Will we be having a "Greg" or a "Gregina"?

Don't worry, I am 100% kidding about the names.  It's been a long running joke of Greg's that we will be naming our child after him - no matter the gender.  While we are up in the air about what this little baby will be named, we both hope that after we know what we are having that decision will be a little easier!

And tomorrow is the big day!!  I am having a hard time concentrating on anything else.  Every hour or so I remember that this huge unknown will be revealed tomorrow evening, and I could not be more excited to find out.

So please feel free to participate in our poll (to the right)!

I can't wait to update you all tomorrow!

Mirror Removal

Our condo/town home was built in 1979.  We think it maybe has had 1-2 owners prior to us.  We have NO IDEA whether this mirror was part of the original model, or something added after the fact, but from day one I've thought it was just tacky.  Since the spare room has been somewhat of a guest room/workout room for the past 3+ years, there has been no real drive for us to remove the thing - but now that Baby I will be here in 5 months or so, I've wanted it GONE.  Our room is set up where we have one full wall of windows, another of closets, and the third with this mirror - so I have limited room to decorate. 

I asked Greg how much work he thought it would be to take the thing off.  He sighed, rolled his eyes and asked me just how important it was to me that we take on this project.  I exercised my "Pregnancy Card" and let him know that it was very important :)

Our awesome friend Dan agreed to spend a Sunday of his time to come over and help us out.  I think we all expected it to be a tedious project, HOWEVER - the mirror came down in minutes and in one piece! 

Before

During

"After" - Still need to patch up/smooth out the parts of the

wall where the glue stuck and then it's time for PAINT!

18 Weeks!

How far along: 18 weeks
Weight gain: 5-7 pounds?
How big is baby: The baby is the size of large mango, 6 inches long, and weighs about 8 ounces.
Maternity clothes: I'm still wearing my regular jeans (held together with that trusty rubber band).  I can still easily hide my bump - but perhaps this is because I never was one to wear super tight clothing anyway?  Not sure.  I'm definitely showing more than I was just a week ago.
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: One of my favorite pastimes.  I have not had any interruptions with sleep due to pregnancy - very thankful!
Best moment this week: Nothing specific.  I've had a busy/productive week of work, I've done tons of yoga, and we have had a relaxing weekend so far - all is good!
Movement: Not yet :(
Food Cravings: Starbucks' Black Tea Lemonade.  I can't get enough - and with our new "baby budget", I also cannot justify buying myself one every day! 
Labor Signs: No
Belly button in or out: In
What I miss: I feel like such a wino, but this week I'm missing wine.  I indulged in a 1/4 glass last weekend (no guilt here!) and it was super delicious - but I'm looking forward to the day when I can take out a bottle with Rachel on a random Wednesday evening after work ;)
What I'm looking forward to: This category seems to have disappeared along the way, but since I have something specific I'm looking forward to I remembered to add it back in!  This Thursday, April 21st we have our next ultrasound!  As an impatient person by nature, I've actually considered calling and moving the appointment up a few days as I cannot POSSIBLY wait until Thursday ;)  But I will - on Thursday I will be 1 day shy of 19 weeks and the chances of us being able to determine the gender will be even better than they are today.  So we wait...

Charisse and Baby Drayk's Visit!

This last weekend, my lovely friend Charisse and her little boy Drayk stayed with us!  It was so wonderful to have them visit us and to see how much Drayk had grown.  We had not seen him for at least 7 or 8 months since they moved to Palm Desert, and the fact that he is now a VERY active little person was so fun to see!

Drayk is one of the liveliest, most energetic little 1.5 year olds I have ever spent time with.  He did not want to sit still or chill out for even one full minute while he was awake.  We enjoyed every minute of them being with us and it was such an eye opener having a little baby in the house!  He also was kind enough to point out all of the areas of our house that will require baby-proofing in the future.

To give you a 10-second peek into what it was like at our house this weekend, check out the clip below :)

One thing we were able to confirm: Our enormous couch is PERFECT for this age :)

17 Weeks! (Wow)!

How far along: 17 weeks

Weight gain: 5 pounds
How big is baby: The baby is the size of turnip, 5-6 inches long, and weighs 5-6 ounces.
Maternity clothes: Yes!  My mom took me shopping this weekend and spoiled me royally (thanks mom)!!!  I now have 3 pairs of maternity pants (2 of which I will be able to continue wearing after pregnancy), a new pair of stretch pants, and several cute tops to get me through my pregnancy!  I am SO excited about getting bigger (for the most part anyway)!  Trying on the clothes with the belly was a fun experience this time around, and gave me a little visual preview of what is to come!
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Still great - even if it is on my side.
Best moment this week: This week has been VERY busy with work.  I was in Spokane Sunday-Wednesday for some training.  I think my favorite part of the week was last night.  Greg and I went on a cleaning/organizing frenzy preparing for our friend Charisse and her son's visit this weekend, and then he made me a delicious dinner!
Movement: No, but I'm expecting to feel some flutters any day now!
Food Cravings: Still into bagels Starbucks' Black Tea Lemonade.
Labor Signs: No
Belly button in or out: In....but I can see it changing already!
What I miss: This has been another great week!  I honestly am not missing anything!



Home Birth

I've been thinking a lot lately about what I want my birth experience to be like.  At this point in time, Greg and I are pretty sure that this will be our one and only baby, so I want the day to be as special and meaningful as it can possibly be.  (Sorry future additional kid if you are reading this.  We clearly changed our minds - LOVE YOU). 

In talking with friends of mine, watching a few documentaries and doing quite a bit of reading, I've come to the conclusion that the place where I would be the MOST comfortable having this baby, would be in the privacy of our home.  I know it might sound a bit crazy, but hear me out:

1)  I am a big fan of taking baths.  I actually take them daily before showering - Greg thinks I'm a weirdo, but I've always been into bathing  :)  I figure what better way to bring this baby into the world than the place where I spend a significant amount of time?

2)  A lot of the techniques that I have learned in yoga will come in very handy when having a natural birth at home.  I have learned to breathe through pain and to welcome physical discomfort knowing that with pain comes growth.

3)  I want to have this baby naturally, without the temptation of an epidural, and by being at home rather than in a hospital, it would be a lot easier to resist.

We are pretty excited about our choice and are now looking into finding a midwife who would help us through the process!  I will keep you posted as things move along!













































APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I wonder if I even fooled anyone with that joke?  I had to give it a try!  Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am all about avoiding as much pain as I possibly can.  No judgment to the women who have attempted or had a home birth, but that is just not my path :)

Bring on the hospital and bring on the drugs!  :)

16 Weeks...? And 3rd Prenatal Appointment

I had my 3rd Prenatal appointment this morning.  It has been 4 weeks since my last visit and I was really looking forward to checking in to see how things were progressing.  I am up FIVE pounds - clearly I had underestimated myself here!  My doctor said that a five pound weight gain was perfectly acceptable and that I should not worry - the baby is getting everything it needs from me.  I was very happy to hear that as I had been a little curious as to why I was not more obviously showing at this point.  We felt my uterus (weird) which is right under my belly button now instead of where it usually sits (between the pelvic bones).  We also got to hear the baby's heartbeat!  The baby was VERY squirmy throughout my appointment - the doctor had a hard time tracking the heartbeat for a full 15 seconds, and we could actually HEAR the movement, even though I am not feeling anything yet.

I found out that according to my last ultrasound I had done at 13 weeks, they moved my due date from September 20th to September 16th - so I am officially 16 weeks today!  I figured I would move my weekly blog posts to Friday as well - so here is the next one!

How far along: 16 weeks
Weight gain: Up 5 lbs!
How big is baby: The baby is the size of an avocado, and about 5 inches long.
Maternity clothes: Not quite yet - but getting there.
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Still great
Best moment this week: Hmmm....getting an iPhone (finally)...or hearing the baby's heartbeat again....it's a toss up. 
Movement: No
Food Cravings: Bagels with cream cheese and Starbucks' Black Tea Lemonade.
Labor Signs: No
Belly button in or out: In
What I miss: Nothing this week!