Go Hokies!!

The only thing I want more than this baby to come right now, is a Hokie Orange Bowl win!!

In more baby related news:)

We had our second partner prenatal class yesterday, which will be my and Justin's last.  I don't think Justin was quite prepared for how tough yoga can be during the first one.  Yesterday's class was a little bit easier and less dominated by "discomfort practice" (think 60-90 second wall squats without a wall for example.)  I think Justin at least semi enjoys it, and I'm glad he will oblige me and go along.  I think that Sarah also has a lot of good advice for us mom's as well as for our significant others.  We did some partner stretches/massage that will probably be helpful during labor so that's nice.

Other preparations we made over the weekend:

• Semi-installed car seat bases in our cars (I say semi because we are likely going to try to move Justin's to the middle seat if we can and we need to adjust mine to use the seatbelt instead of the LATCH system for installation.)


• Packed my new Coach baby bag with baby things for the hospital.


• Bought the changing pad and some more clothes over the weekend.  I think we may  not have to go out again before Baby comes (however, we may need more newborn diapers...)


• I am in serious nesting mode: I did a large scale cleaning of my clothes/shoes in the closet and some of my drawers in the dresser (and found a belt I've been looking for for a year!!)

I think both Justin and I are getting very ready for Baby Hales to make his or her debut, so please hurry up Baby!!  We really want to meet you!

GO HOKIES!!!!!

We have another midwife appointment tomorrow, so we will see how I have progressed!

Fatigue...again?!?

So I know it has been a while since I posted.  I'm pretty convinced most of the people who read this blog were getting slightly bored with my postings anyways!:)  So since our anniversary weekend, here's what's been going on:

Work

Travelled to VA Beach to see the Hales/Soetaerts.  Spending time with family is always nice, especially since we won't really get to do much of that over the holidays, which as you all know is making me mildly depressed.  This was a pretty short and relaxing weekend (minus the 5 hour drive down - 3 hour drive back - I hate DC traffic) and Justin and I (mainly I) got a new digital SLR camera from Grandma and Grandpa Hales as an early Christmas gift!

Needless to say, I spent the majority of the Saturday, studying the directions and hints and tricks.  (And yes "studying" is the correct word to use if you know me at all!)



We left early on Sunday so I could get back for yoga class - which is still such a nice workout for me and I love going and chatting with the other soon-to-be Mommies and Sarah.

Another week of work.  Well actually only four days for me because I had Friday off.

Well, not "off" exactly since I had a continuing education course all this weekend - 8-5 on Friday and Saturday and 8-1 today in Sterling, VA.  Getting there on Friday morning was a large pain in my you-know-what, but overall it was a great review course and we learned some really cool new things to help diagnose patients with ankle/foot problems and help treat them with orthotics.  I can now cast for orthotics and order them for patients who may really need them which is kinda cool.

Despite being a great course, I know have a full week of work ahead of me (and a Doctor's appointment on Tuesday) so I'm really dreading this.

I have just about reached the last trimester now (so this is probably my last second trimester post!) and the severe fatigue I was feeling in my first trimester is slowly creeping back up on me, which is a main reason I haven't posted in a while.  Justin and I are trying to figure out some little details to prepare for our little one's arrival, including deciding between hiring a doula and just taking birthing/baby classes through our doctor's office.  I'm really looking forward to this week of work being over, and travelling to see soon-to-be Uncle Paul play at Penn State next weekend with Aunt Megan.  And a big night out on Saturday with our friends for the yearly Brion's Grill showing of the Fred Chao Band for Halloween.

Speaking of Halloween - I (or we if I can get Justin to dress up) need costume ideas for pregnant ladies (or couples)- my pregnancy prevents a large amount of brainstorming so any help would be appreciated!!

Paper Anniversary :)

Yesterday was our very first anniversary (of being married).  On Friday, we will have been together 6 years (since our first date, when Justin cooked me shrimp for dinner)!  Everyone says that the first year of marriage is the hardest, but I actually found this to be one of our easiest years together, despite the shock of starting our family a little earlier than we planned.  Here's a little recap of our weekend.

Friday:

We had lunch like we usually do, but this time it was with a friend of ours, Tamara.  After lunch, I went to Buy Buy Baby because I'd been thinking that we may want to register for a stroller that can convert to a double since I'd like to have at least 2 kids and I'd like them close together.  While I was there, there was a couple doing basically the same thing I was doing so we got to chatting.  When Justin got home, I really wanted him to come with me to look so we could make an educated decision.  (I think we are going to end up trying to get the Britax B-Ready stroller which is compatible with the car seats we registered for.)  Then we got Arby's for dinner...romantic, I know! :)

Saturday:

We relaxed all morning, watching football and such.  Then we decided we were going to get ready and head to the GMU women's volleyball game since they were playing UNC Wilmington where a friend of ours coaches.  It was fun to see some volleyball again.  We then headed to our big event of the weekend, OVO, the Cirque du Soleil show at National Harbor.  It. Was. Awesome.  I highly recommend that everyone see it, but don't splurge on the close up seats.  We sat in the last row and it was perfect!  After the show, we drove out to one of our good friend's house for a party to hang out with his new girlfriend.  It was pretty fun- wishing I could drink but alas...  All-in-all it was a relaxing and fun day...but we went to bed REALLY late.





Sunday:

Sleep in a little bit.  We then went to brunch at the Original Pancake House (a place we went in Milwaukee with my family and Paul got an 8 egg omelet.)  It was delicious.  We then drove out to Leesburg Outlets and walked around, then went to Outback for dinner.  Although all these events seem so not special and normal, we enjoyed just spending time together!





Today:

Grocery store to get some food and ingredients for our dinner together.  I got Justin a book and a cookbook (Top Chef) for our paper anniversary so he wanted to make some macaroni recipe and I've been wanting to bake something for while.  I made some S'mores bars.  We finally got to use our KitchenAid mixer.  We are going to attempt the top layer of our wedding cake later, Justin is the taste tester because we don't need me getting sick!







It was a great weekend spent with the best husband anyone could ask for.  I love you, Justin, and I can't wait to see what the next 57 years hold! (Today is my grandparents 58th wedding anniversary!!)

P.S. I think tomorrow starts my last trimester!!  See new belly photos!

Fun with Family and Friends

I can't believe we are inching towards the third trimester.  It's extremely scary considering I have no idea where in our little apartment we are going to put anything.  But anyways...

Last weekend, when Meg's best friend Amanda was in town, they went to the Natural History Museum and said there was a new exhibit called "Origins" that talked about evolution and had some cool bones and how our species has evolved.  Naturally I wanted to go.  So yesterday, my husband, Baby and I hopped on the Metro (which I haven't been on in a while) and headed downtown despite the AIDS walk and rally going on in the city.  It's nearly impossible that all the roads in the city would be open on any given weekend, plus it was such a beautiful fall day!  The museum was fun and the exhibits were pretty cool, plus the whole day was FREE and I got to spend some time with my husband.

Last night, we went out in Arlington with some friends for a friend's 40th birthday party.  It was fun!  One friend hasn't seen us in a while and wasn't aware we were expecting so that was fun to let her in on the secret!  Lots of people touching my belly and a late night later, we were in bed.  I'm not going to lie, one of the things I miss about our pre-pregnancy life is going out and having a good time with our friends without feeling exhausted and boring.  Part of me feels like my youth is slipping away from me, but I'm so excited for the next step in our journey!

Enjoy some pictures from the past couple of weeks, and I've posted a new picture to the belly shots page.  Happy October to everyone, my favorite month of the year!!

Emotional

So they say that when you are pregnant, the hormones kinda put your emotions all over the map: sad one minute, laughing hysterically the next.

Did anyone else watch Project Runway last night?  I was just watching it on my DVR and they all got really emotional about being able to see their moms.  Needless to say, I started to tear up because I really miss my mom (as well as the rest of my family).

Miss you and love you, Mom.

New Pregnancy Symptom??

I'll get to my new pregnancy symptom in a minute, I just wanted to give you all a quick review of my week/weekend since I haven't written in a while.

Last Friday I had a 4-week doctor's appointment.  Went through the normal routine, pee, weight, BP, listen to the heartbeat, have the doctor tell me it's "perfect."  It was all good, and the newest doctor I have met was very nice and helpful in answering all of my questions.  The cramping I'm getting is pretty normal, but I should be aware if the cramping is in normal intervals and lasts for longer than an hour.  I also talked to her a little bit about birthing classes and wanting to have a natural childbirth.  She suggested hypnobirthing method, I'm still trying to talk to Justin about what we might want to do.  I guess I was more on top of these sorts of things than normal because the doctor kept saying, you don't usually have to worry about these things for a few more weeks.  At least I'm thinking about it.

Aunt Meg's best friend, Amanda was in town starting Saturday night so we've been doing a lot of things with them.  We met them for sushi on Saturday night (late dinner); I went to the American History Museum and dinner with them on Sunday; Justin and Megan played volleyball yesterday and then we got dinner at Sweetwater (best chicken fingers EVER!); and today they stopped by our place and we went to the Lost Dog Cafe.  It was really nice to see her and spend some time with them together, but I'm tired!!

Speaking of being tired, I'm already having a hard time sleeping with having to pee and trying to find a comfortable position, but for the past 4 nights in a row, I've been having nightmares.  I'm pretty sure this isn't a normal symptom of pregnancy.  Not only am I having nightmares, but they are TOTALLY random.  They have nothing to do with Baby, and rarely is there any friends or family in them.  And they have absolutely nothing to do with one another.  I'm not watching anything scary on TV and I haven't eaten anything funny.  It's so weird and if they don't stop soon, I'm totally going to be prepared for a baby because I haven't gotten much sleep at all.  If anyone has any great ideas on how to get these to stop, I'd really, really appreciate it!!

Breakdown

I had a meltdown last night.  I'm starting to get seriously stressed about financial issues and overwhelmed with the thoughts of trying to make plans for another human being.  Justin seems so calm about everything, but I guess those are our roles:  me - the worrier, Justin - go with the flow.

The good news is I'm getting seriously excited to be a mom.  I'm scared, but mostly excited.  And, as of today, we had to put our ballroom dancing program on hold.  It hasn't been the same for us since we found out we were expanding our family and it's so expensive, we need to be saving that money for the future.  They were very understanding at Arthur Murray but Justin and I are just kinda sad about it and feel bad and like we are letting them down.

I guess step number one to becoming a parent has been checked off the list: Learn to make sacrifices for your children.  Thanks Mom and Dad for all the sacrifices I'm sure you made for us.  It's always meant a lot to me, but I guess it's beginning to hit home a little more now.  I love you.  (P.S. Dave and Jill, I'm guessing Justin feels the same way but I can't speak for him! ;)

I am feeling a lot better this week than last week, still a little sad and crabby but nothing like last week.  I'm not sure if I shared this story, but let me tell you a little about how my worst week of pregnancy ended last week:

We went up to Laurel to dog sit for Samson.  When we got there on Friday he was very excited to see us and seemed like he was almost yelling at us when we got there: "Where have you been?  Why did you leave me?  You better not go anywhere!  Where is my mom? Can we go for a walk?  I really have to pee?"  Well, I got ready to take him for his evening walk and Justin was going to take the car to get some food.  I think I did a pretty good job last week of trying hard to not act irritable around Justin, because he really didn't deserve it at all, but it all went down the tubes that fateful Friday night.

As we were leaving the house, I had Samson on his leash in my left hand, my left knee holding open the screen door and locking the door with my right hand.  Samson must have been trying to keep up with Justin who was heading to the car because he tugged me just the littlest bit, and I twisted just a smidge to the left.  Needless to say, this lead to my knee slipping from the door and the HEAVY door (which seems to be on super duper strong springy springs) slammed me directly in the forehead.

It hurt...bad!  I yelled ouch a few times and started to tear up.  I was trying to just compose myself and Justin goes, "What? What? What? What? What? What?"  Literally.  I'm not kidding.  Six times in like a ten second span.  I didn't even have time to answer if I wanted to.  I lost it and screamed at him that the effing door hit me in the face and can you just give me a minute to get myself together and stop asking me what?  (It was a lot stronger and harsher than that.)  I know he was just concerned but the 6 whats just pushed me over the edge.  I told him I was still standing and wasn't dying so if he could just give me a minute that would be great!  I'm glad that week is over.  Sorry, baby, I shouldn't have blown up at you.

I hope everyone's weeks are going well!! I'm trying to get Dad to write another blog...he wants to post a picture of his new beard so maybe look for that.  P.S. I don't really like kissing a bearded man.

5 Months!

Sorry I haven't blogged in a week.  I was having a pretty difficult week emotionally.  There was really no reason for this at all, I was just really irritable.  Things started to look up after yoga last Thursday, then we went to stay in Laurel, MD to dog sit my nephew, Samson.  I had yoga again today and my back is feeling a little bit better so I think this week is definitely looking better than last.

While I was lying in bed with Samson yesterday, I started thinking about how quickly this whole pregnancy thing is going.  I'm trying to savor every moment, but the days seem to be flying by.  Yesterday was the 18th, which would make it exactly 5 months along.  I feel like I should be doing more nesting and planning for a baby but I'm not.  I find myself trying to plan for our first anniversary weekend coming up next month, which I think it ok.  I don't want to forget about our relationship just because we are starting a family.  We bought tickets to go see OVO, the cirque de soleil show at National Harbor on October 9th, which I'm pretty excited about.  And I think Justin is also excited because his co-worker told him what a great show it was, so great that she is going to see it again.  Then on Sunday, our actual anniversary, we are going to stroll around Annapolis, because that's what Justin wants to do.  Something for me (food and OVO) and something for him.  I can't wait to look back on our first, needless to say eventful, year together.  And I really can't wait until Monday October 11th, to lay in bed and watch movies all day with my husband.

I kinda lost track of my journal entries but here is the Month 5 journal:

1. You know you're still in mind, body and spirit, even though your body is doing a change-up.  Think of your fashion MO and how you can maintain your joy for color and style even with the bump.

Trying to stay looking and feeling pretty has been quite the challenge for me.  I have had the most success at Gap Maternity.  Normally, I hate the Gap - boring colors, nothing special, but I actually like that about their maternity because I can still wear all my cute cardigans (old and new) over them with some fun jewelry or, my favorite accessory, scarves!  I'm pretty pumped about the fall weather so I can get back to all my sweaters (or at least the ones that might still work for me.)

2. Take a picture of yourself in your best pregnant fashion and post it here.

To be continued later when I actually take some pictures in my pregnant fashion!  I have an outfit planned for a friend's birthday party in a few weeks.  I'll try to be better about posting pictures!

3. Hey, what was that?  Record the kicks of your baby- where, when, how hard?

I think I've sort of already covered this but the very first "swirling" motions I felt were around 18 weeks in the morning before getting ready to go to work.  I started feeling some more clear kicks, especially the night of our half-way ultrasound, at the end of August (19.5 weeks).  The exciting thing for me this weekend was I started to feel a lot more like the baby is flipping and turning rather than just kicking.  I love noting all the new sensations I feel, sometimes it makes me laugh.

4. What baby names do you like today?

I learned my lesson about this about a month or so ago, I'm no longer asking anyone's opinion but my husband and our closest family, because, no offense, but I don't really care what anyone else thinks about names I like for OUR child. :)  We are going to try to pick out about 2 or 3 boys and girls names because we both feel like we can't rightly name someone before we meet them!

5. What suggested baby name have you heard?

My boss, Kate, throws out the most odd names- Hortense, Horatio are her favorites.  A patient gave me Sloan the other day, but I'm not a fan...I kinda sounds like a Husky's name to me.  Other than that, most of the time, people oddly suggest their own names!

Crabby...

Holy cow am I crabby.  I really can't help it, I just feel bad about myself.  So first I'm going to vent, and then I'm going to make a list of the things that make me feel happy.

Vent:

My back is absolutely killing me.  As many of you may know, I hurt my back my freshman year of college lifting heavy weights and ever since then (about 8 years ago) I've been battling a condition that really sucks with therapy, doctors, chiropractors, shots, etc.  I knew it was going to be bad when I got pregnant but it feels like it did the day I did it, and it hasn't felt this bad since then.  Sarah, God bless her, tries really hard in every yoga class to help me out but it seems I'm just going to have to deal with it.

I feel so unattractive it's not even funny.  Whoever says I have a "pregnancy glow" is lying.  I feel like crap, and I feel like I look like crap, all the time, no matter what.  The only thing I can try to do to solve this is go shopping (which is something I really shouldn't be doing but it makes me feel better...usually.)  But now, it doesn't help, because I can't find anything I like and I end up buying jewelry or socks because it's the only thing that fits.

The smallest things are significantly irritating me, and therefore, I have begun to dread going to work because there are just a couple of patients that I just can't deal with for an hour at a time.  For the large majority, my patients are wonderful and usually make me feel better, but those couple can really ruin your day.

I'm constantly hungry, but never really feel like eating anything in particular.  Come on pregnancy cravings, where are you?

Did I mention my back is killing me and making me want to cry?????

Things that make me happy:

Prenatal yoga: specifically the prenatal yoga music mix we listen to that is full of songs about empowerment.  My favorite is Wade Morissette (brother of Alanis) "Strong as Diamonds"

Walking around

My husband cleaning the apartment while I shop (even if then I come home to a whole load of crap to dispose of or put away)

Ice cream

Fall weather (this really should be higher up on the list)

My sisters and mom (and really my whole family - seeing my dad this weekend, even if only for lunch, was wonderful)

Friends and strangers telling me I look great even if I don't feel like it

My baby kicking me

Crafting

Movies

Naps

It seems that there are certainly a lot more positives than negatives, I just needed my blog as an outlet to vent and remind myself of all the wonderful things in my life.  I'm posting lyrics to my favorite prenatal yoga song and I'm walking to Baskin Robins to get myself ice cream later, even if my husband sits on his butt watching football and I have to go alone.

Strong as Diamonds
(© 2006 w.morissette)

Om Vajra Kaya Namaha

To be as strong as diamonds

To be as strong as the wind

Take my hand and jump

Take my hand and leap

Take my hand and fly high

Take my hand and go now

Time is on my side

My own heart I abide

Sanskrit translation: To be as strong as diamonds

"Sometimes we must access our pure strength to overcome and triumph."

Dad's first post...

So I'm going to be a dad. Lot's of things have been going through my mind recently: names, finances, sleep (anyone who knows me knows how much I love to sleep and how lazy I can be - not anymore!), and most importantly the health of the two most important people in my life - my wife and my baby.

Names - we kinda have a name picked out if it's a boy. For some reason we haven't really spent much time on girl's names. I'm beginning to think we shouldn't have to name this child until we know what he or she is like. If you give it a name that doesn't match their personality, how is it going to navigate through life?

Finances - I'm in this kind of stuff for my profession, and I know what to tell people to do, but it's hard to take that advice and apply it to yourself. From diapers to daycare, this baby is going to have to have things to live and it's up to us to support it. I'm excited to have a kid of my own, but the thought of someone being 100% reliable on me to survive is life altering.

Sleep - I love to sleep. On the couch, on the floor, and if I'm bored, sleep is something that I enjoy. Probably slept a little bit too much in college, but that's for another time... I hope that I can get enough sleep to function and not be a cranky slob at work and at home. I also hope that my baby loves to sleep as much as I do so we can nap when I'm not at work.

Health - Nothing is more important to me than the health of my baby and my wife. So far so good. A lot of people have asked me what I want to have, and I always reply "10 fingers and 10 toes". Gender doesn't matter, neither does size, hair color, eye color or when it comes. Just healthy - that's it.

I am excited to see what the next few months will bring. I am excited to see what Melissa and I have created. Most of all, I'm excited to be a parent.

Labor Day Weekend- Milwaukee, WI

So we head out to Milwaukee to visit my the Markowski side of my family for labor day weekend/our last weekend of traveling until we have a baby probably!

Our flight out was on Thursday night.  For the most part, the flight was ok except for two things: 1.) on the take-off, the pilot decided he wanted to see how quickly he could get back to level after making a sharp right-handed turn causing my stomach to fly into my throat and 2.) the pilot informed us we would be landing shortly and there were thunderstorms in the area (read felt like we were flying into a black hole and holy rocking the boat on the landing and me seriously thinking we were going to die.)  But we got there, and Aunt Lauren and cousin Layla picked us up, we watched some t.v. and went to bed.

The rest of the weekend is a blur of family fun time and some moderate amounts of chaos, which is expected with a big family.  I was really glad I got to see my parents at least for a few hours.  Here are some highlights of our trip:

• Real Chili
• Catchphrase
• Lawn golf and bocci ball
• Pictionary
• Grammy's delicious desserts including apple cake, jimmy cake and eclair torts
• Cheese curds
• Mini Golf and batting cages
• Testing out Justin's new camcorder
• Trying to get everyone to feel the baby move (even though Mom didn't get to feel it :( ) and Uncle Brendan saying "That's it???" upon feeling the kicking
• Spending time with my awesome family, no matter how little time

Despite a Hokie disappointing loss on Labor Day, I had a great weekend.  And I'm not even mad that I'm exhausted.  I got pretty emotional at the airport because I'm really upset about probably not seeing much of my family this upcoming holiday season (which is the main reason I love the holidays.)  Here are some photos from our weekend get-a-way.  Also, check out the belly shots because I'm pretty sure I am growing a lot now, my boss even said I looked much bigger today at work than last week.

P.S. Grammy Markowski is 100% sure it's a boy, and my mom is keeping her opinion a big secret:)

Halfway!!

Today is 20 weeks (if you are going by the ultrasound people - which I am)!!  I can't believe I'm halfway there!

You already read about our big halfway ultrasound on Friday, but we also did a lot more over our weekend.  On Friday after my appointments, I drove up to Laurel, MD while Justin finished up work before driving up with Uncle Paul (Meg's fiance).  We were staying with them Friday night because Justin and Paul were playing in a volleyball tournament on Saturday with a friend, James, in Frederick, MD.  On Saturday, Meg and I watched a movie in the morning and then met with Miranda (James' wife) and there two cute little ones, Charlotte and Susannah.  The tournament seemed to be a pretty good time, at least to the guys.  We just sat and chatted before one of the girls had a little meltdown - it was nap time.  So we went back to Miranda and James' place and chatted some more, while the boys drank all day and we waited patiently to eat.  All in all, it was a fun day.

We stayed kinda late and ended up staying at Megan and Paul's again on Saturday night, but I begged Justin to leave a little earlier on Saturday because I was getting a serious nesting instinct.  We ended up moving the love seat out of the den/nursery so there is room for a crib maybe!!  We also cleaned out some junk from the den, cleaned out old clothes from under the bed and the closet and I hung a bunch of items to clear up some space.  I felt so accomplished and it made me so excited to have some resemblance of a nursery-type room or at least have some more space for baby items.  I can't wait to meet this little one!!

We are off to Milwaukee to spend some quality time with the Markowski half of my family this weekend, so I'm praying hurricane Earl doesn't interrupt our travel plans.  Can't wait to see everyone!!  Hope everyone has a great rest of the week and weekend!!

20 Week Ultrasound!

So on Friday, we had our 18-20 week ultrasound as well as my monthly doctor's appointment.

The ultrasound was so exciting!  I could tell Justin was excited by the constant ooh-ing and aah-ing he was doing while the technician told us everything we could see.  Going into this US, I was really excited but also really nervous that something was going to be wrong; maybe it was because of the more frequent cramping feelings I've been having.  So, we go in and the tech asked us if we wanted to find out the sex.  We told her no, and joked about finding out and then keeping it a secret from all our family and friends!  She showed us everything, from the chambers in the heart, all the arm and leg bones, the kidneys, hands, feet and even the portal vein (which takes blood to the liver).  I was amazed at how much you could see.  Our little one, as in our first ultrasound, wasn't too cooperative, and wasn't moving all that much during the test.  He/she had his/her legs crossed the whole time and a hand in front of his/her face.  We got a few 3D images of Baby's face (which Justin says looks like an alien but he/she just hasn't gotten all the baby fat yet- that's at the end.)  When it came time to look for the sex, the technician warned us and then turned the screen a little bit away.

Turns out, baby was really shy (hand in front of the face) and didn't even want to show the tech his/her privates!  Good baby...  Anyways, so sorry for all you friends and family who have been bugging us about our decision not to find out...seems we wouldn't have found out anyways!  So the tech tells me to wipe myself up and get our things together.  Then about 5 minutes later, she came back with an older (obviously supervisor) type lady.  In my head I'm thinking, "Oh no, something is wrong.  I knew it."  But I didn't say anything because Justin seemed to be ok with it.  The supervisor lady said they needed some more/better pictures of Baby's heart.  She also tried to see the sex, but no such luck.  They didn't tell us anything was wrong, but later the next day, Justin mentioned it really freaked him out too, so now I'm a little paranoid that something was wrong.  But one of our mom friends (thanks Miranda) assured me they would have told me right then and there.

If I wasn't already worried enough, I then proceeded onto the doctors appointment alone.  Normally, these appointments seem useless to me.  I go in, the nurse takes my weight, blood pressure and I pee in a cup.  Then about 5 minutes (no more) later the doctor or midwife comes in and asks me if I have any questions and listens to the baby's heartbeat.  Well all the normal nurse-ly things took place, but then I waited 45-50 minutes sitting in the room for the doctor!  I was freaking out.  I was sure that the US people had faxed over a quick report and he was reading it and preparing to tell me some bad news.  He finally came it and listened to the heartbeat, measure my belly and checked my ankles for swelling.  He never mentioned anything might be wrong, so I'm a little relieved, but at the same time still kinda worried and weirded out about the odd sequence of events on Friday.

For now, I guess it's ok and I'll try to stop worrying.  Here of some pictures of our cutie!

He/she has my nose we decided, and Justin and Aunt Meg were able to feel the baby moving (finally) on Friday night!!!

Meet me at the fair...with my sweetheart(s)

On Saturday, Justin had to work a table at the Arlington County Fair for a couple hours.  He told me I could come over and meet him if I wanted.  At first, all I thought was "no way."  But then I looked online and it looked like it could be fun: games, rides, jewelry stands, pig races, and most importantly, funnel cakes!!  So he came home and then we went back.

We walked around the indoor stands first, before we went outside where he played some games and we (he) ate some food, and I ate a funnel cake.  All in all, not too exciting but a nice way to get out of the house.  The biggest shocker of the day for me was at the beginning, as we were walking around the indoor displays.

I have recently discover the ElliptiGo (an elliptical bike) and as we were walking, we thought we saw some of them.  So we hustled over to see if it really was it and if we could test them out (should have known the Arlington County Fair would NEVER have ElliptiGos).  Well, needless to say, they were some sore of adult standing tricycles: 3 wheels, foot plates and handles.  The lady proceeded to tell us how they operated- you had to turn the handle bars using you arms side to side to get it to move forward (doesn't sound like much fun to me but whatever.)  Justin said "So it's basically all arms?" And she responded that it took a lot of trunk motion as well.  She then asked Justin if he wanted to try it out.  As he hesitated, she added, "But I don't recommend your pregnant wife try them out.  How far along are you?"  I was so flustered that she blatantly was talking about my belly without me telling her (and I don't think I'm THAT big) that I hesitated before I responded with "About 18 weeks."  Thinking back, I sorta wish I had told her that I wasn't pregnant and seen what her response was then.

Guess I'll be getting these types of comments more often now.  On a totally separate note, I TOTALLY have pregnancy moods swings but I'm trying to keep them to myself and not act on them.  I think I'm doing a decent job, but it's rough.

Here's a photo of the bike on my wish list! :)

Registries

So, I have spent about 2/3 of my weekend trying to finalize our registries.  You know, when you get married you think that is a little overwhelming because you aren't really sure what you need versus what you want, etc.  But really, you have no idea until you get pregnant.

I mean, there is SO MUCH baby crap.  Now, not finding out the sex limits the clothing registry, etc, but we aren't changing our minds! :)  But, I'm pretty proud of myself after this weekend of going over a very (really too) long list of things that Buy Buy Baby (the Bed Bath & Beyond of baby stuff) says that you should register for, which if you have gotten married, you know this list is of about 300% of the stuff you actually need.  I talked to my sister-in-law who has a 2 1/2 year old and my friend that had a baby last weekend, and eventually my mom a little bit and I think they are pretty good.  Not perfect and I'm sure I forgot some stuff but I'll worry about it later.  Target, Buy Buy Baby and Land of Nod, thank you for filling my weekend with strollers and bouncers and bassinets, oh my!

Then, today, we spent the afternoon with our good friends Erin and Tony, who had little Jack last weekend, the day before Justin's birthday.  He's adorable and perfect and teeny tiny and so quiet!  We love you Burba's!  And now I can't wait until January.  Plus, I'm so excited to have a great friend who can give me some heads-up advice a little in advance after experiencing it all.

Prenatal Yoga #2

I was at yoga class today, knowing our awesome instructor Padma is in Costa Rica for 2 weeks and that we would be having substitutes on Thursdays and Sundays.  Well, as you all know, I LOVE LOVE LOVE prenatal yoga.  I think my favorite parts of it are that it isn't yoga-ish and we work hard.  Not that we didn't work hard today, but I really miss Padma.

Seeing as she is a friend of mine, she has read my blog before so I don't want her to think that this wasn't a great instructor.  So, Padma, Jessie was great.  I still got a pretty good workout and got to relax and de-stress, but it wasn't quite as up my alley as Padma's classes are.  We did a lot of the named yoga poses, which is what I didn't really want when I started.  My 2 favorites parts about Padma's class are the ninja roll at the end and when we sing to our bellies.  And we didn't get to do either.  The ninja roll is this thing where we lay our our backs with our feet up the wall because it increases the blood flow to Baby.  It feels awesome! And it sounds totally cheesy, but I love the singing to our babies about being happy and healthy.  I always leave feeling great!

I left feeling almost as great today, just not quite the same.  One of the other girls that has been in class with me a lot walked out with me and said, "Well, that was different."  I laughed and said I missed the ninja roll.  She said she was thinking that same thing and she thought about going into it on her own at the end, but she thought that might be rude! :)  I love the girls in class too.  I'm going to probably go on Sunday and maybe next Thursday again.  Like I said, not bad, just not Padma.

On another note, my boss says I'm really beginning to pop so I'll post a new belly shot soon!

Movement...maybe...

I think I may have felt our little soybean doing some somersaults today!!  I can't really be sure because it was very faint and, seeing as this is my first time, I'm not really sure what I'm going to feel.  It sorta felt like a swirling sensation in my belly this a.m. when I woke up.  The main thing that makes me think he/she may be moving is that this "swirling" feels different from all the indigestion and gas I've been feeling.  I'm so excited.

I'm also a little nervous because everyone always talks about kicking, and for anyone that has read the Twilight books, all I can think about is Bella's vampire baby kicking her and breaking her ribs and causing her all this pain.  Obviously, I know that Baby Hales won't be breaking my ribs but I hope it becomes more obvious than the swirling.  But for now, I LOVE the swirls:).

P.S. I figured out a way that I can sleep with significantly less indigestion.  I've been stacking pillows up like a bolster behind my back so I'm reclined instead of lying flat which I normally prefer.  I'm basically in a much better and significantly less irritable mood today than I was yesterday, and I can't wait for pre-natal yoga this week.  Although, I'll be missing our normal teacher, Sarah Lynn.

Happy 18 weeks today (according to the ultrasound people!)

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!

Not my Daddy, we've already been over that one.

To the best husband in the world:

I hope you had a great birthday today, despite the long hours on the road this weekend.  I love you more every day and couldn't ask for a more helpful, thoughtful, caring and loving husband.  There really aren't words.  I can't wait to embark on this new journey in our lives together.  I couldn't have picked a better partner.  I can only hope I make you as happy as you make me.

I love you, forever.  1437

Your doting wife, Melissa

P.S. I can't wait to use your new camcorder on our little addition!

Pepto Bismol?

This morning, when I work up with the most horrendous indigestion and cramping pain, so bad that I thought I was going to have to go to the doctor instead of to work today, I couldn't help but think of those catchy pepto bismol ads on t.v.  It may just be me, but it sounds like medicine directed towards pregnant ladies to me: "Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach..."

I can honestly say I can count the number of times in my life I have had heartburn on one hand, and all those times have been in the past week and a half.  And with the unbelievable indigestion I'm experiencing at 17 weeks, I can't imagine what it's going to be like at 37-39 weeks.  I've been looking at what I've been eating too and it doesn't seem to be anything that I think would cause this sensation.  (I mean, we did have chili this weekend because I was craving it, but really, it's been 5 days...)

And the cramping, I know some of it is normal but it begs the question...how much is normal?  And when the heck do I start worrying?

Sorry, I needed to vent, but generally I'm actually feeling pretty awesome!  Maybe I have Sarah and prenatal yoga to thank! :)

Happy Hump Day!!

Happy Birthday Mom/Grandma!

Today is my wonderful mother's birthday!!  I won't tell you how old she is but she looks about 36.  I was going to send her a dozen cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake, but I figured she wouldn't really appreciate them much since she would be eating them all herself!  I'll think of something good.

One of mom's friends said to me that "if I'm anything like my mom, I'm going to be a great mother."  I couldn't agree with her more.  She and Dad must have done something right because they raised 4 great kids (if I do say so myself) who all get along great and who couldn't say nicer things about their awesome parents.  Thanks for all the support and advice, Mom!  And like I already told you, I can only hope to be half the mom that you are!  I love you and miss you everyday!

Oh...Did I mention I have the cutest most fashionable mom ever?  I think she probably got that from her mom:) (my Nanny who all my friends just LOVE!)