Fruits

Poppy seed, pea, grape, olive, key lime, kiwi, lemon..... All the fruit comparisons for the size of Baby Taylor over the last few weeks.  And then they throw in the size of my uterus which is between the size of a softball or small melon.  It is overwhelming and confusing trying to keep track of what fruit (or other circular object) Peanut is the size of.  And every place you look tells you something different; one website says a fig and another says a lemon.  I thought those were different :-) Well no matter what size Peanut is he/she is doing really good.  We had an appointment today and heard the heartbeat again, which is "fast and strong," according to our midwife.  The heartbeat was at 150 beats per minute, which according to the old wive's tale means it's a girl (also according to the midwife).  I am still thinking boy, but we shall see.  (Only 28 more weeks to wait-wow- how did that number get so small already).

This is my 5th day in a row with no nap and I am feeling pretty good.  There for about 4 weeks I was taking a nap everyday.  I am really tired about 8:30, but can make it until then without a nap.  Maybe I will start to get some energy so I can start to conquer my summer to-do list :-) Other than that I am feeling great.

Other than that not too much is new; we get another ultrasound next week on July 2nd and I am so excited to see Baby Taylor again!

How far along: 11 weeks (almost 12)
Maternity clothes? Not yet... but I can see a little bump 
Sleep: Been sleeping great at night the last few days and not needing a nap lately.
Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat today-nothing is better than that sound!
Miss Anything? We went to a wedding this last weekend and I would have really liked to drink an alcoholic beverage, just one.
Movement: Not yet (I can't wait until that happens)
Food cravings: This is going to sound like one of those "weird pregnancy cravings," but I actually used to eat it when I was little and we would go to Chi-chi's Mexican Restaurant.  I really want to dip tortilla chips in a virgin strawberry daiquiri.  Don't judge it until you try it!
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not really the last four weeks. It has been so much better.  There are still times I don't feel 100%, but it is so much better!

Gender: I think boy, but a lot of the old wives tales say girl.
Labor Signs: no

Symptoms: Nothing really
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy (and not as tired)
Looking forward to: Our next ultrasound!

Introducing...

    Thing Two will be joining us in January!  Our Thing One has a lot of changes coming up in the next year or so.  We keep telling Carly Moe that she won't be the baby in the family anymore; I don't think she believes us! :-)
    We celebrate our 4 year anniversary this week, on Thursday, and it feels a little different this year because we are really preparing our lives for a little family.  We can't even imagine the changes our lives will go through over the next year, but we are so excited for it all.
   We thought what better week than the week of our anniversary tell our little (big) secret to the world (or at least Facebook).  I am definitely excited to be able to shop in the baby section of stores without having to keep an eye out for people I may know. Bring on the shopping.

How far along: 9 (almost 10) weeks
Maternity clothes? Not yet... but I can see a little bump 
Sleep: Still not the greatest, lots of bathroom trips and just can't sleep even though I'm exhausted most times!
Best moment this week: Telling a lot of our friends and family!  We also met with the Doulas we will hire and they were amazing and everything I was hoping for. 
Miss Anything? No, not really!
Movement: not yet
Food cravings: Not craving anything.  I can actually eat some vegetables again which is amazing!
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not really the last two weeks. It has been so much better.  There are still times I don't feel 100%, but it is so much better!

Gender: No idea, I really don't care either way! Lots of other people think we should find out, but we aren't going to.
Labor Signs: no

Symptoms: Just really tired
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, unless I'm hungry-sorry Doug! :-)
Looking forward to: Our midwife appointment

The best sound in the world...

Think about it: we hear a lot of sounds in a day.
Our alarm clock waking us up in the morning.
The daily weather and news around the world.
Phones ringing, cupboards slamming, birds chirping, kids playing, dogs barking.
Maybe your favorite new song on the radio (Chew tobacco, chew tobacco, chew tobacco, spit- ok maybe not my favorite song, but Blake Shelton is kind of catchy).

But then today among all the sounds of this world, Doug and I were able to hear the best sound ever....the beating heart of our little peanut.  We went in for our 8-week ultrasound today and I had told Doug that I didn't think we would hear the heart beat because we we still so early in the pregnancy.  Our doctor started doing the ultrasound and confirmed we were pregnant with just one baby (both Doug and I had had dreams of twins) and then she turned up the volume and we heard it.  Fast, steady, powerful.  A sound that could take you to your knees (and would have if I hadn't been laying on a table).  Instantly I was crying, almost enough that it muffled "the sound." I tried holding in my cries just so I could concentrate on the little peanut saying hello to his Mama and Papa for the first time!  I knew he was there, I knew he was healthy, but seeing him and hearing him today was overwhelming!

I am so grateful to have heard that sound and can't wait for more times when we can see and hear our little peanut!  We, of course, asked all kinds of questions and I was given a prescription for folic acid (to take in addition to my prenatal vitamin) to help with any neural tube defects.

We walked out of that office different people; we walked out as parents. It finally seems a little more real.

How far along: 8 weeks (and two days)
Maternity clothes? Not yet... but I have been looking online at sale maternity clothes
Sleep: Minimal because I spend more time in the bathroom than in bed!
Best moment this week: Of course today-hearing the heartbeat!
Miss Anything? A Blue Moon or Summer Shandy beer.  I am not much of a drinker, but this nice warm weather makes me want to drink a beer and sit on our deck :-)  Oh well, I think it's a pretty good trade off!
Movement: not yet-can't wait for that to happen!
Food cravings:  Fruit!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still not 100%, but I feel a lot better than I did two weeks ago!

Gender: Well I always refer to the baby as a him, but not necessarily because I think it will be a boy. That's just what comes out :-)
Labor Signs: no

Symptoms: Not really now!
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On 
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY!
Looking forward to: getting a bump