Quote of the Day

"I sorry Hopper." - Lucy

We haven't really talked with Lucy about the idea that there is a baby in my belly. Today offered a good opportunity to have a little lesson. Lucy ran over to me while I was sitting at the kitchen table and slapped me in the side of my stomach. It wasn't painful, but Grandma made her apologize to Copper. Lucy sulked over to me and we quickly told her that there is a baby in my belly. She just kind of looked at my stomach and told "Hopper" she was sorry. Not too sure it registered who she was apologizing too. Soon enough she'll be hitting the real deal.

On a different occasion, my mom's good friend and our accountant was over and asked Lucy if she was excited to have a cousin. Lucy responded, "No cousin! No cousin!"

Shout Out to Copper's Grandma

Copper would like to send a little shout out to Grandma Strong for getting her the most kick ass (reasonably priced) modern crib in town. Our kid is going to be sleeping in style. Thanks Grandma!!

Week 28 Appointment

I had my 28 week appointment on Friday and Aubrey got to come with for the first time. Nothing too exciting going on yet. All is still normal. I did have blood drawn to test for gestational diabetes. My blood pressure is pretty low (it was like 90/60), but I've always had low bp and I was told that during pregnancy it gets lower, which it has. So far I haven't had any dizzy spells or headaches. Hopefully my crazy low bp prevents me from having high bp issues closer to delivery. I've been doing my baby heartbeat impersonations a lot for Aubrey lately and he finally got to hear the real deal. Copper even kept still for once. The midwife pressed around on my stomach (which Aubrey didn't think was fair since I always make him stop when he's poking around for our kid) and let us feel Copper's orientation. Didn't know the feet from the head, but they were one or the other and we got to feel her back. This past week she's been making very large movements that make my belly look like a wave. My mom got to feel her move for the first time last week too. I love just watching the movements now. I can feel harder areas on my stomach when she's positioned differently too. My next appointment isn't for another 4 weeks and then they get closer together. We need to look into getting scheduled for a birthing class very soon since we have no idea what is in store for us. Aubrey can't wait to go to class.

Week 27 Pics

So long second trimester! Hello third trimester! Isn't this the time where I just sit on my ass and eat everything in site? It's going to end up being my busiest trimester yet. A trip to Yellowstone in September, baby shower, painting an entire basement, tiling a bathroom, creating a nursery, moving most of the furniture in the house to different rooms, fall yard clean up...and so much more. This baby better not come early. I've got a lot to do in the next 13 weeks.

The second trimester went by wonderfully. I feel great, I love my belly, we had an ultrasound, I have energy, and for the most part Aubrey quit surprise slapping me in my stomach all the time. I could stay like this forever. Actually, I have had a few pregnant lady side effects lately. My calves are tighter than tight and cramp up every time I involuntarily stretch them in my sleep, I walk funny, and I have lower back pain during fast walks and after I do anything that forces me to bend over repeatedly. Feeling our little girl doing somersaults all the time and the excitement of being so close to having her makes the discomfort bearable though.

So far I've gained about 20 pounds. Which would seem to put me on track to gain 30 during my pregnancy. My midwife said I should gain between 25 and 35 pounds. 30 seems reasonable. We'll see what happens. I did gain about 7 pounds since Aubrey's birthday (July 25th), but I think that some of that had to do with Melvin hurting his toe and not being able to go out on long walks. His fitness affects mine. I feel like I eat the same as before I was pregnant. You're supposed to increase your calorie intake during pregnancy, but since I've always eaten more than I should, I didn't increase my calories. What did happen though was a decrease in my exercise. I just bought a punch card for pre-natal pilates classes and I'm looking forward to starting those next week. Melvin's toe is healing up and he can do long walks again, so that will also resume. I really don't want to blow up. I'm having a baby in November and that's not the best timing for taking long strolls outside with the baby. Hopefully it's a dry winter.

We went out with Kellie, Jay, and Evelyn tonight for dinner and after I got to the point of putting my fingers in my ears because the parents behind us were seemingly unwilling to shut the F up their fake-crying baby, Kellie said that we need to start making a list of all the things that we say we will never do when the baby comes. I like this idea and will start working on it. I'll keep you posted. Aubrey and I definitely have some pretty strong opinions on child rearing and it'll be interesting to see just how much of it goes to shit.

Too cute

Here's one of the crazy cute fabrics that I'm going to use in Copper's room. I've wanted to do some kind of graphic painting for her room and my mom suggested that I use this fabric as inspiration and paint a retro camping trailer to hang on her wall. I'm super stoked about getting it painted and I think that I'll add a big black dog sitting outside of the trailer. She'll have sweat dreams of camping every night.

My new rack

My boobs have grown exponentially since I got pregnant. I've mostly been living in sports bras because they still fit. Since sports bras aren't always appropriate, I finally broke down and bought new bras last week. My little A cups only covered about 25% of my boobs so I had to upsize to a B. It's possible that I could even fit in a C cup right now. I have a hard time imagining them getting any bigger, but I know that they will. I have learned that I am not the type of person who could get a boob job. I like my A's.

Here's an example of how big my rack has become. Tonight while eating a freshly baked lemon sugar cookie, a chunk broke off on the way to my mouth and landed on my boobs...and stayed there. That is a very new experience for me.

I'm getting excited

I came home today and decided to hop on the computer and look at some baby stuff. At just over 3 months away, I'm feeling it's crunch time to get some things done. We HAVE to finish the basement before Copper is born. There is no way to move any furniture to make room for her furniture without having the basement finished. There is no second bedroom for Aubrey or I to sleep in while she is sleeping in our room. (Derek took advantage of their guest room on more than one occasion to get some shut eye on those long nights of constant feeding.) There is no room in our current bedroom for a bassinet next to the bed. We HAVE to finish the basement. Jumping ahead a bit in the remodel plans, I started thinking more about Copper's room. I have a pretty clear idea of the style of the room (modern with bright orange accents) and I found a great crib at Babies R Us. While I was on the web site I decided to go ahead and start our baby registry. While I only put a couple items on it, mostly as bookmarks for things I need a second opinion on, it got me really excited about our little girl coming. Copper was feeding off my happiness and moved around like a mad woman while I was online browsing. I started looking for crib bedding and found some absolutely ridiculously priced bedding that I loved. I then googled "How to make a crib bumper" and quickly came to conclusion that I'm going to make my own bumper. I love being able to pick out my own fabric for projects. I also talked to my mom about refinishing an old dresser of Aubrey's and mom had a great idea for it. I'm really looking forward to getting started on that project too. I love organizing and decorating and I have the ultimate project ahead of me. Decorating the entire basement, moving furniture from our bedroom, the office, the living room, and guest room furniture that's been stored, and creating a crazy cute nursery. If you know me well enough, you know that creating and decorating is my crack. Our house/rooms are so little right now, that it's near impossible to rearrange furniture. At least this time around I don't have to do any heavy lifting with the whole pregnancy immunity thing going for me. I kind of wonder if I'm more excited about Copper coming or more excited about decorating? Probably decorating.

September, October, November

I posted this shot on my other blog, but it fits pretty well in my pregnancy blog too. We're all due about 4 weeks apart. Erin in September, Shelly in October, and me in November. Shelly's having a girl too. Erin's one of those crazy people that choose to be surprised. We make quite the trio when out together.

Week 24 Profile Pic

We've got a name!

Aubrey and I have officially decided on a first name for our little girl. Copper. No, I'm not naming an element or talking about plumbing pipe. It's her name. This is a name that I have always liked and it's not your typical name, but we think it works. Over a couple margaritas, Aubrey agreed to the name and wanted it if we were to have a girl. If you remember the story of The Fox and the Hound, Copper is the name of the Beagle. That's where I got it from. So, let it sink in for a few days and then you can tell us how wonderful of a name it is. Now we just need to think of a middle name. I was thinking about using my mom's middle name, Belle. :)

Quote of the Day

Me: "I think all my shirts have oil spots on my belly."
Mom: "Sure, like dad's."

It's funny the similarities between a pregnant belly and my father's belly.

Week 21

I forgot to take this pic on Friday, which is the day that I've taken all the other profile pics. So, I'm actually about 21 weeks and 4 days here. I like my belly. When I eat and get full, I don't have to try and suck it in anymore. Being pregnant has it's advantages. Aubrey likes to tap on my belly like it's a fish tank.

When we had the ultrasound the other week, the technician said that our little lady weighs about 15 ounces. When I consulted my week-by-week book, it said that at 20 weeks the kid should weigh about 7 ounces. Hmmm. She better not be a big baby. I have a pain med-free birth to think about here.

Dropping elbows

Aubrey felt our little lady dropping elbows and hammer fists for the first time today. He didn't even get grossed out. Although when I asked him if he wanted to feel her moving, he did give me that look like I have two heads. But then again, he gives me that look pretty much every time he looks at me.

New Background

Since we're having a girl, I figured I should probably change the robot themed background on the blog to something more girly. So, now it's pink.

It's a...

...GIRL! That photo doesn't lie. That is definitely a vagina. It's all Aubrey's fault. I will remind him of that every time our girl acts like a girl. It is all your fault, Honey.

The ultrasound went really well and our little GIRL looks very healthy. She's in the 76th percentile for size. I know that she's crazy busy moving around all the time and she was in true form today. She didn't hold back during the ultrasound. The technician said that she flipped at least 4 times. When the doctor came in (she was watching it outside of the room), she immediately exclaimed how active she is. It was a really freakin' cool experience and I'm glad that Aubrey was able to be there. Seeing her arms, legs, spine, brain, skull, face, ears, hands, feet, heart, kidneys, and vagina was absolutely amazing! We received about 8 photos from the ultrasound and they're all pretty darn cool. I'll post a few others later. While we both REALLY wanted a boy, I guess that a little girl will be just fine. I was kind of hoping that Aubrey would have to do the "sex" talk, but I guess now it will be my job.

Place your bets!

Get your final bets it! In a little over 6 hours we will finally confirm with ultrasound that we're having a boy. My neighbor's daughter and husband both said without a doubt that I'm having a boy. Sounds good to me. I'll keep ya posted!

Quote of the Day

I am fascinated with my new growing belly. Last night I even felt Little Trucker move for the first time with my hand. He slugged me about 5 times, but wouldn't put on a repeat performance for Aubrey. Until then I had only felt him inside. Man, does the little guy like to move! I had my 20 week appointment with my midwife on Tuesday and she was trying to hear his heartbeat. She would find him quickly, listen to about 10 beats and then we would hear him move and the heartbeat would be gone. She would find him again for 10 beats and then he would take off again. This lasted about 6 tries and then she gave up. I like that he's so active. We think it's a sign that he'll be a handful. We can only hope.

Quote from 2 nights ago:

Me: "I've never had a big, hard belly before."
Aubrey: "Now you know how your dad feels."
Me: "At nine months I'll know how my dad feels."

10 Days!

My ultrasound appointment is scheduled for June 24th at 3:30. Time to prove all you "It's a Girl" people wrong.

Week 18 - Owning It

I am finally at a point in my pregnancy where I am "owning it." I no longing just feel like I look chubby, but I feel like I actually look pregnant. There is always a tummy showing in my clothes and it looks like a baby belly. Yeah! I kept saying that I just want to get to the point where I look pregnant and it's finally here. Week 18 really put my week 9 picture in perspective for me.

I'm also getting to the point where being pregnant is affecting my physical activities. I'm learning how to not sleep on my back and supposedly cut off the baby's blood supply. I also had to abandon my usual yoga show and start doing prenatal yoga. I could even feel my tummy while I road my bicycle to work a couple weeks ago. How do women tie their shoes at 8-9 months?

Sorry my mirror is so dirty. I'll clean it before the next photo.

Bubbles

When I was back in Iowa a few weeks back, my Aunt Diane asked if I felt the baby yet. At that point I hadn't. She told me that it felt like little bubbles. My friend Connie also described it that way. I couldn't really imagine what that would feel like. Until now! This week has been a mini bubble fest in my uterus! I can't wait 'til the I get even bigger and it looks like an alien is trying to escape my abdomen. This pregnancy stuff, while mostly anti-climatic, can be quite fascinating.