Group Session / The Many To-Do's

This week we had our first group session at the midwives' office. They call it Family Circle. We met other couples expecting the arrival of their baby/babies in January 2014. So we did sign a confidentiality agreement...what is said in the group, stays in the group...so I can't say much. But I will talk about us in comparison to the others. We are the couple the least far along...although I swear my belly was as big as everyone else's. And we are the ONLY couple not finding out the gender. I have to say I kind of expected that at least one other couple would like the surprise, but apparently we're the only ones kicking it old school (and still talking like it's 2003 apparently).

What was kind of neat is that the partners of the preggos take their vitals before the group sessions. So Paul took my blood pressure, my weight (although I gained 2 lbs, I'm still overall under by 1.5 from before I was pregnant...odd, I know), tested my urine (TMI sorry) for proteins and the best part...he got to use the Doppler to find the nugget's heartbeat! He wasn't too successful this time, the nurse had to step in, but I'm sure in no time, Paul will be the fastest heartbeat finder!

Overall, it was good to know that other people have the same questions and fears as we do but it certainly didn't help my anxiety of all the things we need to do! Added to the list this week:  research epidurals, cord blood banking, preparing a birth and baby plan...oh, boy!! I need a minion... :)

Over the Hump

Here I am...21 weeks, and for prosperity's sake, I've included last week's pic to do a bump comparison. I think the nug has grown this week. Although I was still able to wear a pair of my pre-pregnacy capris today, unbuttoned of course, but zipped the whole way...so maybe he/she's in just the right spot.

So, we're officially past the half-way mark which is NUTS to me. And frankly, this thing got REAL this week! On more than one occasion, I thought, "I'm going to have our baby in my arms in less than five months, oh sh*t!". The reality of what we have left to do became very real and very overwhelming this week. Of course the lovely baby preparation blogs and websites don't help. The Bump.com, for instance, provides you with a pre-loaded checklist of all the items you need to do to prepare for baby's arrival. While on one hand, this is VERY helpful, and I do love me some lists, but on the other, it seems like there's not enough time to do all the leg-work required to actually check off the items on the list. You know, like find a daycare provider or a pediatrician. There is a lot of leg-work involved to make one little check box disappear from the list. And frankly, they're not the fun things about having a baby that are outstanding. Of course we've had plenty of thoughts and time spent on nursery decor, how to log nugget's development, baby names (not that it's been a particularly productive endeavor so far), etc. But thinking about the prospect of putting our innocent, tiny (theoretically of course), non-verbal child into someone else's care only three months after delivery is frankly, not a pleasant activity. Once we start touring facilities, I'm sure it will not be as bad as originally thought, but the anticipation of it is not fun...just sayin'.

19th & 20th Week Updates

Thanks to some feedback, I'll be sure to actually 'show off' the nugget bump in the weekly photos...no more blousy tops. :) Don't mind the lack of eye make-up or Ruldolph-esque nose, as the current book club selection has me crying A LOT!! Just saying...if you love your puppies like they are your kids, do NOT read You Had Me at Woof while pregnant and hormonal, just a tip. At any rate...here's the nugget @ 19 weeks (last week):

Today was our 20 week visit at the doctor's office. Although this will be disappointing to some...we did NOT find out the gender of little nug. We are holding steady at the waiting game...sorry! When we went into the ultrasound room (with Grandpa & Grandma Evans in tow) we made sure to tell the u/s tech that we didn't want to know the gender and Grandma & Grandpa weren't allowed to know either, no matter how much money was promised for the exchange of information. ;) What was really cool though is that the tech didn't even look so she doesn't know and neither do the midwives...it's all even, we're all in the dark! :) The nugget's heart rate was 157/minute and he/she weighs approximately 11 ounces. Everything looks good! Unfortunately, however, you can't really see for yourself...the stills of the u/s aren't that great, and it certainly didn't help that nugget was doing yoga (downward facing dog) during the u/s. Since it's hard to tell what's what, I labeled the picture so you can kind of tell what's happening.

We also obtained confirmation at today's appointment, that I am CLEAR TO TRAVEL for THANKSGIVING!!! Looks like we'll be Washington bound after all!! :)

Next week we'll be attending our first group appointment. Since we're using midwives in lieu of the traditional OB/GYN approach, we will be taking group classes with other couples that will also be having a baby in January 2014. We somehow didn't get the call for the first session, but the second is next week. We are pretty excited to meet some other couples expecting around the same time as us. And we're excited to take classes. We aren't necessarily nervous about what to expect when the baby comes, because we're fortunate enough to have lots of little ones around us, but it's always a little different when it's yours.

So that's the update for the nugget's progress for the last couple weeks...next post will have more details on the development of the nursery, although it's currently stalled out due to waiting for materials to arrive. More on that later...

Baby Bump Growth - Up to Week 18

Ok, so as many of you are aware, saying I'm only slightly obsessed with Pinterest would be an understatement. So when I found this cute idea of what to do with belly shots, I couldn't resist. Here are the belly pics thus far...weeks 10 thru 18:

 

Tomorrow marks 19 weeks...new post to follow w/ the latest and yes, much larger (or at least in my head it's grown by quite a bit this week) belly bump.

Our Next Adventure...Parenthood

So it's official, Paul and I will be parents next year! Our first child, or "the nugget" as we are calling him or her, will be making his/her family debut January 28th, 2014 (or somewhere near there). Below is the second ultrasound, but really the first one where it looks like a baby. The first ultrasound, taken at about 7.5 weeks, showed the baby, but he/she looked more like a little lizard. ;) The below ultrasound was taken at 12 weeks because the heart monitor couldn't pick up the heartbeat.

Here's me w/ my 11 and 13 weeks bump:

We are beyond excited for the nugget to make his/her arrival in the winter, but we are glad we have a few months left since there seems to be a lot of preparation necessary. More on the nursery developments later...