Things no one tells you

Yes, I'm excited about being pregnant. It's a pretty surreal thing, and today I'm feeling pretty good. Over the course of the last few weeks I've come to realize there are several things no one really ever tells you:

1. Your pee and poop smell VERY different. Seriously, you know how your pee smells after eating asparagus? Exactly. Eww, gross. Apparently it's all the hormones. AND, of course you pee a lot more and for some of us poop more (or sometimes not at all).

2. Morning sickness = constant hangover. You know what I'm talking about...hungover means food repulses you, smells make you nauseous, etc. That's how I feel ALL. DAY. LONG. I've been fortunate I haven't been sick (I'm knocking on every single piece of wood in my vicinity) yet, but the recent car rides have been interesting.

3. Cravings. I think I've figured these out. It's not like I'm craving anything particular, it's just that everything else makes me sick. For example, driving home from work on Friday, the thought of dinner wasn't exactly appealing, so when crab rangoons and teriyaki steak came into my mind and it sounded pretty good - I HAD to have it. Luckily my supportive husband called the order in and we picked it up on the way to Boston. So, it's not really cravings, it's food that doesn't repulse you at that minute. Pickles, Chinese Food, ice cream...no matter how weird, you gotta eat, right?

There you go...I'm sure I'll come up with more along the way...

What doesn't belong

We had decided to drive down to Woburn Friday night, which for me was a tough decision. Since my bedtime has been 7pm, staying up late was going to be tough! However, we were able to watch GJ's soccer game (GO GJ!), give Ethan his birthday present (Happy Birthday, Ethan!), and share baby news with the Burlingames.

We met up with some friends at Boston Beer Works before the game, and as I stared longingly at the Bunkerhill Blueberry Ale, we gave more baby news to Jill and Jay.

We went to our first Red Sox game of the season today - sometimes I forget how much I love baseball. The smell of spring, the sound of the fans and bats, the colors of the field...ahhhh. It turned out to be a beautiful summery day in April, and the Sox beat the Yanks in a grinder of a baseball game. Final score 16-11 - yipppeee!
The Sox and Yankees have a history of long games and this one wasn't any different. Four hours and 21 minutes. Really?? Didn't they know we were hoping for a short game because we were driving back to VT? blech....

After a quick stop back to Woburn (yes, I always forget something) we were on our way and rolled back into Burlington around 12:30am.

So...What doesn't belong -

A. Long line of skimpy clad young gals at Nectars
B. Staggering drunk fools trying to hit on "A"
C. Young chap vomiting on Church Street.
D. Dutiful husband, chauffeuring pregnant wife home while she sleeps in the back seat.

You guessed it, letter D! Another fun filled day....

Happy Earth Day

I'm sure today one can't help but think about saving the Earth. For us, it's an every day thing. We intend to pass along our green habits to our children and really try to influence the people around us to make smarter and greener choices. Starting the Green Team at work, I've had the opportunity to educate over 300 people on simple ways to Be Green. Being green can also save you pennies! And really, not recycling is just plain lazy. Especially if you have curbside pickup! Please do your part!

Raising a baby can be expensive, so we're going to try and save money while being green. Check this out:

1. Using cloth diapers will save the landfill AND save us a buttload of cash!

• The average child uses 6,000 diapers in the first 2 years of her/his life.
• Average cost of disposable diapers (according to The Real Diaper Association): 25.5 cents
• 2 year cost of disposable diapers: roughly $1600

A pretty nice stash (according to bebop baby shop in Essex Junction) is only $605.50. Hello??!! No brainer!

2. Using cloth wipes is easy to use and easy to make!

• 2 year cost of disposable wipes: $700

Making your own reusable cloth wipes can cost almost next to nothing. Just your time and a few old terry robes, chenille, or microfiber. All soft for the babies bum.

3. Second Hand is awesome for us!

Besides the obvious safety concerns of cribs, car seats, and strollers, most everything else we plan to buy/use second hand! Not only can we support local businesses, save money, but we're saving these potentially unused items from the landfill.

4. Reusable is best.

Investing in reusable everything is going to keep junk out of the landfill and save money. Reusable sandwich bags (these from mamamade on etsy are adorable), metal straws, lunch tote, travel coffee mugs (did you know many stores will give you a discount on your coffee every morning??), bring reusable totes to the store, etc! The ways to reuse are really limitless. Be creative and think outside the box.

These are probably the big four on our list to-do for Peanut and for our Mother Earth. We only get one Earth, and I want to make sure Peanut's kids and grandkids get to enjoy it as much as we have.

Check out these other easy Green Tips to makeover your life!

1. Recycle everything you possibly can!
Paper, plastics, aluminum, etc. You can bring your LDPE plastic (grocery bags, produce bags, ziplock bags, some packaging plastic - LDPE plastic is any plastic that is stretchy and you can push your thumb through - cereal bags are NOT LDPE plastic)
2. Reuse - think of ways you can reuse items in your house
Use clean one-sided paper for scrap paper, keep your half used candles and remelt into brand new candles.
3. Join Freecycle to help keep your junk out of landfills. Honestly, your trash is another man's treasures. I got rid of a bag of used, holey pantyhose!
4. Save your wasted water - using 5 gallon buckets collect warming-up-shower water, rain water, etc. Water your garden or household plants!
5. Keep your heat low in the winter and warm in the summer
6. Don't drive over 65 - saves on CO2 emissions and your wallet!
7. Donate your old sneakers to Nike. They recycle them into new athletic fields!
8. Consider buying items with less packaging. Think Costco, Sam's Club...
9. Go Local - try to buy vegetables at your local farmers market, meats from a local butcher.
10. Use Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs. Go to Energy Hog for more information on how to save energy and money in your home.
11. Use Green Cleaners like Method of Seventh Generation. Good 'ole Baking Soda and Vinegar are excellent Green cleaners and are very inexpensive. Click here for tips on cleaning with vinegar.
12. Bring canvas bags with you when shopping. Leave them in your car, but don't forget to bring them in with you! Many grocery store give money for using them. It could be as little as 3 cents, but eventually the bags pay for themselves.
13. Wash your clothes in cold water.
14. Compost at home. Here is a composting guide for your home.
15. Reuse water bottles, or better yet use Nalgene or aluminum bottles.
16. Downloading GreenPrint (a free program that saves paper when you print stuff from your computer) they also have a font that uses less paper and ink (it costs $10 to download) (Thanks Kristinwintle!)
17. Donate your old clothes instead of throwing them away. My local Salvation Army uses fabric in their quilting classes and their quilts are donated to the community.
18. Keep plastic bags in your car and when you're at the playground, out for a walk, etc pick up trash. You'll get an extra butt workout while you're beautifying the environment.
19. Lengthen the life of your kitchen sponges by microwaving it for 1 minute. Just be careful it comes out hot!!
20. (this is more for warmer climates) Considering installing a radiant barrier on the inside of your roof to cut air conditioning costs. (Thanks Mainer-in-Texas for the next 7 Green Tips)
21. Water your lawn using rainwater collected with rainbarrels.
22. When upgrading appliances, by ones with an EnergyStar rating.
23. Keep up with your car maintenance, especially your tire pressure - it increases fuel efficiency, allows your car to burn cleaner, and puts more money back in your pocket.
24. Keep electronics plugged into a powerstrip that you can disconnect when they are not in use - electronics that are plugged in still draw electricicty when not in use.
25. Let your dishes air dry instead of using the heat dry cycle on your dishwasher.
26. Don't top off your tank when filling your car. It causes vapors to be released into the air.
27. Under the re-use category - Save sweater boxes, gift bags, etc. to use for gift-giving later on
28. Install a programmable thermostat (thanks MA&CB!)
29. Fill a half gallon or a gallon size jug (milk or oj work well) and place in your toilet's tank. Every time you flush your toilet you're saving a gallon of water! Make sure your toilet is not a low-flush one.
30. Energy efficient light bulbs! Spend a little save a lot! These use approximately 75% less energy!



HAPPY EARTH DAY from Vermont - just voted the Greenest State in the US! Check this out!

Happy 8 Weeks!

It's official - we're 1/5 of the way! Not that I'm freaking out or anything, but man I guess time does fly. We've known about our peanut for just about a month and are certainly waiting patiently to tell our friends and rest of the families!

In honor of the 1/5th here are five things I'd be happy to do without:

1. Feeling like I'm going to yak all day long.
2. Getting 10 hours of sleep and feeling like it's not enough.
3. Thinking Ramen is the best thing in the world.
4. No. Energy. Whatsoever.
   
5. Feeling like a beached whale.
   

In honor of the 1/5th here are five things I'm psyched about:

1. Blaming my gut on something worthwhile.
   
2. Not feeling guilty about NOT going to the gym.
3. Having an excuse to be in bed at 7pm.
4. Sharing the secret!
5. Daydreaming of nursery colors, names, and little clothes.

Raise your non-alcoholic beverages and toast to the next 4/5ths of the journey!

What is the blob?

We had our first real appointment with the doctors/midwives on Monday, April 13th. Originally we weren't scheduled for an ultra sound and I didn't really know what to expect or how these things work, so I had asked. While it's not the norm, we were scheduled for an U/S following our appointment with the midwife. At Fletcher Allen, we have the opportunity to work with doctors or midwives, or even both during the first few months. We think we're opting to work with midwives, but pretty open to suggestions. Once we chat with more new moms, we'll have more ammunition to make good decisions for us.

The appointment went well and Mary Jo recorded our health histories, asked lots of questions, and we even had several questions answered. (like, what the heck did we get ourselves into??)

Next up? The U/S!

Our sonogram tech was very friendly and after a few moments we were seeing our baby live...heart beat and all. It was absolutely insane and confirmed that I think we're insane for starting this amazing journey. Yes, it still feels a little surreal.

Check out the blob, I mean Baby Proctor! (if you click on the picture, it makes it larger!!!!)

It's hard to Keep it "Mum"!

Man, when you have a secret this big, it's hard to keep it mum! So, the first person we wanted to share the news with was my Mum and Dad. After a craptastic week of bad news, good news was destined. In all honesty, when you have news this big you want to shout from the roof tops, point to your belly and say, "I'm pregnant!", or better yet hire a plane with a flying banner. BUT, we kept it quiet until we drove to Maine on March 27th. My grandmother's funeral arrangements were that evening and when we got home I had two gifts for my Mom to open. I had to make sure Dad was in the room because he has a tendancy to wander off with a red one (Bud beer) and the remote. The first gift was a breast cancer journal and the second was a white square box with a pink bow. Inside was an adorable gender neutral onesie that said, "If Mom says no, ask Grandma!" Check out the video to really see the reaction - it's priceless.

We had planned to see my brothers and relatives and friends from Wisconsin for breakfast and share the news. We'd much rather be able to give if face-to-face than over the phone. For some of you, phone is the only option! We basically just said, "Hey check out this funny video of Mom!"

My brother put two and two together and announced that I get to be the DD for this year's brew fest. Thanks, Chris.

Boy or Girl?

As stated before, we took the test on Saturday, March 21st. We had plans to visit with the Burlingame's on Sunday and we had lots on our to-do list. We really wanted to visit the Boston Museum of Science, Fanueil Hall, and I had my heart set on seeing Dirty Dancing. After chatting with Kelly and learning GJ was sick, we decided to play it safe and skip stopping by. Definitely disappointed, but with upcoming trips to Maine scheduled and a "peanut", it wasn't going to work out. Instead I guilt-tripped Tim into getting tickets to the theatrical production of Dirty Dancing on Saturday night and hit the MOS on Sunday. It was fantastic watching one of my all-time favorite movies come to life before my eyes. With this said, Tim is convinced we are having a girl. I'm leaning toward the boy side, since all the babies in our families are boys. I know several family members would be ecstatic to have a girl! As long as Peanut is healthy, then we're good....

BTW, here's a picture from an exhibit at the MOS called, "How Life Began".

Some of you might not be into spirituality, but I know a sign when I see one...

What just happend?

Today is April 11, 2009. The to-do list is long (mom's birthday present, JR's birthday present, thank you note to Aunt Marie, shopping for Easter, etc) but I'm compelled to start a blog for the shear fact of jumping on the bandwagon and to share our exciting news with our family and friends (you probably won't get the link to the blog for another couple of weeks, but at least it has been started!!)


Yup, there are definitely two lines on that dollar store HPT.

So here's how it all went down. We charted (measured temps) for a couple of months, figured out when I would ovulate, and concluded our trip to Hawaii might be an opportune time to conceive. While we didn't expect to get pregnant on the first try, apparently the Mai Tai's were in our favor. AND, of course everyone else reminded us that a "Hawaii baby would be awesome!".

We actually took the test on March 21st while in Boston for a nice get-away. The weekend followed the news of Mom's diagnosis with breast cancer and the passing of my paternal grandmother. You could say baby news was just as monumental, but on a happy note.

We feel pretty fortunate and blessed thus far, and continue to pray for a healthy "peanut'. BTW, we are due ON Thanksgiving Day. And boy do we have lots to be thankful for.

Stay tuned until next time! (we have video of Mom finding out the big news!)


I am 7 weeks and 2 days pregnant. Only 229 days to go!