it's a............

GIRL!!!

We (me especially) are very very excited... Steve's first words were "right again!" as he was convinced it was a girl from the very first positive pregnancy test. We've already been to Janie and Jack and bought her first two outfits and some cute things for her nursery at Pottery Barn Kids. My favorite bedding at PBK also came in again a few days ago and I went ahead and ordered it just in case and - voila, it's a good thing I did! I've uploaded a handful of sonogram photos on our baby website... the link is to the right just below the baby updates. It's hard to tell just by looking at the above photo, but the ultrasound tech said she was 'definitely all girl'. The shot is as though she is sitting on the screen, so it's from an angle underneath her butt. All girl!

Ummm, I also have pink eye. Again. In my other eye.

Yay, babies!

sweet potato!

Not exactly the cutest visual, but here it goes anyways: "Adorable alert! Baby can now yawn … She’s the size of a sweet potato! Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon." Actually, I'm feeling those movements all the time now! The baby experienced its first show last night (and right next the speaker, hopefully he/she isn't deaf!) and has been kicking me for it ever since. Tomorrow at this time we should know whether we're having a boy or a girl... hopefully the baby isn't too modest and is willing to show us the goods as clearly as possible. I've heard many many stories of babies on their tummies or with their legs crossed or an umbilical cord in the way which prevented any sort of guess at the ultrasound. Cross your fingers!

Speaking of the show, it was awesome. Paramore was great and Jimmy Eat World as a-mazing, of course. The crowd was... different. Luckily most of the underage Paramore fans cleared out before JEW played and it was much more enjoyable. Great show, though.

I'm off to flip through "Cool Names for Babies" (by the authors of "Beyond Jennifer and Jason" -very excited) and attack the condo with blue tape for our warranty appointment. I'll leave you all with this hilarious picture my dad sent me:

Mickey D's in the desert

baby kicks!

We felt the baby kicking last night! I laid down in bed and I put my hand on my belly and immediately felt a kick... then another... and another! I just said, "what the hell was that?" and of course that worried Steve. Once I said it was kicking, he had to see for himself. He tried to feel for a few minutes and just as he was about to give up, it kicked him - hard! I felt it a number of times after that, too... really bizarre. It also kicked me a few times this morning when I woke up. I can't wait until Monday when I can stop saying "it" kicked me and start using the right pronouns! "It" makes the baby sound like an alien...

adorable hubby

Steve is e-mailing me at work everytime he thinks of a cute name for the baby... Unfortunately, they're all girl names and we have yet to come close to agreeing on any boy names. In five days, that either won't matter at all or we'll have a little problem on our hands. We've started the process of registering - although only for a couple of gender-neutral big ticket items. The fun stuff will come later (like the baby snow suit I absolutely have to have for our Christmas ski trip). I had a pregnancy-induced emotional breakdown the other day because Pottery Barn Kids had run out of the crib quilt I'd picked out for a girl... a bit ridiculous considering 1) we don't even know the sex yet and 2) it's a quilt. I calmed down and have since spent the past two days at work scouring the internet for any bedding without Disney characters, butterflies or floral overkill. I would rather not vomit everytime I walk into the nursery. I should probably just stop entirely and not get too attached to anything before Monday.

Can you believe I would actually want something like this? I've spent the past week learning how to sleep on my left side (following the advice of many baby books and my doctor). Sleeping on my stomach is no longer feasible and apparently sleeping on your back is a no-no since the weight of your growing midsection can cut off the blood flow in a major artery. Who knew? In addition to the sleeping arrangement, I'm actually growing accustomed to all the nuances of pregnancy. I'm used to all of the vitamins (and the lack of my usual medication), the increased awareness of the food groups I eat during the day, etc... it will be strange once September comes and I'm allowed to go back to normal. Of course, post-baby normal will include some serious exercise because I'm definitely not used to the numbers creeping up everytime I step on the scale. I'm also not used to exercise so we'll see how that goes.

I need a vacation. Two months from now we'll be leaving for Mexico and I literally feel as though I'm counting down each hour of each day in anticipation of it...

stinky baby

"Baby is able to hear what's going on outside the womb! Loud noises are startling, but classical music is soothing … She’s the size of an onion! Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints." Not a big onion fan, but I'll take it - it's pretty unbelievable that something of that size (and alive, nonetheless) is inside of me. Sometimes I'll lay there just to see if I'm missing any kicks or movements but there's nothing just yet - according to my many books, I should start feeling the baby move in the next couple of weeks... so I'm staying alert!

We went baby furniture shopping yesterday - there is sooooo much to buy. It's overwhelming. I've also been doing a lot of research as to how we should acclimate the doggies to the new baby. Very interesting stuff.

One week until we find out the sex (and five days until Jimmy Eat World and Paramore)! Next weekend is going to be full of awesomeness.

evolution

On Monday morning I promised myself that I would have a new outlook on my job this week: I'd be less pessimistic, ignore the various annoying people throughout my office and let things roll off my back rather than tick me off. I wasn't going to stress. Now that I'm a few days into my newly evolved outlook on work, I have to admit that people still piss me off on a regular basis. Just let me focus on my work and leave me alone, please... but the whole no-more-stress thing has actually worked. I didn't have a headache on Monday or Tuesday (and I barely had one yesterday) and I'd like to think it's more than just coincidence, no?

Evvvvvvveryone at works knows now. There's no hiding this tummy anymore. The techniques vary: "are you growing?" ... "did you have a big lunch?" ... "do you have something you need to tell me?" ... and this is the point where I usually say, you got me! I'm pregnant. Then, the baby gender/due date/how many weeks/well, when I was pregnant comments ensue. At one meeting a number of people actually declared that everyone needed to spare a seat for the pregnant lady, which was strange. I insisted I was fine and that I could stand - little did I know that meeting would drag on for an hour. The only reason it ended was because a girl actually fainted from standing up so long. For reals. It was that boring.

It's supposed to be 80 degrees tomorrow. If only we were still in Richmond... I'd spend my afternoon on Belle Isle with Luke, my lunch and a good book. Speaking of Richmond, good luck with your giant tattoo today, Taryn!! Feel better!! xoxo

word to the wise

Never steal a pregnant lady's McDonald's french fries (especially four french fries), especially after she drove all the way over to the McDonald's on Wiehle Ave. and sat in the lunch hour drive thru line for what seemed like ages. Not cool.

baby guacamole

First off, the requisite baby update. Now that I'm sixteen weeks along (!), the baby is about the size of an avocado. This week, "watch what you say... tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming. And, if you're interested, an ultrasound might be able to determine gender." Only two more weeks to go until the big u/s! Steve and I went into a few baby stores at the mall this afternoon and, although we found a ton of cute stuff, we can't buy anything yet! We can't wait. I also just realized that when all of my fruit/veggie updates have metric measurements? The website I visit must have changed it since I saved them all, so from now on I will try to make sure all of the updates are in inches/ounces rather than centimeters/grams.

We spent most of the day in Richmond yesterday. Jimmy is finishing up Steve's half sleeve and he got about halfway through the tattoo in yesterday's sitting and we'll be back down next month to finish it up. It looks awesome - I sent a somewhat blurry shot to my mobile blog if you're interested. We got to see Taryn and Nate and Lauren (xoxoxo!) yesterday, too. We miss you guys!!! Thanks for keeping Steve company while I got a much needed haircut.

My sickness is gone, my pink eye is gone... back to the daily grind at work. Last but not least - I love you, best friend!!! :)

conjunctivitis

I have pink eye. Disgusting. Not only do I have pink eye, but apparently pregnant ladies can't use the normal eye drops so I am applying a lotion-like substance underneath my eyelid a few times a day... gross. I swear, I am always sick.

My dad leaves for Iraq tomorrow. :(

naval orange!

Time for a baby update! I thought I would include another informative diagram in addition to the fruit this week and also include what my baby newsletter says about our progress... Now that we're fifteen weeks along (hard to believe I'm nearly four months pregnant), "Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces. She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl!" These newsletters alternate between the he/she pronoun so no one get excited yet - three more weeks until we find that out.

Since I know people are keeping tabs on this child by the fruit comparisons, "Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now outmeasure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Make no bones about it, baby's making bones … She’s the size of a naval orange! Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements." When I uploaded the photo to the left, I peeked ahead at all the other fruits/veggies I had saved for the duration of the pregnancy... this baby's going to get really big - really fast!

Steve was the world's best husband yesterday. We had initially planned on going to Buy Buy Baby in Springfield to check out the stroller I want in person (great success - the stroller is awesome). Before we ever made it to the baby store I'd convinced him to drive me to Krispy Kreme in Alexandria and then to make a stop at Robek's for a smoothie on the way back to BBB. The donuts I probably could have done without but the smoothie is another story. When I'm asked "what are you craving?" we've decided that I can't say "nothing, really!" anymore. The answer is simple: McDonald's french fries (warm salty goodness) and fruit. Lots of fruit. I buy a ridiculous amount of fresh fruit... juices that we've never bought before... my blender has never seen so much action as I try to cram as much fruity goodness into a smoothie as possible... It's a pretty healthy craving as long as I watch my sugar intake, but it's pretty bizarre.

I would venture to say we're getting into full baby mode now. Our conversations are sprinkled with "the baby" and "when the baby comes" and, even though we can't pick out the paint color for the nursery yet, we're already planning the chair rails we'll put in. We're talking names in bed at night (don't ask - it's a secret!) and are counting down the days until the ultrasound. It's baby time!

P.S. My bracket's probably not winning much considering I have Kansas beating UCLA in the championship game, but at least the 'Hawks are in it. I wish the game wasn't at 9:21 Monday night - I'll never be able to stay up for that!

38-12???

I'm watching KU play the most amazing game of the season right now... it's insane.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk, GO KU!!

27 days

• Our big ultrasound is April 28th at 11am! Everyone mark your calendars (I know, it's that important) and start counting down the days... I know we are... only 27 more days!
• Being off of work since mid-Thursday makes the return back this morning even more hellacious... yes, that's a word.
• Happy 23rd birthday to my favorite (and only) little brother! Hard to believe he's 23 but then again, I will be 26 this year which is the weirdest thing ever. That's close to 30!
• I ate at Red Hot and Blue twice in one day this weekend (!). Luckily, they had changed shifts by the time I came for dinner. While scarfing down my pulled pork sandwich, we saw a two legged dog that stands on its own. He'd been on Letterman, Leno and Oprah. It happened too fast to take a picture.
• My new love: EZ Pass. I blew through that toll this morning.