Week 17 to 18

This last week was a busy one with a bunch of different things. Last Thursday, Baby Bean and I met some of my girlfriends for dinner and a show. We had been planning this for months and were so excited when the day finally came. We had a awesome dinner at Vincenzo’s and then headed off to the Orpheum to see the Broadway production of Grease. Although there is never any comparison to Olivia Newton John or John Travolta, it was great!! We had an amazing time!! It was really fun to get together with my friends. And as an added bonus – I also saw a couple of really good high school friends that I hadn’t seen in a while. Friday night I was introduced to Tom’s co-workers at a little office get-together. It was great to finally put faces to names. We had great food from Boyd and Charlie’s, great conversations and a lot of laughs!! Saturday I spent a lot of the day designing and finishing up some really fun Super Hero birthday invitations. Saturday night Tom and I finally had our Valentine’s day dinner at Bella Vita and then settled in for a movie at home. Sunday I was a worship leader at church. We recently welcomed Gareth Robinson into our music ministry and are truly blessed with his talents. I have such an awesome time leading worship with him!! After church, I ran around for about 4 hours doing a lot of odds and ends. I made a quick stop at Baby Gap and Gap Maternity. I was lucky to get a lot of great hand me downs from a friend at work but I am still in need of a few key items to add to my wardrobe. Our Gap Maternity is at the back of Baby Gap – forcing me to walk through all of the adorable baby clothes. I did a good job of refraining however there are the cutest play on word organic onesies that I am definitely going to have to get. Monday was back to work but I was excited to be greeted by our basinet when I got home. It is perfect!! Exactly what we were wanting. It is really easy to put together and take apart for ease of travel. Fat Tuesday was a great day as well. We had a chili feast at work. I decided to bring corn chowder that my Mother-in-Law was so awesome to teach me how to make (aka make for me as I watched). I have to say that Baby Bean loves the chowder. I couldn’t get enough. Tuesday night topped off week 17 – the crib and changer came!! Tom and I spent last night putting them together. It is amazing how much more real this all seems (outside my growing belly) when there is baby furniture in the nursery. Now all we have to do is wait until next Tuesday to (hopefully) find out if Baby Bean is going to be a boy or a girl. Be sure to vote in our poll in the previous post.

Until then I leave you with a few new pics, a few sneak peeks and a few notes from the week.

17 weeks

18 weeks (today)

Bassinet
Assembly
Changer/Dresser

Crib

Cravings.........Minute Maid Pink Lemonade, grapes, salads, corn chowder, PB&J sandwiches
Aversions............not too much, however there have been a few times when I have ordered something that sounded amazing and then didn’t tickle my taste buds or the baby’s at all.
How I feel...........enjoying this stage in my pregnancy
Interesting fact.............The baby is moving non-stop, I can’t wait until Tom is able to feel them.
Photo Session…………….I scheduled to have Maternity pictures with Kelly Highby for when I am back in Sidney. We are going to do her baby plan which consists of 4 sessions. We are planning on doing maternity, newborn, 6 month, and 1 year photos with her. I’m so excited.
Next Appointment.........March 3, 2009 (Tom's birthday) - "hopefully" the big reveal

The Big Question.........

Ethan's Birthday.....addition

I just wanted to add to the last post a shout out to a couple other blogs. The first one is to my design business that I do for fun on the side which has the invitations that I designed for Ethan's party - http://www.designedbysabrina.blogspot.com/ . The other is for a friend who makes cakes. We had asked her to make a cake for Ethan to go with the them of his party so check out my friend Wendy's Sweetie P's site - http://www.sweetieps.blogspot.com/. Enjoy!!

Ethan is ONE!!

My nephew Ethan was born on February 15th 2008. Today we celebrated his 1st birthday. It seem unreal that a year ago I was waiting for the call from Beth to tell me to come. I remember that day as if it was yesterday. I was so surprised and honored that I was able to be there all the way through his delivery and be one of the first to see him. He is more precious than we could have ever imagined. Happy Birthday Ethan Jay!!

Opening presents with Mommy and Grandma Diane
Playing with one of his gifts with Uncle Tom and Uncle Luke

Checking out the cakes that Great Grandma made for him.

Giving Mommy a great big smile asking permission to dig in!

Having his cake and eating it too!

Sitting in my wagon from Grandma Sue

Riding with Handy Manny

Pushing it too

Aunt Bean Bean and Ethan

Sitting with Uncle Tommy

Tuckered out from his big day!

16 weeks.......

This week seemed to be a week full of baby stuff. I had been focusing so strongly on my tests the few weeks before that I wasn't able to do as many things as I wanted. So I caught up this week. Here is our week in review:
1. Cleaned and rearranged closets to get the nursery ready to start organizing.
2. Organized the pile of baby clothes, supplies, and books that we started to acquire.
3. Found, bid and won a bassinet on Ebay.
4. Had our 16 week appointment - just a quick measure and heartbeat.
5. Scheduled our "big" ultrasound appointment.
6. Picked up a crib mattress that a friend generously gave us.
7. Picked out and ordered a crib and dresser/changer.
All and all it seemed like a really busy baby week. We are having a great time starting to prepare and gearing up to find out if we are having a girl or a boy. Tom and I still both stand by our first "feeling" of the sex of our baby so now we only have to wait a few more weeks to find out. This is key for a few of our decisions for the nursery. It has been painted for a while but I am not picking out bedding until we find out the sex. My doctor typically likes us to stay on a 4 week schedule however I talked him into letting us schedule 3 weeks out from this last appointment because we thought it would be a great birthday present for Tom to find if we were having a son or a daughter. Our appointment is scheduled for Tom's birthday on March 3rd so be sure to check back for the big reveal. Until then I will leave you with a few images and a few facts from this last week.

16 week Belly Bumpthe crib

the dresser/changer combothe nursery - before

Cravings.........Still loving tomatoes and fruit, salad

Aversions............not too much - somethings just don't sound as good as others

Interesting fact.............I am starting to feel some "flutters"

How I feel...........the "basketball" in my tummy is starting to really inflate

Last Appointment..........February 12, 2009 - measurement and heartbeat

Next Appointment.........March 3, 2009 (Tom's birthday) - "hopefully" the big reveal

My Other Babies.........

I had always heard that animals have certain intuitions, like knowing there is a storm coming, some life changes or that something is wrong. Our two dogs Rascal (Beagle/Bluetick) and Pixie (Chihuahua) have been my babies for the past few years. Tom rescued Rascal from the Humane Society in September of 2004 for my birthday and I went and bought (however seeing the conditions she was living in - rescued) Pixie just shortly after we got married in October of 2005. Rascal turned 5 in December and Pixie turned 3 in August. Needless to say these two dogs are SPOILED. They get our every attention when we are home and we hear (or see) about it if they feel that they aren't getting enough. Well, I think they know that our attention is soon to be split even further. I truly think they know that we are having a baby. They have become much more needy and affectionate. Lately my laptop has been at the kitchen table. As I sit working at it, Pixie continually whines until I let her jump up and cuddle on my lap. She has never really liked to sit on my lap at the table for very long but lately she just sits with me as long as I sit there. Then Rascal gets jealous and wants the attention as well. He's too big for my lap but that doesn't stop him from trying. He has also become my little protective shadow. He is typically within a few steps from where I am. Currently he is sleeping on the floor next to me. As I get ready in the morning or change after work, he either lays at the end of the bed where he can see me and the door or he lays at the door in the bathroom as I shower or stand at the mirror. They are both pretty good with kids. Rascal can't get enough of them. He wants to be where they are at all times. With my niece and nephew he becomes their shadows. Because of his breed, he has a natural tendency to herd. So when Ayla or Ethan starts to head in a direction that he thinks may be wrong or dangerous he nudges at them to go the other direction. It is actually pretty cute!! Pixie seems a little leery of babies at first but then warms up. She is a little disturbed by the attention that they get rather than her but she then figures out how to cuddle up right next to the person holding the baby and seems to do just fine. Now that Ayla is getting more interactive, Pixie has become quite fond of her. We are lucky that we have two dogs are super friendly - regardless of the person's size. Looks like we will have a couple extra protectors in the house when Baby Bean comes. Here are some pics of our doggies.

typical night of watching TV

Rascal

Pixie

Sibling Love

Week 13 & 14

I have been a little MIA for weeks 13 and 14. I have set a goal to finish taking my Architecture Registration Exams by the end of June so that I am done well before Baby Bean comes (hopefully). So the last few weeks I have been studying for General Structures and Lateral Forces.

Just as a brief explanation - in the ARE version 3.1 that I am currently taking there are nine exams (3 graphical and 6 multiple choice) in different areas of architecture. These exams in addition to the 5600 hours of work hours in different areas are the requirements to get my Architectural Licence.

Anyway.........Like I said I have been studying for the past few weeks and really haven't managed to do much else. The house is messier than I would like, there is still laundry to put away, I have designs to finish for DBS, I have posts that I had started for both my blogs and more importantly, Baby Bean thinks I need more sleep. The combination of being older and pregnant have minimized the number of late nights I can bounce back from. In college I would pull multiple all-nighters in a row and still manage to have the energy to spare. Don't get me wrong, I would eventually crash but it would be after quite a few days of minimal sleep. I just can't do that any more. I have had my nose buried in my study material for days and have become a little bit of a zombie and a hermit. Yesterday I decided I needed a study break so Tom and I went over to Jamie and Darren's for dinner and the Super Bowl. Although I felt a little guilty that I was taking a couple hours away from studying, the time away did wonders. I was recharged and managed to study for 5 more hours when I came home. So the tests - General Structures was today and Lateral Forces is Thursday. I'm really not sure what to think about how the test went but I have to think that I studied, I made my best effort, I reviewed my answers and used the entire allotted time. That is all I could do so I am letting it go and waiting for the results while continuing to study for Lateral Forces.

As for Baby Bean........We are doing great!! Now that I am over the morning sickness I am really enjoying my pregnancy. I am getting more and more anxious to find out the sex. Long before we even decided to start a family I had my mind set that I/we wouldn't find out. Now that we are here I can't imagine not. I am getting tired of referring to Baby Bean as it, he/she, or him/her. I know some of being anxious is to start looking at what we will register for. We have held off on buying anything mainly because we don't know girl or boy yet but the location that I take my exams is conveniently located just down the street from Babies R Us so I made a little detour on my way home. I decided to treat myself to gender neutral onesies. I can't wait to shop for more in pinks or blues!!

A few notes for weeks 13 and 14............
Cravings.........tomatoes (roma, cherry, juice, stewed, etc), fruit, salads
Aversions...........I have managed to get over my issues with Chicken - still can't cook it but I can eat it!!
How I feel...........love being pregnant and tired!!
Next Appointment.........February 12, 2009

Ayla's excited for a baby cousin!!

Ayla (Jamie and Darren) sent me a video that I thought would be fun to share. She is making her guess as to if the baby is a boy or a girl. However today at church she changed her mind. So we will have to see if her first guess or second guess was right.

12 weeks

WOW!! 12 weeks!! Sometimes it still feels so surreal that we are having a baby. This past week has been a week of many emotions. I have to say that a wave of relief hit this week but along with that feeling of relief came feelings of concern. Kind of a back log - I had been experiencing a lot of morning sickness in weeks 10 and 11 to the point that I had expressed concern with my doc. I wasn't really able to work as productively as I wanted or even needed to so they prescribed some medication to help control the nausea. Then (knock on wood) Tuesday morning I woke up feeling much better than I had in weeks. I haven't had to take any medication since Monday. Hopefully, I have seen the end of the bad stuff. So this week I have been relieved that we made it to 12 weeks and the morning sickness has seem to minimize but I all the sudden became acutely aware of things that come with having a child that didn't seem as real until now. I sat down to do our yearly budget and when I started to think about child care, diapers, formula, and any other baby necessity I had to take a deep breath and thank God that we have 6 more months to prepare. I had to remember that we didn't have to have all of answers this minute or even this month but that as long as we could plan things out we would provide just fine. Not to mention when I voiced these concerns to friends they assured me that many parents go through those thoughts and feelings and it always seems to work out. I am definitely feeling much better about everything now. This week also brought much awareness to many of my co-workers that we are pregnant. Up until about 10-11 weeks I was very conscious of how I dressed trying not to call too much attention to the the bump that was starting to form. Now that we are at the end of the first trimester I am more comfortable with it being know outside my family and friends so I am less conscious of my baby bump being visible. Needless to say this week it is most definitely more visible so I thought I would share...........On Wednesday, we had our 12 week appointment that I must say was the quickest I have ever been in and out of Dr. K's office. I wasn't sure really what to expect because we were so closely monitored with Dr. Doherty. We had a nice conversation with Jimmy. He and his staff are pretty excited that we only had to work with the specialist for a short time. We listened to the heartbeat, he explained what we could expect for the next couple of appointments and then we were out of there. I was really glad that Tom was able to come with me to the appointment but I felt a little bit bad that he made the trip for such a short appointment. I know he enjoys hearing the heartbeat as well so I am sure that made it worth it.

So again I leave you with a few notes for the week............

Cravings.........Steak Rice Bowls, carrots and ranch dip, fruit, Chili (weird since it was an aversion at one time)

Aversions...........Still Chicken

Interesting fact.............I recently found out that a good friend is due a few days before us. I am very excited that we will have kids the same age.

How I feel...........so much better than 10 and 11 weeks.

Last Appointment..........January 15, 2009 - First appointment with Dr. K.

Next Appointment.........February 12, 2009

Comments

I thought I would put a quick post about comments for those of you that are not too familiar with blogs. I attempted to find a "guest book" to put on the side column but was unable to find one so at the end of each post there is the word "comments". If you click on the word you will be redirected to a comments page where you can leave us a note!! We would love to hear from you and know who is visiting our site.

11 Weeks

A few notes from 11 weeks........

Cravings.........Popsicles, Orange Juice, Cabbage Rolls, Sam and Louis's Taco Salad, Pepperoni Pizza (which has always given me heartburn so I don't typically eat it)

Aversions............Chicken, Pheasant (even though Tom has a great recipe), Stir fry (which was always a weekly staple at our house)

Interesting fact.............We were able to hear the heartbeat at home with a doppler that some friends gave us. Such a comforting sound!!

How I feel...........the last couple weeks have been a little rough but I have been doing better the last few days!!

Last Appointment..........January 7, 2009 - Just met with Sally (Dr. K's nurse) to set me up as a new OB patient. Blood work, history, weight, etc.

Next Appointment.........January 15, 2009 - First appointment with Dr. K. at 12 weeks.

Child of God.......

I had an amazing prayer experience at church on Sunday. On communion days that I am not a worship leader, I kneel and pray at the cross in the front of our church after I take communion. My prayers vary depending on where we are in life at that given time but typically they are prayers of thanks, affirmation, help, forgiveness, family, hope, trust, faith etc. Earlier in the week Tom read in his current book of choice that you should pray in an affimative manner so that you are looking toward a solution rather than wallowing in the problem. So as I knelt at the cross on Sunday and thought about Tom's reading and where we are today, I started to form my prayer. I then remembered something that a friend once said......."My daughter is God's child that he chose me to parent. My body was simply her vessel to this earth".

The words of my prayer started to flow..........

"Thank You Lord for always providing for us no matter the situation. Thank You for reminding me to stay centered to You. Thank You for blessing us with this child that we so longed for." Thank You for choosing me to carry this child. Please continue to guide us as we raise and nurture this baby so that we raise him/her to live life according to Your Will. I know that there will be good times and bad times, hard times and easy times, but I know that keeping my Faith, Trust and Hope in You will take us through anything that we encounter. Thank you for always taking our problems and letting put our heads on Your shoulder. You are our Almighty Father and Your Grace continues to bless and amaze us. In Your Holy Name. Amen "

I sat there with tears starting to form resonating in the idea that we were chosen for this child of God. I remembered Jamie telling me that God chooses particular children to bless each of our lives. Each month that would pass she would remind me that our child, the one God chose for us, just hadn't come yet and it wasn't the right time. I believe that everything happens on God's time but sometimes it was hard to agree with His timing. Sometimes it seems like it would be better if things could happen on our time. As I continued to kneel, I flashed back over the past few years and remembered the series of events. I couldn't imagine things happening any different. I still don't understand everything but I can see the relevance of many of the events. It is amazing how God's timing is perfect and how new blessings overflow our lives as we live according to His will.

"Don't you see that children are God's best gift? The fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior's fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children! Your enemies don't stand a chance against you; you'll sweep them right off your doorstep." Psalm 127:3-5 (The Message)