B forgot I was pregnant!

OK... it turns out that the outfit I wore on Monday hid my bump that B said that he had forgotten that I was pregnant! Now that I look at pictures, I can see what he means!

This is week 19 (I almost forgot what week I was).

More preparations...

This past weekend we took advantage of the three day weekend and headed to IKEA after our dishwasher was delivered. But not before we enjoyed a lovely breakfast at Ghini's French Cafe... the strawberry crepes were delicious! Not very nutritional but definitely yummy.

We purchased a wood countertop for B to make our counter for the dishwasher area. We also ordered our crib and it should be arriving in the next two weeks. Since B has been diligently working on the dishwasher counter, my job has been to research the best prices/safest baby items that we want to get. Thanks to the Baby Bargains book, Malia's helpful list and reviews on the internet it's been pretty easy. SO... I found the best price ever and free shipping to the store for our crib. Here is the Graco Lauren Crib:

We also took an early morning hike (to avoid the heat) and of course took the boys with us. We've been on this hike quite a few times but this time was different since Blue was joining us. Not to mention, Blue's cousin Alexa also went on this hike when she was in her mommy's tummy (even though we didn't know it at the time). To date, Blue has been on three hikes: the Friendship trail in Hawaii, the Butterfly trail in Mt. Lemmon and then the Canyon Loop/Montrose Pools trail at Catalina State Park... the next quest... camping!!!!!

Our first big purchase!

The other weekend we headed to Home Depot to check out the dishwashers. B and I have been going back and forth about the necessity of having a dishwasher. We currently use our own two hands to wash our dishes and so far we haven't come across any big challenges with the exception that it takes us a while to clean (especially when we are cooking). Given the fact that we tend to get home later, we are realizing that the amount of time that we use to wash dishes could be time that we will want to spend more time with Blue. SO... it finalized our decision. We went to Home Depot and asked a lot of questions. No... we didn't buy a dishwasher right away. Instead we went home and researched a few of the dishwashers that we liked.

After researching, we went back and made our very first humongous purchase towards getting ready for Blue!

So... early Friday morning the deliverers dropped off the dishwasher and we have the perfect spot for it. BUT... our plumber needs to create a dishwasher connection since we are putting this in for the first time and B has to create a counter since we are putting it in a non-counter space.

The work will continue and B is already drawing up his plans. The dishwasher is currently sitting in the spot it will stay in so we can get used to it being there!

Another Appointment and Baby Shopping... more like Window Shopping!!!!!

We had another appointment today and met another certified nurse midwife. Judy found the heartbeat immediately and it sounds healthy and strong! We will have our second ultrasound scheduled for the next week or so.

We also took advantage of the early evening and headed to the Babies-R-Us closest to our house. WOW!!!!!! Talk about options! Luckily for me... my older sister (Aunt Malia... or also known as "Alexa's mom) has sent us her "everything but the baby" list. She has literally comprised a comprehensive list of everything that we will need for a baby (bottles, type of nursing pillows, strollers, crib sheets)... so very helpful... plus it's nice to hear her own personal experience/opinion. She also sent us her "Baby Bargains" book that she purchased when she was pregnant and that book breaks down what is safe as well as what is the best deal along with a rating system. So... put the list and the book together and we have a pretty good guide as to what items we should be looking at.

We checked out cribs, heights of dressers (to see if our current dresser will be a good height for a changing table), sat on some comfy glider chairs, pushed some strollers around and checked out the maternity wear. Whew! We were exhausted and we didn't even have to make a decision or purchase anything!

Week 18

Here is the baby bump at week 18... it seems like my belly is getting bigger everyday (although that's just my perspective)!

ALSO... today was the very first day (in a really long time) that B and I actually cooked a very extensive meal together! My "morning sickness" seems to be subsiding and our very very wonderful friend (AC) sent us a recipe book: Eating for Pregnancy. Each recipe gives you a description of what type of nutrients you are putting into your body. So, I picked out the vegetable fried rice and tofu. It took us forever but it was really yummy. We had leftovers for lunch and one of the students thought it smelled so heavenly! Here is a pic...

Hmmmm... Should we?

One of the most common questions we are getting from family members and friends happens to be:

"Do you know if it's a boy or girl? Are you going to find out?"
                     
So, no we don't know if Blue is a boy or girl yet. Although he/she already has his/her male/female parts! We will be able to find out at our next ultrasound which will be around 20 weeks. B and I have been going back and forth about this question and haven't reached a verdict yet (I think B definitely wants to find out). Both of my sisters are convinced that I need to find out the gender so we can plan better and bond with the baby more. I totally see the point in this but there is a small part of me that is thinking "why?" "Why do we need to find out?" Back in the day people didn't know what they were having until the baby was born!

So... we are bringing this dilemma to you... should we or shouldn't we? Write us your thoughts by posting a comment!

Baby Bump

So here it is... our very first picture of the bump! We took it Monday and our goal is to take a new picture on Mondays since that marks a new week for us. SO... this is our 17 weeks picture. I'm finding that my bump looks much bigger at night after I've had a few meals... we took this once we got home from work.

Blue goes to Prom!!!!

This past Saturday, B and I took Blue to his/her very first prom. Blue danced a bit on the dance floor, had some yummy lemonade and fancy treats! All before even being born!

That's right... we chaperoned prom! It was interesting that's for sure. The great thing is that we went with the inclusion students. The two inclusion specialists at B's high school volunteered to take their students to prom. These students range in disabilities. Some were easy to take while others were more challenging. Both B and I work with some of these students so it made it much more fun for us to see them dancing and interacting positively with the regular education students.

So... we've included a picture of us (we all met at the high school to take pictures, eat and then transport everyone). You might notice that we are both wearing teeny tiny ties (well, you can't really see mine). Of course it is much more noticeable on B. Many students commented on the look. Yes... we wore them on purpose... we actually didn't go as each other's date... instead my date was one of the inclusion specialists and B's date was the other inclusion specialist. We even made our dates corsages (my date loves sunflowers... check the picture out below)... notice B's beautiful boutonniere! It was fun and definitely a fun memory to tell Blue about!

Art Camp

OK... so the first few blog entries have been dedicated to our news and trying to update you on the great happenings of the first few months. This entry is about B's Art Camp.

Over the spring break, B planned the greatest and bestest art camp for his high school art club students. It was so amazing for B to provide this opportunity for these students... not to mention he gave up his first week of break to get ready for camp and then to put it on.

SO... three days dedicated to making art and enjoying the company of budding artists. Yes... I was suckered into chaperoning and it was a ton of fun!

Day 1: The students spent the morning designing their own t-shirt designs to screen print onto their own shirts. Some were finished and were able to print their own designs on themselves. At lunchtime, B drove a 14 passenger mini-bus to eat at a local Mexican restaurant. YUM! I was looking forward to this all month! True to form, one of the owners made sure that we all got a hug and a kiss before we left! Then off to the Tucson Museum of Art to see some crazy glass blown art and screen printed art.

Day 2: Everyone was still in good spirits as they all continued to make their designs and print them on. There were glitches but definitely a learning process for the budding young artists. B drove the students to the University of Arizona (I got the opportunity to actually ride in the bus) and we let the students find their own places near UA to get lunch. After lunch we headed to the Sonoran Art Glass Academy and we all made our very own blown glass ornaments! That was fun and definitely an experience to remember.

Day 3: Still finishing up the screen printing (this took longer than expected but once again... a great learning process for the young artists). After lunch near UA we headed to the University of Arizona Art Museum and learned some interesting art history about a giant altar piece from Ciudad Rodrigo in Spain.  Bullet holes were even still visible! After UA Museum of Art it was off to the Museum of Contemporary Art where the students loved the bean bag room and reported that there were a lot of nude paintings! Instead of the students going home after the afternoon outings, they stayed until 10:30 at night. The plan was for them to stay until midnight to watch movies, eat pizza and hang out but luckily the young whipper snappers got tired and went home earlier! That meant Band I were able to return the bus and get home at a semi-decent time!

All in all... this was an amazing experience and B is already planning on the next art camp! The crazy thing is that at the next art camp we will probably have a little bambino tagging along! (It took us a full day to recover!!!!)

Momentous Occasions

The past three months have been filled with momentous occasions that have brought excitement, joy and even relief.

January 18 (5 weeks, 1 day): It was confirmed officially that we were having a baby!

At 6 weeks, even though we were still really early on with our pregnancy, we took a childbirth options class at the birth center in Tucson. We were able to ask questions about the birth center and take a tour of the different birth center rooms. The birth center is the only place in Tucson that offers water births... so we have been thinking about that option. Lots to consider!

February 4 (7 weeks, 4 days): We had our first ultrasound appointment. Since it was pretty early on, we were able to actually see the heartbeat but not yet hear it. It was amazing to see this tiny little wonder on a humongous screen. The technician had to zoom in quite a bit and thank goodness I had a very full bladder. It didn't take her long to be able to find our bongo playing little one. It was amazing to see the heartbeat and it was also a relief that it was confirmed that we have a little one beginning the early stages of womb life.

February 24 (10 weeks, 3 days): We had our first official appointment at the birth center. Our certified nurse-midwife (another post will be dedicated to filling you in on the birth center and the certified nurse-midwives) was so persistent in finding the heartbeat. She had her small doppler heart beat listener thing and it took her a while to find Blue. At first we were making small jokes and then after a while B and I started to get a little nervous even though our CNM was trying to put us at ease saying that sometimes the baby is hiding. Then... finally... we heard this crazy underwater sound and sure enough... Blue's heartbeat was loud and clear! Joy and relief at the same time took over us! Not to mention that since we had seen and heard the heartbeat, we knew that our chances of having a miscarriage had been reduced greatly!

March 24 (14 weeks, 3 days): We were able to hear the heartbeat and met another CNM at the birth center. So many wonderful memories already!

How are you feeling?

As we've been telling friends and family about our glorious news, one of the most common questions asked (mostly by the women) has been: How are you feeling?

Well... I'll do my best to recall what the past 15 weeks have been like for me...

5th week: I had no idea I was in the early stages of pregnancy so I can't really report on any symptoms. Although, the rapid heart rate was a symptom even though I didn't put it together.

6th week: As soon as I told our acupuncturist that I had no morning sickness... the next day it hit me all day. Although I didn't know exactly what was happening until it dawned on me that this must be "morning" sickness. After that, it became apparent to me that my "morning" sickness actually hit me in the late afternoon into the evening time. That month I spent a lot of evenings just laying down on the couch. I think this is when we started to eat out a lot because nothing at home appealed to me (the smells in the kitchen were way too strong). Started to notice an odd sharp pain in my butt area. I learned that it is the sciatic nerve pain which is caused by my growing uterus.

10th week: The morning sickness is still sticking around and of course nothing at home is appealing to eat. SO... more eating out and more laying on the couch. Still getting acupuncture to help my sciatic nerve pain and thank goodness for the best acupuncturist in the world!

13th week: The morning sickness is still around but it is slowly starting to subside. Still eating out a ton! I'm starting to feel tired in the afternoons and taking naps is such a glorious thing. I've never been a believer in naps but now... they are wonderful!

15th week: I actually made dinner which means I am starting to feel less nauseous!!!!!

Weight: As of today, I've gained about 3 pounds since week 5 (I don't really know what my weight was before that). Which I am still amazed at since we've been eating out a ton and I feel like I have quite a belly (pictures to come soon).

Cravings: In the beginning all I craved was anything salty and crunchy. I'll admit, fast food was becoming my best friend, although now the idea of fast food is just icky. Fruit is one of my favorite snacks and vegetables just don't do it for me. I'll fully admit that Blue and I have not been getting our daily vegetables in. Lemonade (fresh) has been my "go to" drink and every weekend we make a big batch of it to have readily available.

Update on B: He has been loving the eating out part. He has been the most supportive husband in the world and putting up with my finicky eating. The gaining of sympathy weight is very debatable. B has been very dedicated to keeping in shape... so... the question is... has he gained a couple of pounds due to sympathy weight or from being active and "bulking" up. I must say... he has been looking very good lately!