Under 200!

Well my ticker says that Figgy and I have under 200 days to get this whole build-a-human done. I have had 2 great days in a row, although I am really tired today. I will take this over barfing any day.

Today is Friday which means I have the weekend to chill and recharge for next week. I have been neglecting my school work so I need to do some serious correcting and planning this weekend. I also want to get our taxes done so we can figure out what to do with the money. Our current idea is to upgrade our mattress from a full to a queen. It means not having a headboard for a while but really I just want some more space. I am sure that Shazam would really like some more room. I like to describe myself as an "active" sleeper. Others might say bed hog or aggressive. I tend to push poor Shazam to the edge of the bed while hogging the covers. I have been known to kick and push as well. I once woke myself up because I kicked my sister so hard in my sleep (if you ask me I would say that she probably deserved it though). When Shazam and I go away and sleep in a queen or a king it is so great and we both get a better night sleep. With my belly only going to get bigger I think it is time to take the step and size up with a queen.

On other belly notes my belly seems to be getting bigger. Not a real baby bump yet but my jeans are starting to be a little snug and not fit quite right. I am not sure if I am ready for maternity jeans yet but I think it is getting close. I may get a bel.la band to hold me over for a little while longer. I will have Shazam check out the maternity jean selection while I am doing yoga tomorrow.

Monday brings us to our NT scan where we get another look at our little figgy. I am also a little anxious because it will be determining our trisomy 13, 18 and 21 risk and will indicate whether we need to have an amnio or not. I am trying not to think about the risk stuff and just think about getting a new picture of the baby which will be all fun. I have a BS in developmental bio so sometimes too much info can be a bad thing. Enough about that though.

Hope everyone is having a great Friday and have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday Shazam!!!!

Shazam has turned 34 (or Reggie Lewis as we say in our house)! We will be celebrating tomorrow night at a nice restautant in Cambridge called Chez Henri. I have been meaning to bring her there for a while. It is French Cuban fusion it should be fun. Too bad I can't enjoy some Mojitos with the birthday girl. I have some presents for the birthday girl tonight I hope she likes them.

So happy birthday my sweet wife. Figgy says happy birthday too! Love You!!

Figgy and other stuff

I guess we've been slacking in the blogging department, but I'm happy to say we've reached week 11 and baby is the size of a fig. Granted my only reference to a fig is a Fig Newton but I know the baby is growing! There's so much going on and apparently the baby is moving more and more, though not enough for SSG to feel it.

After a disastrous visit with SSG's family the other weekend, where I was given the silent treatment by her sister and her family pretty much ignored the fact that SSG is pregnant with her first child, we actually spent most of the weekend in NH with my family. SSG and I were asked to babysit my niece and nephew Saturday night and then on Sunday was my other nephew's 12th birthday party. This was the plan anyhow and well, SSG's body had another idea. After prenatal yoga Saturday morning we ran an errand and grabbed a snack for her...and it was downhill from there. She probably had the worst day I've ever seen her have. To say she had nausea is an understatement. The poor thing on the drive up to NH had to really concentrate not to throw up in the car. We got to my parents and at that point decided that she just wasn't going to be up for the babysitting activity which was a minor league hockey game. My dad went with me and SSG stayed home with my mom. My mom took such good care of her as I knew she would. Sunday was much better for her and we had a good time at the birthday party.

So things are progressing nicely and I'm really hoping that my wife's nausea goes away soon so she can feel better.  We also have a 12 week ultrasound on Monday, March 2nd, and we're really looking forward to that!     

Cute baby things!

I bought an outfit yesterday. We have been trying to be good but some of this stuff is just so cute and the sales are so good right now. I saw an outfit at sear.s in their La.nds End section and I just couldn't say no. So now we are in good shape for cute fall and winter baby photo shoots. Here are the pieces.

Baby Book

Shazam and I ordered a baby book last week and it came on Saturday. We were both very excited. It is so pretty and we were very happy that we could order special pages for two moms.

It is gender neutral but they also had blue and pink ones for people who know the gender of the baby. Its quality is really nice and I am looking forward to putting in the correct pages. In addition to the 2 mom pack we also ordered some of the other page packs. You can see the pages at http://www.tesserapublishing.com/uploads/70-407%20Two%20Moms%20or%20Two%20Dads_SAMPLE.pdf and http://www.tesserapublishing.com/uploads/Baby%20Book_SAMPLE%2002.08.pdf

This is one of the few baby things we have purchased so far. I would totally recommend this to other same sex families. We ordered from babysakes.com. Now all I need to do is make sure I fill it out!

Welcome Kumquat!

Well we are now in week 10! The baby is now considered a fetus and is the size of a Kumquat. We didn't really know what one is but found some at who.le foods the other day. Word on the street is that they are very tart. I am feeling pretty good as long as I get enough rest. I have had some strange cravings this week. I called Shazam and let her know that I wanted Spaghetti.O's for dinner. I know it's not the most healthy choice but it was was yummy. I have not had them in probably 10 years so I think I am ok with my nutrition as long I don't make it a daily habit. I went to yoga again and again I feel much better after I go. I am happy I am going and I think it will keep me in better shape as I progress in the pregnancy. The little kumquat is really starting to look more human and less alien like which is pretty cool.
We have had a busy weekend with a party for a friend on Sat night. Then we had to go to my parent's house for my father's birthday. It would have been fine if I didn't have to see my sister. There had been some drama earlier in the week regarding scheduling getting together. My sister sent some snarky emails telling Shazam and I that we were not trying hard enough to make time to celebrate my father's birthday. Nothing really crazy but my sister was being a turd which is not all that unusual. Well, we decided to take the high road and just be nice yesterday. My sister however did not. She decided that her road would be not talking to Shazam, even when Shazam asked a direct question. She is just so rude. My parents walk on eggshells around my sister and always make excuses for her bad behavior. It has been this way my entire life so I have gotten a think skin and have learned to ignore it. Shazam however has not and my sister's behavior towards her was so uncalled for. So in addition to my sister ignoring Shazam my parents acted as though there was no problem with her acting this way. We left pretty soon after we had cake. My sister also doesn't like it when the conversation does not revolve around her so other than my mother asking me how I was feeling (before my sister got there) there was no mention of my pregnancy or the baby. You would think that the first time we are all together after telling them that we are pregnant that it would be a topic of discussion...especially seeing that it is the first grandchild and all. But no, we talked about how great my sister's new car is (she got it at Christmas does that still count as new) and her new cat. Yes you read me right, my mother had tons of questions about the damn cat but nothing about her grandchild to be! It is so hurtful. My mom actually sent my sister's cat a card this week welcoming her to the family. Did we get a congratulation's card for expecting...not so much. Argh!

The good news is that next weekend we are going to my in-laws. We are taking my niece and nephew to a minor league hockey game and staying over at my in-laws. My MIL actually volunteered to take care of Darwin while we were out with the kids. She also is stocking up on healthy foods for me. Why can't my actual mother be this excited? It makes me a little sad.

I am on vacation for the week so I am looking forward to the time to relax. I am fitting in a haircut and lunch with friends along with the time I will be spending on the couch. I hope you are all having a great weekend. Now I need to help my wife and clean the apartment.

Momma and Our Grape

We had an appointment yesterday afternoon to meet one of the doctors in the practice and luckily my job is flexible enough that I can leave early to make these appointments. As long as I make up the time they really don't care. I have noticed that I usually the only one accompanying their spouse for appointments. I think I've seen a total of two men in the few times we've been there. Not a criticism of dads but more of an observation. I really don't want to miss anything so I'm going to as many as possible. I was glad I didn't miss the appointment yesterday because we got to here the baby's heartbeat. (side note: week 9 = size of a grape!) It was pretty amazing. SSG is doing a really great according to all her levels, such as her iron. They said she must be doing a good job eating well because they can see it in the urine analysis and other tests. Good job momma! We're been really trying to just pump her full of good stuff (not always) and it showed. Our baby grape is doing really well so far. The doctor we were supposed to meet was actually delivering a baby so we'll have to try again to meet her for the next appointment.

Yesterday we each had a phone call to make. I called my grandparents to share the news. I talked to my grammie and she was thrilled. By far the hippest 80 year old I know as she didn't skip a beat. On a funny side note she made sure she told me that due to recent health woes she can no longer have her "daily toddy" which is scotch and a little water. She's had one a day for decades I believe. Poor Grammie.

SSG also made her phone call to her sister which she was nervous about. I won't get in to details but let's just say they aren't exactly close and generally when SSG has good news the response is usually something nasty and sarcastic. I couldn't believe it though because she actually said, "Congratulations". I'm still shocked. It went much better than expected and I think SSG was really relieved. 

No appointment until the first week of March so we will just keeping good thoughts, feeding the little grape good things, and putting SSG to bed at like 8:30! 

The Ultrasound, Grandparents, and Other News

Boy has it been a busy end of week/weekend.

I had a field trip to NYC on Thursday this week. I had to be at the bus at 5:45 am and we didn't get back until after 10 pm. It involved lots of walking and by the end of the day I was feeling pretty exhausted. I tried to rally on Friday. I had 3 classes in a row starting first period and did pretty well through them. I then started to go down hill and by the time my last class started a period later I was a mess and barfing. Thank goodness I had an aide in my room who told me to go home and another teacher was able to cover my last period study. Lesson learned...don't attempt to chaperon a very long field trip in the 1st trimester. After a nap and some food I did feel better though.

We had our 1st ultrasound on Friday afternoon and I am happy to announce that beanie is doing well. We got to see the heart beat and its leg and arm buds. It was very cool. The baby was measuring at 8 weeks 0 days even though I was 8 weeks 4 days at the time. I don't think this is a problem but it may change our due date. Beanie was standing on its head which Shazam thought was fitting seeing as I was a gymnast in my youth. It was very comforting to see the heart beating and that the beanster seems to be developing well. We go in on Monday for our first appointment with the ob so we will see how the appointment goes and whether the due date stays at 9/14 or if it gets moved back a few days.

After the appointment Shazam and I went to pick up some gifts for the grandparents. We got a cute picture frame for her parents and a onesie and bib for my parents. We also picked up a frame for ourselves for the ultrasound print. Then it was off to dinner to tell Shazam's parents that they were going to be grandparents for the 4th time. It went really well and after a little confusion about what the frame meant and who was actually pregnant, Shazam's parents were really excited about the baby. They were surprised but happy. It is a relief that they know and that they are excited. On the way home we called Shazam's sister and brother. My sister-in-law had figured out that we were trying (she found my thermometer at the lake house this summer) and had been waiting for an announcement ever since I started complaining about being tired on my face.book status. My brother-in-law was excited too and is looking forward to being an uncle again. The niece and nephews are also excited to be getting a new cousin. We received a picture from my sister-in-law yesterday that my niece had drawn. It is the baby and Allison (the baby is on the left). I guess we don't need a 3-d ultrasound now.

Saturday I went to prenatal yoga again and I am finding that I feel much better after I go so I sighed up for the next 2 weeks. Then it was getting ready for my parents to come for dinner. We decided to get BBQ take out for dinner so I didn't have to cook. We had ribs, chicken, and pulled pork. It was yummy! After we ate we gave my parents their gifts and after some confusion they finally figured out that I was pregnant and they couldn't be happier. My Mum thought she would never be a grandparent but my Dad thought it could be in the cards so it was a complete surprise for her and happiness for him. Now I have to tell my sister but I am avoiding this as she can be difficult and I am not really looking forward to hearing her bad mouth our choice to have kids. I will call her but I am enjoying my time with everyone being happy for us and I would like it to last a little while longer.

I am looking forward to our appointment tomorrow and finding out if beanie is healthy and growing well.

The Last Hurrah!

Shazam and I braved the cold and snow last night to book our babymoon/anniversary trip to Puerto Rico last night. After a lovely presentation of the monthly pie charts the night before Shazam convinced me that we could indeed take the trip. I am really glad we are going and am looking forward to relaxing on the beach with a mocktail getting a little sun. I will be 19 weeks at that point and should have a little bit of a baby bump! We are staying at the Intercontinental for 4 nights! Shazam, the bean, and I are very excited.

For the past few days I have been feeling really good. Yesterday was my best day in a while and I felt great all day at school. I only felt yucky towards the end of the night when I hit my wall. I also was able to stay up to 9 two nights in a row. I think I am starting to get my stride. I have an all day field trip to NYC tomorrow and have to be at the bus at 5:45 am and don't return until 9pm. This will be a long day and I will def. need to catch a nap on the bus. The only crazy thing is my Mom is chaperoning the trip and since she does not know about the pregnancy yet I will have to keep a low profile. We are very much looking forward to the ultrasound and telling our parents this weekend! I will feel much better once I can actually talk to my Mum about this. I think she can tell something is up and I hate being so vague about what is going on in my life.

Decisions, Decisions

There are many times as an adult I wish I didn't have to make decisions. I mean any decision, big or small. It could be something completely stupid, like what I want to eat for dinner. I find it downright exhausting if I'm in a particular frame of mind. So yesterday SSG and I had two decisions we were faced with. One was waaay more important than the other but I thought my head was going to explode.

Let's start with decision #1 and the most important one. A little while back SSG blogged about trying to get in with this Dr. Wonderful that everyone raves about but alas we ended up on a waiting list. Well wouldn't you know with one appointment behind us and two scheduled at a practice affiliated with the hospital we wanted, SSG gets a call that we are off the waiting list if we want to go with Dr. Wonderful. I had actually forgotten about it but we really had a lot to mull over in a short amount of time as they needed an answer today. We talked about it last night with no conclusion and SSG smartly e-mailed our fabulous GP who thought we should stay where we are as the group we are with has a great reputation and the hospital we are going to deliver at is great too. Ultimately for me my thinking was, if we had a good feeling at the original practice, why change especially if Dr. Wonderful delivers at a hospital we're not crazy about? I mean what is so darn special about this doctor? I think we were stuck in our decision originally because of all the hype but honestly, we don't need to have a touchy-feely doctor who spends tons of time with us. We need a competent group of doctors and in my opinion if you want more time with the doctor be your own advocate! Ask questions! Ultimately it's a personal preference and we're going to stay where we are. So yes, we turned down Dr. Wonderful (GASP!) but this gives someone else a chance who really wanted her and we feel good about that.

On to decision #2...April vacation...right around our 1st Anniversary. Do we go somewhere? Can we afford it? This is what we've been mulling for a couple of weeks. We want to be smart financially but we also realize that come September we won't go on vacation (as in on a plane far away) for a loooooong time. I mean we're talking years and years because with daycare we won't be able to afford it. After my OCD number crunching and showing SSG (yes there were visuals in my presentation) that if we don't go somewhere super expensive and maybe just do like 4 days we could pull it off . So it looks like we're going to try to go to Puerto Rico for a few days for what we are calling "The Last Hurrah!"  By then SSG's nausea and fatigue should improve and she'll be in her second trimester so the timing seems good. Now we just need to book it!

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Just as a side note, we're in week 8 and apparently baby is the size of a kidney bean!  Here are two cool pics I found to show its development.