Good Morning to You, Little Bean!

Today, little bean, your daddy woke up in an uncharacteristically good mood (he's NOT a morning person) and sang "Good Morning to You" against my belly....so hopefully you heard his morning greeting. I need to look up when you actually start hearing sounds (oops, I am probably supposed to know this as I teach a child development course...don't tell anyone). I think that's officially your first song, and it may be something we need to have documented, because that daddy of yours doesn't burst into A.M. song on a regular basis. :)

Run, run, run!

Well, little bean, you and I and Alie went running today--a momentous occasion! It was the first time in about two and a half months that I could even consider putting forth the energy to lift my feet that high, especially after a rough day yesterday. So, in honor of a little energy and a lack of nausea, as well as perfect sunshiny weather, our little crew took a run before I went to work this morning. We enjoyed some fresh air, raising our heartrates, and some of us *ahem, Alie* even took a swim in several nasty green puddles. I don't think we set any speed records, but wow, did it feel good! My fingers are crossed that I have hit the magic threshold of no more yucky sickliness.

Your first mail!

You received your first item in the mail this week, little bean!
A sweet card from Joey and Lindsey.
And they know your mama well....no pink. :)
In a few more years I'll teach you to read (when you're ready, of course)
and you can read their note for yourself!

Bigtime Yikes!

On Sunday I needed to run to Babies R Us to get a giftcard for someone.

To preface, we had been talking over the weekend about getting down Matt and Megan's baby crib at some point and seeing if it still met current safety regulations, ie: that a can of pop couldn't fit through the bars. Matt's response was, "We could just put some mesh or something over the sides if they're too far apart." Yikes! Since I work in a childcare setting I know that to be a big no-no, but to him it made perfect sense. Even funnier, when the topic came up at dinner with Matt's dad, Bob made the same suggestion! His wife, Sue, works for Child Protective Services, so this time she was the one to get alarmed....Anyhow, later in the weekend, Matt asked where kids sleep when they're not at home (ie: vacation, etc.) and I said in a pack-and-play. I tried to explain what this was, but it's a hard object for someone who has never seen it to visualize.

So...back to Babies R Us. I told him to come in with me and I'd show him a pack-and-play. We enter the store, which is the size of a K-mart and filled to the brim with every baby thing imaginable. Of course the cutest, most expensive stuff is right at the front door, and Matt's eyes instantly start eying the $300 carseats. As we made our way to the pack and plays, I noticed his face turning whiter and whiter. I quickly showed him the pack and play and led him to the safety of the front of the store, all the while assuring him (before he fainted) that we wouldn't need even 1/100th of what was in that store...Poor boy was traumatized. I think that's how I feel when I have to venture into Best Buy... :)

Up to speed...

Well Matt has graciously offered to let his blog morph into the information-sharing hub regarding our new little one...mostly since he never posts on it anymore. :)

So here's what the past few months have held for us....

On New Year's Eve (well, technically New Year's Day, since it was well after we had finished ringing in the new year with Matt's family, which of course lasts until midnight...) we did some pregnancy tests...okay, 4 of them. The first few were the plus/minus kind, and those are definitely not clear enough to read, especially in a situation such as this....So we changed courses to the idiot-proof variety that say "pregnant/not pregnant." I really didn't expect the test to be positive at all, so when I picked it up and the word "pregnant" was blazing in all its digital glory, I said "Oh, crap!" So 2008 started off with a huge surprise for us, to say the least! When one of the nurses who was doing my pregnancy verification at the clinic asked if we'd done any pregnancy tests ourselves and we said 4, she said. "Nobody stops at one!" Pretty funny!

By the way, this is the look of sheer terror, can you tell? He's gotten a little more used to the idea now, though. :)

My first doctor's appointment was January 19th, but it was pretty uneventful...I found out my due date and got a giant stock of prenatal vitamins. By this point I had started feeling pretty crummy, peeing an awful lot and sleep was my favorite activity.

On the 19th of February, things got a little more exciting! I had an ultrasound! This was prefaced by drinking 30 ounces of water an hour before. Yikes! I have to pee after three sips of water, so you can imagine what 30 ounces does! It was well-worth it, of course. Matt and I got to see our little one (who measured at about 2 inches during the ultrasound) wiggle and kick and squirm all around. At one point the head was facing up, but as we watched the baby turned completely around so that its head was down. We also heard the speedy heartbeat--180! The tech tried to see the baby's sex, but it was of course too early, so we didn't see anything. When the doctor listened to the heartbeat in the Doppler he guessed it's a girl because of the heartbeat, but I think he was just teasing with us. I also had blood drawn so there's a nice blue bruise on my arm. Matt was trying to talk me into letting him do it. I had to weigh that one a bit...let Matt, who's done it maybe 20 times total...or the elderly lady who has worked as a phloebotamist for 50 years...you can guess who I chose. :)

(you can see the head toward the left in the first one and toward the right in the 3rd)

I go back to the doctor mid-March, but I won't have another ultrasound for a bit longer, so we stay in suspense as to whether it's a he-bean or a she-bean.