Assembling the crib

This weekend, thanks to the installation of the new carpet, we were able to assemble the crib!  Well, by "we" I mean the royal "we," because I was largely useless.  I held things steady once or twice, but Jeremy did the heavy lifting, both metaphorically and literally. 

He got to lift all of these pieces up the stairs, poor guy!

Luckily it was in six large pieces, so we didn't have to put together a million slats or edges or anything.  Both of us also have a lot of experience putting furniture together, including the time we built our dining room hutch three times (we thought we had one major piece backwards, disassembled it, rebuilt it, then realized we were right the first time...whoops) and the time we built our MASSIVE dresser in the bedroom, also known as the one project that took us two days of steady working.  Darn nine drawers.

 

Jeremy was very focused on making sure that this structure will be safe for the Bun, so he tightened every joint until it almost cracked.  It's sweet to see him so concerned for her already!

 Usually I would be down on the floor turning a tiny allen wrench too, but this time I could only supervise and document.  Sad sigh.

Posing with his conquest

In the end, he was victorious, it was nice and strong with very tight joints, and the mattress fit perfectly.  I am so proud, and excited to get started decorating once the glider arrives!

Huele bonito, no?

That was the question the installer asked me as he was finishing up, and si, Alberto, huele muy bien.

Nary a stain in sight!

I pregnancy-brained taking a before photo, but if you're curious, feel free to rewatch the video tour of the house posted on July 3.  It was nasty in there, tons of stains and wide, dirty patches.

But no more!  Now its pristine, clean, and ready to be loaded up!  This weekend we will move the dresser and changing table back in, and Jeremy will assemble the crib (thanks, Grandmommy and Granddaddy Fowler!).  The glider should arrive on the tenth (thanks, Grandma and Grandpa Klein!), then I can begin the detail work of decorating and arranging, which you all know is my favorite part.  I may have to occupy myself with some small crafts in the meantime.

My little senorita

Can babies have taste preferences already?  I know that she is supposed to be able to taste the food that I eat through swallowing amniotic fluid (brief ew), but can she like one food more than another?

The reason that I'm asking these silly questions into the blogosphere is that I think this little one loves her some Mexican food.  If you remember a few posts back, I noted that the first really strong, clear kick that I felt was when I was wondering aloud if I should go to a Mexican restaurant for lunch.  I did, and she did lots of little dance moves that made me think she enjoyed it.

Then again last night, Jeremy and I got some Chipotle after a late church meeting, and boy was she moving and grooving.  The movements were pretty varied, which made me think she was moving either around in space a lot, or moving all her little body parts.  Jeremy got to feel for a little while and only seemed to feel the strong kicks on the surface, but I could feel lots of little pokes and rolls all over.  So fun!

So I think this little lady loves her some cumin.  I'm not much for spicy food, so I don't think that's it.  Maybe she is just a sucker for the magical mix of onions, cilantro, and spices.

Come to think of it, Amy Poehler's Caitlyn also loves taking a run for the border, so I think I'm noticing a dangerous trend...

Showering Audrey with love

I meant to post these details yesterday, but I was too busy, so forgive me :-).

What was keeping me busy over my lunch break?  Audrey's fabulous baby shower in a garden!

She is just glowing!!

All of her Family Solutions friends got together over our lunch break yesterday in a beautiful outdoor space belonging to the Farmer's Wife, a florist/antique shop two doors down from our office.  Because it was so beautiful and green, I only added a couple of touches like the paper Martha Stewart hanging flowers and plastic tablecloths turned swags that you see in the picture above.

The light filtering through the leaves was just wonderful!

I also had to make a cliched disposable diaper cake, if only because they are so precious, and used the rest of the shakers from Erin's Baby Sprinkle to make Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice shakers in honor of Audrey's baby girl.

Didn't quite have enough for everyone, so those that didn't get one went home with a flower centerpiece

Our boss, Anita, already had folding tables and chairs that we just plopped down and added lovely flowers from the Farmer's Wife.  It was a little sunshine-y, but such a perfect temperature!

It's like we were in a secret garden in the middle of downtown :-)

I also found the most perfect sign or an all-female baby shower for a little girl at Goodwill, and Audrey had her picture taken underneath it:

Audrey got lots of useful items, although I just had fun making her cute and soft things:

Darn you, knitting compulsion!

We all had fun stepping out for a couple of hours to enjoy tasty food, perfect weather, and spending time with each other.  Have I told you lately that I love the women I work with?

Thanks, ladies!

23 week doctor's appointment update

I had an appointment with a midwife today to make sure everything is on track.  Very short, boring appointment, and in a nutshell, she and I are still doing well!

For anyone that likes medical details, I'm weighing in at between 18 and 20 pounds weight gain, blood pressure is normal, all fluid screens came back normal, and the midwife said I looked great.  Her heart rate was 150, which is higher than her usual 142/143 and still awesome.  She moved a little during the Doppler scan, so I think she is still adverse to people measuring her like in her last sonogram :-).

The next appointment is the super fun glucose screen.  I'm honestly wondering how sweet it will be, since I am used to consuming large quantities of sweet things ever since my two year stint as a candy salesperson (but not since I learned about her).  As an interesting alternative the practice apparently offers 18 Brach's jellybeans instead of the sweet liquid "for all those that can't handle drinking it."  I used to eat tons of Brach's jellybeans in one sitting for fun, so maybe the liquid won't be that bad?

We shall see!

Making a mobile

Hi, my name is Brie, and I am compulsively crafty.  Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I will be attempting to craft multiple items for the Bun's nursery, including blankets (mostly done), 3D art for the walls, knitted pouf (done!), a crib skirt (waiting for the crib to be assembled, hopefully this weekend!), and a mobile.

If you are a regular reader you may remember these guys:

Monsieur Fox and Professor Mouse, at your service

They have a couple of friends, a dapper skunk and be-scarfed bear, that I knitted in the spring with the intention of making them into a mobile.  At the last knitting night I also made three little birds according to a Christmas ornament pattern without a clear intention.  It was my wonderful husband that suggested incorporating them into the mobile instead of making one more full sized animal and I jumped on that opportunity for saved labor like nobody's business (sorry, bunny with boots, you shall never be).  So I had all my animals, an embroidery hoop scored for $1 at a local Goodwill, some cheap ribbon from the Michael's bargain bin, and 3 hours on a rainy Saturday.  What was this girl to do?  Whip out a mobile of course!

The first step was to separate the embroidery hoop's inner and outer ring and to attach the four big animals to the inner ring.  I didn't wrap the inner ring because I like the look of unfinished wood and thought it would be a nice contrast to the graphic ribbon to be wrapped around the outer ring.  To attach the animals I took a long length of yarn, tied it around the inner ring, then moved the knot in the string under the stitches in the animal's back, making it invisible.  Using stitches in the back also had the added bonus of avoiding the Hangman look for each little guy.  Now they look like they're flying instead.  I eyeballed where they would be glued down to be evenly spaced, and messed with the string lengths until I liked how they looked (identical lengths of yarn didn't look very good).  Forgot to take pictures at this stage, sorry!

The next step was actually the most time consuming; I wrapped the outer ring in the ribbon, only gluing it down at the beginning and the end of the ring, making sure to leave the little screw unwrapped (so I could use it later).

Please excuse the multiple items in the background, I did this in the living room so I could watch the game!

I then popped the inner ring with the animals into the outer ring, making sure that none of the spots where the animals attached were right under the screw.  Then I just tightened the screw to make sure everything stayed secure.

Next I took the length of ribbon that was left after wrapping the outer ring and glued it to the mobile at 12 and 6 o'clock so that the whole thing can hang from the ceiling.  After attaching the three birds together in one long line I hung them from the middle of the length of ribbon that stretched across the ring.  It's a little hard to see in the picture since I am no skilled photographer, but picture the birds hanging in the middle of the hoop:

And I'm done with making it! Obviously you will get a better sense of how it looks once it's hung from a hook in the ceiling above the crib, but doing that necessitates the crib being assembled in the room, which can't happen until the carpets are replaced on Friday (hussah!).  So stay tuned for further mobile news, I'll likely do a full nursery craft tour once I'm done with everything, as well as other individual craft blog posts as they are done.

I'm in a glass case of emotion

So I feel like I have been lucky in that I haven't been too moody so far.  I haven't felt overly angry or sad, grumpy or irritable, still mostly myself, with one notable exception.  The silliest things make me cry!  So far they have mostly been things I have seen on TV, but I had one instance when I started to cry in yoga when I couldn't get my bolsters and bricks properly arranged for the final restorative pose.  Nothing major, just a little embarrassed mistiness, but definitely an over reaction.  But certain commercials will get me openly weeping, every time.

Example 1: Zillow Commercial with the soldier dad.  The moment at the end just gets my heart, with the mom holding back tears and the little girl squealing, "Daddy!!!"

Example 2: Carter's commercial with the little girl's voiceover.  "The day I became yours, you became mine."  Are you kidding me?  Getting misty just thinking about it.

Example 3: Cheerios commercial with the little boy and his mom eating breakfast and talking about Nana.  The little boy's crooked smile, his incredibly emotional insight, mom working hard not to cry, it's ridiculous.

I also started to cry a bit during the most recent episode of Top Chef Masters when they were honoring teachers, especially when they talked about the fairytale wedding that one of the teachers planned for her severely disabled students, and then the chef gave the little girl a rose, then the rest to the teacher, and everybody cried...  Phew.  I better not watch any of the movies that have always been able to make me cry, I don't know if I could handle it!

Monthly state of the pregnancy address

As of yesterday, I am officially 5 months along!

Is it just me or is my bump very lumpy?

I remember when we decided to have my showers in early October and November thinking, "I hope I look pregnant enough by then, I'll only be 5-6 months along!"  Well, I guess that's not an issue anymore ;-)

I'm still feeling great, although the Hunger is still a major force in my life.  I had two days of leg cramps and one night of sciatic pain, but other than that my body isn't feeling too overwhelmed yet.  I've also had a couple of nosebleeds, which is the weirdest random thing ever, but apparently quite normal and nothing to worry about.  Just picture me with cotton jammed up my nose every so often, if you can stand the sexiness.  

I'm just now outgrowing some staple wardrobe items, like T-shirts and tank tops, and finally invested in better bras (hellooo two cup sizes bigger!), so the major changes are happening slowly but steadily, thank goodness.

Everything seems to be on cruise control for now, looking forward to a few baby showers, both my own and the one I am throwing for a coworker on Tuesday.  Time to whip all the baby prep into gear!

Feeling more official

It's silly, but the arrival of the first item off of our registry is like a true sign that yes, Virginia, there is a baby in your belly.  And it is coming out.  And it will have needs.  You should probably get ready and buy some stuff or something, like now-ish.

So, yay, stuff!  The first official gift is the Graco Pack N Play from my cousins Nikki and Becky, and their daughters Adriana and Brenna.  So sweet of them!

 I appreciate that it came so quickly and to the house so we don't have to worry about getting such a large item from Florida to NC.  For now it will just be stuck in a closet since we are holding off on setting anything up until we get the new carpeting in there, but yay!  We have one less thing that we need to buy to get ready for the Bun!

Thanks, ladies!

To thrift or not to thrift

that is the question.  Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous prices, or to take arms against seas of overcharging and to seek second hand finds...

OK, that's enough of that.  The basic point of this is that I am trying to keep a fine balance between saving money at a time when we really need to conserve funds, and also not scrimping on things that are vital to the Bun's health and safety.  Some of it seems a little obvious, like when I find things in thrift stores with tags still intact, or when you are dealing with clothes that are easily washed, plastic toys that can be sanitized, or toys for older stages when their automatic response isn't putting things directly into the mouth.

However, other items have me scratching my head.  I was cruising craigslist for a long time looking for a second hand crib until I read the multiple, all caps lines in Baby Bargains that warned me NOT TO DO THAT.  EVER.  I DON'T CARE HOW GOOD THE DEAL IS.  Ok, message received.  Ditto on swings, since you can't be sure about the structural integrity of something that has moving parts that you may leave your child in for an extended period of time, or breast pumps, because stranger's old milk residue = gross.   Fine, little hard to spend big bucks on multiple items, but that's parenthood.  Get used to it.

But what about things like changing pads or strollers?  Things that are going to be used by us in the same way that others have used them, in which you will always supervise a kid's use, which can be cleaned with some effort, that can be obtained on major discount?  I hope so, because I have already bought a couple of big ticket items and celebrated the major deals, complete with self high fives and minor bragging.  I'd hate to think that was silly of me ;-).

For now I am hoping that the registry yields lots of useful items so that we can both save money and have nice, new things that are safe for the Bun.  So far family has been wonderfully generous and she is off to a great start, we are such lucky people!

Graduating

To the slightly more annoying stages of pregnancy.

I flew to NYC this weekend to visit my cousin and her family, and as I sit in Charlotte waiting to board my flight home, I have to stop and acknowledge the first day when being pregnant has been less than 100% magical.

First, Bun is getting STRONG. Ever see that SNL sketch with Amy Poehler as Caitlyn when she gets drums? She gives a super high celebratory kick and yells "BOOM" at the top of her lungs (wish I could find a gif). I swear Bun is doing that in there. Perhaps she isn't a fan of air travel, but she wouldn't let me doze off for too long. She's also gotten a case or two of the hiccups, one of which woke me up the other morning, if only because my arm was draped over my stomach. Way to grow, little one, but please be gentle on your Mom!

Next, I have graduated to the stage where a stranger has now touched my belly without asking. Before this I always thought, who would touch a stranger's belly? Isn't that weird and presumptuous? Well in this case, the answer to that was a young, skinny cashier at The Body Shop who also felt it necessary to tell me she thought I was farther along than 5 months, and that because I am as big as I am, "you're gonna get FAT."  Nice. Thanks.

For now those are the only inconveniences and I'm thankful that the list ends there, but I'm holding my breath about the later stages.  Let's pray for boundaries and decorum!

The Name Game

First off, don't get your hopes up, no official name reveals will be in this post. ;-)

People often ask about the name choices we are considering, and our answer is always a solid, you'll know when she's here.  We have made this decision for a couple of reasons, the first being that we want to be sure before people start using it.  Once you hear a name associated with a kid, it kinda sticks, and if we were to make a last minute decision because she didn't look like the name we picked, I think the first name would always be bouncing around in people's minds.  Also, if for some strange reason she turns out to be a he, it would be super awkward to have been calling him a girl's name this whole time.  Finally, I have a whole bunch of friends expecting girls right now, and if one of them names their daughter something we want to use, we'll have to live with more than one kid with that name or switch it up after being settled for a while, which could take some serious adjustment (see the two Philips on The Office.  Poor Pam).

That being said, there are some parameters I am comfortable sharing with the blog reading world to give you guys some idea where our heads are.

I am comfortable sharing that she will have her dad's last name, not my hyphenated one.
Her middle name will also not be my maiden name.
We are thinking of using a family name as her middle name though, although from which side and which name we pick is still a mystery.
We will NOT be using any of the most commonly chosen girls names from the past five years within our friend group, which include Madeline, Lily, Isabel/Bella, Ava, or Grace
The first name will not have been the name of any client I have ever seen, EVER.
If a friend of mine has expressed interest in using a particular name in the future, we will not use it.

That's about it for now.  Imagine us combing Nymbler and babycenter for ideas.  Hopefully we will be settled by January!

Baby registry

This subject is a tricky one for me.  I like to think of myself as gracious and humble, so making a big giant list of things I want, that I am implying others should buy for me, is a struggle.  For my wedding registry I pushed these feelings aside and told myself that others appreciated knowing what to get me and would be able to choose from a variety of items, all at different prices, and that no guilt was necessary.  I thought I was being fun and light hearted about it when I would post things on social media about receiving/not receiving things from it, but I was bluntly (and anonymously) informed by someone that I came off as ungrateful and entitled.  Thus I am shy about referencing it at all. 

However, a good friend asked me yesterday where I was registered, and if I have a top ten most wanted items from that list.  To answer those questions, I am registered at Target, and I definitely do.  If you would be offended by me talking about wanting people to buy me specific things, please stop reading here.  If you would appreciate some guidance or more information, feel free to proceed.  Please note that we need everything on the list I made and therefore we would appreciate anything someone is nice enough to spend time and money on. 

I also understand that people often just buy what they think is cute instead of something from the registry that is boring but infinitely useful, such as plain burp cloths or bottles.  (One woman in my prenatal yoga class regaled us with the tale of 4 baby bathing suits and 6 pairs of jellies, with barely anything that was actually needed being gifted).  So after making this list I will just let go of all expectations and look forward to spending time with people that love us and are looking forward to meeting our little girl.

With all of that in mind, here is our top ten.

We are registered at Target

1.  Little Castle Glider in Blue Stripes - I absolutely love sitting in the one my niece, Lark, has and can imagine I will be spending lots of time in this one, either nursing or napping.
2.  Little Castle Ottoman Blue Stripes - Because the the only way the glider can be better is if I can put my feet up!
3.  Graco DuetConnect LX Swing + Bouncer - I love that this is in two items in one, and I know I will use both items extensively, the swing when she is sleeping and the vibrating bouncy chair when she is awake.  I even have the spot for it picked out in the living room so that I can see her from the kitchen/laundry area if I'm doing housework.  This is something we will definitely buy if we don't receive it.
4. Graco Lauren Convertible Crib - I know that she won't use this too much for the first six months or so, but this is something that she will sleep in as she grows and we should get lots of good use of it after those first six months.
5.  Sealy Crib Mattress - Because she would be a little uncomfortable in the crib without it, and it came most highly recommended in Baby Bargains.
6.  Serta Changing Pad - We will definitely use this!!
7.  Philips Avent Audio Monitor - With this I can be working on a different floor than the one where she is sleeping, and I know I will appreciate the freedom!
8.  Health and Safety Kit - All of the items on my lists to get for her grooming routine in one spot, how can you go wrong!
9.  Philips Avent 4 ounce bottles - I already have the corresponding breast pump, and I hear you go through quite a few of these if you share feeding responsibilities, which I will definitely do :-)
10.  Hooded Towel and Washcloth Set - Katie and Sahil were nice enough to share their baby tub with us, so to successfully complete bathtime, all we need are these items, thanks, guys!


I hope this is helpful to anyone who wants to be kind enough to gift our family with something that will make the first year more manageable for us. 

Thanks to anyone interested enough to read it!

Acceptance is the final stage

I must accept it - I can no longer fit into clothes like I used to.


I went shopping for my Florida baby shower dress today, and of course my first stop was the regular dress rack.  I have been doing well finding clothes in non-maternity stores since my belly has been fairly manageable, and lots of clothes have a decent amount of stretch. Today I was bold and grabbed a cute cap sleeve dress with a little belt in a washable material that was heavy like brocade.

Yeah, it was a poor choice.  First, I struggled to get it on (always a bad idea to proceed when this happens).  I did manage to get it on, and with the help of a friend zipped it up and fastened the belt, but man, did it look bad.  I need to remember that my waist is not where it used to be.  It might not exist any more at all.  It had no stretch and made me look frumpy. Sad face.

Luckily there was a jersey dress with an interesting side detail that looked very cute, which I wound up taking home. I don't think it'll work much longer into the pregnancy, but the shower is only five weeks away, so I'll be good.  I even stuffed my shirt under the dress to make sure it had some stretch in it, and it totally does!

We'll see how much longer non-maternity clothing will last, but for now the acceptance process has started, and I'm sure it'll keep going for a while after she's here!

Watching the ocean waves

The most amazing thing happened yesterday.

I was sitting on the couch in my usual reclined position, enjoying feeling her move as she usually does.  All of a sudden I noticed that she was getting stronger, and remembering that Audrey said that she could start to see little "pops" on the outside shortly after feeling her move for the first time, I decided to take a closer look.  Not five seconds after I moved my shirt, I saw a quick rolling motion from my belly button to the left side of my belly.  I was so excited!!!  I called Jeremy down and he stared with me for a while, and sure enough there were a couple more pops!  I'm so glad she is getting bigger and stronger, it's such a relief as a worrisome mom-to-be.

Something else fun that I noticed, she's already a lot like her daddy!  Right before falling asleep the other night, she kicked in this little pattern of three kicks that was the exact same rhythm and timing as Jeremy as he fell asleep next to me!  Literally, the covers moved in time with my belly.  I was so thrilled that I woke him up to share the news, and to his credit he said positive things before passing back out again, even though he was super groggy!

I am finding new things to enjoy about this little one every day :-).

Getting loose

Today I attended my first prenatal yoga class. I gotta say, my hips have never felt better!  I hear nothing but positive things from friends that have taken regular yoga classes during pregnancy, and since I loved taking them even without childbirth looming in my future, I decided to start ASAP.

I was surprised by how much I can still use my ab muscles, since I have been terrified to do so since getting pregnant (seriously, I struggle with guilt when sitting up from a fully laid out position), and it felt very reassuring that the teacher is a former labor and delivery nurse.  I have definitely lost a lot of flexibility in the year and a half since my last class, but I love being back on track.  I wasn't even the least pregnant person there, so I didn't feel silly about coming so early.

In addition to extra strength and flexibility, I am hoping to be able to make some connections with other moms in the area.  Today I feel like I made a fool of myself talking too much since I was nervous, and there were only four other women in there who already knew each other well, so maybe there aren't any potential BFFs in this group, but I'm hoping that as time goes by and people join it's still a possibility.

So now I get to sail through the day with limber hips and no leg cramps to slow me down, and I'm seriously looking forward to Monday's class :-).

Telling clients

As a general rule I don't like to share personal information with my clients.  I don't even keep family photos on my desk (other than a picture of Roxy) to keep my boundaries with them.  So when something so obviously personal like pregnancy comes up, it becomes a little awkward in the therapeutic relationship.  The most important feature of one's relationship with the therapist is that it is completely one-sided.  We are here to talk about you, not me.  But when there is a pregnancy in the room, it becomes very interesting and what people want to talk about.  And it becomes a lot of work to get them to focus on their own stuff.  When you work with kids you also get to deal with weird questions and even weirder name suggestions (one kid believes "Dinosaur" is the best name option).

What's funny to me is that despite the fact that I haven't been working to hide my belly, clients have only recently started to notice.  The reaction has been varied, from a 6 year old girl pretending to faint to an adult bluntly asking me if this was planned or not.  I have a book called "My Teacher is Having a Baby" that I found one day thrifting that has helped me to talk to my kids about it, but I always forget to leave out the part at the end when the teacher brings the baby in to visit.  I'm not sure I want the kids I work with to be around my baby, as I had to tell at least one of them what was happening so that she would be more gentle with me in her play and stop barreling into my legs.  Another one insisted that he would be able to take my baby home after he met it.  Soooo, yeah.  Maybe just a quick picture?

Overall the biggest question is always, "what's going to happen to me?," wondering if I'm going to quit the biz and reassign them to a new therapist.  My answer is always, you will do without me for six weeks, then I'll be back.  It's a little flattering to hear that none of them so far have wanted a new therapist, and that they are all relieved that I will be back.  I just hope I can keep my promise and come back after only six weeks like I plan to do!

And in the morning, I'm making WAFFLES

One of the more popular questions for pregnant ladies is, "having any strange cravings?"  In my opinion, "strange" is a tough word to define, since anything out of the ordinary can be considered strange, but I have not had any of the pickles and ice cream or peanut butter and squid type cravings.  I have eaten things that wouldn't be eaten together in close succession, such as having grapes right after eating a bunch of pickles along side a handful of Cheez-Its, but I've always randomly grazed like that.  I have, however, been having some cravings for specific foods.

The first one that I noticed was my craving for waffles.  It started innocently enough, with breakfast for dinner one night.  Two nights later, I suggested to Jeremy that we eat at Dame's Chicken and Waffles, a restaurant downtown to which I had been once with a coworker, so Jeremy never got to try it.  Nothing too odd, but I didn't get chicken, just the waffles (and turkey bacon, yummm).  Right after that, Jeremy was out of town on business for a couple of nights and I made waffles twice in three days.  And then once after he got home.  That last time, I started eating them fresh off the iron and didn't pay too much attention to how many I was eating until Jeremy came in hungry for dinner and noticed that there weren't any to be had, other than the ones currently being made.  I started counting and realized I had eaten 8.  EIGHT!!  Whoops.  Since then it has slowed down a little, but my boss hooked me up with Carbon's Malted waffle mix, which is divine but much more filling, so I'm down to 3 or 4 per sitting.  Still nothing to sneeze at, but not strange, right?

The rest of my cravings have been largely for sweets and starches as well.  Mostly crusty loaves of bread or ice cream, particularly DQ soft serve.  We don't really have one here in Greensboro, so I have gone without for a long time.  However, on my way to Charlottesville to visit Sandi and her family I noticed that there was one just off an exit of a state road.  And I had two dollars in my wallet that needed spending.
Yeah, I totally pulled over.

Insert shame face here.

When I was in Charlottesville I also had uncontrollable thoughts of Bodo's breakfast sandwiches, so of course I had to have one.  What was weird was that one usually filled me up for most of the day, but immediately after finishing it, I realized I could eat at least one more.  It was full of protein so I guess it wouldn't have been that bad, but it is also full of fat.  Delicious, delicious fat.

Awlllawwwllawwllll (That's Homer for yum!)

Other than that I have been eating as normal, although meals have gotten smaller and more frequent.  I always keep almonds, dried fruit, and sunflower seeds in my work bag to snack throughout the day and Jeremy has been great about making sure that I get at least one tall glass of milk and veggies every day.  Can't wait to see what happens through the rest of this pregnancy!

Helloooo in there

Being a psychology undergrad I got to take quite a few child and developmental psychology courses in my youth.  One of the most fascinating things I learned in one of them was that babies can hear from the time their ears develop at 16 weeks, and studies have shown that they can actually remember repetitive things that they heard in utero, such as a bedtime story read every night by a parent, or a particular song that was played very often.  Of course, when I found out I was pregnant I started planning what to read and to play when our little one got to the 16 week milestone, if only to arm ourselves with something that was scientifically proven to be soothing.  After a lot of thought I settled on "Goodnight Moon" for the book (it was one of my favorites and nice and short) and "Rainbow Connection" as covered by Jason Mraz for the song (I wanted to pick something I wouldn't mind listening to over and over).  I posted the youtube version of "Rainbow Connection" below in case any one wants to listen along with her.  It's very dreamy, and I think it helped Sandi's son fall asleep once!

I have been reading to her every night since she hit 16 weeks, except for nights when I was traveling, or when it was Jeremy's turn.  I think he is still considering reading something different to her, probably something by Dr. Seuss, but on his first night he chose Fox in Sox (one of the only Seusses we have right now), which is a very long tongue twister book.  To his credit he got through it, and she was moving around a lot while he did it, but it was a little too challenging to do every other day.  Actually, I think she likes it better when he reads since she moves a lot more while he's doing it, perhaps because of his nice, deep voice :-).  Since then he has stuck with "Goodnight Moon" too, at least until I can find our own copy of Green Eggs and Ham on my thrifty travels.

Side note: has any one else read "Goodnight Moon" closely lately?  It's a little strange, in that the random old lady appears out of thin air, hushes the kid, can only be seen by the kittens, then disappears again.  She has no name.  No one else sees her.  I think she's a ghost.  End of aside.

We have been having lots of fun with this whole process, prepping ourselves for when we have a family bedtime routine with a little girl instead of a little bump.  It is so sweet to spend time all together, to hear Jeremy read and to feel her roll around, then to play her music until it's time to sleep.  May we remember these times when we are seriously considering reading her "Go the F*** to Sleep!" and praying for her to finally zonk out!