This week is more or less a continuation of last week. The nursery is officially painted with the giraffe theme made officially. Using a decal on the textured wall to paint over and essentially use as a stencil worked out just as I would have liked. The chances of the decals actually staying up on the textured wall weren't great, and I really like that the colors match perfectly with each other, which I wouldn't have been able to achieve otherwise. The neutral taupe and light beige compliment each other nicely, and the white furniture with white trim are going to look sharp. But I need to figure out if I want to add to pops of blue somehow, or stick with the neutral theme.
Baby is kicking away and should be weighing around a pound. Still waiting for them to be able to feel on the outside. I've gained back 3 of the 8 original pounds I lost. I'm still in very few maternity clothes, just wearing my pants unbuttoned and a BellaBand when necessary to hold up my pants/cover my open zipper. We still don't have a name. Seem like Papi is more and more adamant about waiting until Baby Boy gets here so he can meet him and see what name suits him. Its hard for me not to plan out, but I find it extremely sweet. So it seems like that's what we'll do. However we both like the name Lucas so I think that's a good bet, we shall see.
I have finally made my tough decision about the new job and accepted it. I think it should be an exceptional opportunity and everyone seems very nice. While not everything is perfect at my current job, I am well aware of the old saying, "The grass isn't always greener on the other side." With so many decisions to make and changes right now, the thought of adding another big one was just so overwhelming. And with this pregnant Mami's hormones in full affect, I was mad, sad, angry, confused, stressed, excited, happy, reluctant, all of the above! But when thinking about the potential for my career that this position could offer, the new one just seems obvious. I can only hope my news it met with support and understanding from my current colleagues. I will make my announcement on Tuesday. I am also impressed and feel good that a company is willing to accommodate my maternity leave when I will have only started 3 months prior. They have also given me the impression that this is a critical time that I will be missing. I can only take it a compliment and a vote of confidence that they must see a lot in me. I certainly appreciate it.
Those were the biggest updates for the week. Until next time :)
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Friday, August 23, 2013
22 weeks
This week I had another appointment. Nothing new, but everything is looking good and that's all I can ask. They measured my fundal height at 23.5 cm which is right on track. Heart rate remains at the 140s. At this point I have gained back 3 of the 8 or so pounds I lost. This is good because baby is at or nearing 1 pound plus all the other extra stuff going on. I feel him move a lot, but its still too soon to start counting. I think I'm starting to feel him on the outside of my stomach when I use enough pressure and am patient. This is really exciting. I hope I can time it right so Papi can feel him soon too!
Nursery paint is purchased, and I've officially decided on a giraffe theme. I ended up going to a taupe/beige/neutral color scheme. Most walls will be darker and one wall will have a lighter accent color. And an adjacent wall well have a giraffe in the lighter color overlooking the crib. I hope it turns out nice. Besides the nursery, I'm still trying to figure out the stroller situation.
In other news, I have been spending a lot of my time thinking about another huge decision. I've decided to change jobs. Its actually caused me a lot of stress. It would be easier for me to stay where I am. But that's not the best way to make career decisions. Its just very difficult making so many decisions at this time. I ultimately know that this will be a good move, but its still very nerve racking. As hormonal as I've been, I have had these weird waves of feeling good about my decision one moment, and feeling overwhelmed and upset another. It should pass eventually. But that's been slightly consuming me the past few days at least. I hope my current boss and coworkers can offer me support for my decision. Until next time...
Nursery paint is purchased, and I've officially decided on a giraffe theme. I ended up going to a taupe/beige/neutral color scheme. Most walls will be darker and one wall will have a lighter accent color. And an adjacent wall well have a giraffe in the lighter color overlooking the crib. I hope it turns out nice. Besides the nursery, I'm still trying to figure out the stroller situation.
In other news, I have been spending a lot of my time thinking about another huge decision. I've decided to change jobs. Its actually caused me a lot of stress. It would be easier for me to stay where I am. But that's not the best way to make career decisions. Its just very difficult making so many decisions at this time. I ultimately know that this will be a good move, but its still very nerve racking. As hormonal as I've been, I have had these weird waves of feeling good about my decision one moment, and feeling overwhelmed and upset another. It should pass eventually. But that's been slightly consuming me the past few days at least. I hope my current boss and coworkers can offer me support for my decision. Until next time...
Thursday, August 15, 2013
20 weeks & 21 weeks
We are at the half way point!!! And I'm going to call it, I've officially "popped!" I don't like that you can still see my belly button through my clothes instead of a perfectly round belly. I feel like it still could be confused to for extra fat, but I'll take it. Today I had my first person ask me if I'm pregnant. That takes guts because I don't think she knew I was otherwise. Its pretty fun anyway. Fewer and fewer clothes are working. The Bellabands are definitely helping. If I'm going to buy any more maternity clothes I want to wait it out. Get past the summer season and get stuff for some cooler weather when I'll really be big. I feel baby boy kicking more and more, waiting for him to kick hard enough so Papi can feel too.
I've started baby shopping and research in high drive. I found a local mom of 4 selling a huge amount of clothes on Craigslist that I only paid $50 for. I struggle with trying to figure out how much newborn size stuff I should need verse 3 months size, and which season to buy for in each size. It totally depends how big he is and how fast he grows. So this will be a great stock pile of clothes. I also bought a stash of used cloth diapers. It has a variety of sizes and styles, I got it for $100. They were not in as good condition as I expected so I was a little disappointed. But I am going to a local baby store that specializes in cloth diapers. They have a free class where I am hoping to figure out the basics to cloth diapering. I need to really understand each style and continue to build my stash. Figuring out the quantities of each size is still an issue with the diapers as well as the clothes. I'm excited for the class. I also plan to check out some carriers; slings and wraps. I'm hoping I can try a few there to get an idea of what I will like.
The registry is started as well. I was struggling to decide on where to register; Target, Babies R Us, Amazon. Then a friend told me about a site that works as a universal registry. Amazon has that capability, but I like this site better as that's what it is designed for. I've gotten started and it seems like I've been choosing most of my products from Amazon anyway. But this site is nice because it will allow people to shop around if they want to try and find a better price, and then mark it as purchased.
The car seat and stroller decision had really been bothering me. I link the two because there are many car seats that are compatible with specific strollers. And there are so many different kinds of each, its takes a lot of research and decision making. Car seats are specifically an important decision because it so heavily involves safety concerns. I was really determined to find a car seat that would last him from a long time. I suppose the typical thing to do however is buy an infant car seat which can be used as a carrier and adapted into the stroller. The idea of using those big awkward car seats as a carrier has never appealed to me. However, I tried to have an open mind and consider that once he is here, he might change my mind about that. The theory is that it is convenient to let baby keep sleeping and not need to take him in and out. Though through doing the research, I was never able to convince myself however that I would really want to lug that thing around. In addition, many babies grow out of them quickly and need to be transitioned to a new seat. Regardless, as he grows heavier I would be less and less inclined to want to carry him like that. I hope that the carriers will be a good fit for us, whether it is a sling or a wrap. So moral of the story is that I decided to skip the infant car seat and chose a convertible car seat. This car seat will good until he is 70lbs! There is some debate about whether convertibles protect newborns as well as the infant ones, especially if they are born on the small side. But I chose one that had a good review and has features especially designed for a small baby. It also means that its a little more expensive, but I think I will get my money's worth since I shouldn't be buying 2 or 3 car seats in the course of a few years. I am happy with my decision. Now I can move onto the stroller because I don't need to pick one that fits a specific car seat. There are still a lot of features that I need to sort through before I finalize that decision. I hope next week I will be able to post that I am at least closer to that decision. I have also started to pick out other items, and it seems that even ones that aren't quite as safety driven still require a lot of research. It pains me to choose expensive items. But I am sincerely trying to minimize as well as choose quality products that will last a long time. I am not willing to make my selections on what is the most popular. So I try and choose those that will mean I don't need many every few months.
Finally, we have started moving around the rooms to prepare the nursery. This is something I have dreamed about so it is really important to me. I am aiming for a simple, elegant nursery. Between dark wood and white, we decided on white furniture to minimize the dust visibility. I think it can make for a very elegant nursery as well. We received a free changing table which we freshened up with can of white paint. I would not have bought one otherwise as I was planning to use a dresser top. However, it was free and now I think instead of buying a dresser AND a chest, I will just buy a chest. I am hoping this will be enough room and it will end up saving a chunk of money.
Well, I think I certainly made up for 2 weeks worth of posts. Hopefully I'll be back on track next week so I can keep them shorter. Until then...
I've started baby shopping and research in high drive. I found a local mom of 4 selling a huge amount of clothes on Craigslist that I only paid $50 for. I struggle with trying to figure out how much newborn size stuff I should need verse 3 months size, and which season to buy for in each size. It totally depends how big he is and how fast he grows. So this will be a great stock pile of clothes. I also bought a stash of used cloth diapers. It has a variety of sizes and styles, I got it for $100. They were not in as good condition as I expected so I was a little disappointed. But I am going to a local baby store that specializes in cloth diapers. They have a free class where I am hoping to figure out the basics to cloth diapering. I need to really understand each style and continue to build my stash. Figuring out the quantities of each size is still an issue with the diapers as well as the clothes. I'm excited for the class. I also plan to check out some carriers; slings and wraps. I'm hoping I can try a few there to get an idea of what I will like.
The registry is started as well. I was struggling to decide on where to register; Target, Babies R Us, Amazon. Then a friend told me about a site that works as a universal registry. Amazon has that capability, but I like this site better as that's what it is designed for. I've gotten started and it seems like I've been choosing most of my products from Amazon anyway. But this site is nice because it will allow people to shop around if they want to try and find a better price, and then mark it as purchased.
The car seat and stroller decision had really been bothering me. I link the two because there are many car seats that are compatible with specific strollers. And there are so many different kinds of each, its takes a lot of research and decision making. Car seats are specifically an important decision because it so heavily involves safety concerns. I was really determined to find a car seat that would last him from a long time. I suppose the typical thing to do however is buy an infant car seat which can be used as a carrier and adapted into the stroller. The idea of using those big awkward car seats as a carrier has never appealed to me. However, I tried to have an open mind and consider that once he is here, he might change my mind about that. The theory is that it is convenient to let baby keep sleeping and not need to take him in and out. Though through doing the research, I was never able to convince myself however that I would really want to lug that thing around. In addition, many babies grow out of them quickly and need to be transitioned to a new seat. Regardless, as he grows heavier I would be less and less inclined to want to carry him like that. I hope that the carriers will be a good fit for us, whether it is a sling or a wrap. So moral of the story is that I decided to skip the infant car seat and chose a convertible car seat. This car seat will good until he is 70lbs! There is some debate about whether convertibles protect newborns as well as the infant ones, especially if they are born on the small side. But I chose one that had a good review and has features especially designed for a small baby. It also means that its a little more expensive, but I think I will get my money's worth since I shouldn't be buying 2 or 3 car seats in the course of a few years. I am happy with my decision. Now I can move onto the stroller because I don't need to pick one that fits a specific car seat. There are still a lot of features that I need to sort through before I finalize that decision. I hope next week I will be able to post that I am at least closer to that decision. I have also started to pick out other items, and it seems that even ones that aren't quite as safety driven still require a lot of research. It pains me to choose expensive items. But I am sincerely trying to minimize as well as choose quality products that will last a long time. I am not willing to make my selections on what is the most popular. So I try and choose those that will mean I don't need many every few months.
Finally, we have started moving around the rooms to prepare the nursery. This is something I have dreamed about so it is really important to me. I am aiming for a simple, elegant nursery. Between dark wood and white, we decided on white furniture to minimize the dust visibility. I think it can make for a very elegant nursery as well. We received a free changing table which we freshened up with can of white paint. I would not have bought one otherwise as I was planning to use a dresser top. However, it was free and now I think instead of buying a dresser AND a chest, I will just buy a chest. I am hoping this will be enough room and it will end up saving a chunk of money.
Well, I think I certainly made up for 2 weeks worth of posts. Hopefully I'll be back on track next week so I can keep them shorter. Until then...
Saturday, August 3, 2013
it's a boy!!!! 19 weeks
I purposely waited the extra day like I said so I could post after my anatomy scan today. It was perfect!!! My mom came into town last night so I had the day off from work. That meant I was already low stress and didn't have the anxiety of try to rush back to work. (Oh and I've decided to now refer to him here as Papi he he) Papi picked us up from where we were eating lunch and we all headed over to the appointment. We were early which was good. After 25 minutes of waiting for my actual appointment time, they called me exactly at 1:00. I had been concerned that they would maybe not let family in because I had asked someone at one point and they made it sound like it wasn't allowed. I was also worried that the tech might not be allowed to say anything and I somehow wouldn't be told anything, including the gender today. I would not have been able to handle waiting any longer. Well, neither of those concerns were an issue and we had the sweetest, most enthusiastic ultrasound tech ever. She was so nice and explained everything thoroughly. She would explain what she was looking for and why, and tell me everything looked perfect after each explanation. She told me that their regular scan is the equivalent of a high risk scan elsewhere, which was fine with me! They take tons of measurements like the belly, head, brain, femurs. And they check every little thing. We saw the 4 chambers of the heart pumping at 141 beat per minute, which is approximately what I have been measuring at home a few time a week. We also so the kidneys, stomach, arteries, diaphragm, full lips, 10 fingers, 10 toes, and a penis of course! We were right! Its a boy!! :D. I was never really sure , but I think I would have ended up being really shocked if it was a girl, I can't explain it. Our baby boy was moving and waving and even rolled over in the course of then scan. And like I said, she kept saying everything looks perfect with baby, as well as my ovaries, the placenta, and the amniotic fluid. He was measuring right on track and the measurements gave an estimated due date of December 24. So close they wouldn't change my original but it was interesting. He was approximately 11oz. Its crazy to know that in the same amount of time he will gain another 6lbs. I'm relieved to know he's right on track since I still haven't gained this weight. I have a pound I keep going up and down with. I'm happy to have not put on weight and still have been nourishing my son. Back to the ultrasound- it was so special to have my Mom there. And Papi too but I've been spoiled be able to share the joy with him at all my appointments so far. We don't know how close to birth my mom will be able to come back and meet her grandson so the fact that she could see him squirming today and share this time was simply awesome.
I'm still feeling good. My Mom agreed that if she didn't know I was pregnant she could not tell and would just think I'm chubby. But I'm definitely bigger, just not that super round belly to make it obvious.
Papi has been super sweet; touching my belly, talking about the baby, was enthusiastic today about the news, and even painted my toes since they're hard to reach. He's so great.
I AM BECOMING MAMI!
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