Furniture!

MUCHO furniture planning/purchasing was done this past week while Babies R Us was having their nursery sale, so here's the rundown of our decisions:

Graco Lauren Convertible Crib - White

Rock-A-Bye Taylor Classic Swivel Glider - Bella Velvet Buckwheat

Rock-A-Bye Taylor Classic Gliding Ottoman - Bella Velvet Buckwheat

And for the to-be-purchased list at IKEA at a later date:

IKEA Birkeland dresser - White

IKEA Birkeland Nightstand - White

I am wicked excited. I also finally received the valance for BabyBaby's room, so we'll get to start picking out paint colors sooner than later. YAY!

being sick sucks...

I honestly thought I was in the clear... I was fine all winter long, and then last night - BAM - hit with a sore throat, sniffles, congestion, coughing... ugh. I called my doctor's office this morning and they told me I would be OK with Tylenol cold, so that pair with lots of fluid and vitamin C drops should (hopefully) get me on the mend. I hope so. Because it's the end of the month, and work is getting busy. And I really can't/shouldn't take a sick day...

We will finally be looking into baby furniture tonight. We're going to head over to Jordan's and then IKEA to see what they have, and then most likely Babies R Us tomorrow to do some price comparisons. So far I think we're going to go with a crib, low dresser, and a recliner... the crib will be standard - not a convertible or a dropside - and we don't really think we need a changing table because we can just get a pad to put on top of the dresser, and it's one less piece of furniture we need to fit into the room. We also need to think about a bookcase and a nght table, but we're just focusing on the big pieces tonight. As for color, most likely white or a light stain... that way we'll be able to reuse it in the future, and they should go with just about any bedding set. I do like the darker stains and woods, but I just dont think they'll work in that room.

We'll see how far we get tonight though... I forsee a lot of back and forth and comparisons and discussion..... I just hope I have the energy for it all feeling like I do now. =(

A happier day

With everything that's gone on these last few days, I'm happy to finally be able to smile and look forward to the future. Seriously... it was scary, the unknown. But now all that is in the past, and I really hope we don't have to go through anything close to that for a long, long time.

Anyway, on to good things. Like ultrasound pictures!!!


We are 100% sure she's a girl - we had 2 techs and a doctor tell us the exact same thing.



A profile picture from the ultrasound on Monday.



Another profile picture from the hospital's ultrasound - we're still trying to figure out whose nose she has.


My sister and I spent a good chunck of last night buying the cutest baby clothes.... it was great therapy to help get out of the slump these last couple of days put us in.


I did end up going to prenatal yoga on Wednesday - I thought it would help me relax some... it was fun, but it didnt help the brain shut off, I can tell you that. The center was nice, but I'm still not sold on if it's the place for me. I'm still going to try Open Doors - next Thursday most likely - and then compare the two. It's only $1 difference between the two classes to drop in, so I guess it will all depend on the instuctor.


But since everyone is in a brighter light today, I've been re-evaluating the Hello Kitty nursery. Still Hello Kitty, buy I think we're going with purple instead of pink:




The one downside to this set is that I've had to register at Bed, Bath, & Beyond just for the nursery set, but that's ok I guess... everything else will be at Babies R Us.


Speaking of Babies R Us, as I was there with my sister yesterday, I discovered that they're having a 20% off all nursery-related items sale through 5/27... that included furniture, bedding, rockers, etc. Luckily, Chris and I were planning on going next Friday since our "extra" paycheck is coming up and we decided thats what we wanted to invest in... I'm wicked excited, and hopefully we can get the registry rollin' while we're there!


Also, another really sucky side effect to pregnancy? Bloody noses. I've had 3 in the last 24 hours.... so very much not cool, especially in allergy season.

A much-needed update...

First - IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

Second - a belly picture. 19 weeks, 4 days

Third- these last few days have sucked. Why? Well, rather than repeat myself, I am going to copy/paste what I wrote on my most-visited message board:

Over these last few days, I have been going through the most tumultuous of situations, and for no other reason than lack of explanation. My world was upside down, inside out, and I honestly had to consider some of the toughest scenarios that any mother to be should never have to face. So to my pregnant Niners, and anyone else soon to be, or thinking of it in the future, I give you the biggest lesson of your prenatal tenure: ASK QUESTIONS.

We went for our fetal scan on Monday, and the 20 minutes between finding out she was a girl and speaking to the midwife were the happiest we had ever felt.... and then the midwife opened her mouth, and my world did a complete 180.

She told us the baby may have a "possible brain abnormality" and she wanted us to go to the hospital and get a level II ultrasound and speak to a genetic counselor. By that time we were both frozen with anxiety and panic, while the midwife was spewing out terms such as "quad screening" and "Downs Syndrome." We couldn't speak... our perfect little girl could have a serious problem.... and I spent the rest of the appointment bawling my eyes out. Looking back now, it was almost as if the midwife was waiting for us to say something, but no words came out... we were in shock. And she acted surprised that that I was so upset... yet didn't give us any more information. She tried to console us, saying causally that it could be nothing, but I could get "possible brain abnormality" out of my head....

The appointment at the hospital was initially scheduled for next Wednesday, but there was no way we could tolerate that long to find out what was wrong with our little girl... so when I called to pre-reg for my appointment, I put my foot down harder than I ever have before, and we were able to get the appointment changed to today. So rather than a whole week's worth of anxiety, we only had 3 days.... but let me tell you, those 3 days were the worst days of my life, to date, and I would never wish them upon another soul, no matter how much I despised you.

I couldn't eat. I could barely move. I couldn't think about anything baby related - my life was at a stalemate until I could find out what was wrong with my daughter. I was empty... I was broken.... luckily, sleep was the only consolation I had... for once, my brain was able to turn off, but the moment I would wake up it would start turning dark again, thinking of the worst-case scenarios, because thats how it works...

The appointment was at 12:45pm today, the meeting with the genetic counselor first, and then the ultrasound right after. I felt like a zombie walking down the hall to the Maternal Fetal Medicine department... it was serious akin to a death march, thats how I felt inside.

However the moment we met Emily, the genetic counselor, a sudden ray of hope filled me for the first time. When she asked me how our day was going, and I informed her it could be better, she looked at me with a huge smile, saying "I bet you're going to do a 180 by the time you get out of here."

When we sat down in her office, the first thing she asked us was what our doctor's office told us was wrong. We told her. She shook her head and said it couldn't have been further from the truth. She went over everything with us - how the unit worked, what the report from our doctor said, what they were going to do, and that we wouldn't leave the hospital without an answer.

What we thought was a brain abnormality turned out, per the report, to be a "mottled" Choroid plexus cyst, which basically meant that the supposed to be round choroid plexus in the baby's brain (where the spinal fluid is formed and recycled) was an odd shape other than the circular shape the tech was used to seeing. That was it. And there's nothing in connection with the choroid plexus that has to affect the baby's learning, talking, cognitive skills, etc. Downs Syndrome, according to Emily, should never have even been mentioned. The ONLY connection this has with any chromosomal defects is Trisomy 18, and even still there would have been more obvious markers with the baby's development that would have been red flags... there was nothing. Other than this "mottled" CP, the baby was perfectly fine. She told us, when the file came in yesterday, that she didn't understand why we were there in the first place...

So we went to get the u/s in better hopes. The tech was quick and thorough, and 15 minutes later the doctor, who looks at these ultrasounds for a living, gave one more look at my belly, and told us there was nothing wrong with our baby.

You have no idea the feeling of relief that washed over me at that moment.

Emily came back into the room before we left and gave us both huge hugs.... we needed it.

The only downside to this all is that my placenta is low - about 1.5cm away from the cervix... we're hoping that as the baby gets bigger and the uterus explains, it will move away, but honestly, right now, it's the least of my concern.

So I reiterate.... PLEASE ask questions.... even if you dont think you can form them, try. If Chris and I could just have gathered our wits enough for them to explain to us about this "abnormality" before we left, I honestly think I would have been in much better spirits going into today.

I know this is rambly and I apologize, but having to deal with this over the last few days and not wanting to talk about it has been harder than you think....

19 weeks today!

19 weeks... almost 20... which means almost half-way done. How did that happen?? Time has flown, and it's getting away from me... and there's still so much to dooooo!

As always, no 19week picture as of yet, but I do have 18weeks 3 days to share:

So my birthday was April 21st, so leave it to my mother and my sister to get me baby-related items as presents. Not that it bothers me, since they're items I wanted anyway, but it was a very baby-filled birthday, that's for sure. In addition to my first round of maternity clothes, my mom bought me the Vera Bradley Baby Bag:

My sister, on the other hand, though practical, went for the more cute route, and bought me a bib from ThinkGeek:

Earlier last week I was on full-out baby mode. I don't know why, but I got a lot accomplished. Like signing up for childbirthing classes. They're offered at our hospital and there are 3 course options: 5-weeks, 1 weekend or a condensed 1 day course. After doing my research, we decided on the more spread out 5-week course as close to the due date as we could schedule so that we would retain as much information as possible. It started in the middle of July, runs into August, on Wednesdays from 7pm-9pm. Pretty excited for it.

Also in my BOTB madness, I started looking into nursery ideas, and I think I've narrowed down what I would like to use for each. Sadly, there aren't many options out there for girl nurseries that I'm down with, so for a girl I've settled on Hello Kitty:

And there are SO many more ideas for boys out there... or maybe I'm just anti-pink? I don't know, but I think the Turtles are really cute:

Once we find out the gender tomorrow (!!!!) we'll be able to focus more on the registry and the nursery planning, but in the meantime we're working on condensing everything in the house and cleaning out the guest room to make room for our new addition. Sadly, I can't lift much these days, but we did make a pretty good dent yesterday. As of now the guest room is sans furniture other than my dresser, which will eventually be moved into our bedroom as soon as we rearrange the furniture in there.

I have to say, though, that right now my two biggest gripes about being pregnant are my skin and my weight gain. I know, I know, there both hormonal side-effects, and things could be worse, but still... I'm someone who has had issues with my skin and weight forever, and this being pregnant thing isn't doing much for the self-esteem. I would love to have the outlook that once the baby is born it'll get better, but I really don't know if that's going to be an option. But for now, I'm doing what I can - I'm using Belli's face wash in the shower, Philosophy's Hope in a Jar as my moisturizer after, and I've found a Tea Tree gel from The Body Shop for spot treatment... I mean I guess I should be thankful that the problem area is my chest and not so much my face, but it's still not pretty to look at.

As for my weight, I've been trying to be as active as I can be - I make sure to take Loki for his walk every afternoon once I get home from work, and if the weather would be more forgiving I would head over to Pond Meadow at least once a week. I'm still trying to fit yoga into my routine... time and money have been a big factor. I also need a new mat (Mandukas are out, so maybe this one?)because there's NO WAY I can stay comfy on my old one at this point. Also, I just don't know if I was to go to Open Doors for yoga... I haven't had a very good track record sticking with their classes, and I just need to rationalize $14 for a drop-in.

Of course, after the Moms Night Out my mother and I attended this past week in honor of Mothers Day, I have learned there is a Women's Health center specializing in pre- and post-natal activity. It's in Norwell, and though its a little bit further than Weymouth, I'm intrigued. They're having an open house this coming week, so it might be something to check out, pending the class times and schedule.

Regarding the Moms Night Out, it was at our local mall, and it was ok - there were a couple of vendors there, but not as much swag as I would have liked. I did get my make-up done, so that was nice, and I found out about the yoga place in Norwell, so that was a plus, but other than that, eh, not that impressed. My mom, however, is amazing, and brought me to the maternity store in the mall and bought me MY Mothers Day present... really not what I was expecting, but I'm thankful for it just the same.

I will admit, though - I still feel slightly guilty for accepting Mothers Day gifts/cards/greetings. I mean, I know I'm a Mom-To-Be... but does that still make me a mom at this point? I want to say yes... since the end result is inevitable... but I dunno, I feel like I'm taking advantage of something that's not mine yet... I dunno, I'm weird.

Anyway, speaking of Mothers Day, that's today, and so far we have a jam-packed day of stuff with both of our mothers... should be fun, and the next year I'll feel more like I'll have some weight in decision making. :)

So, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!

18 weeks (I'm a slacker)

I did a lot of baby things yesterday, and there's so much more to come, but I wanted to write a quick entry so I could remind myself of what I wanted to talk about later...

*childbirthing classes
*nursery ideas
*cleaning house
*skincare
*Mom's night out
*yoga
*weight gain
*pictures!