Week 23 - Where's the beef?

This weekend, we introduced Leo to solid food! Well, rice cereal that is. I admit, I was more excited about the entire event that he was, that's for sure. The directions recommended 1 tbsp of cereal to 4 tbsp of milk. The bowl was prepared, the spoon ready, Leo was placed in his bumbo seat with tray intact and here we go! The first bite left a sour look on his face and it sure didn't get any better after that. So much so, that once the spoon was put into his mouth, he started spitting it out. After all said and done, he got about 10 spoons of cereal and proceeded to knock the bowl out of my hands onto the floor - his way of preparing me for what's to come, I guess. I will give the cereal a good couple of days, but will start introducing veggies this week as well. Although he didn't particularly like the cereal experience, I'm sure we'll get the hang of it.

We also attended his friends baptism this Sunday. I promised him during his baptism, this was the only time I would make his wear a dress!

Week 21 - This Time, This Day, Last Year

You tend to remember what you were doing, where you were when certain events changed your life. Certain milestones you can go back to and recall years later. For me, it was finding out I was expecting. It was Thursday, October 15th, 2009. I remember walking home past the new CVS that opened just a few weeks prior thinking "what the hell", just go in and get the test. After getting home and seeing it was positive, waves of emotions and thoughts came over me. The first being, "how did this happen so soon?!" and "OMG..I was a bad girl this last weekend". I read the instructions backwards, forwards and in Spanish to make sure what I was seeing was real.

It's amazing how fast time flys and how much one person can experience in just one little year. It was an incredible journey and I am so blessed to now have Leo in my life.

Since returning to work, I have found out that 4 of my co-workers are expecting. I tell each of them to enjoy every minute of pregnancy since it goes by so fast. But I wait to say this after the first trimester :)

Week 18 - Transitions

As I continue on this motherhood journey, I'm quickly discovering things and events are impacting me more than Leo. For example, when he gets his vaccines, trying to clear his nose using the baby nose aspirator, dropping him off at daycare, etc. This weekend, we are transitioning Leo into his own room sleeping in his crib. He's been in our room sleeping in the pack-n-play and is a quick 4 steps from us. He will now be 15 steps away, which is almost 4 times as far.

We started Saturday with naps in which I sat on the stairs and watched him sleep for 20 minutes while he dozed off. Saturday night was his first official night in his crib. If you must ask, yes, I slept in the extra bed that we are keeping in his bedroom. He's been fighting a stuffy nose, so at 330am, I had to use saline and our beloved aspirator. Other than that, he slept in there like a champ and hopefully that continues! Like all else, it will be harder for me than for him.

Week 17 - And That's How We Roll...

Every Friday afternoon, we have the luxury of taking Leo to physical therapy at Children's Hospital for his torticollis. He Hates It. Hates It. Almost despises it. We strip him down to his diaper and the physician makes this kid work so hard - twisting and turning his little body in order to stretch out his neck. At first, he's all smiles and coo's, but once he knows what's going on, watch out. I feel really bad for Leo of course, but for the physician as well. I know she's trained with infants, but believe me, Leo gives her a run for her money. By the end of the session, he's completely pissed, she's ready to go home and we get the luxury of taking a tired, overstressed child home. As much of a pain it is, we can tell a huge difference in his head holding and he won't be helmet boy!

Week 15 - Finding Normalcy

To all of you dedicated followers, I'm sorry for the dry spout in blog entries. I've been busy trying to keep up with my 3 month old. We're in the swing of things and are trying to maintain and find normal balance. I'm back at work and Leo is in daycare full time. The first day we dropped him off was extremely tough - not on Leo, but me. They invited me to the toddler room where everyone else was crying. But now, Steve drops off and I pick up. I think I get the fun time - the "hello! Let's go home!" rather than the "adios, see you tonight". He's doing great in daycare and even received the Most Content Award his first week. Note: this award was taken away from him last Sunday night when we attempted to go out to dinner for my birthday. Leo was NOT a content baby.

We do this 5 days a week and are also going to physical therapy appointments Friday afternoons where Leo gets a good workout on his neck due to his torticollis. The Dr's mention this might be due to him being breached. Another fun side effect! He absolutely hates it and is exhausted by the time we leave.

We are finding, discovering and trying to maintain a routine and schedule. If anyone knows me, this should not be a big surprise. Leo is successfully sleeping through the night and if we let him, will sleep for 12 hours (thank goodness). People say this usually happens with "plumper" babies. So I guess it's not a bad thing for him to be weighing in at 15 lbs.

Steve gave Leo his first bath tonight with my close supervision. Afterwards, I mentioned he's like a slippery turkey so be careful taking him out (thank you Julia for this comparison). Needless to say, that then turned into my job. Steve is doing awesome and Leo loves being around him. Before I leave in the mornings, the two of them are watching CNBC in their PJ's. If they could, I'm sure they would be like that all day.

I'll try to maintain these posts as often as possible. This is what my Saturday nights have turned into. Until next time...

Month 1 - Zoom Zoom!

Sorry I haven't been able to update anything in the last couple of weeks. Needless to say, I've been busy!! This month has seriously flown by - which I'm guessing will continue to happen. They always say that once you have kids, time goes by faster. I feel like I'm going to wake up tomorrow and he's off to college (a Big 10 school, per Steve).

So far, things have been going really well. We've had a few nights where he's up every 2 hours (thank you 3 week growth spurt) which means I get one hour of sleep at a time - who knew breastfeeding takes so long, but other than that, he's such a great baby! We were lucky enough to have my parents out here for a few weeks and my sister out for a week to help out. Not only was everyone a huge help, but it also provided me some adult interaction throughout the day since Steve went back to work shortly after Leo was born. Steve's younger sister has also become quite a big help...she's our babysitter and we've been able to get out, just the 2 of us once already. It's nice to have some family around! Friends also stop by for visits which is awesome so I can continue to have a social life while at home.
He's growing like a little weed and seems to be a different baby every day. Even though it might be gas related, he's smiling a little bit here and there.
We have a busy week coming up. The 1 month checkup in which we'll find out exacly how much weight this little pudge of ours has gained, a possible playdate with baby-yoga friends and we're also planning on going to Michigan for the long weekend.

Week 1 - And Leo Makes 3

Well, he's here! After a successful C-Section, Mr. Leo has arrived! He came into this world at 7 lbs, 19.25 inches long and a good set of lungs. His delivery worked out great for everyone...Steve was excited that he was born after the closing bell and on a 3 day weekend. For my mom, she was able to book a flight and be out here for his delivery.

We checked into the hospital at 12:30 on Friday, May 28th. While being hooked up to the fetal and contraction monitor, we discovered that I was in labor and that I was having contractions every 1-3 minutes. Since I couldn't eat or drink anything for 7 hours prior to the procedure, I thought those were hunger pains and that a nice burger would cure all. After a few of those contractions, I knew what they were. No matter what, he was coming on the 28th - nice timing Leo!

The procedure went well and we were released from the hospital the following Monday. My parents were in town for the remainder of the week and left this morning. So today is mine and Leo's first day alone. So far, so good. Aunt Jamie gets in this Saturday and we're so looking forward to spending time with her.

The 3 of us are learning new things about each other every day. We know that he likes his little hands, a lot and when you try to swaddle those little things, watch out! He does well with eating (who knew!) and we're getting learning the trials and tribulations of his sleeping patterns.

Over a week has gone by and I can't believe how much he's changed already. He's such a sweet boy and we're so blessed!

40 Weeks - He's In Breech

I typically update this on Sunday mornings, however this Sunday, I will be laid up at the hospital. During this weeks Dr. appointment, it was determined that My. Leo is in a breech position and will require me to have a C-Section. The procedure is scheduled for Friday afternoon at 3:30. An entire wave of emotion came over me as I heard the news and have been through an emotional roller coaster ever since. But I'm trying to be as positive and optimistic as possible. Of course, I know nothing about C-Sections, so I'm doing some research about it and will prepare the best I can.

This, for sure, guarantees that he is Steve's kid - he has no sense of direction. I will spare everyone the details, but not too long ago, Steve got lost in Wrigleyville trying to find a bar to meet up with our friends that's down the street from Wrigley Field - need I say more? I guess he didn't get the memo that he needs to be head down for a successful birth. However tonight at dinner, Steve did ask me "what if I pass out?". Two thoughts ran through my mind: 1. Wimp. 2. I'm so glad you're worried about passing out rather than how the person who's being sawed in half and the child that will be pulled out. You have to love that he speaks before he thinks.

Today also marks the start of my maternity leave from work. I said goodbye to everyone and hopefully firmed up everything that I needed to get done for my absense.

So hopefully my next post will consist of all good baby news. Until then...

39 Weeks - Tick Tock!

I'm just going to start off by saying, I am SO glad that I am due any day now. The official temperature outside today is 90 degrees. Talk about holy heat! We walked to breakfast and then to a friends house. I was uncomfortable! God bless all of you expected women who are due later in the summer!

This coming up Thursday will mark week 40 and by no means do I feel any different. For the last 3 appointments, my measurements haven't changed much. I'm starting to resort to spicier food - the spicier the better! A girl at M Burger told me to drink a glass of grape soda every night. Her grandmother who had 11 children of her own swears by it. I guess my meals will be Indian/Mexican food followed by a glass of Welch's grape soda!

My dad arrived late last week in preparation for the baby. It's awesome having him here and will be a huge help after we get home from the hospital. As my dad phrased it earlier, my mom will sweep in on her broom when I go into labor. His words - not mine. At least she is pestering him about any changes with me rather than always contacting me. Oh mama-O.

Congrats to our friends who welcomed their first daughter this past Monday! Any useful first-week advice is welcome!

38 Weeks - The First of "The Lasts"

As this pregnancy is coming to term and I wait to face motherhood, I start thinking about "the lasts". I reminded Steve that this will be the last weekend we wake up as the sole 2 people in this house. Now you might be thinking how presumptuous I am being by thinking this and that I know this child will be born this week. That's completely untrue - my dad arrives this Thursday to be here when the baby is born. We've been packing so much into these last couple of weeks, just to take in the last little bit of "us" time. From baseball games, happy hours, planting our entire garden and roof deck in a single afternoon, we've overloaded ourselves to make sure we're ready. So much so that almost every night before we go to sleep, Steve makes the following statement: "I really hope you don't go into labor tonight - I'm exhausted." Thanks honey - I'll make sure to tell him to stay in there.

We've also discussed what days we would prefer him NOT to be born. May 21st is option expiration. May 23rd is, well, the 23rd. And May 24th for other reasons. Anytime before or after would be fine though! Due to my slight gambling habit, I'm starting to take wagers on if he will be early, on time or late. Right now, my money's on late.

I look over at my packed hospital bag every night wondering "when". I've never had this open ended, not knowing event to which I've packed for and have no idea when the trip will be. Although, I think it would be fun to sign up for those flight deals where you board a flight and not know where you are going. But then again, that would answer the "when" question and not the "where".

37 Weeks - The Final Countdown

If by chance you read the title of this entry and all you can do is sing the song "The Final Countdown" by Europe, I'm terribly sorry. I, myself, have been singing it all morning too. It's a snappy tune, but one that will you be singing over and over.

37 weeks is considered "full-term" in the pregnancy world. If Leo (notice: I didn't call him Cletus!) were to be born this week, they would not consider him premature! Although, I have no labor feelings whatsoever. In the last 2 appointments, my progress has not yet changed, but as they say, it can happen over a few weeks or a few days, so be prepared!

I'm starting to get text messages from my mom every day as well. Mom - if something were to happen, you would be the second person to know. Honestly.

As of yesterday, we are down to the last 20 days. A friend of mine that I met in prenatal yoga has a scheduled C-section on the 17th. She was mentioning this week, she has a "preparation" day - getting her hair cut, colored and a full manicure/pedicure day! I love it. Too bad waiting for natural birth doesn't provide the same time lines as scheduled ones. I guess I'll need to make sure all of my "maintenance" is taken care of in the next couple of weeks! I'm also trying to take in and go to as many things now as I possibly can. Last week, I saw the play "Avenue Q" (LOVED IT), this week, we're heading to a Cubs game. Not saying that I won't be able to enjoy all of the events that I'm used to, but they just might take a little more planning.

I believe Steve's preparations are also coming along, although, he had a dream that I was in labor and thought to himself "if I just lay here quietly, maybe she'll driver herself to the hospital". I know, lucky me! Hopefully his dreams have very little meaning to them.

36 Weeks, 9 Months In Full Bloom

I have officially arrived to the 9th month of pregnancy!!! It's the kickoff of the countdown. It's funny, I tried to call my mom early Saturday morning to chat when she responds with a text asking if every thing's ok. I'm guessing every phone call or text message I sent will carry the anticipation of "is this it?".

I love being this far long in my pregnancy during this time of year! I feel completely in sync with nature. We walk by the newly hatched geese grazing in the greenlands with their siblings and parent geese. All of the trees are in full bloom along with the flowers. I'm also grateful that it hasn't been too hot and that I'm still comfortable and able to walk about.

We took our last baby preparation class this week - newborn basics. Other than Steve accidentally removing the baby manikan's head during class, it was a good learning experience. I don't know how these things seem to always happen to him, but they do. One new father did ask the instructor if it would be too loud to take a newborn to a Cubs game. I'm thinking upper deck seats to avoid any real danger, but that's just me.

Starting today, I've started to prepare for our journey to the hospital. The umbilical cord blood donation kit arrived and I've purchased pillows for us to take. They recommend bringing 2 pillows that can tossed if soiled. So correction - I bought tossable pillows while Steve picked out a new tempurpedic pillow. He must not have been taking notes during this part of the class.

35 Weeks - My Chicago Shower

As I've mentioned in previous blog entries, we have a great family of friends here in Chicago. I've discovered how difficult it's been, especially during pregnancy, not to have my whole family around, we are so fortunate to have the friends that we do here. This weekend, my friends threw me an awesome baby shower! My Little Man is now all set with the latest fashion trends, towels for bathtime, sheets for bedtime, snap-n-go stroller and an infant seat to make it home from the hospital (Steve suggested we walk home....I'm just sayin). Thank you again for everyone who was able to attend and please look for my official Thank You cards in the mail in the coming weeks.

We sent Steve off to go boozin with the boys while us ladies oooh'd and awww'd over baby duds. I talked to him periodically throughout the day, but as he stumbled through the front door at 1am, I'm guessing he had a great man-day.

This week, we have our last baby training class - Newborn basics. It's the ABC's of what-to-do-now class. After that, I'm down to the final 30 days...but who's counting?

Congratulations to friends of our in Colorado who welcomed their first baby boy on Monday night!

34 Weeks - The Couvade Syndrome

The proper definition of Couvade Syndrome is when men experience symptoms of pregnancy. In this case, I would not say Steve is experiencing physical symptoms, but he's experiencing an important offset - nesting. For the last couple of weeks, he's been showing signs of preparation. For example, our refrigerator and dishwasher were starting to need repairs. What does he do? He goes and buys new appliances. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, but for all who know Steve, this is very out of character for him. It's funny to see this side of him just because it's usually me that obsesses about these types of things. I'm actually hoping the nesting Steve will start throwing old school papers away that seem to lurk in our office.

This week's Dr. appointment will be the last bi-weekly appointment. Starting May 3rd, I have appointments every Monday. I'm sure both parties involved will be excited so see each other's bright sunny faces every Monday for the month of May. I know I will (please sense sarcasm).

33 Weeks - Great Expectations

We just completed our first baby class "Great Expectations" through Northwesterns Prentice Hospital. It was a FULL day of baby and labor instruction and, you guessed it, expectations. The instructor was awesome - such a no-nonsense labor and delivery nurse that's been there for 15 years. The class pretty much consisted of her lecturing, little videos, question/answer sessions, etc. I wish they would've video taped the class though - just to see some of the expressions on Steve's face while they were covering different topics through the class. One of the videos was labor and everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know about every phase of labor. During the "pushing" segment, Steve's eyes were super wide and his hands over his gaping mouth. I'm curious as to what he expected labor to be like? I think this was his first time witnessing any type of labor example. For me, I found myself watching his reaction more than the video just because he was so dramatic about it that it was hard not to laugh. Bless his heart. Although his initial reactions were somewhat mind-shocking, I know that when it comes down to it, he's going to be a great coach and the strength I need once d-day arrives.

Our next class is Infant CPR followed by Newborn Basics - which will answer the 'OK, we do what with this thing now' question.

32 Weeks, 8 Months on Easter Sunday

My sister and I laugh looking back now, but when we were kids, Easter Sunday was not a joyous experience for either of us. We would get woken up before dawn to make sure we were at the Omelette Parlor before 6am (buy one, get one free meal), the off to kids mass. For some reason, every Easter Sunday, we would get into so much trouble that by the time we got to mass, we would be the puffy, red-eyed kids that had been yelled at prior to getting to church (for what reasons, I can't recall). As I've experienced in my adulthood, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, so while sitting in mass this morning, I wondered how my Easter Sunday's are going to be after this year. Will my kids be the puffy, red-eyed kids or the one's falling asleep in the pews? I guess we'll see!

So far, the room is coming together! We put the crib together and make it up with the sheets, crib skirt and bumper. It's adorable and I find myself gazing at it in anticipation! All of his little clothes have been washed and put away, along with new blankets that people have given us. This week will consist of another Dr's appointment (I hope they remember the cookies from my last visit) and next Sunday will be the all-day Great Expectations class at Prentice.

We also found out this week that some of our best friends are expecting this fall! I'm not naming names, but we couldn't be happier for them.

Happy Easter everyone!

31 Weeks - The Checklist

For anyone who knows me, I am very type-A personality. I create lists for EVERYTHING. In fact, every Sunday morning when I put my grocery list together, I try to organize it in order of the store. First, fruit and produce. Second, cereal and breads (you get the point). I just makes things so much easier! I can be in and out of Jewel in 20 minutes - tops.

Call me creature of habit, but my baby checklist is in an Excel spreadsheet on my laptop. This week, we've checked things off and added some more items. Crib/mattress bought and delivered? Check! Pre-register at hospital? Check! While reading the trusty What To Expect - month 7, it goes into the "Birth Plan". Some of the things in their checklist are so odd, that I couldn't help but laugh. One of the potential items is to make sure you chosen the right lighting and music while delivering. Um..Ok. I think my Birth Plan will consist of a few items: Get to hospital in one piece, have a safe and hopefully painless delivery. Check!

Steve was insistent that we become Costco members before D-Day. The value of being able to purchase diapers in bulk and hopefully save a buck-or-two was reason enough. Each box holds about 258 diapers to his comment "at least they'll last a long time - since babies only go through about 3 diapers a day". Oh my poor husband...

Picture Note: This is not the same picture as last week...Beasley was being entertained by the wildlife Steve feeds on a daily basis.

29-30 - The Baby Shower

No disrespect to week 29, I just didn't have a chance to update anything last week. We went to Denver for my Colorado Baby Shower! My mom, sister and best friend threw me a fantastic baby shower held at Maggiano's. It was great to see my family and friends that I haven't seen in a long time. Cletus received some great gifts..in fact, this kid is going to have his choice of one-sie's and will be warm with all of the blankets! Thank you again to everyone who was able to make it and for all of the wonderful gifts!! Now, on to the Thank-you card writting...

The Dr appointments are now starting to be 2 weeks apart rather than 4. This doesn't bother me so much, but just knowing that I have the potential to sit in a waiting room, for sometimes hours, kills me. Hopefully the cookies that I shared with the staff this last week will minimize my wait time in future visits. Go me for the creative thought process! Our last checkup went well. Everything is going smooth and we're both on-track. See you all in 2 weeks!

We're also pre-registering for the hospital. I remember thinking a while back how long it would be before I would have to do this. Well, here it is! I'm still working through it, but will hopefully be pre-registered and ready to rock-and-roll by tomorrow.

28 Weeks and Rounding Third

I'm officially saying sianara to my second trimester and hello to the third! It's funny, all of my pregnancy books congratulate you on getting to this point in pregnancy. One book even compared the third trimester to driving through the state of Texas. I have to admit and agree with many, the second trimester was so far the best (this includes finding out I was already 1/3 of the way through it without knowing, but that's another story). Although you see some light at the end of the tunnel, there are plenty more obstacles you need to experience, so I shouldn't be thinking I'll be getting off easy until May! This week, I think my body wanted to give me a sign that I was for sure in the last trimester by increasing the pain on my lower left back. After some reading and talking to my baby yoga friends, the symptoms sound like sciatica - nerve pain. One way to relieve it is to see a chiropractor. While I'm not thrilled to visit any more doctors in these next 3 months, if it cures my new gangster-looking walk, I'm all for it.

Later this week, Cletus and I are heading back to Colorado for my baby shower!! I'm ridiculously excited to go back home and see my family and friends! I've been really looking forward to this trip for a while now and am grateful that I have so many caring people in my life. Steve will be staying back in Chicago and attending the infamous St. Patty's Day pub crawl. For those of you who will also be attending, please make sure he doesn't lose anything.

27 Weeks and Everyone is Nice to the Pregnant Lady

A friend of mine once told me that dolphins are naturally attracted to pregnant women. For some reason, if a pregnant woman went to go swim with the dolphins, they would flock to her. While we were in Florida, I did see advertisements for swimming with the dolphins, contemplated to see if this was true and then questioned if they were attracted to pregnant women or if they just thought I had food for them hidden in my belly, kind of like dogs when they know their owners have treats in their pockets. I decided to opt out of this experiment.

I've noticed however, that people in general, are overly nice to a pregnant woman. For example, we weren't supposed to be able to check into our hotel room until later in the day. The very nice lady came back to us after speaking with her boss and let us check in early. Her reasoning toward this was "they're such a nice couple and she's pregnant and everything". The pool waitress also checked on me EVERY time she walked by - no matter if she had drinks for others already in hand. I wonder if their kindness comes from sympathy - 'oh man, I was just there...I know what you're about to go through'. Either way, the treatment from others is understate-ably kind.

This week, my co-workers got together and purchased a few items off our baby registry. It was a total surprise and I'm so grateful to work with such amazing people! Thanks to everyone again!

Also this week, Cletus and I had our monthly checkup. This one was the glucose test. I enjoyed a stale orange beverage, waited for an hour, got blood drawn and almost passed out from hunger due to not being able to eat or drink. The results will be this week.

We are signed up for our baby classes! The first one is Great Expectations. They go over birthing methods and other things. I'll attend but my theory is modern medicine is here for a reason...start the drip of pain killers as I check into the hospital, please. We're also enrolled into Infant CPR and Baby Basics. I wasn't sure on the Baby Basics class, but after Steve mentioned that he doesn't know how to hold a baby, this will be well worth the money.

26 Weeks - The Babymoon

I had never heard of the term "Babymoon" until I was flipping through an "Oprah" magazine. The official meaning would be "get away before you're life changes F-O-R-E-V-E-R". Although we typically try to break up the brutal winters by heading to Florida for a long weekend, this one had special meaning to us. This would be last trip that we would take - just the two of us. The weather was perfect and the nojitos (aka virgin mojitos) were tasty. As we found out, we weren't the only Babymooners at the hotels we stayed at. We spotted at least 5 other expectant couples enjoying themselves in the sun.

As Steve jokes with me, I read EVERYTHING about what not to do, what not to eat, etc during pregnancy. One of the controversial items is sunbathing. Online, you will get every opinion from the "go ahead" to the "stay in the shade". I decided to stay middle ground. The first day was at the beach, so I rented an umbrella to stay shaded. The second day was at the pool and was nice since the first half was blocked by palm trees (I know, rough life). I did, however, keep myself fairly covered only taking off my wrap around to jump in the pool to cool off.

Needless to say, the 2.5 of us had a great trip! Hopefully we'll be able to go back next year with Cletus in toe.

Picture Note: I think Steve feels left out that I'm the only one who gets their picture taken. I also really hope Cletus and any future offspring inherit my ability to tan nicely.

25 Weeks and Officially Lost Sight of My Toes

There are many milestones in pregnancy. First and foremost, finding out you're pregnant, telling people you're pregnant, first doctor's appointment, first time hearing the heart beat, first ultrasound, clothes not fitting, first feeling of a real kick. This week for me was learning, if I look straight down, I no longer have a view of my toes. If I stretch my neck enough, I can see them, but I'm sure this tactic will be gone soon too. Although they are not in my sight, they definitely need a pedicure!
This week consisted of purchasing a changing table (it's HEAVY) and a glider. Good thing we did this early since the nice sales associate informed us that it was going to take anywhere from 12-14 weeks to be completed. You can imagine my OCD response finding this out since I only have 14 more weeks to go. I really hope the glider gets here first.
I haven't read too much into this topic, but what is up with the weird dreams?? This last week, I dreamt that Cletus was born and we had no clothes, no diapers and we brought him home in Brawny paper towels. It doesn't take a dream analyst to diagnose this one. I'm not fully prepared. All in due time.
This week, the 2.5 of us will be taking a long weekend and heading down to Miami. Although I don't have a maternity swinsuit, I figure Nicole Richie can pull of the bikini, why can't I? Note - I'm not planning on posting any of THOSE pictures.

24 Weeks=6 Months=4 more to go!

I am now 6 months along in this pregnancy (woohoo)! I really feel that this last month, I've "popped". I told a co-worker of mine this last week that I was 6 months along and they had a shocked expression and mentioned "wow! I couldn't even tell". What does that really mean "I couldn't even tell"? Does that mean I look smaller than 6 months? Or that you didn't know I was expecting? I'm guessing since it came from a male co-worker, they thought I had just put on some weight and didn't want to be rude by saying so and felt relieved he didn't have to ask.

Cletus has been an active little fetus this week. He's been so active that at night, he sometimes wakes me up. I think he's trying to give me a preview of what's to come...

Although I'm not near my family during this experience, I've had a great deal of support from my Chicago family. Not once have I felt left out of any activity just because I'm pregnant - in fact, they have been so kind to make sure I don't feel this way. Thinking about it, Cletus has attended a wide variety of events and life experiences already in utero. His first rock concert (thank you Aunt Sarah and Uncle Dudey), his first college football game (thank you Uncle Dan), his first motor boating experience (thank you Aunt Katy) and countless happy hours complemented with cranberry juice. Yes, this life of ours is about to change, but the support of my friends here help me realize that this baby will have plenty of love from them.

23 Weeks..And It's All About Baby

I feel I've been very fortunate throughout this entire pregnancy. For starters, I never had any morning sickness and the only pregnancy side-effect I've encountered has been exhaustion and an expanding belly. Another fortunate thing is that I have been fitting in my normal pants until 23 weeks. My last pair of go-to jeans finally gave me the 'I'm Just Not That Into You' vibe last Friday so I ventured out to the land of maternity shopping starting off at A Pea in the Pod. Let me just say this, maternity clothes are COMFORTABLE. And, if you splurge a little (or a lot in my case), you can look kind of cute at the same time. In fact, I don't understand why maternity pants aren't worn more often! They are the ultimate expandy-pant! Take for example, Thanksgiving...I'm thinking these would be a great asset to second helpings. Another slice of pie, don't mind if I do! I'm sure after this pregnancy is all said and done, I'll be looking forward to fitting back into my old clothes again, but for the time being, check these things out!

I've also started to register for baby items at Babies R Us. As many of you know, my first in-store experience at the Niles location wasn't exactly joyful, so I've resorted to registering online. The little that I've registered for took me well over 2 hours. Needless to say, that's how my Sunday mornings have been.

This last week, Cletus and I had the joy of attending 2 doctor's appointments. The first one was my monthly routine checkup and the second was the Level 2 ultrasound. For an hour, Steve and I got to watch as the ultrasound tech measured each and every part of Cletus's little body. According to the tech, we have a squirmer. Cletus, please get this all out of your little system while you are small enough that I don't feel your each and every move.

22 Weeks and Just Getting Started

I thought long and hard prior to deciding that I should document my first pregnancy. At first, I thought it was corney and very cliche, but what a better time to do this than now. Also, my family and friends back home don't get to see how I'm progressing or want to see me "get fat" (I'll leave the name annoynmous, but you know who you are).

Officially 22 weeks long, I thought this would be the best time to start this since I actually look pregnant and not that I ate too many holiday cookies. I'll try to do this weekly, but stay tuned...

I was looking online to see how other people documented their pregnancies. There was one I found where the husband was keeping track. Could you imagine Steve doing this?? "I think she's getting bigger", "She bought new clothes", "Something about a Dr's Apt", "I'm tired of putting lotion on her back". Rather than posting pictures of my belly, there would only be pictures of Beasley and maybe my foot. He lacks attention to detail sometimes...

Regardless, here I am in all my 22 week glory!