84 Days to go -- yikes!

Last week was by far the best week of my pregnancy so far. While I didn't feel great most of the week, I felt more connected than ever to that tiny baby growing in there.

Allen was out of town a few nights last week, which gave me and the baby a few quiet nights alone. He's been really active lately and I've found ways to play with him. Just talking to him or gently poking at my stomach is enough to get him spinning and kicking like crazy. It's too funny to watch my stomach shifting and contorting out of control.

In other news we got an early shower gift this week from Allen's mom -- the glider and ottoman! I love it and now the nursery feels complete. I've already sat in there a couple times rocking and talking to the baby, though I can't wait to rock with him in my arms.

Today I am 28 weeks pregnant. I can't get over how fast this pregnancy is going by. My goal is to really enjoy these final weeks with Allen before we become a family of three. I know our lives are going to change so much soon. While that's a very welcome change, it's just been the two of us for the last 6 years and I'm going to miss that, too. Allen is an amazing husband, partner and friend and I'm so lucky to share my life with him.

Nursery sneak peek!

After a lot of work (thanks Allen!) the nursery is mostly finished. We still have a few bare walls to tackle, but it's really coming together. I can't believe how real everything seems now! We're going to have a baby in just 13 weeks!!! Here's a sneak peek of the nursery.


Check out our "art" I was able to frame pictures from a calendar and saved a ton of $

It says "I'm Yertle the Turtle, oh marvelous me. For I am ruler of all that I see"


This one says "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

Bragging for a moment

It's December 1 and 90-95 percent of my Christmas shopping is finished (and most of it's wrapped) and my house is decorated. I have never been THIS organized before. I'm feeling so proud of myself. Of course my main motivation is that we have so much else to do this month in getting ready for the baby, but just for this moment I want to revel in the fact that I'm ahead of the game on something. This is all :)

24 Week Survey (a week late)

How far along? 24 weeks
Total weight gain: 13 pounds (yikes)
Maternity clothes? Are amazing
Stretch marks? No, but I figure it's only a matter or time.
Sleep: Is already becoming a little difficult. I wake up a lot throughout the night, but I can usually go back to sleep
Best moment this week: Allen felt the baby kick!
Movement: The baby has been super active and strong!
Food cravings: breakfast food, especially blueberry pancakes, and hot chocolate
Food aversions: I am past food aversions, which is apparent by my weight gain
Gender: BOY!
Labor Signs: No and I'd like to keep it that way
Belly Button: half in and half out
What I miss: Red wine
What I am looking forward to: Finishing the nursery and nesting
Weekly Wisdom: Don't pay too much attention to the numbers on the scale :)
Milestones: 24 weeks is the viability point -- basically if I were to go into labor now the baby would have a real chance of making it. However, I hope he continues to cook for anothe 16 weeks.

Where I've been

Wow, the last 5 weeks have been crazy busy. Yea, yea -- I know -- that's no excuse for not blogging. So here's an update on what we've been up to lately. Warning: It's not all that exciting, but I promise to try harder in the future :)

The nursery:
In the last five weeks we've ordered and received the bedding. Long story short, we weren't able to get the rocket bedding after all. Allen found the cutest Dr. Seuss set, though, and we love it.

We also bought the furniture, which was in stock and is just waiting to be picked up. Allen painted the room, and on Tuesday we'll have carpet installed. I'll post more pictures next week when all the furniture, drapes and some decorations are in.

More baby plans:
In addition to making space for the baby, we've been focused on finding a day care and registering. First, let me just say I can't believe how expensive day care is. It's insane. We have found a few good options, but nothing in confirmed yet. Of course, every time I think of sending our little boy to day care I tear up. I know it will be harder on me than him. I just hate thinking about someone else taking care of my sweetie.

As for registering -- OMG -- it is so overwhelming. Registering before the wedding was fun because I knew what we needed/wanted, but this is totally different. There are so many things we apparently need and, on top of that, there are SO MANY choices. I'm happy to say, though, that after hours of research, reading Baby Bargains, and shopping with my friend Heather (mother of two) we are finished.

While the last five weeks have been crazy busy and at times overwhelming, they've been great. It's so exciting planning for our little one and knowing that we're getting that much closer to having him in our arms. We feel so blessed and grateful for all the blessings in our lives.

What's in a name?

I’ve received a lot of questions about the baby’s name, so here’s a (not so) quick update.

According to my baby name book, we have at least 60,000 name options for our little one. Realistically, we probably wouldn’t pick a name that wasn’t on the top 500 names list, but that still leaves us with 500 names to choose from. Surely Allen and I could find the perfect name for Baby Savat, right?

Naming the baby is certainly the most difficult decision of the entire process because we have such different tastes. Here’s our name criteria: must be a fairly traditional/normal name; cannot be gender neutral (Allen’s rule); cannot be wimpy sounding (again, Allen’s rule and totally subjective); cannot be too popular (top 10 names were ruled out for that) but shouldn’t be a totally never-heard-of name either; and must sound good with Allen (not only is it my husband’s name, but it’s also my dad and grandpa’s name)

So far we have three potential names. They are:

Tyler or Ty for short: This is probably Allen’s favorite. It’s a strong, solid name and it sounds great with Allen, but it’s pretty popular. I also have a hard time imagining calling a baby Ty. It’s currently #27 on the Social Security Administration’s baby name list (down 6 spots from last year) and means “tile maker”.

Evan: Several years ago, Allen and I were at one of those vacation souvenir stores going through name key chains and joking about baby names when Allen saw the name Evan. It’s been on our short list ever since. Evan means “God is good/gracious.” It’s currently #38 on the SSA list (up two spots). In my opinion, Evan goes with Allen the least of the three names, but we still like it so it stays on the list.

Leo: This is definitely the most unpopular choice on the list, but I really like it. First, it has that rare combination of being a traditional yet uncommon name. Second, it’s my favorite great grandpa’s name. Leo means “lion,” which I think is pretty cool. It’s currently #227 on the SSA list (up 11 spots).

So there you have it. That’s the three names on our list. We have been calling him a different name each day in hopes that one will stick. We may very well still be deciding the day he’s born.

You’re welcome to vote on the names, but since this is not a democracy I can’t promise we’ll do anything with the results :)

Rocket baby

We bought the baby bedding!!! Yes, this sentence is worthy of three exclamation points because of what we went through to get it. The first thing I began to shop for when we found out we were expecting was bedding. Allen found this rocket collection that he just loved (rockets are way better than trains because train engineers are not real engineers, according to Allen). Overtime, the collection grew on me, too. I love the colors and I began imagining ways to decorate the nursery with this theme.

So of course, they discountinued the line. Isn't that what always happens? Well for the last week, since I found out we are expecting a boy, I have searched high and low for a set. I found ONE set on ebay and purchased it last night at a great price. We're still hoping to find the matching lamp and mobile, but if we don't that's OK. Here it is!

Bump comparison

Wow! What a difference three weeks make. Here's my bump pic from 17 weeks and then this week at 20 weeks. I can't believe how much I've grown!

For our little monkey!

Dad and MaryLynn stopped by tonight to drop off a gift for Baby Savat -- his first BOY sleeper and a rattle :)

Let the shopping begin!!!

Daydreaming

Early on in the pregnancy I read that you should spend time each day thinking about the baby – the type of person you want him or her to become, the things you want him or her to achieve, etc. I tried – I really did. But for the life of me I just didn’t feel really connected to the baby. Beyond asking him or her what we should have for lunch or if we should go to bed, I had nothing.

That all changed the moment the ultrasound tech said we were having a boy. Instantly my mind started spinning. For the first time I could really visualize the baby and all the fun adventures that lie ahead for us. Here are just a few of the things I’m looking forward to:

-Having that special mother/son relationship
-Watching him wrestle with daddy
-Playing with Tonka trucks
-T-ball games
-Seeing the world through his adventurous mind
-The mother/son dance at his wedding
-Teaching him how to treat and respect women
-Daddy teaching him how to fix things around the house
-The special relationship he’ll have with my dad
-Taking him fishing
-Jokes about farts, boogers and burping :)
-Mother/son weekends with his fraternity
-Cuddling and getting to know the sweet side of my son

If you have, are expecting or hope to have a son, what are you looking forward to?

20 Week Pregnancy Survey!

How far along? 20W (HALF WAY!!!)
Total weight gain: 6 pounds
Maternity clothes? Absolutely
Stretch marks? No - Thank goodness!
Sleep: I have found my new best friend -- a body pillow.
Best moment this week: Finding out that we're having a baby BOY!
Movement: It's happening more frequently these days. I'm also feeling hiccups -- so adorable :)
Food cravings: nothing new except for pudding cups.
Food aversions: Nothing in particular. I'm happy to report I can eat chicken again
Gender: All boy! There was no doubt on the ultrasound.
Labor Signs: Oh god no.
Belly Button: in but getting closer to being flat?
What I miss: Red wine
What I am looking forward to: Shopping for the nursery and baby clothes
Weekly Wisdom: Only you can know what's right for you and your baby. And don't listen to everyone's horror stories about labor.
Milestones: Hitting the half way point!

We're having a BOY!

We had the big ultrasound today and there was no denying that Baby Savat is a BOY! We couldn't be more excited. Allen's going to have a little buddy and I'm going to have mommy's little man :)

Can you hear me now?

So, according to my weekly updates, the baby may be able to hear me now. That's a good thing because I've been talking to him/her for a few weeks now. We talk about all kinds of things like what we should have for lunch or what a goof ball daddy is being :) Yesterday, I had a dentist appt to get a filling. Apparently the baby was about as impressed with the drilling as I was because (s)he was kicking the entire time! It's so cool to feel that interaction with the baby.

A few old wives’ tales to ponder…

Two weeks from today we’ll have the big ultrasound. While I can honestly say I don’t care if we’re having a boy or a girl, I can’t wait to know one way or the other. I feel like the pregnancy will be even more real at this point and I think knowing will help me bond with the baby. Oh, and I'm ready to shop!

I posted a gender poll to the right. I’m curious to see what everyone thinks we’re having. From day one I said I was having a boy. But nearly every baby dream has been of baby girls. Since my intuition isn’t all that reliable, I’ve taken a few quizzes based on old wives’ tales. Don’t worry. I don’t believe these aren’t reliable, but they’re fun.

Here’s the run down:

According to the Chinese gender predictor, I’m having a girl.

According to the ring trick, I’m having a boy (it spins in circles, not side to side)

According to the wives tale survey I took, I have a 35 percent chance of having a boy and a 65 percent chance of having a girl. Here’s why:

*You are carrying the extra weight out front, so it's a boy.
*The hair on your legs is not growing any faster during your pregnancy, so it's a girl.
*Girls are carried high. You are going to have a girl.
*Sleeping in a bed with your pillow to the north indicates that you will be having a boy.
*Your feet are not colder than they were before pregnancy. You are having a girl.
*Dad-to-be hasn't been gaining weight along with Mom-to-be, so it will be a girl.
*The maternal grandmother doesn't have gray hair (dyed or natural), so a girl will be born.
*You didn't have morning sickness early in pregnancy, so it will be a boy.
*Your chest development has not been very dramatic during pregnancy. You should expect a boy.
*Since the sum of the mother's age at conception and the number of the month of conception is an odd number, it will be a girl.
*Your urine is a bright neon yellow color, so you will have a boy.
*You are craving sweets, which means that it is a girl.
*Your nose hasn't changed during pregnancy, which indicates a girl.
*You have been craving fruits, so it is a girl.
*Your baby's heart rate is 140 or more beats per minute, so it's a girl.
*You must have orange juice every day, so it's a girl.
*You are having headaches, so it's a boy.
*Your belly looks like a watermelon, so it's a girl.
*You show them the palm of your hand, so it's a girl.
*You use the handle, so it's a boy.

Houston, we have movement

The baby is making his or her presence known! It started out as a strange vibration feeling. I chalked it up as nothing ... all in my head. But still it was strange and I took note. Then on Saturday I went to get a massage. As I was laying on my stomach, totally relaxed and enjoying the massage, I felt a thud. It only happened once, but it definitely caught my attention. And then Monday night as I was trying to go to sleep I felt an undeniable fluttering sensation in my stomach. It was so awesome and lasted for a good minute. I cannot begin to put into words how special this feeling is. I love knowing our little monkey is in there moving around. I am in total awe of this little miracle who we already love so much!

In other news, only 26 days until the big gender ultrasound! I cannot wait!

Here's the 16 week update:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Now that you're here...

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A pregnancy survey

How far along? 16W, 1D
Total weight gain: 3.5 pounds
Maternity clothes? All maternity pants, but I’m still getting away with some regular tops. It won’t be long though, my stomach is getting bigger
Stretch marks? None.
Sleep: I wake up at least once every night to go to the bathroom or move around, but I’m still sleeping well because I fall back to sleep right away
Best moment this week: Feeling the baby move!
Movement: It started last week with a light vibration feel in my stomach. Then I felt a kick on Saturday and last night I felt some fluttering going on!
Food cravings: OJ, eggs, PBJ, pizza, deli sandwiches, ice cream and fruit.
Food aversions: I’m becoming a very picky eater – it’s terrible. The worst aversion is to meat, chicken in particular.
Gender: Still waiting to find out. The ultrasound is set for Oct. 21, but I might move it up because I’m feeling impatient.
Labor Signs: Oh god no.
Belly Button in or out? In, it looks kind of funny with the rest of my belly
What I miss: Red wine and medium rare tuna, yum!
What I am looking forward to: Finding out the gender and preparing for the baby!
Weekly Wisdom: Don’t compare yourself with other women. Every woman (and pregnancy for that matter) is different.
Milestones: Making it to 2nd tri and feeling the baby move!

A little freaked out right now

I've posted before about how I've been having crazy pregnancy dreams. Well this one takes the cake. Last night I had a dream about this girl, let's call her Sally, who I haven't talked to in a few months. The last time we talked we had some words and we were both pissed. Since we're not friends and have no regular contact, I assumed that would be it.

Well I had a dream last night that Sally e-mailed me about my pregnancy, but the e-mail was a little snarky. And guess what... I just got an email from her (less than 24 hours after the dream) congratulating me on my pregnancy and it was snarky. I don't care so much about what she said, but that I totally knew it was going to happen before it did. Is pregnancy making my psychic? LOL!

Pregnancy -- an engineer's perspective

Allen is an engineer and thus thinks like an engineer – totally analytical. This is the same guy who at one point told me that babies are not practical – seriously. Who says that?

Regardless, I’ve always known that Allen will be a fantastic dad. He’s in the Big Brothers program and is a wonderful mentor for his little brother Jonathan. He’s one of the most patient people I know and incredibly loving. How could he not be?

But given his inexperience with babies, I figured his fathering instinct would kick in after the baby was born (he said it would when the baby was 5). Boy was I wrong.

From day one Allen has been more excited and more involved that I ever could have expected. He’s on his third fatherhood/pregnancy book and is teaching me everything he’s learned. An average night with Allen is filled with questions about whether or not we should hire a doula, discussions on delivery plans (we need to do it now!) and even thoughts on the Bradley Method (I had never even heard of this before him). And don't even get him started on childcare!

He insists on going to all of my appointments with me -- not just the big ones -- and cautions me not to lift things that are too heavy or to overdo it. He's very protective of both me and the baby.

I think his funniest comment to date though was when he said he couldn't wait for our child to be an adult because he was looking forward to having an adult relationship with him or her. Keep in mind the baby was about the size of a grape at that point :)

Really, this shouldn’t be all that surprising. though. Any time Allen is faced with the unknown – whether it’s building the ultimate man cave or taking a trip – he learns everything there is to know on the subject. That’s how analytical people make decisions and I’m very much this way, too.

But I am overwhelmed by his response to pregnancy. He’s taking such good care of me and I feel so lucky to share this experience (and my life) with him. He is a wonderful husband and father. I couldn't ask for more.

Embarrassing confession of the day

I have dreamed about being pregnant (and a mother) for years. Here’s the embarrassing part – more than once I have stuck out my stomach in the mirror to try to see what I would look like pregnant. OK fine, I’ve also stuck a small pillow in my shirt before. I’m not proud to admit it, but seriously who hasn’t at one point or another? :)

Don’t worry, there is a point to this story: I always thought I would be so excited to have a cute baby bump. In fact I couldn’t wait to have one. So it came as a shock to me that my reaction to my growing belly was less than enthusiastic.

At first I was horrified by it. I kept telling myself that it was too early to already have a little bump. And then it was too early to need a bella band. The bigger my tummy got, the worse I felt.

It’s hard to explain why this bothers me. I’m just now beginning to understand myself. The obvious reason is that I’m just insecure with my new body.

But I think there's more to it than that. I think the root of my insecurity is that I’ve been comparing myself to everyone else. Every time I look at myself in the mirror, I’m reminded that so and so wasn’t this big at 15 weeks and I feel like there’s something wrong with me.

Of course this is ridiculous. First, I’m only remembering the people who didn’t show right away. I have plenty of friends who showed early. But most importantly, it shouldn’t matter if I’m bigger or smaller than someone else because every person and pregnancy is different.

I realized tonight that I need to stop comparing myself and just go with the flow. If I can do this, I think I will have a much happier pregnancy. And that’s the ultimate point of this post – to remind myself of this promise when I’m feeling low. And we all know admiting you have a problem is the first step :)

15 Week update

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs.

Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds.

Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

14 Week update

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces.

His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

Stopping to catch our breath

Last night Allen and I returned home from our third trip in five weeks. Let me say that again: THREE TRIPS IN FIVE WEEKS. We were out of town for 16 out of the last 39 days. “Are you crazy?” you might ask. The short answer is simply yes.

In the beginning of August we spent three days in Chicago visiting my cousin Martha. The next week we drove to Gulf Shores, AL to spend a week on the beach with my family. Aside from the jelly fish, the trip was awesome. And finally, we went to WI to visit our good friends Mark and Chris Keller and their adorbale girls Katie and Alyssa.

In total, we spent approximately 53 hours in our car and traveled more than 3,050 miles. That is a lot of quality bonding time :)

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to complain. We had so much fun on these trips and we’re so fortunate to be able to take them. When we planned the trips this past winter and spring, we knew we were planning a busy schedule. What we did not know is that I would be pregnant at the time (which has included back pain that is aggervated by sitting for long periods of time).

Needless to say, we’re happy to be home and not planning any other trips beyond Cape Girardeau for the remainder of my pregnancy. (Well except for Allen’s trip next weekend to Vegas, but that does not include me.)

And now the nesting begins. With my energy returning, I have an overwhelming desire to clean and organize. I didn’t think this was suppose to happen until later in the pregnancy, but it’s already in full gear. I cannot begin to imagine how much I will be able to accomplish in six month if this keeps up!

So that’s what we’ve been up to lately. I hope you enjoyed your summer and found time to rest and relax.

13 Week update

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head -- which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed and your odds of miscarriage drop considerably.

Crazy pregnancy dreams

I’ve always heard that pregnant women have crazy dreams and honestly this scared me. See I’ve always had crazy dreams – we’re talking dreams with long, drawn-out plots, characters, challenges – you name it. Many times my dreams are like watching a movie, only I’m participating in it. They’re that vivid. So I was a little concerned about how much more intense (read crazy) they would become.

Well let me just tell you they are beyond crazy now. In the last week I have dreamt that I became friends with the Obama family after being promoted to personal family assistant and that I battled the Wicked Witch of the West for control over Emerald City. Really, where do I come up with these things? Of course, neither of those top my dream from last week where I had a hot make out session with with a steamy, all-American man named Soy Shibon (the name cracks me up). Granted, this was a guy I did not recognize so Allen did not mind.


Last night’s dream had perhaps the most bizarre plot. It took place in the 70s and I was a young (maybe 13 year old) boy. Side note: I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen myself as a boy in a dream – how weird is this? Anyways, I had a gun that was not ordinary gun -- it could transport you throughout time. Long story short, two men were trying to get the gun and eventually broke into my parents’ house (but they were not my real parents) and stole it. I was worried about the fate of the world. Seriously, that dream was f’d up.

Since my dreams appear to be becoming more and more bizarre, I figured I would share them on here for your amusement. I hope you enjoy :)

Love at first sight

We had our 12 week ultrasound this week. It was amazing. First, the important stuff: The baby is doing great. The heart beat was 169 and he or she is measuring three days ahead (which tells me the baby is going to take after daddy or the grandpas!) The tech did a lot of measurements and everything looked as it should.

The baby was especially wiggly during the ultrasound. In fact, it took the tech awhile to measure the heart beat because (s)he wouldn’t stop moving around. We were all giggles with excitement over all the kicks and jabs. I will not feel these for at least another couple weeks, but it’s cool to know its happening. At one point the baby was showing off and flipped around on its side like (s)he was posing :) We both agree that this is going to be a very cute baby!

I cannot express the relief I feel knowing that we made it pass the 12 week mark and everything looks good. I have been praying for this since I found out I was pregnant. Now that I know everything is OK I am telling pretty much every one I see. I cannot keep it inside anymore. I’m too excited.

12 week update:

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

9 Week Update

Wow, I can't believe I'm 9 weeks already. Actually, I'm 9 weeks 3 days -- but who's counting? :) Here's an update on what our little monkey is doing this week.

Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

What I've learned

I learned a lot during my journey to conceive. I am well versed on ovulation tests, hormones, herbal teas and supplements to induce ovulation, Clomid, acupuncture, home pregnancy tests -- you name it. I can explain, in detail, all the fertility tests and how to chart your temperature to determine if and when you ovulated. But learning how to get pregnant was not the most important lesson I learned along the way.

As the months went by and trying to conceive got more stressful, I began to ask God why. Why me? Why couldn’t I get pregnant? I am a firm believer that God presents us with challenges to teach us important lessons, but I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to learn here. I knew I was ready to be a mom and would make a good mom and felt pretty sure that was not the lesson I needed to learn.

So I started praying. I prayed every night and begged God to help me understand what I was supposed to learn. And then one night, after a few months of praying, it came to me.

You see all along I had been under the mistaken assumption that I was in control. I forgot that ultimately, getting pregnant was in God’s hands. I realized that I was doing everything humanly possible to get pregnant (at this point I was taking Clomid and undergoing extensive testing) but that wasn’t enough. I needed to have faith that God would provide for me when it was time.

That was one powerful revelation. From that night forward I began to relax. I continued to pray, but I had this intense belief that God would provide for me and Allen. And you know what? He did. The next month I found out that I was pregnant.

Every pregnancy is a miracle of sorts and this one is no exception. I am so grateful to be pregnant and will forever remember the important lesson I learned along my journey to conceive.

The fortune that changed our lives.

Last month Allen and I met up for lunch one Friday afternoon at a little, local Chinese restaurant. After lunch we opened up our fortune cookies and Allen got a big surprise. His fortune said:



The rest of the conversation went something like this:

Allen - Wow, this is cool. Check out my fortune.
Sara - ::smiles::
Allen - What does yours say?
Sara - ::shows Allen the same message::
Allen - ::looks confused::
Sara – Do you know what this means?
Allen – No
Sara - ::pulls out a positive pregnancy test::
Allen – What does that mean?
Sara – It means we’re going to have a baby in March

From there, it was 15 minutes of “Wows” “Cools” and “Oh My God’s.” Allen was so shocked he couldn’t get over it. At one point he even got his phone calendar out to see how far away March was. This was the exact reaction I was hoping for since Allen loves to surprise me.




Pregnancy and having a baby is something I have dreamed about for years. But after trying for so long, it began to seem like something that only happened to other people.

In Allen’s defense, I was just as shocked as he was when I saw that beautiful second line pop up on the home pregnancy test at 5 A.M. on Friday, June 26. In fact, I tested for FOUR days in a row and carried the tests around for a week like a baby. I kept checking to make sure the line didn’t disappear. Our due date is Marc 8, 2010.



Now that I’m 9 weeks pregnant, the reality of pregnancy has sunk in. I’m going to be a mom! I feel like the luckiest woman in the world. I have an amazing husband and a baby on the way. The biggest turning point was definitely seeing our little sea monkey’s heart beat at 7 weeks. It was the most beautiful thing I think I’ve ever seen and it brought me to tears.



Truth be told, this is the original reason I created this blog. I wanted a place to share all the adventures of starting a family with my closest friends and family. I just never imagined that it would take so long to get pregnant. But good things come to those who wait, right? And so I’m here. I’ll try to post regularly and keep you all up-to-date with the progress and funny stories.

Love,
The Savats

I'm back

Dear Blog,

Before you begin lecturing me, I can explain. You see I started this blog because I thought I’d have all these interesting things to write about and it would be a great way to share what’s going on in our lives with family and friends. As it turns out, I don’t have that much interesting going on in my life. But I felt a little guilty when Grandma Lamb asked me about my blog yesterday, so I’ll give it another shot.

The past couple months have been crazy busy. I’m half-way through my first semester of teaching. Besides the insane amount of work that goes into it (making lesson plans, creating assignments and grading) I am really starting to enjoy it. I have founds ways to get more comfortable in class and I’m feeling a lot more confident. I also think most of my students generally like me (anyone who knows me well knows how important this is to me).

One of my favorite things in life is planning parties. Allen understands this and allows me to throw one big party every year (although sometimes I can sneak other small parties in!). This year I chose to have a Mardi Gras party. I’ll have to post pictures later, but all in all it was a great party. I made lots of Cajun food, had hurricanes, beads, decorations, you name it. I think every one had a good time and I’m already thinking about next year’s party (I want to make it an annual event).

Other than that, I’m just anxiously waiting for spring to come and stay. I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately and I think sunshine and warm weather is just what the doctor ordered.

TGIF!

Man my last post was depressing but to be quite honest, it was pretty reflective of the way I was feeling earlier this week. Fortunately, class on Thursday was much better. Sure I still have some tweaks to work out, but it was only the second day, right? Anyways, I’m feeling a lot more confidant now. Thank you to all of you who have encouraged me and told me that I can do this!

I’m really looking forward to my three day weekend (paid holidays is the best part of winter for me!) and have a lot of fun things planned. Tonight I am going to a happy hour with some old sorority sisters, many of whom I have not seen in nearly 10 years. I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks and I can’t wait to catch up with them.

Tomorrow my future sister-in-law is coming up and we are going bridesmaid dress shopping. Afterwards, I am hosting a little luncheon for her and the rest of the bridal party. Of course, no party I ever have is “little.” I’m particularly excited about my fancy menu and gorgeous floral centerpiece :)

Throw in a hockey game, lessons plans and hopefully a nap or two, and I have a pretty nice weekend planned. I hope you all do, too.

By the way, if you like following this blog, you should click on the bottom right to become a follower. By doing this, I think it automatically lets you know when I post new messages.

At least they didn't throw tomatoes

Yesterday was my first day of class. I waltzed into class proud of my syllabus and plans for the class and ready to bestow my wisdom on these eager PR students. I left feeling a little embarrassed and very deflated.

I know I’m probably making the experience out to be worse than it really was. But their blank stares were awful. You would have thought I was speaking another language or had some weird growth protruding out of the side of my head. The more they stared, but more uncomfortable I got. And before I knew it I was jumbling up my words and feeling like an idiot.

On the bright side, if they don’t start getting more engaged I can fail all of them…just kidding :) But seriously, it’s got to get better than this, right?

Last night I came home and treated myself to a big glass of red wine to help me relax. And then I got back to work on Thursday’s lesson plan. I’m working in more questions that will hopefully encourage them to speak or at least show some sign that their still living.

I'm also working on positive thinking. For example, only 30 more classes to go!

Long time no see

Hello friend. I’m sorry I’ve neglected you for so long. You see I was busy with the holidays and then I was busy RELAXING and couldn’t be bothered to blog about the wonders of being off work for 12 days straight (pretty amazing – I know). But now I’m back to reality so I guess I should get back to sharing that reality with you. Here’s a quick update about what I’ve been up to since we talked last.

I know people generally complain that the holidays go by too quickly, but when you have divorced parents that is not a problem. Christmas started on Tuesday (Christmas Eve Eve) at my step-grandparent’s and continued through Sunday. Counting Christmas morning, we had 7 different family functions. I know it sounds hectic, but it was really fun and I wouldn’t have missed a single one of them.

Santa was really good to us this year. Allen (I mean Santa) gave me a video camera that will come in handy when we have kids. I’m already trying to figure out how I can use it to make short videos to post here. And my big gift to Allen was a classic iPod. He already has every CD we own downloaded to it –he’s in heaven. Ironically, his favorite gift was from my dad and MaryLynn (floor mats for his new truck) and my favorite gift was from his mom (a GPS – you’d be amazed at how easily I can get lost).

While Allen returned to work the Monday –Wednesday between Christmas and New Year’s, I was off the entire week. I have not had a full week at home since I started working at 16 – it was WONDERFUL and I highly recommend it. Sure, I got some work done for my class (which starts next Tuesday – yikes) but mostly I shopped, read books, cleaned and organized the house and took naps. I can’t remember the last time I felt this balanced.

We spent New Year’s Eve with my friend Meredith, her husband Aaron and another couple their friends with. It was a low-key night. We went out for a nice dinner and then back to her house for chocolate fondue (yum!) and games. The good thing about getting older is that New Years Day does not have to be spent nursing the WORST HANGOVER EVER with greasy cheeseburgers, Coke and lots of Advil! Instead I took down all of the Christmas decorations, cleaned the entire house and had dinner at my dad’s. Geez I’m getting old :)

You will probably be impressed to know that Allen and I are still working out. Actually we’re on a pretty good schedule right now and I’m already seeing a difference in my ability and definition! Come this summer I expect to look pretty amazing!

So now here we are… it’s the middle of the first week back and everything is back to normal except that I’m all refreshed and stress free. What a great way to start 2009. I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!