrasound. Actually, this is GREAT! I can’t wait for another 30 minutes of seeing Little Bean jump around.  Maybe they'll let me videotape it.

The ultrasound woman said our little guy or girl was too squished to get a 100% accurate due date, but that the August 19th date seemed just about right. We’ll stick with that.

Craving of the Day

I'm sure they aren't all pregnancy cravings, but I got a lot of "that moonpie thing was funny" responses.  I'll try to post more random cravings.  I actually thought about whether cheetos could be crunched up and and used on a salad instead of croutons.  Yummy idea, no?

Don't Read if You Can't Stand the Sight of Blood

Again, not a pic for those with weak stomachs or those eating.

I posted earlier about how much blood they took from me this morning.  I even snapped a quick pic.  The larger viles are about the size of a Tide To Go stick.  Ouch!

Craving of the Day

I am having a REALLY busy work day.  I ate a quick lunch at my desk, so I never really got full.  I have been sitting here for the past 2 hours.  My mind keeps wondering to food.  What am I craving???

MOONPIES, YUMMY!

So, yep, I've been sitting here for the last two hours and can't get yummy moon pies off my mind.  Funny thing is that Little Bean's Momma Lin and Papa Ger live in the hometown of Moon Pies.  Must mean our little bean is thinking of you guys. 

Fun Weekend of "Telling"

Scott had to host clients at the Hawks game Friday night, so I did taxes (zzzzz).  Saturday we had a birthday dinner with some close friends.  Carrie and Scott share a birthday and this was the first chance we had to celebrate since we were so sick over the holiday break.  Carrie's hubby Eric's b-day was the 24th.  We had a fabulous dinner and got to let them in on our secret. 

Sunday was a day of running errands, but the definite highlight of the day was seeing Sarah and Major.  Not having her know was killing me.  I knew she would be super excited.  They stopped by on the way to her parents so we could play with their 9 month old, Anderson.  He is the CUTEST thing, and I have not spent nearly enough time playing with him.  Tiff- He reminds me of Coleman, he's a "thinker".  So cute!  I should have taken a pic.  Shame on me.  This blog needs more pics!  

So a great weekend of telling best friends the news was super exciting.  We have a few close friends we still need to tell this week.  We'll probably tell co-workers, etc. next week when we will officially be 13 weeks. 

We have our next BIG ultrasound appointment on Wed. morning.  This is where they'll test for all the scary stuff like downs and other abnormalities.  Scary thoughts= no good.

Happy Monday.