Keys, Please!

We signed on our new home today!  The original paperwork needs to get to CA and a wire come back to Phoenix in order for the loan to fund and the sale to record, but once that happens, then we get our keys and can get started on the move!

I am so exited!

We will have almost 4 months to get the house and nursery ready for our little one.  That's just about right, I think.

As an added bonus of moving in at this time of year, the entire neighborhood is lit up like, well, like a Christmas tree!  The house almost directly across from us is all done up, and Abby is excited to look at the lights out her window at night after we get moved in.

What she doesn't know yet is that we are getting her a puppy for Christmas!  We told her it was a possibility and we met a litter of pups on Thanksgiving, but we haven't spoken of it since then.  We also told her before we even took her to meet the dogs that there was a great possibility that they may not be the right ones for us and not to expect anything from the visit.

We did get plenty of pictures though -- just in case.  :)  Mom is a (mostly mottled black) blue heeler mix and dad is a white with light brown spots pit mix.  Since heelers are born white and get their color at about 4 weeks (which these pups are 1 day shy of 4 weeks in these pictures), there's no telling at this point if they will turn black like mom or stay spotted like dad.  If she does change color, I'm glad we were able to see her and get some pictures while she still had her puppy whites on.  The mom's name is Abby and the pups were born on my birthday!

The entire litter.  Our pup, as well as the solo pup here were the only females out of 8 pups.

Most of her body is this splotchy white - which based on her parents, may or may not change in the next couple of weeks

Hanging on for dear life!

Abby holding the puppy next to the daddy

Marti nuzzling the pup

Close up of pup's face

"Was Breakfast Just Too Much For You?"

The title of this post was one of the funniest things Marti said to me all weekend long.

We were up at my mom and dad's cabin for Thanksgiving and already having a pretty lazy time as it was.

Saturday I feared the snow we arrived to would all melt off, so I hopped out of bed fairly early (for me, at least) and got in to the shower right away.  I came out of our room to find my mom making breakfast (OMG, she rocks!), and sat down to eat shortly after that.  I had big plans to take Abby out to play in what remained of the snow!

However, just as I was finishing my breakfast, a sudden gust of nap took me over.  I got "sleepy eyes" and everything!!!  I told everyone that I had to go lie down.

Marti, being concerned about me and the baby, came in to check on me and asked how I was and if everything was ok.  I assured him I was fine -- just really tired.  He asked how I felt, and, in all honesty, I told him I felt like crying!!!!  Of course, just saying the words was all it took to bring that thought to reality!  Despite the fact that I was crying, Marti and I saw the humor in the situation, and he cracked his little joke:  "Was breakfast just too much for you?"

I was so tired and felt so helpless!  I really wanted to have fun and take Abby out to play after being inside for a couple of days.  The thought of missing out on the snow entirely was making things worse!

I'm sure if I wasn't pregnant I wouldn't cry over something so silly, but it is funny how things like that can just take over your day at a time like this.

Marti was a sweetie and let me sleep as long as I wanted.  I heard him peek in at me, but he never once tried to wake me and tell me to get up -- even though I slept away the better part of the day.  I missed lunch entirely, but had time to get up and get dressed to go out to dinner.

We joked that I was going to be up all night since I slept all day, but if you know me, you know not one person was serious when they said that.  If there's one thing I do well, it is SLEEP!!!!

I don't remember being this sleepy with Abby -- especially this far through the pregnancy.  With any luck, this all means our little one inside is going to be a great sleeper!

"How Do You MAKE a Baby?"

I know she's five years old, but I just thought that direct question would have taken longer to arrive.

Abby flat out asked tonight.  I had to go dig out our copy of "Where Did I Come From" to make this as painless as possible ---- FOR ME!!!

Luckily, the book was just where I thought it was and readily accessible in all the boxes Marti has stacked up for our move.

I'm telling ya', that was SOME bedtime story tonight!!!!!

First Visible Movement

I was sitting in a chair at the computer on 11/17/10 when I thought I MIGHT have seen my belly move when the baby kicked, but I wasn't quite sure yet.  I thought it could have just been my REACTION to the kick, so dismissed the idea.

Then on 11/20/10, I was on the sofa and DEFINITELY saw my belly move when she was kicking me!

So, there you have it.

It was spectacular to me, but not as spectacular as THIS video someone else made.  This video is just CRAZY and wonderful and creepy all at the same time!  Just to be clear:  THIS VIDEO IS NOT ME.

Baby Moving in Mommy's Belly

The Rules

I know some pregnant ladies DO NOT want people to touch their bellies and find it a COMPLETE violation of personal space when someone does, but it doesn’t bother me one bit.  Maybe I was a dog in a previous life, but I actually enjoy getting my tummy rubbed.  Plus, it’s getting bigger and I understand to some people, that is intriguing.  Feel free to rub the belly!

However, if you happen to notice my boobs are getting bigger and are intrigued by THAT, you may NOT rub my boobs.  (Just sayin’!!!!)

If you want to feel the baby kick, feel free to ask and I will search you out next time she’s moving around.  I never get sick of feeling babies kick!  If there are more of you out there that feel the same, feel free to ask!

Yes, my belly is getting bigger.  But, there is a BABY in there, so it doesn’t bother me that it’s getting bigger.  There is a valid reason for it!  So, feel free to comment on the size of my belly.  Unlike some pregnant moms, it doesn’t offend me one bit.  If it looks small one day because of what I’m wearing or larger another, it doesn’t bother me if you point it out.  If it’s a small day, I find it encouraging that I may not have as much weight to lose once she comes out.  If it’s a large day, I am happy that she is growing and that I actually made it to the point where I’m showing.  Either way, it’s a win for me!

If I’m having one of those emotional days, DO NOT HUG ME!!!  I WILL cry, and you WILL get wet!  A hug just opens the flood gates, so leave it alone.  If I look especially emotional, just walk away.  I promise, I will get over it faster if you don’t talk to me.

If we decide on a name, we will probably tell you.  But for now we just don’t have one and that’s why we’re not sharing one.

More Movement

Of course, I’ve reached that point where I can feel the baby moving around, kicking and punching me on a regular basis.

What is new is that in the last couple of days, she has started REALLY kicking me in strange places.  It makes me want to move away from the feeling, but the feeling is inside me, so there’s nothing I can do except squirm and hope she doesn’t do it again.

Last night Marti had his hand on my belly waiting to feel her again, but I was tensed up, so she was holding still.  I told him when I am relaxed, she moves more, but it’s hard to relax when you know someone’s going to kick you in the crotch.

What’s funny is sometimes he feels her gently squirming around in there more than he feels the big kicks.  It seems like it should be the other way around.

She is getting predictable, too!  I like that.  J

Every morning, she “wakes up” around the same time my alarm goes off and starts moving around more.  Of course, my bladder is full when I wake up, so sometimes when I feel her moving, I make a beeline for the bathroom before she gets a chance to kick me in the bladder.  Marti just laughs.

Being pregnant is great, but there are some things that I really miss.

Of course, there is the standard list of “don’ts” that I miss being able to just have whenever I want:

Bleu Cheese

Sushi

Beer and Wine (although N.A. Beer is a pretty good substitute to tide me over until it’s OK to tie one on again!)

Brie Cheese

Muscle Relaxers (when I get a knot in my back and just want to knock it out immediately)

Large doses of coffee on those mornings when I am so fatigued I could just roll over and die (although there is decaf for any other day)

Oh, and speaking of sweet energy-imparting elixir…

Why is there no substitute for Monster?  Why does it have to say not for pregnant women and children?  Whaaaaaaaa!!!!

Lo-carb Monster, I miss you SO MUCH!!!!!

We Are Moving Soon! (So Why Am I So Sad?)

Warning:  Even though this was going to be a happy post, there are some emotional issues included.  Continue reading if you don't mind awkward.

Since we had already outgrown our current home a while ago, once we found out I was pregnant, we didn't really hesitate to start home shopping again -- even though it's probably still not the best time to buy.

We found a home that we already fell in love with the floorplan last year, except this one has a beautiful pool as well!  After a few nerveracking days, we heard that they accepted our offer, so the move is on!

My problem with this is leaving our current home.

We both LOVE our back yard and will miss it -- even if the new one is just as nice as our current yard, if not nicer, in different ways.

 I also am having a hard time letting go of Abby's room.  Last night Marti woke me up and we started talking about things.  He got me thinking about Abby's room and all that I put into it (emotionally) through the years of preparing it and the times of sitting alone, staring at those walls knowing I had just lost a(nother) baby and wondering if anyone would ever live in that room.  It's not just Abby's room to me.  It is a room full of hope and shattered dreams.  It is a room of a wonderful dream finally realized.  I cried at the thought of either us or someone else painting over all that I did in that room -- all that I love about that room.  While they are not all happy memories in that room, in a sense, those memories are all that I have left of what could have been and I cringe at the thought of letting go.

And, while I know we could not have had Abby or this one if the others had made it to term, I am still sad for the others that are not with me - both before and after her arrival.  Even with all the joy of having her to cuddle and another safely on the way, it does not erase the pain of loss from before.

Hopefully we don't have to paint the room as part of our move out and I can maybe ease myself away from it gently.  Hopefully the real joy of moving into the new house (as opposed to the anticipated joy we feel now) is enough to get me over it so I can let go.  I guess part of my problem is that it is the only physical representation of what I miss.  When others lose family, they have cemetaries or even urns of ashes to go to on rough days.  When you miscarry as early as I always did, you have nothing but the emptiness it leaves you with.  I guess I am sentimental enough to need that physical representation until the pain goes away - and I don't know if that day will ever really come.

Any suggestions to get me over this bump in the road?

Half Way There! TWENTY WEEKS!!!!!

I am excited to announce that I have finally reached that magic "half way marker" of 20 weeks.  Not only is it half way there, but it is also the progression marker that my reproductive endocrinologist gave me of when I can officially stop worrying about miscarriage, given my "condition."  Twenty weeks.  That magic number I was given, and have reached.

Most women get the unofficial 12-13 week time frame to worry about losing a baby (if they worry at all), but my doctor gave me 20 weeks to continue worrying.  I have done my best not to worry about it or dwell on it and have done a pretty good job with that, I must say.

I still can't believe it!!!!!  I am just over the moon!!!!!

New Visitor Map Widget

I posted a new Visitor Map widget on the right side of the blog for fun.  It is supposed to show where people are visiting my blog from and even shows a Google street view type picture of the approximate address of each web hit.

It put me on the West Si-eeeeeeeed about 20 miles from my house, so it's not too accurate, but still could be fun once the little location pins start showing up on the map.

I just don't know why it gives an actual specific address when it's guessing the middle of the city (presumably) for each IP address location.

Join the Club! (We Felt the Baby Kick Club)

I am starting a new "We Felt the Baby Kick Club" like I did with Abby.  Check back to this post for updates.

Feel free to join in!  I'm NOT one of those pregnant moms that hates to have my belly touched.

First one to feel the baby (besides Mommy, of course):
Marti Harris (Daddy) 11/3/10
Abby Harris (Big Sister) 11/5/10
Michele Rich (Grandma) 11/26/10
Monique Lawlor 12/30/10
Corina Limon 1/28/11
Ron Rich (Grandpa) 2/1/11
Cheryl Jonescu 2/22/11
Jessica Estipona 3/18/11
Everett Estipona 3/18/11
Tiffany Peterson 3/21/11

I Guess I'm Getting Fatter...

This morning I was getting ready to leave for work and Abby was still in bed.  I happened to be wearing all black, so I'm sure that played a part in her perception that led to her proclamation about my weight.

She was on her back and told me I looked like I was getting skinnier and skinnier.  (Of all things!  Awesome!)

Then she made a point of clarifying that it was probably an illusion.  (Gee, thanks, kid!)

To clarify her point, she rolled from her back to her side.  Then she put one hand in front of her belly and another behind her butt.  She said I was really getting fatter and fatter.  As she said this, she moved her hands away from her body to indicate I was growing.

I realize my belly is getting bigger, and will get bigger still.  But was it really necessary for her to mock my behind?  She could have just put both her hands in front of her belly and indicated growth there.

Nope.  She had to roll onto her side to make SURE to include the butt.

Funny thing is (and I may just be in denial, so feel free to correct me) I don't think my butt has gotten that much bigger at all -- CERTAINLY NOT remarkably so!

Whatever.

Anatomy Scan Today

We had the big sonogram today and they confirmed it is a GIRL!

Everything measured perfectly, too!