Comparing Baby Bumps

Zimm and I went out for dinner (with our husbands) on Friday night. We hadn't seen each other since early June, so it was fun to gawk at each other's pregnant bellies. Zimm is due October 15--only 2 1/2 weeks before me! Awww...aren't we cute?
We'll have to pose for this picture again in a few weeks.

And this is me back at around 20 weeks (I'm about 29 weeks in the pictures above)--I couldn't imagine getting any bigger than that and now I can barely see the bump at all!

Nesting And Such

I'm just over 28 weeks pregnant (less than 12 weeks to go!)--seems like the perfect time to rip our house apart, doesn't it?

We've known for a long time that once we were expecting we would need to re-carpet the (former wedding room turned dog kennel) nursery and decided it would be the perfect time to also re-carpet our bedroom. We also knew that with two large dogs and a muddy/sandy backyard, the longer we waited the cleaner the carpet would ultimately be for BP08's homecoming.

Well, now it's time. We picked out carpeting for our bedroom and Audrey's room last week. After much conversation and budget review (and finding AWESOME top of the line carpeting at a great price) we decided to also re-carpet the family room in the basement. But along with that project comes other projects.

We always wanted to tile the 'entry' to the family room as it is directly off the stairs from our foyer and we traipse up and down those stairs and in and out of the bowling closet and laundry room with our shoes on most of the time. We would like to have an easy clean surface because of this. We decided long ago that we would tile that area at the same time we re-carpeted the family room. Awesome--that time is NOW. Plus, we already have tile in the foyer and we want the tile to match. (The existing foyer tile is UG-LY.) OK, add that to the list. And we want heated tile. I mean, if we're going to tile in this day and age, it might as well make use of current technology/modern conveniences, right? (Oh, and D can get the heating elements at discount.) Besides, we're already ripping up the carpeting and existing tile, so putting down the heat coils won't be that much more work when laying tile. Add that to the list too.

But what about the other projects that (kind of) need to get done before all of this carpeting and tile laying and oh yeah, BRINGING HOME THE BABY happens? The walls in the once dog kennel room need to be repainted. (We picked out Behr Song of Summer.) They also need to be patched as apparently the dogs thought they could dig out and had they been successful it would have been bad since the room is on the second floor. I also started painting our nasty dark baseboards on the first floor and need to finish that up in nursery and in our bedroom (once the carpeting is removed).

Over the weekend we washed walls in the nursery, hallways and basement. That is actually quite a work out! I also worked on clearing out the laundry room to make way for our line-drying set up for clothing and cloth diapers. D cleaned out the garage and filled up our huge garbage can with crap and dumped another load off at BIL's house. He also started pulling up carpeting in the basement as we will add that to our trash for weeks to come.

My mom asked what she could do to be helpful as we work on the house and prepare for the baby and I think my answer kind of shocked her. I asked if she could come over to deep clean our bathroom and kitchen since the strong cleaners make me sick (I've been keeping up with soap & water and Method on occasion, but I'd love to have the surfaces bleached and scrubbed). I also requested that she and my dad pull the refrigerator and oven away from the wall to clean behind them and around them as things seem to spill between the countertops and appliances. They are planning to come over a Saturday in September when I have to work to get this done. Is it weird that I'm excited about it?

Oh, and more exciting than cleaning and ordering carpet and painting and buying tile for a DIY job--we FINALLY ordered our bed frame that my parents bought us for Christmas. The delivery time should be perfect as we'll only need to take apart our Sleep Number once for both the carpeting and bed frame set up.

I think we have our work cut out for us over the next 12 weeks. And after that (or maybe before that) we'll have a BABY! Even with all of this housework, we ain't seen nothing yet when it comes to the work involved for the rest of our lives!

ABCs Of My Morning

Appalling: Did you know a website exists to hook up people looking to have extramarital affairs? I guess a few TV networks had run ads for them and either because they received complaints from viewers or their execs poo-pooed the idea, the ads have now been cut. I won't link to this site or give you the name, but just think of a Simpson sister and Wisconsin city and you've got it.

Brilliant: So as I was listening to the above story on the radio in horror, I drove to my old office building and parked in my old ramp. Apparently I was a bit distracted. I moved office buildings last week. I'm now several blocks away from the old location in a completely different ramp. I did make it to the right office though, just a little late.

Crunchy: We registered for cloth diapers last night. (OK, I know the post title clearly states 'morning' but whatever. I sent the link to people this morning; does that count?) We are going to give it our best shot because the thought of throwing out all of those diapers makes me sick. D has agreed based on the financial aspect of it. I think we can make it work. Check out all the cute styles at PinStripes and PolkaDots.

Because I Won't Actually Spend The Money

If I had cash burning a hole in my pocket, I would probably pick up a few of these, but I do not, and I really don't wear T-shirts all that often, so I guess I will just keep them in my blog closet for now. All Ts available at CafePress.

Everything Is So Dang Cute

My first baby purchase:

What? You thought it would be something practical?

I love the lavender and the flowers and the little ribbon tags. Of course, I could have made it for a 1/3 of the cost, but it was an impulse buy and I don't have any regrets.

Don't Judge - We're Hungry

BP08 is a

GIRL!

Dad and Grandpa Roy were right; they never wavered in their belief that there first grandchild and great grandchild would be a girl. So, while they were right, they don't get a prize (other than a beautiful granddaughter) because they didn't vote!

And the winner by drawing is -R- who will win something 'real nice.'

So onto some more details about the living being formerly known as BP08:

• D and I agreed on a name, so as promised I'm announcing it to the world so that he doesn't change his mind! Our daughter--that is still baking--has a name, and it is Audrey. Awww.
• We were able to see her kick and move around during the ultrasound yesterday, and that was pretty cool. In fact, the tech found her leg first and right away she kicked and it was one that I could feel. I discovered I'm only feeling about half of her movements at this point, though.
• D was able to feel her kick on Sunday!
• Audrey is currently weighing in at 11 ounces and that does not at all explain the weight that I have put on. I had to remind myself that I'm carrying around a lot of extra fluid; also, I'm trying not to think about my extra trips to Noodles and Taco Bell.
• Estimated due date is still November 2.

That is my news. Have a great day!

Your Guess Is As Good As Mine

Is it a boy or a girl? Hopefully we'll get to find out next Monday--unless his or her legs are crossed. :-/

So, it's a contest! Leave your guess in the comments and next Tuesday I'll give you all the answer and will draw for a winner out of the correct guesses. And you'll win something 'real nice.'

If any of you believe in old wives' tales, or have a different way of guessing the sex of in utero babes, here is some information you might like:

• Heart rate: 6w4d = 155 bpm, 16w4d = 147 bpm
• Due date: November 2, 2008
• My age at conception: 28
• Baby kicks/movement: first movement detected at 15w4d, now most active in the evening hours and seems to like (or dislike) Mexican food
• Skin/hair: normal/dry (once normal/oily) and I'm breaking out like crazy
• Food Cravings: Green beans, mac & cheese, Arby's, Noodles, Chipotle, Sprite/Fresca, fruit roll-ups, hot dogs, strawberry milk
• Food Aversions: (early on) hamburgers, pizza, grapes
• Belly: at 19w3d round and all in front

Stay tuned to find out the sex and the winner of a (to be determined) prize! All guesses must be logged in comments for this post by Sunday, June 15.

This, That & Hormones

I really had a great weekend and it started early by making full use of my summer hours on Friday by driving to St. Cloud to see Zimm. Since we are both pregnant, we scheduled pre-natal massages and enjoyed an Italian lunch. We also stopped by a baby consignment shop, but we were a little too overwhelmed to purchase anything. We enjoyed our afternoon of relaxation and had fun comparing notes on our pregnancies so far. I found out that she and her husband do not plan to share the name of their little girl, so since she is due a few weeks before me I told her that if my upcoming ultrasound indicates that we are having a girl as well that she would need to take a look at my name list and let me know if there are any I should stop considering. I realize this means she is basically telling me the name of her future daughter, but I promise I will promptly forget it--or at least not mention it to anyone and act completely surprised when it is officially announced. ;)

Friday night I just slept. Apparently relaxation is very draining.

Saturday was a day of work in our house. D and Dad worked hard in the backyard cutting down trees and removing the random wetland vegetation that made its way into our yard. D's uncle worked on our air conditioner because this pregnant lady does not want to suffer through Minnesota's humid summers without some good AC. I did laundry, ran some errands and provided sustenance for the men. It's kind of nice not be able to do heavy lifting. At the end of the day, everyone was exhausted, but the progress was evident. After a LONG nap, D and I watched some TV and went to bed.

Saturday night, out of no where, I started crying. I think it was after the 4th time I got out of bed to pee and then had a hard time trying to get comfortable again with all of the pillows that needed to be rearranged and the dogs that were in the way--and I don't know, I just started crying. Initially I tried to hide that from D. He is not one of those sensitive guys. "Girly" emotions tend to freak him out and I didn't want to argue--I was tired and sore and thirsty and angry that I was thirsty for that would make me have to get up yet again to use the bathroom--but he heard me and asked what was wrong. I told him all of the above and he gently kissed my forehead and rubbed my belly. Aw. He was so sweet during a hormonal breakdown! Who is this guy?

I've generally been in good spirits lately, but this entire weekend was filled with body hating--things just aren't they way they should be; however that is. My skin hates me more than usual. My last pair of jeans are too small (which D thought was kind of cute but made me want to curl up into a ball in cry--see, hormones). I am whiter than white and there is nothing I can do about it as self-tanners are a no-no and the last time I was out in the sun I got horribly blotchy and the doc said I was lucky it faded and didn't last the entire pregnancy. The funny thing is, Thursday night I was completely in love with my baby bump and my entire figure, actually. I felt so feminine, not sexy, but very much like a woman and how for that fleeting moment, how I loved being pregnant. I don't really like it so much when all of the hormones kick in and send me in one of two directions: hopelessly crying or into psychotic rage (followed by hopelessly crying). In all fairness, my dad did warn D.

Sunday was also productive, but not nearly as productive as Saturday--we were both way too wiped out to continue at that pace! We brought the dogs to the groomer and then my psycho bitch kicked in when D refused to go buy sheets with me. Did I mention the hormones? And this kid must be going through a growth spurt as I could.not.stop.eating all day. But I did manage to read Belly Laughs in between bites. It was cute, and an easy read. After some light housework we settled in to watch the Celtics beat the Lakers: 2 and 0 Baby! I also cried during piece on Celtics power forward, Powe. And the hormones, they continue to give.

Sunday was also a good day because D had come around to my way of thinking and has started to like one of my top baby girl names! He prefers a different middle name, but at least I still have time to work on that. And because we have almost agreed on a girl name (I hope it's not Zimm's name!), it will definitely be a boy. I don't have any mother's intuition on this one, so we'll both be surprised at our ultrasound next week!

Liar

I had the best of intentions--Really! I was going to post about my birthday and the lovely four day weekend and random baby related things, and then...and then I got sidetracked.

D surprised me on my b-day and brought me breakfast in bed. Aw. After watching something on DVR, we went to work out. We also saw Harrison's new blockbuster and I simply cannot wait until July 18 to see the other big movie of the summer. (And I know there are other big movies, but that is the one I am waiting for.) Because our new favorite movie theater is at a mall, we did some shopping to let the nachos digest before heading to Big Bowl for dinner. Yum. Once home, we collapsed in bed because apparently that is a really big day for us.

And my four days off: Fantastic. I spent most of the time being a lazy bum, but also got out of the house to shop for maternity clothes. I can't find anything I like. Plus, most of them are still too big for me even though my clothes are too small. I need a happy medium. So I've resorted to wearing empire waist dresses and T-shirts that are too tight. I simply adore my Bella Band, though.

Oh, and I found out that Zimm is having a girl! She is due October 15. And my friend Lisha is due December 2. And -R-, of course, is due about the same time that I am! I know so many pregnant ladies!

I think that wraps up this update.

The Big Announcement

Dear Internet: I'm pregnant.

So, those of you that knew, you can now admit to knowing what you know. Those of you that didn't know, sorry, I had to get around to telling some people before I could let you know--and I might have tried to tell some of you IRL, but you cancelled plans on me to, you know, find a place to live since you need to vacate your SOLD home in a few weeks. You know who you are.

So, on with the news:

• I'm 16 weeks along. For those of you that don't count your life in weeks, that means 4 months.
• Estimated Due Date = November 2
• D and I are both very excited.
• Yes, we were trying. No, we didn't tell anyone that we were trying--so if you're surprised, you're not alone.
• I found out the day that I started my new job.
• I told D .23 seconds later by calling him into the bathroom to look at a pee stick by the sink. It was tres romantique.
• I only had 1 or 2 days of nausea. That sounds wonderful and all, but I was constantly convinced that something was wrong because I was without symptoms. I did, however, get every virus that family, co-workers and strangers on the street had, so that was tons of fun.
• We plan to find out the gender of the baby and to share that information. That appointment will most likely be in the middle of June.
• We plan to share the name of the baby once we decide on it. We will not ask for input on the name and your opinion will not change our minds.
• This weekend I started to look more pregnant and less lumpy.
• I felt the first official movement last Wednesday night (5/14) but didn't believe it until I felt it again on Sunday (5/18). BP08 likes (or doesn't like?) Mexican food!
• We are referring to the baby as BP08; you may or may not get where that comes from but it is of absolutely no importance so don't worry. :)
• Not only have I been neglecting this dear blog because I have been busy with work and sick, but also because every time I had the opportunity to write, all I could think to write about was the baby that I had not yet told you about. I will work hard to continue updating and not become only a baby blog, but no promises and hey--aren't baby posts better than no posts at all?