Registering a Baby - Oy Vey!

So the pressure is on for me to register for my little Piper-to-be, but I am completely overwhelmed!  There is sooo much stuff out there and I don't have the first clue as to how to navigate the registry maze! 

First of all, I haven't even started on our nursery.  Does that come first?  I sort of think that is a good place to start because it means some of the big stuff like a crib, dresser, changing table, bedding, etc.  But is that right? 

Or, am I supposed to start with the small things like bottles, diapers, soaps, bibs, and tiny clothes?

Or, do you start with car seats, strollers, high chairs, carriers and bouncy seats?

I have no idea and I need help.  HELP!

23 Weeks = 6 Months Pregnant!

As of yesterday, I am 23 weeks pregnant which equals 6 months.  We had a sonogram on Monday and our precious baby girl weighs 1 pound 4 ounces.  She is little for her age, in the 44th percentile for size.

She was "practicing" her breathing and even stuck her tongue out at us (she's little stinker already)!  I have been feeling her move and kick a lot in the past few days and in one of our sonogram pictures, you can see where her leg is stretched straight up and in to me.  Josh even felt her move for the first time while we were in Temple a week or so ago.  It was a very moving moment - I cried ! 

I used to think that it was so "alien" to imagine what it would feel like to have a baby kicking inside of you, but it isn't strange at all.  You get used to it and it's so nice to know that she's still in there and moving around.  Personally, I love it!

I can't wait to meet our sweet little Piper Marie!

It's Official!

Josh and I finally own the home that we will bring our sweet baby girl home to this upcoming spring.  This past year has been filled with so many challenges from infertility treatments, to job loss, to building a new home, to selling our existing home, to getting pregnant and everything in between.  Thankfully we are ending 2010 on a high note.  We are truly blessed!

Is this what I "do" now?!

Ever since I got pregnant, people have been asking me if I'm going to be a stay-at-home mom or go back to work.  I wish I had an answer for them because at this point, I truly don't know. 

There are pros to staying home (and cons) and pros to going back to work.  Plus, there are all of the questions that I ask myself and I don't have answers to my own questions.

Questions I ask myself:

Q:  Do I want to stay home?
A:  Not sure.  I have been on my own for 15 years with my own money and at this point, I'm scared to give that up.  Then again, I have a feeling that once I see the precious baby that I have been blessed with (finally!) that going to work will be the LAST place on Earth I want to be.

Q:  Can we afford the lifestyle I have enjoyed with Josh if I don't work?
A:  Not sure.  We haven't sold our condo and we are about to move in to a new house which means TWO mortgages and taxes and insurance and maintenance...  That's a whole lotta cheddah, yo! 

Q:  If I don't work and stay home with my precious baby, will I be stuck at home because we can't afford to do extra activities like go out to lunch, swim classes, shop, the zoo, etc.?
A:  Who knows?

Q:  If I go back to work, will I be absolutely miserable?  Will the cost of daycare or a nanny override the paltry sum I bring home?
A:  ?

There are a lot more questions, but you get the point.  Since we don't know what the future holds, we are moving ahead by covering all of our basis.  Which means looking for daycare facilities, getting on lists, finding a nanny, etc. in the event that I do have to go back to work.  I want all of this stuff lined up as soon as possible so I can know that my baby is in the best possible hands - if they can't be my own. 

It's a...

GIRL!!!

I'm not going to lie, I was pretty shocked.  I just knew from day one that we were going to have a boy.  I was so confident that we were having a boy that I even told people that if I found out that I was going to have a girl, I would be shocked.  And here we are... Shocked. 

The shock is starting to wear off and I'm replacing it with excitement.  Finding out the sex also made this whole pregnancy thing so much more "real".  It's not just a concept now, it's my reality.  I am going to be a MOTHER with a DAUGHTER.  It's surreal.  And amazing.  And a dream come true.  I am feeling truly blessed.

Here are a few of Baby G Heddy's (aka Baby Girl Heddy) statistics at 19 weeks:

• She weighs 9 ounces
• She is in the 44th percentile for size
• I can feel her kick, but her foot is only ¼ of an inch
• She is about the length of a summer squash
• She probably can hear external sounds and conversation by this time, or will very soon. My voice is the most pronounced. She can hear me talk, hum, and sing.
• I have now reached my 5th month of pregnancy
• Her due date is April 27, 2010



Me at 19 weeks
November 29, 2010

 

What are we having?

As of today, I am now 17 weeks and 3 days pregnant.  We still don't know the gender of the baby and I spend a LOT of time wondering if I'm carrying a little boy or a little girl.  I decided to look on the "webernet" (Josh's name for the internet) to see what types of wives tales are out there and quizzes I could take to see what they say I'm going to have.  Here are a few of the results:

My mother's intuition (since day one) says that I'm having a BOY. 
Based on the Childbirth.org quiz, I am having a GIRL.
Based on the Parents.com quiz, it could go EITHER WAY.
Based on the Chinese Gender Chart I am having a BOY.
Justmommies.com thinks I have a 58% chance of a GIRL.
Babyzone.com CAN'T TELL.

Well, that's clear as mud...

P.S.  We find out on November 29th...

Mmmmm....foooood. Delicious, delicious food.

As of today, I am now 15 weeks and 3 days pregnant and I'm finally getting over my morning sickness.  We all know that pregnant women have a heightened sense of smell, but did you also know that eventually you also have a stronger/better sense of taste?  It's true and now I have a new "problem".  It's called food.  Delicious, delicious food. 

I have always had a healthy appetite and there's not a whole lot of food that I don't enjoy, but just recently food is just so... how do you say?  YUMMY!!!

I don't crave anything in particular and I don't snack (at least not yet), but put a meal in front of me, and I'll tell you - more than once probably - that it's the most delicious _____ I've ever eaten! 

Take today for instance.  At lunch my friend and I went to The Original Pancake House.  I had a BLT with scrambled eggs and hash browns.  Before I got pregnant, I didn't love bacon; however, now it's just too good to pass up!  As I munched away, I commented about how good it was.  Then, I tasted the hash browns.  They were, in a word, awesome!  Crunchy on the outside, soft and mushy on the inside.  And they were cubed (which I didn't like before today) instead of shredded.  SO GOOD!

After lunch I was at a friend's desk and we were talking about getting food at sporting events.  I said, "what makes a sporting event hot dog so good?!"  My friend and I agreed that it's all because of the bun, which I described as "beautifully amazing".  My friend said, "do you realize that out of all the things on earth that are "beautifully amazing", to you, it's a hot dog bun?!"

Yep.  I'm pregnant all right.