Pregnancy makes you like the seven dwarfs...all at once.

Heigh ho, heigh ho...life really is like a Disney movie.

Being pregnant makes you like the seven dwarfs. All at once.
DOC: Suddenly, pregnant women are experts in...pregnancy. There is so much to learn, and you learn it quickly. I am a walking dictionary of early pregnancy terminology.
SLEEPY: I don't think I need to elaborate on this one too much. Since early November, I've spent more time with my pillow and comfy blanket than anything else.
SNEEZY: Lately, my sneezes have been so intense they knock me over and startle the cat. And they come in sets of five or six. Puffs plus with lotion, anyone?
GRUMPY: Some days, I'm a cross between Grumpy and Oscar the Grouch. Give me a cookie and get away from my trash can!
BASHFUL: I've never been good at being the center of attention. And a growing belly makes it harder to hide in a crowd.
DOPEY: Hello, pregnancy brain! Lately, I've been changing people's names to completely random names that have nothing to do with them or even sound remotely like their real name. The other day I put the cat's food in his water dish and his water in his food dish. I hear it only gets worse.
HAPPY: Even though I'm tired all the time, carry around tissues, forget people's names and sing myself the grumpy song, I'm happy. All the time. Especially now that we know it's a boy and, thanks to the 4D ultrasound photo, I have a face to put with it.

So the next time you get annoyed with a pregnant woman, try to cut her a little slack and be patient. She and her seven personalities will thank you.

There's a New Man in our Life...

There's a new man in our life. He's about 4 inches long and weighs around an ounce. He's got arms that bend at the elbows and legs that bend at the knees, cute little ears and a perfect nose that, as of 2: 30 this afternoon, was comfortably buried into the side of my tummy.

It's a BOY!!!!

No gender, but...

We may not know whether we should buy pink or blue yet, but we know one thing for sure: baby has personality.

We went for our first "real" visit today. I was poked, prodded and jiggled, and I think my husband handled it better than I did. We were given a lot of information, which I had a hard time absorbing all at once. This is something that is great about the husband--before I could get worked up about the financial worksheets/delivery guidelines/hospital policies they were handing me, he took them away and kept me in the moment.

But on to the good stuff. We opted for the "nuchal translucency" screening, which is a measurement of the "thickness of scruff on the fetus' neck", as seen through an ultrasound. Paired with blood work, it tests for genetic diseases. We have decided not to do any of the invasive genetic testing, but since this test was minor we decided to have it done.

Our ultrasound technician, Linda, was very sweet to us--she called the baby "doodlebug" as the fuzzy black and white picture appeared on the screen. First she measured the heart rate--158 beats per minute, just where it should be--and we got to hear baby's heart for a few moments. There on the screen, where our baby had once been a blob with a really big head, was the shape that was definitively baby. Baby was moving around and "standing" straight up--that is, it was vertical in my tummy. We could see little arms and legs, the long spine and it's little brain, as well as the umbilical cord. I think the most amazing thing about that for me was seeing how much bigger the spine was--in December, it was a teeny little ladder with a few rungs. Today, it was the backbone of a real little human. A human we made. Whoa.

As exciting as seeing our little one "standing up" was, it wasn't the correct position for the testing. Linda poked my belly for a minute, but baby remained unimpressed and stayed where it darn well pleased. Then she took my barely there tummy in her whole hand and shook it--which, for the record, is not nice to do without warning to a pregnant woman who has to pee. Baby flipped over--and resumed his vertical position. I had to laugh. Baby is already just like it's parents--stubborn, stubborn, stubborn.

Linda sent us on our way for the next part of the exam, then we returned to her to see if baby would be a little more willing to cooperate. Little one wasn't upright this time, and gave us a beautiful profile shot--I've never seen a more perfect nose. Baby was waving it's hand and the picture she printed for us gave us a great remembrance of that.

However, it still wasn't the view we needed. More poking, prodding, and jiggling provided no help--baby was comfortable and not interested in moving for us. We have another appointment tomorrow with another technician who has a more detailed ultrasound machine to see if we can have better luck.

Once in the exam room with the doctor, we were able to hear the heartbeat again, which was great. It looks like baby is going to stay undetermined until March, when we go in for our 20 week appointment. Overall, it was a very positive appointment-everything looked good and healthy, and that's all that matters in the long run. And now I get to picture our little one giggling to itself as it dodges the pokes and prods. I imagine if it could, baby would stick it's tongue out at us and then smile--daddy's stubborn streak and mommy's charm could turn out to be a very explosive combination.

Second Trimester?

So far all the second trimester has brought me is chest congestion and a fever.

Not acceptable. I'm ready to glow now.

Things They Don't Tell You About Pregnancy, part I

Disclaimer: This post is not for the faint of heart.

I have learned a lot during the first trimester. One of the biggest things I have learned--they don't tell you everything.

It's like a secret pregnancy club. When my friends and family who have already had babies found out I was pregnant, they started asking me if I'd had the strangest symptoms. Things that had never been mentioned before. At first I thought they were all crazy. Now, I understand.

Sure, I knew I'd be a little tired. And a little emotional. And I knew my body would undergo some changes. But already, I've been surprised. Here's what I have discovered so far:

• My oldest friend asked me if morning sickness and being tired was just something pregnant women made up. I did not laugh at her, because I'd had that very thought in the past. Let me tell you--we're not making it up. I've been incredibly lucky with the morning sickness, but when it comes to fatigue, I could fall asleep anywhere. At any time. I sleep 12 hours a night, get up, make breakfast, and then take a three hour nap wherever I land. It's like having narcolepsy.
• Emotions going haywire is not an exaggeration. People, this may be the one thing that the movies have right. A few days ago I was sitting on the couch, happy as a clam, when I looked at my husband and announced, "I'm going to cry now". And I did. Hysterically. For half an hour. I cry at things a normal pregnant woman would--like when our friend's six month old baby fell asleep in my lap holding on to my thumb. And then I cry at not-so-normal things--like mac and cheese commercials. It just looked so good!
• Crying isn't the only emotion. My temper has gotten so short, some days if you look at me the wrong way I'll give you the evil eye. Case in point: I was in Target, looking for a specific type of laundry detergent and sweat pants. They did not carry either. That infuriated me so much that I had to go outside and give myself a time out in my car. What is wrong with me?
• I'm growing hair. In weird places. On top of the downy little fuzz that is growing in on my hairline (so that when I wear my hair pulled back it sticks straight up and looks like I've been electrocuted), but I have a distinct ring of dark hair around my belly button. What the...?!?
• My nose runs. All the time. And whenever I eat something, I sneeze.

And I'm only a third of the way through! I can't wait to see what the next three months have in store for me. But for all the weirdness that is going on, I can't complain. I'm fascinated with what my body is doing-- the barely there bump that I notice most at night, because I can't lay on my stomach anymore without feeling a funny...well, bump, in my lower abdomen. When I notice the subtle changes like that, all my concerns about hair and weepiness go right out the window--the symptoms might be crazy, but the end result is awesome.

Peachy Keen

This week, our little one is moving up in the fruit world--he/she is the size of a peach! Ironically enough, there is also a thin layer of "peach fuzz" on baby--hair that helps keep baby warm and will disappear by birth.

With only a few more days left until the first trimester is over, I am eagerly looking forward to what people keep telling me is the best time of pregnancy: renewed energy, no more morning sickness, etc. My energy is coming back slowly--in the morning, of all times. That is just another thing that makes me think baby is going to be just like it's daddy. Pre-baby (and during the first few months), I didn't do mornings. I have always been a night owl, but now I'm sensing a shift in the force--I'm enjoying getting up and being productive, but once the sun is high in the sky, my energy wanes and the afternoon finds me snoozing on the couch with the cat.

Next week, we get to start measuring Little Peachy by inches, and we have the much anticipated doctor visit. I've never been so excited to have blood drawn and be poked and prodded in my life.

Cats and babies, volume 1

We purchased our cat a fancy scratching thing a few weeks ago. We spent a lot of time researching and deciding which one would be best, as he refuses to let us cut his claws and it's becoming a problem. So we picked one infused with catnip, brought it home and showed him what to do with it.

After an hour of rolling around on it, he fell asleep on top of it. No scratching occured whatsoever. As we speak, he is lying next to it with his head resting lovingly on top. The fact that he won't use it for its intended purpose infuriates my husband.

I tell you this so you can get a sense of our cat. He has his own agenda. When we have company over, does he hide under the bed? No. He centers himself in the room where he can see everyone--and more importantly, everyone can see him. He has some serious cattitude.

(Have I mentioned he weighs more than 15 pounds and once took out a Canadian Goose?)

He's actually quite loving. He spends a lot of time curled up with me, and my husband has multiple photos of us napping in the same position over the years. I figure when the baby comes it's going to go one of two ways--kitty is going to think baby is another pet and dislike it, or he is going to think we brought baby home for him and protect it (hopefully, not from us). I am leaning towards the latter.

But before we deal with bringing baby home, we're going to have to try to explain to the cat that all the miniature things (beds, chairs, and snuggle blankets) coming into the house are not for him. That may be the biggest battle yet.

What's in a name?

I'm not talking about real names. No, that's a whole other discussion for another day. I'm talking about nicknames for baby until we know what it's going to be.

The most popular nickname seems to be "Peanut". I lovingly called it our "little cheese doodle", until my husband nixed all food oriented nicknames. This also put the brakes on my "little tortellini", too.

You think it's stressful picking out a real name? Nah. We've had those picked out since long before we were married. The hardest part has been figuring out what to call baby until we know if we have a boy or a girl. In the Twilight series, Bella calls her unborn baby "Little Nudger". I've had friends who have called their unborns "Peapod", "Ziggy", "Tadpole" and "Lovebug", but none of those seem to fit our little one.

We considered nicknaming it "Bulldog", but I do not want to encourage it to come out looking like or weighing anything close to one of the Uga dawgs.

Week 12 Starts...

Two more weeks and we're out of the murky waters of the first trimester. It seems like time is moving sooo slowly between the first few doctor visits.

Week 12 finds our little one the size of a plum. Most systems in baby's body are fully formed and starting to function (aww! So proud of our little plum). It is also starting to sprout hair. Baby is moving, although I can't feel it yet.

There's not too many obvious changes in me yet, although the books we so obsessively read say that I should start showing any day now. I feel my clothes fitting tighter, so I know it's coming. I'm anxious for the day when I "look" pregnant--although I'll probably be eating those words come the beginning of July, when I'm gigantic and it's 100 degrees outside.

(Plus, I'm dying to park in one of those "Expectant and New Mother" spots at Kroger).

Feed me, Seymour

Pre-pregnancy, my diet consisted pretty much entirely of pasta, cheese, chicken and pepsi. I am not over exaggerating when I say I ate pasta at least once a day. These days, things are a little different.
To begin with, I went off pepsi cold turkey the day I found out we were expecting. The only caffeine I'm getting these days is from the occasional chocolate. This makes me oh-so pleasant to be around some days (have I mentioned my husband is a saint?). I developed a poultry aversion early on, and seem to have an intolerance for gluten now. That leaves, out of my previous diet, cheese. Not exactly the well rounded, 6-small-meals-a-day suggested by the ever useful What to Expect When You're Expecting.

While I've been very lucky and had very little morning sickness (I'm convinced a man decided to call the around the clock nausea I've been experiencing "morning" sickness), I still don't have much of an appetite. At least, until I find something that tastes really good. Then I could eat my own weight in it. So far, things that have made it on to the "yummy" list and we keep constantly in the house are raspberries, bacon, and cheese balls. I'm drawn to things that I wouldn't go near before baby, like the aforementioned chili cheese dog and taco bell tacos.

Luckily for me, I have a totally responsible spouse who makes sure I eat more than that. Staying away from pasta and bread has been difficult, but he makes sure I get vegetables, yummy stews and soups, and red meat into my diet. And he's been cooking, which is awesome, because he's very good at sneaking green vegetables and other things I turn my nose up to into dishes I like. And I don't even notice! He's going to make a great dad.

Baby's New Year Resolutions

I guess it's normal for a mother and father-to-be to give their unborn child characteristics, despite the fact that it's the size of a thumb and floating around in my tummy. On good days, we think baby will have it's father's brains and my whimsy. On bad days, we think baby will have it's father's stubborn streak and my directional sense (or lack thereof). On really bad days, we think it will want to go to University of Florida and be Gator (gasp!). Then we calm ourselves down, and remember to live in the moment and enjoy being almost 12 weeks along. We have a whole life time to worry about the other stuff.

On that note, these are what we think would be our little one's New Years Resolutions for the year it will be born, 2010:

• Finish growing fingernails and toenails.
• Continue growing into a healthy baby and keeping the size of it's head in check, so not to traumatize mommy on its birthday.
• Learn how to suck thumb. Self-soothing is important.
• Learn how to kick those legs and move those arms in a few months so that the eager parents can feel movement.
• Finally, be in a good mood on January 19 and maybe--maybe--show the nice doctor if it is a boy or a girl. It is not fun to refer to little one as "it".

On behalf of the little one, we wish you all a Happy New Year! May all your dreams come true this year--I know ours will be.