Belly Shots

Most people still don't think my belly is very big, but Paul and I think it's huge. I realize it will get even bigger, but I think Paul will be shocked at how big. Someone suggested that I actually measure how big around I am, but I think that may be more than I can handle.

Horrible Revelation

I realized today that one of my pairs of maternity jeans are probably too small already. They are the kind that just have the elastic in the back of the waist but still...I'm only 23 weeks and I can't fit into maternity clothes!

Bedtime Stories

Paul and I have been reading to the baby every night since the first of the year. The bookshelf to your left has all the books we've read. The past few nights we read from a book called Daddy's Girl by Garrison Keillor. It has several short stories/poems in it. The first one Paul read was about "the prettiest legs I ever did see". It went on to describe the diaper changing procedure ("Lift up her legs and take off the diaper. Get a damp cloth and carefully wipe her.") to which Paul responded with an "Oh, gross!" He has no idea what he's in for!

Furniture Preview

Here is a preview of the furniture we are getting. It should be delivered the first of February. Because the room is small and the changing table unit is large probably the only other piece in the room will be a rocker. I think Paul is just as excited about getting the room set up as I am.

Painting Day

My dad came over this morning to paint the baby's room. It was a quick job because the room isn't very big and it only needed one coat. We also left the trim and ceiling white. While he was here we also exchanged the ceiling fan, but that will get installed at a later date.

I had asked Paul the night before how long he thought it would take my dad to paint (I was trying to plan the day, woudl I have time to run some errands or would it be an all day thing). Paul said "If I was doing it , it would take a week. But I guess you dad figures he can get it all done in a day since that's all he took off from work." In actuality it took about 3 hours, arrival to clean-up. The picture below is the after shot. Yes, it is a fake shot. But Paul complained that I didn't have any pictures of the daddy-to-be on the blog, so here he is pretending to paint her room.

Doctor's Appointment

I had a prenatal visit today. Not really much to say about it. I've gained some weight and the baby's heartrate was in the 150's. She measured my stomache, but I didn't think to ask what it was. I go back in 4 weeks for the sugar test. Overall it was a quick visit. She did say she wants me to come armed with questionsnext time because she found that those who were quiet at the prenatal visits, were very vocal during labor. I do think we will set up to tour the hospital in the next 2 weeks. After that visit, I may have some more questions for the doctor.

Pregnancy Review

I figured since I was just over halfway along, I'd give an update on where we've been in this process.

Week 1 Finishing the last of the hormone shots
Week 2 Embryo transfer
week 3 Waiting to take a blood pregnancy test at the doctor's and debating about just buying one at the pharmacy and doing it early
Week 4 Pregnancy test with the doctor twice in 3 days for confirmation
Week 5 Trying not to tell everyone and their dog (and not really succeeding). Starting feeling nauseous all day long.
Week 6 First sonogram and heard the heartbeat. I also had some bleeding after the sonogram, so had my first freak out. Doctor told me to take it easy the rest of the day, hubby Paul put me on bed rest for the week. Also got wonderful medication for the all day morning sickness.
Week 7 Because of the bleeding, had an earlier exam just to make sure everything was still fine. Second sonogram, love the new 3D machines.
Week 8 Feeling much better with the meds, but extremely tired all the time. Paul teases me about going to bed so early.
Week 9 Last appointment with the fertility clinic. No more oral hormone meds.
Week 10 Make appointment with regular OB, find out I'll probably only have 2 more sonograms. I've already had 3 and now they are cutting me off?
Week 11 Counting the days to the doctor appointment.
Week 12 First appointment with the OB. She did do a sonogram (her standard procedure for 12 weeks). I don't think the front desk knew what to do with me since I had already been seeing a doctor.
Week 13 Pants don't fit and haven't for a while. Of course most people don't notice my expanding waist.
Week 14 Paul's birthday, having a baby is a pretty good present don't you think?
Week 15 Researching genetic testing.
Week 16 Doctor's visit. My mom went with me and talked the doctor into doing a sonogram for her. Nurse thinks it might be a boy.
Week 17 Paul calls me several times at work to gush about having a son.
Week 18 Doctor's appointment, official sonogram with the tech. Find out it's a girl not a boy. Paul accuses me of lying to him.
Week 19 The spoiling of this baby begins as there are Christmas presents from everyone.
Week 20 Paul keeps asking me if I can feel her kicking. I've been saying yes for a couple of weeks, but now I know it is what I'm feeling.

Less than 20 weeks to go and I am sure they will go by even faster than the first 20.

Our Spoiled Little Limb Bud

Below is a picture of the nursery closet full of all the gifts for the new baby. most of these are from Christmas but a few we got earlier.

The following video is all the stuff we already had for a baby. Some were given in anticipation of the China baby, some things were just picked up by people who knew someday we'd have kids.

Please note that up until a couple of days ago this closet was full of other stuff like games and toys for bigger kids. When the neices and nephews come over the first place they go is MIC's room (or the closet more accurately) where all the toys were kept. I've moved the toys to the hall closet and the games to the office closet. The nursery also housed 20 large, wrapped boxes (the size of a computer paper box). These boxes contain stuff we've bought, found, or been given for MIC in the last 2 years. Those boxes are now in the guest room closet and our master bedroom closet. There's just a few more items in the room to clear out and then we can really start to make it a nursery.