Dos and Don'ts

"If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all" 

~Thumper 

I think it's fair to say, we all got this down pretty well as kids as we slowly figured out what was 'nice' and what was 'not'. Now, as a pregnant woman, I have come to realize that 'nice' and 'not nice' is sometimes somewhat unclear...at least when it comes to talking to a pregnant woman. In my 24 years of life as a non-pregnant woman, it is now becoming apparent to me that I have made several comments to pregnant women that were a little on the 'not so nice'. 

"Wow! You look huge!"

"You sure are getting big!" 

"It's weird seeing you so big!" 

"Look at the size of your belly!"

I'm not sure whatever possessed me, and others that I'm sure have made similar comments, to think that making comments about a pregnant woman's size and belly were anything but slightly 'not so nice'. I guess some women may revel in hearing that they are finally getting a belly. For me, on the other hand, I feel like when people notice that my belly is getting big, they are also noticing I'm as fat as I feel. In my book, this is definitely 'not nice', although I am sure it is always well meaning. 

Instead, here is what I think pregnant women really want to hear: 

"Oh my goodness! You are so cute!" 

"You are the cutest pregnant lady I have ever seen!" 

"You look great!" 

So far, I have been blessed enough to mainly have only gotten the above comments from women who have themselves already been pregnant and know what to tell a girl. Let me tell you...these comments seriously MADE MY DAY! :) 

On a funny note, one of the girls in the high school small group that I co-lead at church did tell me after not seeing me since Christmas "You have gotten huge since I saw you last." Very cute and well meaning and I definitely laughed, but not a pregnant lady's dream come true. 

So here are a few tips on talking to pregnant women: 

DO

• Tell a pregnant woman how great she looks 
• Compliment her in any and every way possible...she is probably feeling anything but cute, and your sweet comments will seriously Make. Her. Day! :) 
• In the early stages of pregnancy, tell her how tiny she still looks
• Be sure to tell her she is cute 

DON'T

• Comment on the size of her belly (unless early on and you are saying she is tiny) 
• Refer to her as huge, large, big, or any other descriptive word that does not imply cute, perfect and radiant ;) 

So there you have it. It's that simple. And if you are still unsure if what you want to tell her is appropriate, just remember what Thumper's dad told him and maybe just....

"Don't say nothing at all."

23 Week Bumpdate

23 Weeks, 1 Day

If anything, I think my belly looks smaller today. Baby boy must be snuggled close in today trying to stay warm :) 

Here is a look at the progression so far: 

8 Weeks

12 Weeks

16 Weeks

17 Weeks

18 Weeks

19 Weeks

20 Weeks

21 Weeks

22 Weeks

23 Weeks Again

Not really much change from week to week. Not even really a huge change from month to month. Can still see my feet too! 

Size of Baby: Large mango. About 11.5 inches long and weighs about 1.1 pounds. Not much growth this week. I don't know, but I think last week's squash looked bigger... 

Symptoms: Lots and lots of movement. Can pretty much feel him all day long now. Starting to get some back aches from time to time now too.  Lately I have been feeling some slight pressure in my lower abdomen and into my back as well but only from time to time. Should be able to feel Braxton Hicks contractions any time now, but I don't think this is it. Baby probably is just positioned real low, but will have to ask my doctor about this next week. 

Cravings: I think my cravings have subsided. I have had a minute craving for cake recently but in general have just really been liking fresh fruit! Yum yum! 

Something I miss: No changes here really....clear skin, flat tummy, not gaining weight, energy. That's what I miss the most is energy! But today, I miss not having a cold. I came down with a bad cold on Saturday and it is still here :( Hoping it is better by tomorrow...I am feeling a little better today in general. 

Milestones: Daddy "read" Christian a story the other day! Well, I say "read" because Daddy prefers to make up his own stories as he goes :) And he is pretty good at it I must add! I did tell him, though, that if he plans to do that with Christian once he is here, he better have a good memory so when Christian asks for the "Super Hero Captain C" story again, Daddy can tell it again :) I'm also trying to read to baby boy more too! Grandma wants to make sure he is going to be a reader like mommy so I guess I better start now! Baby's cochlea is now fully formed so he can hear all that I hear, but not at the same level. Kicks are getting slightly strongerJim has felt baby move but this past week when I was watching Zoe and Jaden, Zoe was determined to feel the baby move and she couldn't feel him yet. This was Zoe all night Thursday...Precious :)  

Looking Forward to: My Birthday tomorrow! Jim is "surprising" me with a night at the Water Street Inn in Stillwater!! :) Soooo excited! Hope I'm feeling better by then! I say "surprising" me because my hormonal self may have gotten a little emotional over the weekend and Jim decided to tell me what we are doing for my birthday in order to cheer me up :) Also looking forward to the finishing touches for the nursery coming in the mail...won't be here until the END of February...soooo far away! Oh...and I'm looking forward to seeing Christian in this: 

Sears was having a baby sale and we just happened to be there yesterday and decided to pick this up now while it was such a good price! Isn't it cute!?! Now for Great Grandma to finish/start his baby blanket and he will be all ready to get baptized in June! Yep, we are way prepared ha ha Note: My grandma has never finished a baby blanket...so we will see :) 

Morning Sickness

Defined:  Morn*ing Sick*ness

Noun Nausea in pregnancy, typically occurring in the first few months. Despite its name, the nausea can affect pregnant women at any time of day. Not only can morning sickness be experienced at ANY time of the day, but it can also be experienced ALL day and for much of your pregnancy, lasting beyond the first few months. I have been lucky enough to experience this. However, this morning as I sat down to read my Fit Pregnancy magazine (Volume 19 Number 6, the February/March 2013 issue), an article on morning sickness stuck out to me. There is good news! Here it is in a nutshell folks- Morning Sickness is: A sign that proper hormones are being made and baby is growing, growing! Correlated with lower risks for miscarriage Also correlated with lower risks for breast cancer later in life for mom An indication of baby's IQ! Mom's with morning sickness often give birth to baby's who later score higher on IQ tests.  So, all in all, morning sickness still sucks. But next time I am kneeling to the Porcelain Throne, I will be thankful that this uncomfortable inconvenience is actually a blessing and sign of good things to come :)

22 Week Bumpdate!

22 weeks, 1 day

There's my face. Just for you Becca :) 

Size of Baby: Christian now weighs about 1 pound!! And is about 11 inches long, the length of a spaghetti squash. 

Symptoms: Feeling Christian move lots and lots :) So fun and so weird at the same time! There really is something...someone...in there! Daddy has even been able to feel him lately :) Other than that, symptoms have really started to subside. Still don't have a ton of energy and STILL experiencing some nausea from time to time. Oh! And how can I forget...it seems my memory is gone! I will be working on something and go "Oh, I need to do ____" and then I leave the room to do it and completely forget what I was going to do...It's getting mildly annoying. Also, round ligament pain continues, especially when I cough. 

Cravings: Candy hearts? Ha ha I think this is something I normally crave around this time of year. No real cravings lately. Oh wait. I was really craving carrots the other day. I wish we had some now... 

Something I miss: Still missing all the same things...clear skin, a flat tummy and not gaining weight, energy. There was something I was thinking the other day that I have been missing, but of course, can't remember it today! 

Something I WON'T miss once Christian is here: My fingernails growing so fast and strong! And of course, feeling him move! It's so cool! 

Milestones: Christian's senses are continuing to develop and he can now feel. He may even be grabbing the umbilical cord. He can sense light if I were to shine a flashlight on my belly. He also can now hear the sound of my voice and daddy's voice! So time to really start reading to him! I did read him a story a week or 2 ago...He can also taste now, so time to start developing his taste for some healthy foods. Daddy has officially felt Christian move now too :) Baby also now likely has eye brows! He is starting to get hair and his whole body is probably covered in a fine hair called lanugo. It sounds like Christian just needs to keep growing now :) 

Looking Forward to: Getting my "To-Do List" completed so we are fully ready for Christian to be here! My friends have also officially started brainstorming and planning for our Baby Shower, so I'm starting to get excited for that! 

Spoiled Already!

Staying home has its benefits. I love it and feel so blessed to be able to be home. One of those benefits is getting ready for baby! Now that we know we are having a boy, we have officially gotten some of our first baby gifts for little Christian! Makes it all seem so much more real! Today I washed up everything we have gotten so far and started putting it in Christian's dresser :)

Cute monkey cuddly and a baby blanky from my cousin's little boys, Blakers and baby boy to be! Because every baby needs a cuddly blanky! Thanks guys!

A cute outfit from Grandma in Wisconsin. I spent the weekend in Wisconsin with my mom about 2 weeks ago now and of course we did some shopping and just couldn't pass up this cute outfit! Size 6-9 months so Christian won't be wearing this for a bit, but come end of summer, it will be so cute! 

Check out the little paw prints on the onesie!

Give me a bear hug!

The hood even has paw prints and little bear ears! So cute!

A bunch of fun stuff from Grandma in New York! Some extra crib sheets (top left) and matching swaddle blankets (top right). 

Another cute and cuddly blanky for baby boy! 

Cute little hats! size 0-3 so Christian can wear these right away. Loving the bear hat with face and ears :) 

And matching onesies also size 0-3.

Is this a Baxter onesie!?!?

I think I see a resemblance :) Christian has a Baxter onesie! Cute!

Baxter can't wait for Christian to get here. 

"Mom, when will we use this stuff??? Isn't it a little early??" ha ha 

THANKS everyone!! Can't wait to use it all! 

21 week Bumpdate!

21 weeks, 1 day

Size of Baby: Banana. About 10.5 inches long and about 12.7oz. Maybe a little more since he weighed 12oz last week and was supposed to be about 10oz...

Symptoms: I think this week the most obvious symptom has been my crazy weird pregnancy dreams! EVERY night. Seriously. I have such beyond weird dreams and they are so vivid and real! I enjoy dreaming, but these have been a bit much for me. I'll be glad for them to be done. I also was thinking the nausea was nearly done...but nope. Found myself bent over the toilet again just the other day. At least that is happening less and less and they are fewer and farther between. My emotions have also been pretty crazy lately and still feeling tired every day. Sleep anyone? Sure. I'll take 12 hours a night :) 

Cravings: I saw BBQ Chips on tv the other night and every since I have been wanting some!  But I am not letting myself give in to that craving unless I can find a single serving bag. I will NOT buy a whole bag and eat it all myself. Other than that, not much for cravings this week. Could really go for some mac n' cheese, though. Cravings should be called something like "weight traps" or something! Everything I get a craving for is so bad for me! 

Something I miss: Energy! Something tells me I won't be seeing this for awhile...From just tired to tired from not sleeping. Oh the joys :) I had been missing clear skin, but hoping for some improvements there! Got the go ahead from my doctor yesterday to start using my benzoyl peroxide again!!! Can't wait for that stuff to start doing its thing! 

Milestones: 

• Baby's digestive system is starting to develop which means he is starting to swallow
• Lots more kicking and movement to come. I feel him every day now :) Coolest/weirdest thing ever!
• Baby's eyelids and eyebrows are present now
• Baby is steadily gaining fat
• Growth rate is slowing down
• Buds for baby's teeth are beginning to form
• The nursery is set up! Still needs a few finishing touches, but for the most part, its done! :) 

Looking Forward to: When Jim can feel baby kick too! That will be so exciting! Sounds like it could be any day now. He has been a little less active the last few days, though. But all is good. Just had our doctor appointment yesterday and we can check his heart beat at home and its still strong. 

Follow Up: I do indeed have a low-lying placenta. However, my doctor isn't the least bit concerned about this. He said that it almost always moves up. I will have another ultrasound around 28 weeks to check and make sure. He also said that the placenta is just low and is not covering the cervix at all so it really won't cause a problem but it is good to know. While I'm excited to get to see Baby Christian again, I'm not excited to have to drink so much water for the ultrasound. It was VERY uncomfortable last time! 

Well, I have been plugging away at my to-do list this week! Almost half of it is done! Yay! Something tells me, though, that as my list gets shorter, it will also keep getting longer. I keep finding more things I want to get done around the house before baby comes. At least it gives me motivation :) 

The Nursery!

Baby Christian's room is pretty much ALL set up!!! Yes, almost 4 months in advance...but we are so excited! And my dad bought us all the bedding and decor for Christmas so I couldn't resist getting it set up...neither could hubby :)

We decided on a Noah's Ark theme for Christian's room.

The view as you walk into Christian's room. We decided to keep the twin bed in there for a couple of reasons. 1.) It may be a good place to crash on sleepless nights. 2.) It will be Christian's bed some day and right now we only have a 1 bedroom. 3.) It will probably end up being a good location to dress Christian. 

The large Noah's Ark scene hanging on the wall is actually the quilt that came with the crib bedding. Since Christian will be too little for this for quite awhile, we thought it would make for some great added decor while avoiding the hassle of draping it over the crib. Plus, having it in the crib with Christian increases the risk of SIDS. Hence the mesh bumper you will notice in the pictures below. 

We are hoping to add a changing pad to the top of the 2 dressers at the foot of the bed. The green bin will hold lotions and diaper creams, etc. 

A close up of the animal pictures above the dressers. 

A close up of the lamp - Ark filled with 2 of each animal! Or in this case, 2 elephants, 2 giraffes, 2 lions, and I think there are 2 zebras in the port holes below! Love it! :) 

And of course, a close up of the quilt! As crazy as it may sound, the elephants foot on the left is actually a rattle and the little lion's foot on the right is actually a squeaker! So much for this blanket being used for sleeping! That sounds like play things to me...and Baxter agrees! He thinks its for him ha ha 

Now for the other side of the room.

Sorry for the poor lighting. But here is the crib! I guess you can't really see it, but there is a mesh liner and a cute dust ruffle of fish in the sea. The crib is also still serving as a storage space for some baskets and blankets and bibs, etc. that still need putting away. Daddy even agreed to the valance above the window! :) I have suggested this since BEFORE we got married as our house does not have a single curtain or window treatments of any kind. Jim always said "it would make the room look smaller" but this one came with the crib set and went up without a question :) Our swing/bouncer is also in the corner, but once baby comes, that will likely move downstairs and then whenever it is needed at the moment. It will probably be mobile. 

We are also hoping to find wooden letters to hang by ribbons spelling "Christian" on this side of the room and then also to add a border of wall clings of animals "2 by 2". 

A close up of the mobile over the crib. It plays a real soothing tune too. Two elephants. Two monkeys. Two zebras and I think two lions. 

And finally a close up of the diaper holder. For now, it's on the crib. The dresser seems to short, and honestly, I can't figure out how to attach it to the dresser. Part of me also thinks it may be more realistic to just store the diapers in the top drawer of the dresser since that is where the changing pad will be, but this is just so cute! And again, came with the crib set. 

So yes, the room is looking pretty close to ready, and ready very early, but there is still some final touches to take care of. And the dresser is still empty. However, daddy and I have not been able to resist picking up a few cute outfits...neither has grandma! 

Thanks, dad for the nursery stuff! We LOVE it!! Can't wait for Christian to be here to use it! 

20 Week Bumpdate!

20 Weeks, 4 Days 

I'm officially looking round. And Jim had lots of fun with the 20 week pictures :) 

Size of Baby: Small Cantaloupe. About 6.5inches and according to our ultrasound on Wednesday, he weighs about 12oz! I can't remember what the ultrasound tech said his length was but I feel like it was more than 6.5inches. The lab results we got don't make sense to me, so we will go with 6.5 for now :) 

Symptoms: Well, there is the bump :) Still sometimes nauseous, but it has really improved. However, over the weekend, I randomly woke up at 12:30am and started throwing up. Felt great the next day, though! I've also had a somewhat stuffy nose most of the pregnancy so far from the hormones and all. That's still here. And now I'm getting pretty regular kicks :) They are still gentle, so they're fun, not yet annoying. 

Cravings: Lately, I think I have been craving fruit more than anything. Can't get enough pears and oranges :) Much healthier than the potato salad and jelly beans I couldn't get enough of before! 

Something I miss: Coffee. So the past 2 days I have returned to having my daily cup of decaf, which is totally allowed :) I could even have a cup or 2 of regular coffee (up to 200 mg/day), but I feel weird about that....and decaf does it for me. I also miss having a flat tummy...but something tells me my tummy is going to get much less flat and MUCH more round. 

Milestones: We had our second, and actually first "official", ultrasound on Wednesday and it was confirmed again, we are for sure having a BOY! Very clear this time :) However, he posed much cuter in our first ultrasound. He didn't want to give us a profile this time around. It was still fun to see him again. I have also been feeling lots of little kicks tap tapping in my tummy. So fun :) AND on New Year's Day, Jim and I got the baby room mostly organized. Still want to flip flop the crib and the bed so they are on opposite sides of the room. My dad bought us the crib mattress and bedding for Christmas and we just finally decided to order it and it should be coming by next week, hopefully. So within the next 2 weeks or so, we should have a nursery reveal!!! :) So excited! We also bought the dresser, which will be the changing table. So the nursery is set to be finished soon! 

Looking Forward To: Setting up the nursery COMPLETELY! Should be really fun! :) And our OB appointment next week to go over our ultrasound with the doctor. I did get the print out saying no abnormalities (or something like that) but it also said I have a low-lying placenta and this should be re-checked in 6 weeks. From what I have read online, it looks like this is something that can change as the pregnancy progresses, and its most common in women who smoke, do cocaine, have had surgery on their uterus or previous c-section births. So, since I don't really fit into any of those categories, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will move up! 

As long as the placenta doesn't cover the cervix, everything should be fine. From what I have read online, if the placent doesn't move up, women with this usually have to have a c-section and may need to delivery early. For now, we are still planning for an EDD of 5/21/13 :) Praying it moves its way up!