crib cats

So, Emily is in France for the next six weeks living the life of a ski bunny which means Todd and I have become the foster parents to Ezra and Zoe. At first I was a little hesitant - only because we're getting so close to the due date - but they've been a lot of fun to have around.

We're finally in the process of setting up the nursery. Well, we've gotten as far as putting the crib together, which right now is sitting in the middle of the room piled with bedding and other stuff I don't know what to do with yet. Ezra and Zoe discovered it quickly and now it's their favorite place to nap. Obviously I would seriously discourage this if the cats were with us permanently, but I have to admit it's pretty cute.

Emily might have to buy a small crib for them when she gets back - and we'll probably go through about a case of lint rollers to remove the cat hair before the baby comes!

32 weeks

I can't believe how quickly the holidays came and went. My parents flew out from North Carolina and the five of us (me, Todd, Emily, Mom & Dad) headed up to Truckee for Christmas. It was our first white Christmas in years - and probably the last quiet one we'll have for years to come! Here are a couple pictures.

Todd and I were back in the city for New Year's and I'm proud to say that I actually stayed up until midnight! We've been getting the apartment ready and organized for the baby's arrival. Our two bedroom apartment - which seemed huge when we first moved in - is getting smaller and smaller. Yesterday we attended a childbirth preparation class run by the hospital. It was a long day but very informative - the videos were a pretty eye-opening! I think it's really starting to hit me just how close we are to having this baby. I'm kind of anxious but more excited than anything else. I can't wait to see what this little kick boxer looks like!

30 years / 30 weeks

Does anyone else think it's crazy that I turned 30 going into my 30th week? Okay, maybe crazy isn't the right word...ironic? Well, so far 30 doesn't feel very different from 29 in either respect.
The baby is totally distracting lately. I find myself just staring down at my belly at work waiting for the next kick or punch or flip-turn. I remember someone telling me a while back how you can see the foot move from one side of your belly to the other and I finally experienced that last week! Normally I would think seeing things move underneath your skin is totally creepy but this is the coolest. Unfortunately Todd keeps missing the show. I think she gets shy in front of an audience!

week 28

Wow. It's been a really long time since my last post. Sorry to whoever is still reading this thing! Life has been busy lately with the holidays and work especially. I'm really looking forward to the week off at Christmas.
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Newport, Kentucky visiting Todd's dad Ed and his wife Carol. Our friends Glenn and Shannon drove down from Columbus with their beautiful little girl Ella too. It was fun to see everyone and to pick Shannon's brain about baby stuff.

Last week I had an ultrasound to determine if the placenta was still covering the cervix and it's not! It moved just like the doctor thought it would. What a relief. Unfortunately we didn't get a really good look at the baby because she was passed out face down - again! Something about ultrasounds really knocks her out. We got a couple good looks at her profile though and she's definitely filling out and looking pretty cute (not so much like our little alien angel baby from the first ultrasound - thank god!).

I finally went in for the gestational diabetes screening earlier this week. I couldn't put it off any longer. Hopefully I'll pass because I do not want to drink anymore of that nasty glucose drink for the second round of testing. Yuck.

Here's a current picture of the belly. All of a sudden I've become quite large. A stranger asked me the other day if I was expecting a Christmas baby! I wasn't quite sure how to take that and I actually lied to her about my due date because I became so self-conscious. Pretty silly, I know...

Week 25

We're almost 25 weeks now - 15 more to go! I woke up on Saturday morning with this feeling that I haven't been very organized so I got out our little whiteboard and made a checklist: nursery, hospital, classes, registry, insurance, name???. There's a lot to do! I went out yesterday to look at strollers and carseats and it was pretty intimidating. Any recommendations are definitely welcome in that department.

In the next couple weeks I have to go in for the glucose screening (gestational diabetes test) and also another ultrasound. My first ultrasound showed that I had a marginal placenta previa which basically means the placenta was partially covering the cervix. This is very common early in pregnancy and only 10% of women who have it at their mid-pregnancy ultrasound still have it when they deliver. If it persists I would have to take it easy for the rest of the pregnancy (potential bedrest!) and premature labor would be a possibility. So we'll see what the second ultrasound shows. My doctor was confident that it would move and even said she would put money on it! That made me feel better. I'm not worried and I don't want anyone else to be.

I've had some funny observations since I'm becoming more noticeably pregnant. One of them is that people feel entitled to comment on your purchases at the grocery store - like any normal person wouldn't go to Safeway just to buy ice cream and Tums? I was annoyed. Also, I've noticed that no matter how tired and pregnant you look people still won't give up their seat for you on MUNI. Public transportation really brings out the worst in people.

I'll post a new belly pic soon. Maybe Todd will too, although I have to say he's really lagging behind...

Donner Belly

We thought it would be more interesting to take the belly pics surrounded by beautiful scenery (picnic lunch at Donner Lake). We also decided the belly looked cuter when covered! So here I am at about 21 1/2 weeks. As you can see I've grown quite a bit since the last shot.

Last week was exciting because I finally accepted that the little "bloop, bloop" sensations I've been feeling must be the baby kicking. I don't know why I've been having such a hard time believing it? Todd is probably getting annoyed because now I announce every little movement by saying "bloop!" out loud. I'm sure it's getting old.

Mom is coming to visit this week! I can't wait to see her and for her to see me.

20 weeks

I can't believe we're at the half-way point already. Not a lot of action going on down there right now. I'm still waiting for that first little kick. I swear I felt a fluttering sensation about two weeks ago but since then nothing. Maybe it was just my imagination or - more than likely - gas. Oh the joys...

We spent another relaxing weekend up in Truckee. Well, I guess it didn't start out as very relaxing... We went out for breakfast Saturday morning at this coffee shop in old town and just as I was digging into my pancakes a little cockroach went scampering across the table. Eeew! I have a major roach-phobia which I developed during my bagel selling days in Ann Arbor (now that Einstein's is closed I feel like it's okay for me to talk about the serious infestation in the basement). Todd, being the gentleman that he is, took care of the problem and I actually continued eating my pancakes. In hindsight I can see that we probably should have left immediately but they were good pancakes and I didn't want to let them go to waste! I think that just goes to show you how important food has become to me during this pregnancy.

The rest of the day could only get better and it did. Michigan crushed Michigan State (sorry, Todd) and the Tigers beat the Yankees (sorry, Carol). Woo-hoo!

Being supportive

Thought I might get in the action a little bit. I'm basically just a surprise guest in this entire process anyway. To be supportive I decided I should either maintain our total weight which would mean getting in great shape... OR... I could gain as much as Sarah. I'm doing my best. Thanks for checking in on my belly timeline.

IT'S A...

GIRL!

After much debate (on my side) we decided to find out the sex at our ultrasound appointment this afternoon. I'm so glad we did! She was very squirmy in the beginning, kicking and waving to us a few times. Well, I like to think she was waving! Then, at the end, when the technician needed just one last measurement, she decided to pass out flat on her face and there was nothing we could do to wake her up. After lots of poking and prodding and shifting around on the table she finally moved her head in the right place and they got what they needed. So far everything looks healthy and normal and in the right place. Phew!

I'd post one of the pictures they printed out for us but she looks a little bit like an alien right now. Our little angel alien baby.

Belly at 18 Weeks

Simon Mann-Youngs 1991 - 2006

Greyboy, Mikhail, Simon the Grey, Little Buddy

We'll miss you.

just bored...

Other than my expanding waistline, the past couple weeks have been pretty uneventful as far as the pregnancy goes. I guess that's a good thing. Our next ultrasound is in two weeks and I'm anxious to see what this little person looks like. The last time we saw it it was just a white blob on the screen so I'm sure it will be exciting. The question everyone has been asking is whether or not we want to know the sex. The answer is... yes, maybe, I don't know?? Todd has wanted to know from the start and I wanted to wait and be surprised. But now my curiosity is getting the best of me, so we'll see. Maybe the little bugger won't cooperate and the doctor won't be able to determine the sex?

On a not-so-happy note we found out this week that Simon has lung cancer. We could tell he was continuing to lose weight even though we've been treating him for a thyroid disorder for the past two months. He stopped eating late last week and his behavior has changed dramatically. The vet ran some tests and x-rays on Monday afternoon and we got the results yesterday morning. It breaks my heart to see him decline so rapidly and to not do anything about it. At this point all we can do is monitor his quality of life and try to bring him whatever comfort we can. Poor little guy.

Simon

Just got back from a relaxing weekend in Truckee. We went for a long walk and a nice hike yesterday, but other than that did a lot of reading, eating, and sleeping.

We missed our little guy though. Sometimes I worry about how Simon is going to react to the baby. He's almost fifteen years old now and I don't think he's ever received so much attention in his life since Todd came into the picture - he loves that cat.

Poor Simon...his little world is going to be turned upside down in March!

Belly

Okay. Here's the first installment of the belly timeline. Right now I'm in that weird, in-between phase where I don't look pregnant but I'm definitely starting to pack on the pounds. I'm really looking forward to having a recognizable baby bump. As you can see I've already resorted to elastic wastebands. It was either that or going to work with my pants unbuttoned which didn't seem very professional!

Prego

Hi Friends and Family. As most of you know by now, Todd and I are having a baby! I know, I know...we didn't waste any time getting here considering we're still newlyweds but we couldn't be more excited to start our family.

A few of my good friends from college have kept online journals of their pregnancies and I've decided to follow in their footsteps. Living so far away it was fun for me to keep up with the changes they were going through and also feel a little bit closer to them. Hopefully you will feel the same way.

Right now I'm about 13 weeks pregnant. Supposedly the little guy (or gal) is about the size of a jumbo shrimp. Earlier this week we were able to hear the heartbeat which was incredible. As we were waiting for the doctor I remember telling Todd that sometimes I didn't really believe I was pregnant (even though I had all of the obvious symptoms and the doctors had, in fact, confirmed it). Well, if there was any doubt it was gone as soon as I heard that little heartbeat. 154 beats per minute with a few kicks thrown in here and there - that was pretty amazing.