Friday, December 9, 2011

How far along?
26 weeks, 1 day
Maternity clothes?
Returned the saggy maternity jeans for a few more pairs that fit better. They're so comfortable! I may dedicate an entire post to why maternity pants are awesome!
Stretch marks?
Don't want to jinx it but...still none!
Sleep?
I try to sleep in every chance I get. It takes me a while to get comfortable sometimes, but for the most part I'm done for once my head hits the pillow.
Best moment this week?
Today was probably full of this week's best moments. I spent all day with Daniel; we slept in, had breakfast together, and went to a movie. Some other not so great things happened but they just served to prove that he'll always be there for me when I really need him.
Food cravings:
Monterrey's cheese steak with rice and an order of mild cheese dip!
Belly button in or out?
It has all but disappeared, but it hasn't started to poke out at all. (Same as last week.)
Movement?
The little lady has apparently taken to tap dancing here lately.
What I miss?
I miss people understanding what personal space is.
What I’m looking forward to:
Holding our little girl! (I feel like this will be my answer for a little while.)
Milestones:
I can't think of anything really. Other than the myriad of aches and pains I'm feeling lately...
What baby looks like this week:

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Since I'm feeling good today, I figured I would treat you all to an update! I feel guilty for not being as regular about it as I would have hoped, but I guess late is better than never! Picture of mommy coming soon.

How far along?
25 weeks exactly!
Maternity clothes?
I'm pretty much officially out of jeans, but the maternity pants I bought are too saggy in the front and butt. Guess I'm at a weird in between stage. I've been wearing my jeans up under my big ol' belly. I feel sloppy if I wear sweat pants every day! Just me?
Stretch marks?
STILL none, and praying none pop up!
Sleep?
Every morning it gets a little harder to roll out of bed. (I blame the cold weather than has suddenly come upon us.) Getting to sleep doesn't seem to be much of a problem though.
Best moment this week?
This has been a really rough couple of weeks for me, emotionally, so it's hard to pick a moment. Every moment with my husband is pretty much perfect.
Food cravings:
McDonald's, pizza (from anywhere really), and Snickers!
Belly button in or out?
It has all but disappeared, but it hasn't started to poke out at all.
Movement?
Zooey picks very specific times during the day when she wants to dance. Early morning and late at night, when she knows we're settling into bed. Then there are times when I move the wrong way or I start to do too much that she gives me a little nudge.
What I miss?
This will still sound ridiculous, but I miss being my normal size. And I miss being treated like a person and not just a walking belly/baby factory.
What I’m looking forward to:
Holding our little girl!
Milestones:
Getting that weird brown line on my belly and swelling every freaking where. Does that count?
What baby looks like this week:

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Almost a whole month already?

I didn't mean to take three weeks away from my blog, but things haven't been going as smoothly as I hoped. Nothing is wrong with me or the baby physically. Mommy is just having a hard time adjusting to all this brand new mommy stuff. I don't like to complain about it because people just come back at you with "well, when I was pregnant, I did/gained such and such". I'm sure they're trying to be helpful, but at this point I'm just ready to start the next phase. It's hard to think sometimes that these raging kicks I feel in my stomach are from a tiny girl I'll be holding in about three months. Even though I'm getting excited, I'm still deathly afraid of having to be her mother.

Weight is one thing that is a major issue for me. I realize everyone wants to punch me in the face when I complain about how big I've gotten, but it's just one of those things that is going to be difficult to me. Jumping about 10 pounds at my last two doctor visits wasn't really encouraging like I guess it should have been. I've never passed 100 pounds in my life, so it's hard to look at the scale and see these big numbers and feel the pressure to lose it after Zooey finally comes. I don't like having to pack away clothes and eat with my jeans unbuttoned or have to change into sweat pants to be comfortable. I miss my flat stomach and cute clothes and 90 pounds. I miss not having to wear maternity tops that make me look like a puffed up balloon. I literally had a major breakdown before we went out with some friends Wednesday night because I wanted to wear a tee shirt (it was a little too tight) and Daniel wanted me to wear a maternity top instead. I'm sure it had a lot to do with my hormones being off kilter but some of it was just me wanting to me normal around normal people. (Of course, when you're pregnant and in a bar, nothing is normal.)

I'm also dealing with extreme amounts of guilt. I'm sure most of you realize the announcement of our little girl was very much a shock. We had plans. We were planning our move to Asheville where Daniel would go to school and pursue his major while I worked to support us for a while. Only after school (and lots of travelling) would we think about kids. So mommy-dom wasn't a looming thing; it was 5 or so years down the road. We planned originally to get married next year, but we had to push things up and tie the knot this October with minimal planning and a very minimal guest list. I feel like it's my fault that Daniel can't go out and do what he wants anymore, that he's stuck here with his big pregnant wife while his friends are taking trips and going out to bars and generally enjoying their 20s. This probably sounds ridiculous to 95% of you, but maybe there are a few out there that have felt the same.

It just gets hard to act excited when your emotions are being all crazy on the other end of the scale.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Registered!

Daniel and I finally tackled the daunting task of completing our baby registry! From start to finish it was an ordeal. Maybe it was our mistake for going the night of a midnight CoD release, but when we walked up to the appropriate counter there wasn't a sales associate around for several departments. There was no way to call one to the desk either. We basically had to scour the entire store to find some help. ...Then wait another 20 minutes for them to make their way over. No one seemed to know what to do! It seemed like everything was totally chaotic! I was uncharacteristically patient that night, though, so I just smiled while they sorted through our papers and handed us THE scanner! I didn't even have to fight for it- Daniel didn't want it for some odd reason. We scanned everything- from blankets to hangers, breast pumps (ewwwww) to teethers, monitors to high chairs. It was difficult for us to choose what did and didn't belong on our registry- too expensive, too obvious? But after about 40 minutes we felt like we had all our bases covered. We returned the scanner, gathered our freebie bag, and came home for a relaxing evening of snuggles. :)



Oh, and if you're interested in checking out our registry, here it is: Babies"R"Us - Baby Registry



Otherwise, nothing fun has really happened (but it's only Tuesday). Still looking for a car. Wanting to sell the Miata so Daniel won't have to part with his truck. It's in much better condition and you always need a truck more than a sports car! Also still looking into the 3D ultrasound thing. I'm really in it for the heartbeat teddy bear. Just have to keep saving!



Wondering what baby is looking like this week? Mama sure doesn't want anyone to see how big she's gotten! :(

Sunday, November 6, 2011

I've Gotten Lazy

To be perfectly honest, I've been too tired to post much of anything lately. On top of that, I've started getting sick again. Seems like I'm finding all the things baby girl doesn't want me to eat. Anywho.

I just passed the 21 week mark, and not much has changed. I can feel her kicking a lot more often and she's starting to get into a pattern of movement as far as time goes. Her "play time" is mostly at night or when mommy feels her worst, of course. She starts moving around 9 pm, then picks up the pace around 10. Luckily she behaved herself this weekend though and gave her daddy a little treat before he had to leave for his drill weekend. I'd been up sick practically all night and Daniel (aka Hubby) had to get up at 4 am to leave for Columbia. I was getting back to sleep about the time he was getting up to get ready. It might have been around 5 when he came in to tell us bye. As soon as he put his hand on my stomach, she gave him a big ol' kick (or high five). It was probably a coincidence but it was still really sweet to see him smile at her little nudges.

Later I went shopping with his mom for some baby stuff at a consignment sale. We really racked up! It was extra awesome because we got almost everything for 50-75% off (last day of the sale). We got tons more clothes, just like we said we wouldn't, a swing, a jumper thing, a car seat, and a mobile. Then we moseyed on to Babies'R'Us and she surprised me with a beautiful crib AND the mattress! We also picked up a Classic Pooh baby book and a Pooh pillow pet. All in a all a very successful day, despite feeling like the gum on the bottom of someone's shoe.



Sunday, October 30, 2011

Embroid-nerd Creeper, Part 1: A Song of Ice and Fire


In my last post, I mentioned wanting to embroider some onesies (or creepers) with some...less traditional themes. I love pink and I love girly, but I also love lots of nerdy things that are neither pink nor girly. I'd been thinking for a while about embellishing a creeper with the Stark sigil and felt especially moved to do so after getting half way through A Storm of Swords. So I made the direwolf a little less fierce and did the words in pink, since it is going on a little girl and all. (Apparently, mommy can't write in a straight line so "winter is coming" is a little wonky).

I bought a 4 pack of Gerber onesies from Wal*Mart, so we're one down with three to go! Possible themes: Sailor Moon, mermaids, Star Wars, Scott Pilgrim... The possibilities are endless!

Friday, October 28, 2011

What's in a name?

Zooey \
zooe(y)\ as a girl's name is a variant of Zoe (Greek), and the meaning of Zooey is "life".
The baby name Zooey sounds like ZoeyZoie and Zoee. Other similar baby names are Josey,JoeyRosey and Sokey.


Other similar baby names are NOT Sokey, Sookie, Sookeh, Sokeh, or anything like that.  But I just made myself giggle a bit.  :)  After seeing this, I think we actually chose an appropriate name for our little miracle.  She already means the world to us and is changing our lives in ways we never thought possible.  When I met/fell in love with Hubby, I didn't think I could love anyone or anything more than I love him.  I didn't believe it was possible for my heart to contain anymore love without bursting!  But then we saw our baby girl for the first time, when she was still just a little gummy bear.  Somehow my heart grew larger to accommodate my love for her; I could literally feel my heart swelling.  And it happened again when we heard her heartbeat for the first time, and again this week during the gender reveal.  Everyday when I feel her move, my heart gets a little bigger and I love her even more.


Speaking of feeling her move...the little rascal.  Hubby and I were laying in bed talking when she started kicking up a storm.  Not just little fluttery movements either; full on head butts and right hooks!  I told him to put his hand on my stomach, not thinking he would really be able to feel anything.  As soon as he touched my stomach, she stopped moving for a few minutes (he looked really disappointed when I told him).  We just kept talking and pretty soon she was back to cutting flips.  Suddenly she kicked super hard and I guess he felt it because his whole face lit up and he got all excited- "Was that her?"  After that he just kept telling everyone how awesome it was to feel his baby move for the very first time.  We haven't had a lot of movement like that, but it was sweet knowing she gave her daddy a special kick/headbutt.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Shopping Spree!



Went on a mini shopping trip for Miss Zooey today.  She's not even here but she's already getting spoiled!  Gymboree was having a huge sale on their out of season clothing (and 25% off seasonal outerwear!) so I went a little wild on the "under 6.99" racks.  The dress in the bottom  pictures was my absolute favorite thing on the rack, so obviously I couldn't leave the store without it!  The fishie bib and the pink velour hat were only 99 cents each, the mermaid t-shirt was $1.99 and the "High Five" star fish tank top was around $2-3.  I even picked up an outfit for Brit's little man, Torin.  All for under $20!  Successful day at the mall!

Next up...  My embroidered onesie project, coming soon!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Our sweet little Zooey!


19 weeks, 4 days!


How far along?
19 weeks and 4 days
Maternity clothes?
The stretchy pants have been making more frequent appearances and I had to bust out a maternity top last week, but I'm mostly reaching for clothes that were too large pre-pregnancy.
Stretch marks?
Still none, but slathering myself in cocoa butter.  ...Just in case.
Sleep?
Maybe it's because we just got back from our little vacation, but I feel more exhausted than ever!  I'm sleeping better though, so I'll just put it up to post vacay blues/
Best moment this week?
Finding out that we'll be having a sweet baby girl in about 20 weeks!
Food cravings:
Chicken Stew from The Flounder, McDonald's hot fudge sundae and french fries, and milk!  (Yep, same answer as last time.)
Belly button in or out?
Maybe a little more shallow this week, but still very in.
Movement?
LOTS of movement!  There are times during the day when she just won't hold still!  But I love it, of course!
What I miss?
I miss feeling normal 90% of the time.  I feel like I lose my temper or get my feeling hurt over the smallest things, but I can't control it.
What I’m looking forward to: 
Finally going shopping for girlie things!
Milestones:
Seeing my little girl yawn and move.  Just seeing her in general.
What baby looks like this week:

Friday, October 21, 2011

Honeymoonin'!

Hubby and I got into Charleston last night around 10:30 then left our comfy bed to go see Paranormal Activity 3.  Not normally my kind of movie, but we'd seen the second one on our first date so I was determined to make it through this one.  ....I kept my ears plugged through the whole thing!  The sudden noises scared me more than any of the flying tables.  The end, though, really got me.  It was by far the scariest/most messed up part of all three films.  Also, someone brought their baby and (of course) sat right in front of us.  I'm not trying to say don't bring your child to a movie, but this wasn't a kid.  It was a baby.  And it did what babies do best: cry.  There is no reason I can think of to bring your small baby to a movie at midnight.  Am I being harsh?

Anyway, we're in Charleston, enjoying the married life and dreaming of one day moving here.  I'll be taking lots of pictures I'm sure.  Some of them may even end up on here!  :)  I'll do my weekly update later tonight, then I'll be laying low for the rest of the weekend.  Later, y'all!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

18 Weeks, 3 Days


How far along?
18 weeks and 3 days
Maternity clothes?
I think it's time to break down and start wearing them.  I had a girl come up to me at work and tell me I seriously needed to consider purchasing a belly band if I wanted to keep wearing my normal jeans.  :(
Stretch marks?
Still none, even though things are starting to expand at an alarming rate!
Sleep?
I still feel tired all the time, but I don't seem to sleep for very long.  The latest I've slept in the past couple of weeks was probably 7:30.  During the week, I sometimes wake up as early as 4!
Best moment this week?
Getting married to my best friend and feeling our baby move! 
Food cravings:
Chicken Stew from The Flounder, McDonald's hot fudge sundae and french fries, and milk!
Belly button in or out?
Still in, but it looks like it's trying to shallow up on me. 
Movement?
Possible headbutt and other small flutters.
What I miss?
Caffeine!  Wine!  Junk food! 
What I’m looking forward to: 
Finding out if we'll be having a Zooey or an Ollie! 
Milestones:
Marital bliss.  :)
Yeah, its been a pretty hectic week.  As you can see I recently got married to the man formerly known as Fiance, the most wonderful person I know and the best friend I could ever ask for.  His mom was kind enough to pay for a one night stay in the super swank Marriott (Romance package, woop woop!) so we could have a mini honeymoon before leaving for Charleston this Thursday.  Everything was beautiful and perfect, even though we forgot about exchanging rings after we said our vows!  Speaking of vows...  I wrote mine in the tub that morning before I started getting ready.  Hubby confessed that he's come up with his on the way to the ceremony!  (That's not really out of the ordinary for us though.)  We're both glad the ceremony stuff is over with; ready to get on with the real parts of being husband and wife, and soon to be parents.

We'll find out whether we're having a little Zooey or Oliver a week from Monday.  The votes are split down the middle!  Of course, all the ladies think we'll have a girl while all the men folk have their hearts set on a mini Lattimore/Shaw.  (Look at me, talking intelligently about football stuff!)  Whatever it is, he/she gave me a pretty strong headbutt in the stomach a few nights back.  Hubby and I had been playing around, tickle fighting, and had just settled onto the futon to watch some TV.  All of a sudden...BAM.  The rest of the movements have been small, much less scary.  To be honest though, I can't wait to feel the little one move all the time.  I'm sure that'll wear off after a couple of weeks of constant movement.

I've been meaning to do belly pictures week by week, but I still haven't settled into the idea of it.  I always thought it was kind of weird for women to pull their shirts up, poke their bellies out and take a picture of it for all the world to see.  Just trying to take this one day at a time, and do whatever feels comfortable to me.  ...Which hasn't been much lately.  Napping is about the extent of it.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Latest Doctor Visit

Fiance and I met at the doctor's office last Wednesday for my monthly checkup and to hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time!  All of my levels were fine, I'm looking very healthy.  Even gained three pounds!  We didn't have to wait long to get into a room this time (thank goodness) but it took a while for the doctor to actually come to us.  (When I go, I see which ever doctor is on call, so I guess that explains some of the wait.)  Dr. Warren was very friendly and helpful and didn't mind that I messed up his heartbeat count when I started laughing.  :)  Oliver's/Zooey's heartbeat sounded like a little freight train, just chugging away!  (Might have started laughing to hide the fact that I was about to cry.)


Also...I think I felt the baby move for the first time this week.  I was on my first break at work, reading my book when I felt what might have been the start of a hunger pain, but then it just stopped.  Maybe it was less hunger pre-pain, and more the feeling of a tiny mermaid cutting a flip.  If it was the baby, it was amazing.  If I was just hungry...well, I have Nutella for that.  

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

16 weeks and 5 days

Its been a while since I've updated, but I guess that just means you'll have more to read!  Hoorah!

I've been getting increasingly impatient when it comes to finding out the sex of our baby.  Fiance was gone for drill this past weekend, so I figured it would be a good time to try what's known as the "ring on a string" test (as suggested by a close friend).  I woke up at 6:30 so I figured, "Why not?"  Took off my engagement ring, tied it to some embroidery thread and held it over my belly button...  I tried it several times holding the string with my right hand, several more with my left and thought I'd try it over my wrist for good measure.  Every time, without fail, my ring moved in a nice wide circle.  For those of you who don't know A RING MOVING IN A CIRCULAR PATTERN MEANS I'M CARRYING A GIRL!  YESSSS!  Granted, it might not be a good idea to start buying clothes and painting rooms based on this decision but its still pretty exciting to get some kind of idea of what I'll be holding in five months.

Speaking of what I'll be holding in five months, we've decided on names for each gender (after much debate). Oddly enough, we came up with each name out of the blue after we'd been discussing each for a while.  For a boy: Oliver Patrick.  Fiance came up with that one, and I ended up liking it a lot after I got over the fact that I went to school with a girl who named her boy Oliver.  For a girl: Zooey Sawyer.  For me, the girl's name was the hardest.  I wanted to find something unique, but not embarrassing.  I didn't want her to grow up hating me for giving her a name she would never be able to find on a coffee mug at a gift shop.  Sawyer first came up in a conversation with Daniel about what his ex boss named his daughter.  I dismissed it almost immediately since it only conjured images of a down home boy painting a white fence.  But the more I thought about it, the more it appealed to the literary nerd in me so it stuck and started getting paired with tons of first names.  Then one night we settled in to watch I Love You, Man and it hit me!  Zooey!  The perfect blend of unique and sane!



I think I'll make this a two-part post and fill everyone in on the rest of the exciting news tomorrow.  I promise, it will actually be tomorrow and not in 2 weeks.  Toodles!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

14 weeks (and 5 days)

I considered waiting until week 15 to start this, but I knew the longer I waited the more likely I would be to put this off until I forgot about it completely.  This blog would fall by the wayside before it ever got off the ground.  So here's a look back at our 14th week!


How far along?
14 weeks and 5 days!  (It's easy to remember weeks since they start on Fridays.)
Maternity clothes?
I have a few tops, but I don't really need them.  When I sit down my belly flops over my waist band, but when I stand up I have a seriously flat stomach.  What's up with that, body? 
Stretch marks?
None yet, and I'm applying lotion almost every day in the hopes of keeping them at bay. 
Sleep?
All I want to do is sleep!  Getting to sleep is the easy part, but I wake up around 4:00 every morning and have a hard time getting any rest after that.  As far as comfort goes, I'm not relying on the body pillow....yet! 
Best moment this week?
This isn't baby related really, but fiance and I will be celebrating our anniversary tomorrow.  It should be pretty exciting.  <3 
Food cravings:
Chicken Stew from The Flounder.  All day, every day. 
Belly button in or out?
Still very much in.  I asked mom about it one day, and she said hers never changed.  Hopefully I'll be so lucky. 
Movement?
No.  Thought I felt a little wave of something once, but it was just a burp.  :(
What I miss?
I'm not a booze hound or anything, but I really miss wine.  And being able to go anywhere I want.  (Fiance has officially ruled out anywhere that isn't strictly non-smoking.) 
What I’m looking forward to: 
Seeing our baby move again next week....and hearing its heart beat! 
Milestones:
Picked our favorite little girl name this week: Zooey Sawyer. 
What baby looks like this week:
Coming Soon!

"The baby thought I should sleep in today" and Other Pregnancy Perks

I never thought I would be one of those moms who documented the journey of her pregnancy for all the interwebs to see.  I didn't think I'd ever want to take pictures of my belly from week to week as my future child grew.  I never saw myself crying when I observed a married couple with their child(ren), happy and smiling, anticipating feeling that joy myself.  But here I am, contemplating where in our home we should take the weekly belly picture, thinking of things I can write about while at work.  I'm doing things I never imagined, but I couldn't feel more complete.  (Which isn't to say I'm always happy, but I can talk about that later.)

Fiance and I will be expecting our offspring in March of next year.  We don't know the sex, sometimes we don't even remember how far along we are, but we do know a few things: baby is the size of a lemon and apparently likes settling right near mommy's bladder.  Also, she/he has an appetite and attitude like mommy (stubborn and cranky when hungry).  We've already picked out names; that happened with surprisingly little trouble.  ....Except when his friends tried to help and somehow kept coming up with animal names and things like "Shooter".

I'm starting this blog to help myself remember all the small things that happen during our pregnancy, things I know I'll want to look back on and tell our rotten little brat.  :)  I'll be keeping track of a list of things each week and adding a belly picture, hopefully keeping everyone in the loop!  Hope you enjoy our journey as much as we will enjoy experiencing it!