Baked potato week: week of decision making (at least a few)

This week, week 17, is the week of the baked potato. This week, the baby is working on packing on the pounds. According to some of the things I've read, the baby's weight will increase 6 times over the next month. The baby's bones are also hardening this week. Pretty cool!

Let's see, what has happened this week. On Friday I went to the doctor after school to have some blood work done. Before I headed to the lab, my nurse weighed me and we chatted for a bit about my cold. I found out I have gained about 2 pounds so far, a little less. I also felt less dramatic when they heard my cough and were concerned too. Not that I was thrilled to be sick, but I was glad I wasn't making something out of nothing all week. Getting my blood drawn went well, although for some reason it hurt more this time drawing only a couple viles than it did last time, when they drew 10!

We spent the weekend in Springfield. It was so nice to see everyone, even though I was coughing and hacking much more than I was hoping I would be. It was so shocking to see how big Alex has gotten! The pictures just don't do those blue eyes justice. Saturday Adam and Molly wanted to go to Babies R Us, which worked out perfectly because we had been meaning to get their advice on a few items. We think we have now picked out our car seat, furniture set, and stroller. We also purchased our first outfit for the baby -- a Bears outfit, of course. I think completing a registry and figuring out the items we are going to need for this little one is going to be MUCH more complicated than choosing silverware designs for our wedding registry :). I'm trying to take it all in and enjoy it because I keep hearing from so many how quickly the time flies by. And I can believe it -- I'm less than a month away from being halfway done with this pregnancy!

On Monday, we got in for our second sonogram and -- if all goes to plan -- we will find out the sex of the baby! People keep giving me little bits of advice to make sure the baby is moving when we get to the appointment, and I think I might just try them all just to be sure :). But if for some reason the baby isn't cooperating, then I know there's a reason we're not supposed to know yet. Regardless, I hope the baby puts on a little bit of a show because it looks like Grandma and Grandad Kershaw are going to come up to meet our little one! So, make sure you get in your votes for what you the the sex is, those of you are that are still on the fence! :)

bigger fruit, muppet mania, and a runny nose

Well, we've made it to week 16: the week of the avacado. Baby is now about 5 inches long from crown to rump. From what I can tell, over the course of the next few weeks the baby will be increasing in weight moreso than length. Perhaps that means next week we will have to find something fun to show the baby's weight as well as it's length. The main "feat" baby is overcoming this week is its eyes have moved to the place they are supposed to be and will stay. This makes getting the email of the 3D image of the baby each week a bit more exciting as it looks much less like an alien now :).
On Friday, my good friends Melanie and Amanda gave me a call and asked me to come over because they had some exciting things for the baby. I wasn't quite sure what those two crazy girls would have come up with, but I was SO excited to see what they found. I think we are pretty much set in the ways of Muppet decor for the baby's room after their finds! Other items can of course make their ways in, but at least now we have enough to justify a bit of a theme!

In other baby news, on Friday I got a call that my doctor's office had received its shipment of H1N1 vaccines, and since the virus has already spread pretty well through our district so early in the season we decided (after much back and forth over the last couple weeks) to go ahead and get the vaccine despite the controversy surrounding it.

I had also been having some really terrible dreams about something being wrong with the baby (I blame a movie we watched last weekend), so I also requested to hear the baby's heartbeat for a bit of reassurance. Then a wave of silent panic washed over me when it took the nurse and I nearly 5 entire minutes to find the baby's heartbeat. It was 5 crackly minutes of me biting my lips and the nurse saying things like, "Sometimes the doppler is a little sensitive" , "Are you sure we could find it previously?", and "Do you remember where we had the best luck last time?" Then finally, after a second try, we found the baby hiding away in a corner. 155 bpm. I almost cried in relief. And, I managed to record it on my phone so I can listen to it occasionally and put a smile on my face.

Unfortunately the relief found Friday afternoon was quickly overcame by the sickness that followed that weekend. I woke up for church Sunday morning with a sore throat, and then we met Angie and her parents for a Sunday morning brunch. By halfway through the meal, I was feeling a full blown cold coming on. That afternoon I get hit hard with a runny nose, uncontrollable chills, a slight fever, and a terrible headache. I slept for a few hours that afternoon only to feel progressively worse as the night came on. Travis was truly amazing the whole night -- getting me drink refills, extra blankets, and helping me with dinner despite the fact that the Bears were playing an important game. I slept on the couch in hopes it would help me drain my sinuses a bit, and without a word from me Travis camped out on the floor next to me to make sure I was okay throughout the night. He's pretty much a keeper.
I stayed home from work on Monday and slept from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., taking only a half hour break for some soup at lunch. Our water heater also died on us Sunday evening, so my dad was here for several hours trying to fix that for us. It was nice to have his company, even if it was frustrated company :). Then it was early to bed and back to work for me today, which may have been a bit too soon. By 11 a.m. or so I was feeling pretty queasy and my heart was racing, so I didn't get much accomplished in classes for the rest of the day. Tonight the plan is to take it easy (mom is even making dinner!) and hopefully things will get better by tomorrow.

The most frustrating part of all this sickness is the helplessness of it all. Normally when I'm sick I'm pretty attuned to what is going on with my body and what I need to do to feel better. I'm not one to go to the doctor with any sort of sickness, really. But with this, I find myself second guessing a lot of decisions. I don't want to overlook any symptom as something small that can be cured with a little orange juice and couch time only to find later it was something that required something else entirely for the baby. I'm finding it hard to find the line between justifiably concerned pregnany lady and hypochondriac paranoid pregnant lady.

Kit Kat bars, baby bumps, and cribs

Today marks the baby's graduation from a lemon size to a Kit Kat size (about 4 1/2 inches from crown to rump). From what I've read so far, our little one's exciting new ability this week is to detect light, despite the fact that his/her eyes are still sealed shut. His/her legs are growing longer this week and he/she has mastered moving all of the joints and limbs.

Here we officially have the first chapter of the growing baby belly. Nothing too crazy yet, but in a few weeks I know it will really start to pick up!

Even though I haven't gained a lot of weight yet, I've started slowly slipping a few maternity items into my wardrobe. My work wardrobe was starting to get a little slim pickings in clothes that wouldn't look trashy over my expanding upper region, and my mom got me these amazing dress pants that one cannot resist wearing when choosing between them and a normal pair. They are a little big, but definitely make the work day more comfy! Today mom and I went shopping and got a few more shirts that I can wear to school and church, so I feel a lot more prepared for the upcoming weeks now!



Here are some images of a couple cribs we especially liked when we were out perusing today. There are a few more from Target that we liked, but the image upload from Target isn't exactly cooperating. But, I think we have the style and color for the most part narrowed down. Travis really likes the cherry wood color, so I think we're either going to go with that or expresso, which is a very dark brown. We started looking at car seats and strollers, but the in store selection was pretty limited so I think I might do a little more looking around online tonight. In general I've started to become much less stressed about all of these things and have started to try to instead just sit back and enjoy it all. And so far, it's been working out :).

4th month Dr. Appointment

Tonight was another doctor's appointment. We found out I still haven't gained any weight, which is really surprising to me because I definitely have a baby belly at this point. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat together for the first time, which was exciting. It was beating very strong and on the high end of normal at 169 beats per minute (which yes Grandma Kershaw, helps your vote on the sex of the baby in the old wives' tale department).

The most exciting thing we did was schedule the next sonnogram, funny enough. On November 2nd, if the baby cooperates, we shall find out if it is a boy or a girl. I will be 18 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I'm trying not to get too excited about it, in case the baby has its legs crossed or something else odd happens and we can't find out... but the excitement is still bubbling a bit beneath the surface.

I know I need to document a picture of the very beginnings of the baby bump -- hopefully I will remember to ask Travis to take a picture for me this weekend so I can post it for everyone!

week 14 excitement

This week, the baby has grown to the size of a lemon. He or she can now squint, frown, pee, and suck his or her thumb. Very exciting stuff! Travis and I have never ceased to be amazed by the little ways the baby is turning into a little person so fast!

I am continually feeling better and better as the days pass, which I am unbelievably grateful for. I feel like the last few months of feeling up for very little has really done some damage in the staying in shape aspect of my life, so it is my goal this week to start doing some exercising to get back into the swing of things. Bring on the Wii Fit! (But I think I'll probably hold off on the hulu hooping until post-pregnancy.)

In other family news, our cat Gadget has been sick lately. Travis took her to the vet this morning and he thinks she has a bladder infection. So, a good ol' antibotic shot and hopefully she'll be as good as new. But, the whole experience has given us a nice preview of what's to come -- the art of guessing what is wrong when you have a helpless living being in your care depending on you. I know babies don't come with instruction manuals, but I sure hope that maternal instinct kicks in once the baby is here!

Now that I'm feeling better, I've started feeling motivated to do some research on baby things that we want to get. The number of cribs and car seats out there is so overwhelming! I feel like we're starting to make headway, though, and I think we'll have some things narrowed down in a little bit.

Thursday is our next doctor's appointment. Travis is sure excited because he will finally get to hear our little one's heartbeat!