23 Weeks

Time is flying. I cannot believe tomorrow is Friday already, and have a feeling that the weeks are going to continue to pass quickly. 

Today Poppy is exactly 23 weeks old! Here is what's happening inside my belly:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound, you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Watching Poppy squirm is indeed my favorite pastime. I also don't mind sharing the joy with others....want to rub this belly? Go right ahead! Want to feel Poppy dance? Place your hand right here...doesn't bother this mama in the least. I love the love. Bring it on :)

Today, while looking at some of the adroable sleepers and onesies we have acquired for Poppy, I had a total freak-out moment. An "Oh my god, we are really going to have a baby. A real, actual baby who will be living in this house and wearing these clothes. And it will be ours. And it will be soon." Awesome moment of surrealization. Also, looking online and in my baby books, I realize that Poppy is starting to look like an actual baby now. Cool. Amazing. Wonderful. Beautiful. 

We ordered the crib this week...thank you Nonna and Grandpa! We went with the vintage style Jenny Lind. It should arrive in the beginning of November and I can't wait! Also the nuresry is painted (thanks again to Grandpa!) and we're planning to have the carpet installed in the next week or two. Phew, things are finally beginning to come together. Poppy will be sleeping in our room for at least the first few months, so there truly isn't a need to have the nursery complete before (s)he arrives; but I feel such urgency and excitement!

I am currently laying on the couch, drinking water and trying to relax, because I believe I had my first Braxton Hicks contractions today. Totally freaked me out, just like every 'first' this pregnancy has. As scary as not knowing exactly what to expect is, I cherish every moment with Poppy and this journey we are taking together. You've taught me so much, Little One! I love you!

Does this bump make my butt look big?

It's no secret that baby momma got back. I always have, I always will. My whole life I assumed that my booty would continue to grow larger and larger when I got pregnant. What I hadn't taken into account was how my big old baby belly would grow too. And it turns out, the belly helps take the focus OFF of my big old booty. In conclusion, my bump is my new favorite accessory. It actaully makes my butt look smaller! It must be noted, while stating this observation, that I do in fact have distorted body image. This is a term is most commonly used to describe the image seen by women with eating disroders when they look in the mirror - they see a distorted image, a body much larger than it truly is. I, on, the other hand, have always seen a much thinner body than truly exists. I think pregnancy may just be magnifying this distortion, as the bump is such a distraction that everything else looks smaller in comparison. I dunno. All I know is, keep growing Poppy, momma likes her new butt. Look, it appears to be almost as flat at Nonnas!

In other body-related news, Uncle Sale has a new nickname for me: Jodhpurs. You know, the riding pants that flare out at the thighs, like this:

I guess the belly doesn't balance out the hamhocks like it does the booty. Luckily, I love Uncle Sal and think he's funny enough that this makes me laugh out loud every time I think about it. In any case, I don't care if my booty and my jodhpurs grow to this size of Texas, as long as my Poppy is safe, healthy, comfy and growing strong :)

Sweet dreams are made of...

Nipples and shark teeth. I have had several dreams about Poppy over the past few months, and they have all involed breastfeeding. I guess somewhere in my subconscious mind I am anxious about it. So, in last night's dream I was nursing Poppy, and she was a girl. She was quite homely looking, as has been the case in most of my dreams (possibly another underlying fear?). She wasn't latching on properly, so I held her back and looked at her mouth, and she opened it wide. Inside were hundreds of tiny, pointy sharks teeth. Little white teeth completely covering the entire roof of her mouth. It was sooooo creepster!! I woke up immediately. What's up with that?
In a previous dream Poppy was a newborn (ugly) baby girl and I was nursing her and she stopped nursing to ask me if she could have something else to eat. Yeah, she could talk. I asked my mom if I could give her spinach and she yelled at me...how could I BE so stupid! Geez, the kid asked, didn't she?!
In my very first dream about Poppy he was a boy, and we were having an ultrasound. We could see him swimming in blue water, fully clothed in a red shirt and baby jeans, in cartoon form. The ultrasound tech told us he was a boy. And then I woke up.
I don't think Poppy will come out fully clothed, able to speak or with shark teeth (god help us!). But preggy dreamland is pretty darn entertaining :)

22 Weeks!

I'm a little late in posting, but we have reached the 22 week mark! Here is that same survey I completed 8 weeks ago, just for fun:

How far along? 22 weeks. OMG, just realized Poppy is due EXACTLY 4 months from today!
Total weight gain/loss: + 13 pounds (but it's ALLLLLLL belly. ha. i wish).
Sleep: pain in my hips and legs wakes me up many times a night, as well as going potty 1 -2 times. but i usually get right back to sleep so i really can't complain!
Movement: oh yes! this is my favorite form of entertainment these days. feeling poopy kick, twirl, dance...and watching it too! Nonna and Daddy have also been able to feel the kicks! Best. Thing. Ever.
Symptoms: heartburn, cravings, weepy
Symptoms I DON'T have: no more morning sickness!
Food cravings: fresh tomatoes, sweets
Food aversions: um, none. feed me.
Gender: I'll let you know around January 26th
Labor Signs: dear lord, none yet, thank god.
Belly Button in or out? almost flattened out, with a big smiley face at the top thanks to my naval piercing.
What I miss: raw sushi, cold cuts, jumping around like a maniac with my students without turning red, sweaty, and breathless, sleeping on my back
What I am looking forward to: finishing the nursery, registering, MEETING POPPY!

Aaaaaaaand, cue the tears

Just came across this quote and can't stop crying. Thought I'd share.

Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.  ~Elizabeth Stone

Who ARE you, little one?

Since the day we found out about Poppy, I have been completely convinced she is a girl. Until this week. For no particular reason I got a feeling, a gut instinct and intuition...BOY! This baby jumping around inside of me is definitely a boy. For the first time I am starting to think boy, boy, boy. I didn't expect this to happen. I feel more bonded with Poppy now that he is moving, and I wonder if our new connection has given me greater insight? Ah, it's all probably BS, but I must admit I love wondering! Who are you, Poppy? Are you Popparella or Popson? Poppylee or Popster? PoppyAnn or PoppyMAN? Can't wait to meet you and find out!

21 Weeks

Today marks 21 weeks...past the halfway point! Here is what's going on with Poppy this week:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot or banana.You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

Here is a little visual aid...

Dear Poppy,

I can't believe how much I love you already. Especially now that I can feel you moving around inside of my belly, I am just amazed by it! I want you to know, Poppy, that I promise to do my best to never disappoint you. You see, my whole life Nonna and Grandpa have been there for me when I needed them. They NEVER let me down. Ever. I realize now, as an adult, what a valuable gift that is. Their unconditional love has given me security, self-confidence, and taught me how to love others. That is such a precious gift, and one that I cannot wait to pass on to you! You will lean, as you grow up, that sometimes in life we have to do things that we don't want to do, or don't feel like doing. But, when we have a commitment to someone or something, we have to do it anyway. This is one of the toughest life lessons to learn. But I promise to be a responsible parent and ALWAYS put you first, even if it means making some sacrifices myself. Because I know that the best way to teach you this life lesson is by example.
I have found that the fact that my own parents never disappointed me makes it that much more difficult to accept when others do disappoint me. I think it's worth the trade though. Especially because it has made me aware of how others feel if I disappoint them, and so I do my best to make everyone I love feel special and valued.
Well, this is probably getting a long and wordy for your little fetus brain, but the bottom line, Poppy, is that I love you. And you can always count on me!

Love,
Mommy

Poppy Strong Like Bull!

Today is a super exciting milestone for us...I just saw Poppy kick from the outside! It is the neatest thing ever. I hadn't felt the baby move as much today as I have the past week, so I was feeling a little anxious for some dance party, belly edition action. After a loooooong day I was lying on the couch (finally) relaxing when I began to feel those beautiful familiar flutters. I lifted up my shirt to have a look, because these felt stronger than usual. A few seconds later, boom, there it was. On the left side, just under my belly button, a wave! What a delight. It is so comforting to know that Poppy is growing stronger; strong enough to kick mommy nice and hard. I've been staring at my belly for the past hour, and got to see several more thumps. Yay Poppy!!! Can't wait until Daddy catches a glimpse and can feel you too!

Back to Life

Back to reality. Well, more accurately, back to school. First week with students and wow, am I pooped! I figure it will take me about a month to get used to being on my feet all day. At which point I will have a slew of new pregnancy symptoms, and then it will take me a month to adjust to those and, well, you get the idea. Oh but it's all so worth it for our little Popster!
Today is reason for celebration, because at 20 weeks Poppy is officially Half Baked!!! I was planning to have some Ben & Jerry's to mark the occassion...

But alas, my gallbladder had other plans. I have been having some rather uncomfortable pain in my ribs for a few weeks now. I figured it was normal growing pains. Then I noticed a pattern, and it usually got worse after eating, especially at night. It would hurt so bad that I couldn't even lay on my side. I mentioned it to my mom, and told her it was especially bothersome on the right side. She told me to be careful, because it sounds like the pain she had with her gallbaldder, before she eventually had it removed. Bummer. Went to doc yesterday and sure enough, my gallbaldder hates my guts (no pun intended). His directions? No greasy or fatty foods, and no dairy. No dairy. NO DAIRY???? Does he not realize ice cream is dairy?! My diet has consisted largely of yogurt, cottage cheese, cereal with milk, glasses of delicious cold milk, and string cheese for the past 2 months. This is going to be tough. I am going to completely cut out the grease, but try to cut down on the dairy rather than cut it out completely. We shall see! I definitely don't want to have surgery to have the gallbaldder removed while pregnant.

Also, my belly rash returned. It occured both times after swimming in public pools in a bikini. Luckily I don't think I'll be doing that again any time soon, so hopefully this is last time the itch rears it's ugly head. Stupid sensitive skin.

I have gained 12 pounds (yikes!), and measured at 20 minches (which I guess it normal) and got to hear Poppy's heartbeat. It was 160 bpm again, and still the bestest sound ever. We also scheduled another ultrasound in a month, which is exciting because I had assumed this month's was our last. Can't wait to see baby dance again!

In other news, I am freaking out about our lack of progress on the nursery and our to do list before Poppy arrives. I think now that I'm back to work I am afraid I won't have time to get it all done. Or maybe the nesting instinct is setting in. Anyway, here is the list of to dos:

• Clear out nursery
• Paint nursery
• Order crib and assemble
• Choose carpet and have installed
• Make mobile
• Choose and purchase glider
• Decorate! (thinking of making curtains, crib skirt and pillows myself)
• Register for shower (this one is really big b/c there are SO many choices for every little thing)
• Register for childbirth, newborn and breastfeeding classes
• Do cloth diapering research and start buying them (also, SO MANY different choices!)
• Take hospital tours and pre-register
• Read Bradley Method book
• Start doing kegel exercises
• Clean the house like it's never been cleaned before
• Take a chill pill

Oh, and convince my wonderful husband to help me with all of this. (I love you, honey!) I know it will all get done, but it is overwhelming at times. Why must I be a planner?!

19 Weeks!

Helloooooo, Mango! That's right, Poppy is the size of a delicious tropical fruit this week, round and sweet. At our ultrasound Tuesday we found out baby is about 10 ounces, which is a little more than average. Andy was 10 1/2 pounds at birth. Pray for me, that's all I have to say about that! Here is a mango next to a disgusting manhand and a quarter, if you are a visual learner...

This is also a big week for Poppy's sensory development. (S)he can hear my voice clearer than ever, and is developing a sense of taste. Based on today's menu, this child will love chili cheese fries, Zingerman's Ruebens and coke. Whoops. Excuse me while I go and eat some broccoli (and maybe a little ben & jerry's for good measure). 

Today Poppy got to double float. We're talking amniotic fluid AND the lazy river at Turtle Cove. Ah, nothing like floating in a tube all day long. Super relaxing after a bit of a scare last night. I had some major pain in my belly, almost like I had pulled a muscle. It kept getting worse so I called the Dr., and he said since the pain was up around my belly button it was NOT baby. Phew! I, of course, was crying and blubbering on the phone like an idiot. Probably just growing pains, exasperated by lots of stretching and pushing/pulling that I am not used to while setting up my classroom. I worry about this baby so much while it is safe inside of me, I cannot imagine the terror I will feel when (s)he is exposed to the horrors of the real world. Sheesh! 

Here we are the water park today. Yes, I rocked the Bikini Bump. I am sure some people disapprove, but luckily for me and Poppy, I could care less!

And, I have to share this picture of the Popster's daddy and best friend. They didn't even realize they were making the exact same face! Sickningly adorable:

Oh, what the heck, here's another!

I guess great minds think alike (no pun intended honey, hehehehe). Ciao for now!

Hi, I'm Poppy!

Today I am 18 weeks and 5 days old, and I love to show off. Some old lady put a magic wand on my mommy's belly and moved it all around. I tried telling her to stop by waving my hands in the air. See, here they are above my head:

She kept going with that wand, so I kicked my legs around and waved my hands some more. I think I heard my mommy giggling at me. She thinks I am cute and silly. I also heard Daddy, Nonna, Gramps and Meemaw describing everything I was doing. They called me "he" and "she". Get it right, people!


The old lady with the wand said I have 10 fingers, 10 toes, 2 arms, 2 legs, and nice strong spine. I guess that's all good. And I weigh about 10 ounces. Maybe that's why mommy keeps feeding me all this rice pudding and chips and salsa; so I'll keep on growing. Oh, the old lady also said that I was measuring at 19 weeks 3 days, so maybe I'll come 5 days ahead of my due date. Whatever! 


Here's another picture. My mom and dad keep staring at it, even though I don't think it's my best angle. I hope they don't embarrass me and go showing it to everyone they know!

Nobody Told Me

Nobody told me that...

it would become too difficult to squat over public toilets with the baby bump, and i would give up and just sit down.


how incredibly freaked-out-terrified i would be for the first 12 weeks.


i would wake up in the middle of the night with charlie horses in my legs.


i would fall in love with my baby daddy all over again, every day.


feeling baby move is the coolest feeling ever in the world (ok, yes they did. but i just didn't understand until it happened). 


my tummy would grow more hair than my legs ever have. grossness.


my ribs would hurt. bad. 


when i laughed, it would be the most hearty, full, satisfying laugh i've ever felt.


sneezing would cause intense pain in my abdominal muscles, causing me to jump out of bed and double over.


at the end of the day I would find crumbs from several meals embedded in the skin on the top of my belly. delicious! 

...and i'm sure much, much more to come ; )

Do the hustle!

18 Weeks today, and the beginning of my fifth month! Getting very close to the halfway mark, woo-hoo! 
To celebrate this milestone, Poppy has been dancing all day today :) I sneezed, baby danced. I laid down, baby danced. I drove in the car, baby danced (and I cried). I've felt that amazing fluttering feeling for a few weeks now, but today has been an all-out dance party. I have found that feeling the baby move has finally given me the permission that I was waiting for to talk to him/her. I felt kind of stupid doing it before. But now, we have some communication in the works. Pretty sweet! Now I am just waiting for that first kick. Come on, poppy, hit me with your best shot! 
Vegetablally (yes, I made that word up), Poppy is about the size of a sweet potato this week. (S)he weighs approx. 5 1/2 oz and is about 5-5 1/2 inches long. Poppy also starts making poopy this week...we're so proud! Poop poppy, poop! 

Poppy looks something like this: 

In other news, I went garage sale-ing this morning and struck gold. For an antique lover and bargain-aholic (like me!), a good garage sale find it the ultimate high. As you know, I've been putting a lot of thought into Poppy's nursery, but haven't made any purchases yet. I have been waiting for that "Aha!" moment when I see that piece of furniture or piece of decor that inspires me. Well I found it today! An antique dresser in a beautiful light oak, and a shabby blue chair. They are both perfect. I also found a full set of wood letters for the alphabet wall at a different sale. Upon bringing everything home I had a panic attack over the lack of progress in the nursery. I suddenly feel anxious to have it painted tomorrow. Oh, and I found a beautiful light green changing table on craigslist, which I am hoping to pick up on Saturday. Sooooo exciting to get this vintage eclectic nursery moving along. 
Oh, and here are the dresser and chair:

The changing table:

The vintage Bambi toy highchair I found at an estate sale: 

The vintage Bambi lamp I stole from Uncle Sal:

This poor kid is going to hate antiques. Whoops! 

Poppy, you make my eyes water.

Yesterday marked 17 weeks! Poppy is now the size of an onion. I've decided it's a sweet vidalia onion, like this one:

I love onions, they make most things taste delightfully sweet and spicy and delicious. And poppy makes life delicious too. Also, onions make my eyes water (when I chop them), and it turns out poppy makes my eyes water too. I woke up early this morning (actually, Andy woke me up when he got up for work by kissing my belly good morning), so of course I turned to TLC to watch A Baby Story. I've been crying my eyes out for the last 3 hours. Just the sight of a little nugget wrapped tightly in a blanket makes me sob. And to be honest, it feels really, really good. Better than chopping onions. 

So, back to nursery talk. Mom and I went to check out cribs this week, with little success. The search is on, and I am leaning toward the white spindle posted below. I would like to see it in person though, so we're working on that. I also have been researching some fun do-it-yourself projects for poppy's room. I want to make a mobile, and came across this lovely sight:

The stars are origami, and I love the idea of handpicking all of the fun paper. Not sure I love it on the twine, but I'm confident I can come up with a creative variation. The website I found it on was a lot of fun, and it turns out this mommy made it for her daughter named....wait for it...Gia! Gia is one of our top girl's names, so of course this MUST be some kind of a sign, right?! Actually, the little girl's full name is Giavanna, which I kind of love. I have never seen it spelled that way, but I looked it up and it's a legit form of Giovanna. My mom's name is JoAnn, and she was named after her grandmother, Giovanna. Hmmmmm, Father Leo says there are no coincidences in life. I think he's right ; )

OK, off to shower and lather up in sunblock - we're going to water park today and I can't wait to float in the lazy river with my love. 

Oh Happy Day!

My name is Bree, and I'm a chocoholic. And I have no intentions of quitting this habit any time soon. It turns out I may be doing my baby (and myself!) and huge favor. A Finnish study found that mothers who ate chocolate regularly during pregnancy had happier babies. Cheers! 

And here's a link referencing the study in case you think I'm a big, fat, chocoholic liar:

 http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4854-chocolate-in-pregnancy-keeps-baby-happy.html

 http://annmariekostyk.com/2010/05/17/eat-dark-chocolate-during-pregnancy-for-healthy-mom-and-happy-baby/

Do you know what you're having?!

This is one of the top three questions people ask you when you are pregnant. "Do you know what you're having?!". Ummm, a baby (Well, unless that dream that I had in which I gave birth to Habibi wa some kind of intuition). OH, you mean a boy or a girl! Yeah, no. We have decided to remain on Team Green, which means we will not find out the baby's sex until he or she pops out. Yay! I love the anticipation, the guessing, the wondering, the element of suspense and surprise. What is my motherly instinct telling me? Girl. Has been since day one. I couldn't tell you specifically why, just a feeling. And as we all know, that's not really worth a whole lot...I could very well be completely wrong (for the first time in my life, just imagine!). Anyway, there are a load of old wives tales to help you predict the sex of your little one. Here is a big old list. I have highlighted those that hold true for each. Some of them are too early to tell, but it's still fun to play! I will update this later in pregnancy. Sooooo, is poppy a boy or a girl? Here's guessing...

It's a boy! if:
You didn't experience morning sickness in early pregnancy Your baby's heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute You are carrying the extra weight out in front Your belly looks like a basketball Your areola have darkened considerably You are carrying low You are craving salty or sour foods You are craving protein - meats and cheese Your feet are colder than they were before pregnancy The hair on your legs has grown faster during pregnancy Your hands are very dry Your pillow faces north when you sleep Dad-to-be is gaining weight too Pregnancy has you looking better than ever Your urine is a bright yellow in colour Your nose is spreading If you hang your wedding ring over your belly, it moves in circles You are having headaches You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived the number is even (36)

It's a girl! if: You had morning sickness early in pregnancy Your baby's heart rate is at least 140 beats per minute (160s) You are carrying the weight in your hips and rear Your left breast is larger than your right breast Your hair gets red highlights You are carrying high Your belly looks like a watermelon You crave sweets You crave fruit You crave orange juice You don't look quite as good as normal during pregnancy You are moodier than usual during pregnancy Your face breaks out more than usual You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread Your breasts have really blossomed! Your pillow faces south when you sleep Your urine is a dull yellow in colour If you hang your wedding ring over your belly, it moves from side to side If you add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived the number is odd

And the Chinese Gender Chart says Girl.

Hmmmm, that's 5 for boy and 8 for girl....close call. I'll have to do the ring test later and see if that makes it even closer ; )

Those who have spent time with me recently, do you have a predicition? 

Wanna check out my crib?

Cribs, cribs, cribs! Yet another HUGE decision in project nursery. There are so damn many! And this is, of course, the most important decision in my life. I think I've narrowed it down to three. Keep in mind, the nursery will be painted white, white curtains, all furniture white, pops of color here and there. So here they are and whey I like them:


This is a Jenny Lind Crib. I love the antique style. I think my mom said it looks like the crib I had when I was a baby. I love the spindles and the sides. 

This one is a bit more modern. I love the flat top and the wood accent on the bottom. 

And last but not least, my boldest option. It also comes in green, but I am partial to the blue. And yes, I'm OK with my baby girl having a blue crib.

I know which one I'm leaning toward, but I'm dying to know: Which do you love?

Ole!

Today marks 16 weeks, which means poppy is the size of an avacado! Here's some details about how poppy is growing: The fetus now measures about 4.3 to 4.6 inches and weighs about 2.8 ounces. The top of your uterus should be felt about three inches below your belly button. The baby's eyes can blink and the heart and blood vessels are fully formed. The baby's fingers and toes should have fingerprints.


In honor of the occassion, I think I will have some guacamole :)

It's already a known fact that poppy loves mexican food, as poppy forces me to eat it several times a week. Speaking of food, I'm scared. Up until about 12 weeks I basically had to force myself to eat, and hardly anything looked or sounded appetizing. I lost 5-6 pounds. Well, my appetite is back. With a vengance. I can't seem to eat enough. Which seemed like reason to celebrate until I realized that I gained 3 pounds last week alone. Not cool. At that rate, I'll gain 72 pounds before this baby is born. NOT going to happen! So, I am trying to replace ice cream and cake with fruit, chips with carrots and celery, blah blah blah. I still have a feeling I will need to eat all day long, so I'm going to have to make some smarter choices.

In other news, I bought some maternity jeans yesterday and felt like a new person wearing them. Wow! I have not worn jeans in probably 8 weeks, so this was big. I was strutting my stuff and feeling like a million bucks. The construction workers down the street even whistled at me! (Idiots. I'm freakin pregnant). Truly amazing what a little denim can do for the self-esteem. 

Oh, and my belly rash went away! I am thinking it was the penincillin, as it was almost completely gone within 48 hours of my last pill. Nevertheless, I go back to the doc today for a follow-up. I could probably cancel the appt, but I would never do that because now every time I go in I get to hear poppy's heartbeat on the doppler. It's this little plastic tool, kinda like a walkie-talkie with a wand attached. The nurses rubs the wand on my belly and hold it still when she finds the heartbeat. Then we get to listen and it is truly the most beautiful, amazing sound in the world! I could listen all day. Unfortunately she usually only holds it there for about 20 seconds, until she can get the heartrate (which has been consistently around 164 btw). Anyway, I am super duper looking forward to that today. 

Speaking of beautiful sounds, I wrote a lullaby for poppy last night. I have always wished to be a songwriter, but was never quite able to find the inspiration. Well, it looks like poppy might be it! I recorded it on my keyboard and am going to notate it today. I want to start singing a few melodies regularly, since poppy's ears are developing. I read that when babies are born they can recognize melodies they heard regularly in the womb. How amazing! I can't want to look into my babies eyes and sing him/her to sleep. Aaaaaand, I'm crying. But what's new. I still cry at least 3-5 times a day, but the episodes only last from 2-30 seconds. Well, sometimes longer, but not as regularly. I love pregnancy hormones!

Here I am yesterday, about 10 days short of 4 months pregnant. A lot of people tell me I just look chubby and you can't tell I'm pregnant, but when I look in the mirror I see my beautiful baby. 

Ok, off to bake some zucchini bread, so poppy can get her veggies later ;)

15 weeks

As of yesterday we are 15 weeks! Yay poppy!


And I think I am allergic to my baby. I noticed on Tuesday night that my belly was itching more than ever, and figured it was because it's stretching. Wrong. I woke up Wedesday to find a nice, red rash forming. I immediately stopped scratching and called my OB, who said to come in. When he saw it he literally said, "Things that make you go hmmmmmm." Um, ok. He then told me to take benadryl, put anti-itch cream on it, and come back in a week, unless it got worse, in which case I should call the next day.
It's three days later and it's a little worse and spread across my ENTIRE belly. And yes, still itches like a mofo. Oh yeah, and I haven't taken any benadryl. Whoops. Sorry, I don't want my baby to be on uneccessary drugs. It could be an allergic reaction to the penicillin I am on for my baldder infection. My last dose is tonight so I guess if the rash goes away in the next day or two, there is our answer.
Most importantly, the doc didn't seem to be worried that the rash could hurt poppy in anyway. I can handle an itchy belly if the end result is a beautiful baby in my arms in 25 short weeks : ) Plus, it beats morning sickness any day!

in a white room...

Soooo, I got called back to work (yay) which means I only get to lay around the house dreaming about poppy for about 5 more weeks. Poor me. Anyway, I want to get started on the nursery before I go back to work...clean it out and paint it at the least. Yippee! I LOVE to decorate. It does, however, pose some problems because I can be very indecisive. And of course this is, like, the most important decision of my life.

I began by browsing the internet for nursery photos and ideas. And then my lovely friend kelly invited me to pinterest.com, which had all kinds of eye candy. I looked and browsed and thought and worried. I actually had dreams about the colors to use one night last week and woke up several times in a cold sweat. "Black, white and red?!" "Cobalt blue?!" Sheesh. What I am going to do when it comes time to choose poppy's preschool...ok, ok. One thing at a time. 

Anyway, I eventually came to the decision that I want to paint the nursery white and get all white furniture. This way I can add pops of color with the mobile, wall art, and fun antiquey/kitschy things that I find over the next 6 months. I am so excited! Here are some inspiration photos:

I love the spindle crib in this pic too:

Now I just need the motivation to clear out the room...