How hard can it be?

So before I got pregnant I never thought anything could be harder than shopping for clothes to fit me...especially pants. I used to wear little kids sizes and trying to find jeans that weren't bejeweled was a real challenge. But just when I thought I couldn't hate shopping for clothes any more - it happened! I am quickly outgrowing the clothes that I thought would get me through most of my pregnancy and silly me to think it would be super comfortable to wear my pants unzipped all day (when you have no hips, this becomes a problem!). I have recently discovered that buying maternity clothes is way harder for me than trying to find the bargains on the kids racks.

I first went to Old Navy when I was about 8 weeks pregnant I giggled to myself and thought "who does this really fit, anyway". Well, now I know! Although Old Navy has good bargains, they do not have petite sizes in maternity. Let the hunting begin! Last week I finally found a pair of maternity jeans that fit me...one of those too good to be true moments, y'know? I should have suspected something when there was no price tag on them...they might as well have been chained to the rack for how expensive they were! I told the sales lady that I was used to paying less than $20 for kids jeans and there was no way I could conceive of paying TEN TIMES that for one pair of pants!

And speaking of pants, you know the kind that have the spandexy thing to hold them up -- I used to think, why would someone wear that? But oh my God - those are the most comfortable fitting pants in the history of the Earth! I don't think I'll ever go back to wearing normal people (and by normal people, I mean little kids) clothes EVER again! I quickly found some shorts that were on sale and a few tank tops to keep cool and dashed home to wash them!

Now the other problem that they don't tell you about in the books is that it's really hard to buy clothes and imagine that they might or might not fit in a few weeks/months. I'm 16 weeks along and my baby is about to go through some major growth spurts...along with my belly. I'm a very visual person and it's just really hard for me to imagine my belly being able to expand any more than it has already! So the really neat thing that I discovered today at the maternity store is that they have these fake belly pillows that you can strap on before you try on your clothes (at least that's what I think they're for). It helps you to imagine what you'd look like 7 months pregnant...lemme tell ya, that fake belly is GREAT! It really helped me to make some wise shopping decisions! Sadly it didn't make the clothes fit any better considering that I'm used to wearing an XXS Petite, but it was helpful nonetheless!

In other news, we went to the doctor today for my 16 week appointment. Baby's heartbeat is healthy at 156 beats per minute! My next appointment won't be until 4 more weeks and they will do the big ultrasound then. Don't anyone get too excited...we aren't finding the sex! There aren't many big surprises in life and so we wanted to savor this one ... although I HATE surprises! But I'll be strong, so no looking to me to give any hints! I was worried about not finding out the sex at first because everyone says, "oh if you don't find out then you'll only get green and yellow everything". But hello, there are tons more choices for unisex items than green and yellow! And if I have a hippie baby as my grandma predicts, all he/she will need is a cloth diaper and a floppy hat!!!

Who knew there were so many choices?

So i was excited about making it to my second trimester and was anxiously awaiting that burst of energy...well apparently it has arrived...at 3am! I guess I should have been more specific about my expectations...lesson learned! Now as I wait for the glass of warm milk to kick in, I'll update you all on the other goings on in the prep for Baby Bealer!

Yesterday we went to a cloth diapering class...now before you jump to any conclusions, we're not turning into hippies as my Mama likes to say! We just feel that we don't want to add more to our carbon footprint by filling our landfills with more plastic and crap (literally!...I just cracked myself up a little there!). Most of you probably remember cloth diapering as using safety pins and hot, plastic pants. Now there are so many options out there and they have fun names like Happy Hineys, FuzzyBunz, BumGenius, Tiny Tushes and the like! Before we went to the class, I thought I knew what kind that I wanted and I was really just going to the class so that Jeff could see what it was all about. After about five minutes into it, my head was spinning! Who knew there could be so many options on how to catch the pee and poop from your baby?!? The insides of some of these diapers are so soft that I was actually hoping that they came in my size! So we decided on the Chinese prefolds with waterproof covers (by a company called Thirsties...makes them seem super absorbent, right!). We also registered for some of what they call One Size Pocket Diapers. Those mostly fasten like a regular diaper but they are adjustable in the front so that you they can grow as your baby grows! The ones we've registered for are made locally in Lafayette by a company called Fuzzybunz.

We are officially registered now also! The store is called Zuka Baby (www.zukababy.com - our registry won't be posted for about a week or so). A friend told me about this store and from the moment I walked in I fell in love with the place! The lady that owns it is so knowledgeable about cloth diapering, breastfeeding, baby wearing -- all of the things that I was so curious about and could only find information about online. It was so nice and refreshing to see her passion for this and to know that I'm not strange or crazy for wanting to raise my baby in a more natural environment! So, maybe some might think we are hippies...but who cares - everyone has their own chance to raise their child in the way that they see fit and this is just our choice! I'm fine with having a hippie baby! :)

We also plan on registering at Babies R Us for other things like strollers and car seats...but that store is so overwhelming that there's no way that I would ever have expected Jeff to agree to cloth diapering class and registering at TWO stores in one day! We did get alot accomplished by completing the first registry by deciding on diapers and the nursery theme. Now we can start organizing our house to get ready for the baby's room!!!

The Dictator and other Milestones

For the past several weeks, I've been living out of a suitcase it seems. Jeff and I went to visit friends in Asheville a few weeks ago, then I was home for a few days (enjoyed a rainy day of Jazz Fest), went down the bayou for a week to relieve my mom so she could have a much needed vacation, then the day after I got home, Jeff and I left to go to Arkansas for a week. Just writing that sentence makes me tired! Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed visiting everyone, but I am very happy now to be back in my own home and excited to sleep in my own bed tonight!

You know, when I was working as an Activity Director, my entire day revolved around the events that my staff and I planned...I just bounced from one thing to the other just as planned. Well, one thing that I am quickly learning as my pregnancy unfolds is that my life is now directed by something else...something that seems small, but is actually quite controlling....my bladder! I have been drinking tons of water to keep me and the baby hydrated - most days I actually feel like I'm about to float away! The hard lesson that I learned on that long, winding drive up to the Mount Magazine Lodge in Arkansas was that it is not a good idea to drink a ton of water when you aren't sure when the next bathroom/gas station will come along. Seriously, it was so bad that I emptied a plastic water bottle and cut the top off with a knife that Jeff had and was getting ready to hop the seat when out of the blue we came upon the gas station with the "Largest Beer Selection in Town". I thought Jeff and I were both in Heaven!!! I have never been so happy to use a gas station bathroom in all my life. On a side note, Jeff was disappointed by the beer selection since their "large selection" consisted of cases and cases of Natural Light, Coors, Bud and the like...he is drinking for two now that I'm pregnant, however, I think he'd prefer to have water for the rest of the week than indulge in this "large" selection! Anyway, I figured out the hard way that my bladder rules the roost and I now fondly refer to it as the dictator! On the trip home, I carefully planned out when I was going to load up on water based on the directions and the map!! Lesson learned...

We drove to Arkansas for 2 days of R&R at the Mount Magazine Lodge and then headed to Hot Springs to celebrate Mother's Day with Jeff's Mom. I do have to say that my first Mother's Day was super special! Jeff surprised me with a gorgeous necklace and treated me and his mother to a delicious brunch at the Arlington Hotel in downtown Hot Springs. Afterwards we walked down to one of the bath houses called the Quapaw which has not only private baths but also communal pools that you can wade in that are at various temperatures. For over a year, I have not been able to get in our hot tub because we were trying to conceive and now that I'm pregnant it is out of the question. So I figured that if the temperatures in the communal pools weren't too hot that I could indulge a little. When we got there the receptionist told us that pregnant women were not allowed in the baths or the communal pools because the water is detoxifying...I seriously almost cried in that lobby. The reception area is glassed in with the communal pools behind and I could see others enjoying the waterfall and warm waters and I had to walk back outside into the rain and cold. I was very disappointed :( but it's all for a good cause!

Another great milestone this week is that today I'm 14 weeks - which means that I'm now officially in my second trimester! I am very excited about this because now the risk of miscarriage is way down, I can look forward to the burst of energy that comes along with this trimester and I am anxiously awaiting the fluttering of my little one inside of me! As I'm sure I've said before, I don't think I'll ever be able to tell the difference between gas bubbles and the early flutters of my baby! But I'm sure the next few weeks will be very special and as my little one grows bigger and bigger every day (now the size of a lemon), I'm sure I'll come to recognize the little wiggles and squirms! On a different note, if my baby is only the size of a lemon, why do I feel like the Goodyear Blimp??!!!

Although my energy still has yet to come back, I am certainly enjoying my pregnancy and taking it one day at a time! After I get our house back in order and all of the suitcases unpacked I can't wait to start working on the nursery and shopping for strollers and car seats!

Shoppers Delight!

Before heading out for our vacation to Asheville to visit friends, I decided that I was going to go to the store and start looking at maternity clothes. I had some gift certificates to Old Navy and had picked out several hundred dollars worth of cute maternity tops and skirts on their website...I was just waiting for that "moment" to buy them all! All I can say is it's a good thing I went to the store first to check it out! I am so tiny that I seriously don't think that maternity clothes will EVER fit me! Who are they kidding when they call it an XS and the shirt fits like a dress...a very large dress!!!

So i meandered through the store for about 30 minutes and discovered that I can A. still fit some of the kids clothes for now (they had some flowy and stretchy cotton shirts that were $10 or less...so it's ok if I outgrow them in a few months) and B. that I can now fit the normal people sizes (which are often cut too big for me...they now perfect and some styles leave plenty of room for growth)! I also found a few skirts that will save me from having to buy maternity pants -- I seriously think that I will never fit maternity pants. Thank God for the Belly Belt and Belly Bands...and for being pregnant in the summer so that I can wear skirts and sundresses and not have to go pant-less!!!

The Stages

Ever since I found out I was pregnant, I have had my nose in just about every pregnancy book and/or website that I could get my hands on. I want to know as much as possible so that I won't be freaked out with what's going on inside me and so I'll be prepared for the "big day".

I know that most of the books break things down to the very basics, but I honestly don't think that there is anything that can prepare you for the experience of being pregnant until you actually are! For instance, before I got pregnant I thought to myself, "If I can only get pregnant, I will deal with whatever morning sickness is thrown my way". Until I was hit with the morning sickness AND the exhaustion all at once, I had no idea what I was in for!

I was practically non-functional for a solid two weeks. The nausea and bone deep exhaustion were really taking their toll on me. All I ate was soup and tried to keep down water and crackers. This would last each day from the time I woke up until around 3-4pm. Morning Sickness had become my full time job!

One of the other things they don't really prepare you for is the bloating. OH MY GOSH - now those who know me know that I can eat...alot...however, when things are moving along as they should, I became VERY uncomfortable VERY quickly and still feel that I'm about the size of the Good Year Blimp (the problem is I'm still hungry)! The hard part is that I'm only 9 weeks along in my pregnancy, which means that I'm really not supposed to be showing any outward signs that I'm growing a baby inside me - but hello, that bun in the oven must have too much yeast!!! Around people that know about pregnancy and when you should start to show, I find myself trying to suck my belly in a little since I'm totally feeling like the fat girl right now. But there's only so long I can hold it in when I'm that uncomfortable! The books might warn you about the bloating and constipation, but they DO NOT warn you about that in-between fat girl stage!

The books are right on with the emotional roller coaster. I pray that I don't run Jeffrey off by the time this baby is born! I mainly find myself crying every day when I watch The Baby Story or 19 Kids and Counting (no, I'm not having 19 kids!) - I did also cry my eyes out at a Folgers Coffee commercial and at the end of "Grand Torino". I get the giggles alot too - and often crack myself up to the point that I almost start crying!!!

Oh well - even though it's been a bumpy road to start, it's definitely been interesting! I do have to give the authors of all of these books credit for trying to warn women about what they have in store - it's just that hands-on experience that no one can prepare you for!

Can you hear it?!

Our first appointment with the OB/GYN was on March 19th. Just a regular exam and blood work. I think they took about 10 viles of blood...for a minute there I was afraid that I wouldn't have any left after they were done!

On March 25th we went back for our first ultrasound. I have still been really sick in the mornings with morning sickness, so our 10am appointment was a challenge. Note to self...chocolate milk is not so good for breakfast right now! I learned that the hard way today!

Anyway - here's our little blob! Good thing the doctor told us which end was which because I had no clue! We also heard the heartbeat - a healthy 156 beats per minute! :) The baby is still very tiny (about the size of a grain of rice) and as of today we are 7 weeks (almost 8) along in the pregnancy. Our due date is around the beginning of November! At least I won't have to come up with a Halloween costume...I'll be the Great Pumpkin!!

Here's the ultrasound video that Jeff took! Our next ultrasound isn't going to be until week 20. Until then I'm just taking things one day at a time and enjoying every minute of being pregnant (even when I am sick!!).

Revenge of the Hormones

For the first few weeks, I was beginning to think that this pregnancy business was going to be a piece of cake! I had heard horror stories from friends and family of being sick for weeks on end and from others that had no morning sickness at all! I thought I was one of the lucky ones - the few and the proud that never had to experience being camped out in the bathroom.

I had not made it to the OB/GYN at this point so I still wasn't sure exactly how far along I was - but I'm guessing I'm about at 5 weeks. Since I was still feeling good at this point, I decided to head down the bayou for the weekend to give my mom a break and so I could hang out with my grandparents. Little did I know that my hormones had a different plan in mind!

Slowly, one by one, the symptoms started creeping in - first the back ache, then the frequent urination, head ache, exhaustion, then the nausea. Now, individually those aren't so bad and I had experienced them all before...however, when they all decide to surprise you in one day, it's not so fun!

I'm pretty sure I didn't get off of the sofa much that entire weekend. And if I did, I went to bed.... My mom and grandmother were very nice and offered advice that worked for them - but I just wanted to lay there and be quiet and still. I tried ginger root, which seemed to relieve the nausea and i had the heating pad practically glued to my back! It was a long weekend...and I still wasn't exactly sure what I had gotten myself in to. The one thing that I am certain of is that I am going to hold on tight for this crazy ride and that I'm looking forward to experiencing everything that goes along with pregnancy...the good and the not so good!

Let the fun begin!