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Hello, Sunshine

  1. I have been getting photo requests of the baby bump, so here’s a current one at 18 weeks. There’s not much going on, but there’s definitely something. I hold/rub/feel my belly almost all day long because it makes me feel close to the baby (is that weird? it sounds weird now that I write it down).
  2. That being said, I think I felt her kick last night while laying on the hammock. It’s really hard for me to say, but it felt unlike anything I had felt and was like a little fluttering. Who knows, maybe it was nothing. But, it made me cry, so we’re just going to stick with it being an actual kick and not some strange bodily function.
  3. I found a pair of capris that still fit me. Miracle? Yes.
  4. I went to Seven Peaks with two coworkers/besties last night and it was an absolute blast. I’ve already used this pass four times, far surpassing it’s worth. What a deal. Plus, I treaded water, so it was practically a workout. Yep, I’m counting it as an official workout.
  5. Also about Seven Peaks, I’ve got the WHOLE system figured out for maximum enjoyment. What was an embarrassing breakdown has now turned into a blessing, because I just tell the security guy I’m pregnant, they let me bring in food. I bring in a water bottle and the food people fill it up with ice water, I don’t bring in my wallet so we don’t have to rent a locker, and we park on the street so we don’t have to pay for parking AND I get an extra walk in. Next on the list is how to use a tube for free.
  6. I can’t wait for the 4th of July and for the Freedom Festival on Center Street this weekend. BTOML.
  7. Will someone PLEASE go camping with us on Friday night? Or how about you just come to our house for s’mores and tin foil dinners instead?
  8. T.J. has been calling me “sweetheart” lately. Although, part of me likes it only because it reminds me of my maiden name, “Swainhart,” most of me hates it. I’ve already told him this, so it’s not like I’m going behind my husband’s back here. But now, he has been calling me sweetheart and sweet pea ALL the time. He thinks it’s funny/precious or whatever, but I think we should just stick to calling the baby those terms of endearment, and not me.
  9. I’ve got to make this list an even ten since I already thought of eight items. Oh, I’ve been trying to lift a bit, working out my arms, so then when the big babe comes I actually have enough muscle to carry her.
  10. I {kind of} apologize for talking about my pregnancy so much. I will try to hold back, but as you know, and my mom has pointed out dozens of times, I just can’t hold anything back and want to share everything with everyone. That being said, a little fact about me is that I am not exactly the best secret-holder.

Another One Thrown Into the Mix

Yeah, I know I posted last year about how I hate that Audrey Hepburn floods the internet. But, as far as baby names go… I’m starting to love the name Audrey.

Audrey Derrick.

Cute? Cuter that Evelyn Derrick? I need feedback here…

Blame it on the pregnancy.

That’s my excuse for everything these days. I’m sure T.J. is so sick of it, but I told him it’s only going to get worse as I get bigger.

You’re eating another bowl of cereal? I’m pregnant. You have to pee again? I’m pregnant. You’re crying again? I’m pregnant. Why can’t you turn off the light? I’m pregnant.

I’m starting to abuse the excuse, so it is losing credibility. But as Heidi just said,

No one wants to upset a hormonal pregnant lady.

 

 

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People Watching

I learned when I worked at a snow cone shack back in Kentucky how much I enjoy people watching. I used to sit in that little blue Snowie bubble and watch all the strange/funny/unique people go by.

Well, we have Seven Peaks season passes and so we went last night and this afternoon for some good fun in the sun. Although the place was disgustingly packed and I can’t get over my phobia of walking barefoot in a public ground (my legs are sore from walking on my tippie toes all day), the people there are fascinating to watch making the experience worth it.

My favorite group this afternoon to watch was a group of three high-school boys. I wish I had my phone or camera to take a picture of them. They all had their swim trunks a little low so you could see their “fruit of the loom” boxer briefs underneath, they were wearing their aviator sunglasses in the pool, they would walk in a straight line and not ever smile. They walked back and forth scoping out the scene, not saying a word to each other. T.J. and I couldn’t stop laughing at them whenever they walked by. They were hilarious! Oh man.

Another thing that happened at Seven Peaks today was slightly humiliating. My mom taught me to bring in food to places where they charge too much for snacks. Like the movie theater. We had our little bags of pretzels or candy from the grocery store. Well, because I’m now in the second trimester and constantly hungry, I NEEDED to bring in food to Seven Peaks, even though it wasn’t allowed. We didn’t bring in bags because they check them plus we don’t want our stuff to get stolen, so we hid a bag of gold fish in my towel and a bag of graham crackers in T.J.’s. Last night they didn’t ask us to shake out our towel, so I thought we’d be safe.

Not so.

We got up to the gate and the security guy asked us to shake out the towel. I look at T.J., pretended to shake out the towel then almost bursted into tears saying how I’m pregnant and need food so I tried to sneak in these snacks. The guy said it was fine, wrapped the snacks back in the towels and told us pregnant women are the exception.

SO embarrassing, but it all worked out!!!

Baby Mania

Since I’ve become pregnant, the only thing I really think about is the baby. I wonder how big it is, what’s going in there, how it will be when it’s here with us, what the gender will be, what the baby will look like…. It goes on and on and on!

Well, this week one of my many questions was finally answered. I guess I shouldn’t say “finally” considering we found out early, but we found out the baby is a girl! It was so exciting, and I loved hearing her little heartbeat again, I wish I could hear it or feel it all the time because it’s so special.

My mom was in town and so she came into the ultrasound room with us. She cried, I cried, and when I tell the baby about it down the road, she’ll cry too. Emotional girls, we are.

On another note, do you know how hard it is not to start buying clothes for the baby? Oh my goodness. But we’re really trying to budget, so I’m going to do my best. Today my mother-in-law bought the most adorable outfit (the one on the left) for her next summer.  The one on the right is part of how we told our in-laws I was expecting. Because I love baby elephants, it was perfect.

And one final photo… doesn’t T.J. look adorable with his little cousin? He’ll be such a great daddy!

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To dream… the impossible dream…

My dream a few weeks ago my dream was to get my normal nose back. Not the actual nose, I mean, nothing has physically happened to the appearance of my nose. But, everything had been smelling horribly and differently, as you may recall.

Well, that impossible dream almost has come true. There are still a few smells that make me sick or just smell too strong to handle, but for the most part, I can handle a lot of smells without gagging! Hazzah!

Best of all, I finally got to wear my Burberry Brit perfume for the first time in three months. It was wonderful finally getting to use my fragrances! I’ve even had to eliminate odor in soaps because they were too strong, so this is a big deal!

The only downside is that things are tasting differently to me. So, I’m not sure which one I’d rather have–a bad sense of smelling or a bad sense of tasting? What do you think?

We were at the movies the other day, we bought a small bag of Kettle Corn (my favorite, usually) and I leaned over to T.J. after tasting a bite and asked him if the popcorn had an hardboiled egg aftertaste, sure it wasn’t just me.

It was just me.

To go along with the post title, enjoy this song.

The best part of waking up…

Other than being nauseous in the mornings this week with horrible stomach pains (caused by hunger, I think?), there has been one delightful change in the pregnancy when I wake up:

I can feel the baby, well… the baby bump.

I don’t know why it happens, but in the mornings the bump gets a little higher in my stomach and feels more noticeable. I just sit there for a few moments feeling this strange, but amazing, little thing inside me. I can’t wait to feel her (or him) kick!

Pregnancy Dreams

Disclaimer: This blog may or may not turn into a maternity/pregnancy/baby blog for a while. What can I say, it’s all I think about!

Last night, I had my first pregnant dream. I wish I could give you the details. I’m trying SO hard to remember them. But, I am just excited to finally have one. One of my many pregnant friends, Heidi, mentioned how she had been dreaming about her little baby which is why she actually thought she was having a girl (which, she is).

I’d been jealous ever since.

Now, if the dreams could be a little more specific (and real) about the gender, that would be fabulous! Which reminds me, I am fifteen weeks and, for a small fee, we can find out at my next appointment what the gender is. T.J. doesn’t think it’s worth it, but if we don’t find out in two weeks, we have to wait one more month after that.

2 weeks or 7 weeks….?!?

I’m pretty sure the answer is obvious.

All that being said, why it’s worth it:

  1. Everything on the previous list is temporary.
  2. I can’t wait to start our family.
  3. There are many creative Halloween costumes with a baby bump, such as a “Bun in the Oven.”
  4. I get to dress up our baby as a cute little Christmas elf or Santa Claus in December.
  5. Seeing our little baby and hearing its heartbeat in the ultrasounds.

Things I miss about my non-pregnant body:

  1. My clear skin. I already wrote a post about that.
  2. My flatter belly and wearing jeans comfortably.
  3. My clear mind. I searched the house one day for my phone, upon realizing it was in my hand the entire time.
  4. My {somewhat} normal emotions. I thought the first trimester was emotional. The second is even worse (and I’m guessing the third is a nightmare?). Lately, I’ve found myself jumping down T.J.’s throat or having an emotional roller-coaster ride at work.
  5. My regular appetite. Yesterday I was craving homemade caramels. Really? I honestly couldn’t get them out of my mind. So, there I was searching my cookbooks and searching for the ingredients on a Sunday evening. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any whipping cream (do people really keep that on hand?) and so I made Divinity instead. Utter disappointment. This morning I’m craving nachos and cheese. Fortunately, I haven’t gained any weight yet. You probably don’t believe me, after telling you all of that though.
  6. No Aches. Head aches and stomach aches everyday! I might need to boost up my medicine intake, I’m just nervous about hurting the baby. I also have “the jimmy legs.” Actually, I don’t really know what that is, I just heard it on Seinfeld once. But, if it has anything to do with achy, restless legs, I’ve got them.
  7. Smelling things normally. Oh boy, this one is number one. I cannot explain how weird and horrible it is. I’ve been told that this will go away soon, and I’m praying that it does. I’ve literally looked into buying the stuff people put under their noses in the movies when working with cadavers.
  8. We’ll just put all the things pregnant women do not talk about because they’re unpleasant and rather personal in this last bullet.