Yo Daddio!

And.....now.....in the blue corner.....weighing in at.....well, there's no need to go further with that one.  Hello to all readers!  When Jess created this blog a little over a month ago, I told her she would *MAYBE* see an occasional post from me, but it would be doubtful. Myself, I'm not a big fan of writing about my everyday happenings, but it's great to keep track of what we're going through during this special time and to have a place to share photos and updates with family and friends.

Today was a really exciting day as we had our third appointment, followed by an ultrasound.  We had a quick appointment with a midwife first.  The most exciting part of this was that we got to hear the baby's heartbeat with a doppler stethoscope! She placed it near Jess' belly and after a few seconds we heard a heartbeat.  "That's Jess' heartbeat, the midwife said".  We were told the baby's heartbeat would be about twice as fast.  We continued to listen and a few seconds later, there it was....the sound of a faint, fast heartbeat.  Music to our ears!  So cool.

After our appointment with the midwife, we met with the sonographer who began the ultrasound. He took his photos and measurements and told us that he/she was measuring almost 3 inches tall, about the size of your pinky. So, in honor of that, in today's post (and just today's post), the baby's name will change from "peanut" to "pinky".  See, that's just another sign that pinky is probably a girl. We had the pleasure of watching pinky tossing and turning all over.  I swear pinky knew we were checking it out since it was squirming all around, almost like it was trying to find a comfortable position. We caught some good profile views and front-on views of pinky as you'll see in the photos below.

   

Crazy!  At one point, we could see it looking right at us, mouth wide open.  Jess said it looked like one of the singers from the band Kiss.  I thought it looked like Yoda.  Hopefully, we won't have an ancient-looking Yoda baby, although I won't complain about having jedi-master offspring.

All joking aside, it was a great day and a priviledge to be able to watch our growing baby on live TV. I just can't wait until I get to meet our little movie star, live and in person.

A Special Treat

Sunday was Mother's Day and as it turned out, a very special day. Tim was traveling home from Boston and we met at Pizza Hut for lunch- isn't he sweet to accommodate my cravings? Taking two cars meant we had to travel home separately, I was expecting to beat him by seconds, but minutes later I was starting to get worried. Twenty minutes later he shows up and after I questioned his whereabouts with a bit of anger, it quickly was diminished. Behind his back he had this beautiful hydrangea and very sweet, mushy card. Didn't you know he was a sensitive one?

Of course the raging hormones made me start crying, actually sobbing. I seriously have the best husband in the world. xoxoxoxoxoxo

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, Grandmothers (RIP), Aunts, Godmother, Sister-in Laws, and friends. Whether you have children or furbabies, have a wonderful day! You are all special and deserve a fantastic recognition!!!!

It's weird for people to wish me a Happy Mother's Day. Yes, I know, I'm going to be a Mom. Everyone's definition of Mom is different - does it happen at conception? at birth? somewhere in the middle? Whatever it means to you, it could be very different to the next person. I respect everyone's thoughts and I'm thankful I'm welcomed into the prestigious club.

So, celebrate well and enjoy the one day set aside for Moms!!!

Diapers!

The reactions we've received when announcing we plan on cloth diapering haven't been surprising. Since I've been obsessed with the eco-friendly endeavor, I thought I'd share a little bit. Videos included.

Let me first start with saying in the past couple of years, cloth diapering has come a long way! Parents can choose to go inexpensive and lose a bit of convenience, or spend a little more and gain a ton of convenience. Unfortunately, because of the multitude of cloth diaper makers it means there are a lot of different cuts. It's like buying jeans. A size 8 at the Gap is different than Levi's. Without knowing what our l'il peanut looks like it would be hard getting the perfect fit. With that said, we plan** on using prefolds with snappis, and covers for the first three or so months and then follow up with BumGenious 3.0's until potty training. Here's what they look like: (**plans always change!)

0-3 months: Prefolds with snappis and covers. Prefolds are very inexpensive, very absorbant, but not waterproof so they need a waterproof cover. At http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/diapers.htm the prefolds are $21 per dozen and we'll need 3 dozen with a newborn.

Snappis are used instead of pins.

Covers are usually around $10-12 and we'll need about 6. They have some of the cutest prints!!

Tim was a bit nervous and once I showed him a video from youtube, we left the nervousness behind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCPGsB8k5sM&feature=related or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG34ZlU0nG8

2. After the newborn stage, we can start using an one-size diaper that will be perfect until potty training! These BumGenius 3.0's look easy and convenient! Adding additional inserts add absorption when needed. Let's hope our peanut will fit into these!

What to do with the dirty dipes? Take off, #1 and newborn #2 go in waterproof pail liner until washing. Once the baby starts on solids, #2's need to be flushed into the toilet. We can use rice liners to make this job easier - they go right into the toilet as well! No rinsing, scrubbing, or soaking! Bag, diapers, and cloth wipes all go in.

For day trips or outings, dirty dipes go into a wet bag:

All in all, the best laid plans could change, and we're excited to explore all the possibilities! I love all the bum fluff!

Arts and Crafts

Thanks to the Eco-Friendly Board on the Nest, I've become obsessed with reusable sandwich and snack bags. Many WAHM or SAHM (work at home mom, stay at home mom's respectively) have set up etsy shops (etsy.com) with these as products. I consider myself pretty crafty and figured with enough research I could probably make my own. I borrowed my friend's sewing machine (THANKS, JEN!), picked up $15.00 worth of fabric, iron on vinyl, and velcro and three hours later here's a sample of what I ended up with!

These are two of the four patterns I purchased - ladybugs and baseballs. Perfect for either a little boy or girl. They are waterproof on the inside and are great for sandwiches, grapes, cheerios, or anything else. We can throw them in the wash, and after a quick line dry are ready to reuse.

On another note, we had dinner with friends this weekend and received an adorable congratulatory book from "G". The title and message couldn't have been more fitting. Thanks Amy and Rick!

A message from Peanut

Dear Dad,

Mom just told me she wants me to sleep as much as you do. Just thought I'd let you know!

Love,
Peanut

Row, Row, Row your Bloat

I guess I didn't realize I would be so excited to have an actual baby bump. One doesn't go from normal to bump; one goes from normal, to bloated, to more bloated, to bump. I'm probably at the "more bloated" stage. I'd show pictures, but then I'd have to burn them. Tim might say the bloat is from the full servings of crab rangoons (that would be 8 to myself) or the plates and plates of carbs, but I'll just call it bloat.

Although my boss and a select few coworkers know about the impending little one, I'm waiting to tell my staff until after the craziness of Mother's Day. AND, it's getting harder to wear normal clothes that camouflage this ridiculous excess bloat. Yes, I have the bella band; and yes, I'm using elastics to loop the button of my jeans. Oh and hiding the exhaustion? Impossible. Four people came up to me today and asked how I was feeling - that I looked sick. REALLY? I only stayed up until 10!!! I guess I need to really get back to an 8pm bedtime.

Has it already been 10 weeks? Would you believe we're starting to think about daycare? I know, that IS crazy!

Roll me on outta here.....until I get a real bump.