Calling All Moms....Especially the Newer Ones

Ok....I need my girls to help me out.

I know that you have tricks of the trade.  I know you have insider information.  I know you can tell me exactly what I need and all the stuff I can leave at the store.  So spill it!

I would love if you would email me or comment under this post or ANYTHING!  

Courtney filled me in on Baby Wise (going to buy and read that soon), JoLynn told me some good stuff too.  I need all the help I can get ;)

Thanks a million!

Pregnancy Dreams

Wow...these can be crazy!

In my first trimester they could only be called nightmares.  They usually ended with me finding out that I had miscarried.  But thankfully those have stopped!

Now they are just comical!  Like the one a week or so ago where I dreamed that we found out we were having triplets (like one isn't enough...who wants three at once?!).  Joey and my mom were both telling me how exciting it was, and, through the whole dream, I was crying.  I could not be convinced that having triplets was anything but catastrophic!

But the one that beats them all is the one the other night.  Evidently I have some anxiety about breastfeeding, and in my dream I couldn't breastfeed.  So I tried to get the baby to take a bottle of any kind but instead my precious baby (in it's future christening gown, no less) refused a bottle because it was eating fritos and bean dip!!!

Now the baby didn't tell me it didn't want a bottle (because OF COURSE babies can't talk!) but it was more telekinetic....ha!  And it wasn't fritos scoops; it was the baby ones....of course.

16 Weeks....Almost

We went for our doctor's visit yesterday.  Unfortunately there was no ultrasound done, but they did listen to the heartbeat and said it sounded fine!  

At 16 weeks it's possible to tell the sex so I am a little bummed that they didn't even try.  We did make our next appointment for April 8th and that is the one where we find out the sex!  I'm so excited!

More updates to come....

Happy Birthday, Jack!

Wow...that makes me feel old.  My "baby" brother used to be my real-life baby doll and now he's TWENTY years old!  Yes, I chose this picture just to embarrass him and make him look like the goofball he really is!  

Have a great one, Jack!!!

Summer Baby Boom

It is amazing how many people we know having babies this summer!  Just within Baptist residencies I know of at least SIX due from June to August!  And here Joey and I thought we had an original idea....ha

I honestly never thought that I would have a summer baby.  The thought of feeling any hotter than Alabama summers already feel is a very uninviting prospect.  Especially August!  And, unfortunately I don't think Virginia is going to feel much different.  

My mom always made sure that she was done with pregnancy by the time softball season rolled around so we were all born in the spring...well before the stagnant, sweltering air hits the south and we start looking like we hopped out of the movie A Time to Kill.  So WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?!?  If you have ever spent time with me during the summer you know  I have no tolerance for being hot!  Especially now that getting hot makes me nauseous.

Here's my next question...If the unprecedented occurred and the baby was actually born on the due date of August 28th, will they start school when they are 4 (assuming a mid-August start date) or when they are nearly 6?  I know this is literally years away, but it was one of the first things I wondered when we found out we were pregnant and calculated the due date.  Will they graduate high school and start college at 17 or 18?

Do we just consider whether they are ready mentally for school or do we also consider that we will want them to play sports too?  Joey did say that one of the reasons he married me was because I am tall and coordinated when it comes to sports!!

So I will need opinions/comments on this topic.  Please feel free to speak your mind (of course my family was not going to wait on that invitation!).  

The Pressure...of a Name

Anyone get the movie reference?

One of the first things that Joey and I wanted to talk about when we found out that we were pregnant was what will their name be.  It's such a monumental decision and one that they will have to deal with forever.  So there is an immense pressure to make the name worthy of the person we want them to become.

We want their name to reflect their uniqueness but also have a family connection (which is so important).  I want them to be able to look at us one day and say,  "Where did my name come from?" and I want to have a valid answer other than, "It sounded good with our last name."

Of course, Joey and I both have very strong opinions for what qualities a name should have.  For instance:  I want to make sure that at least one of their names is a family name and I also really want them to have unique names (surprising since I spent most of my childhood wishing my name was something mainstream).  Joey wants to make sure that we call them by their full name and not rely on a nickname.  

I want to make sure that the monogram will be appropriate, and I test each name by imagining a grown man or woman introducing themselves with that name.  Joey tests it by imagining calling them home for dinner.

It's definitely been fun and I think we are pretty much decided on names for each sex.  Now all we have to do is find out what this little person is!!

Showing

Sorry it's been so long but work has certainly kept me busy the last month!

So I have had several people ask me for "belly" pictures so here is my reply....no.  I am 15 weeks today and the books that I have been reading say that in your first pregnancy you might not "show" until around 20 weeks.

But what does that mean?  What exactly is showing?

Have I gained weight? Yes.  

Has it been mostly in my tummy?  Yes.

Does it look like I am cutely pregnant?  Not even a little bit.

You know those girls from high school or college who stopped working out and starting drinking beer with the boys and got that little pooch that was unflattering but wasn't going anywhere no matter how hard she sucked in?  That's where I am!!  I basically have a beer gut even though I haven't been able to drink in 15 weeks!

But I have been trying to decide what to do when I actually have a cute belly about these so called belly pictures.  I have seen friends take them and they turned out cute, but here's the kicker:  I have spent my entire life trying to take pictures in a way that no one looks at me and says "Look how BIG she's getting!"  I am gladly expanding my waste-line because the outcome is completely worth it, but do I really want that immortalized?

I have not made my final decision for the entire course of the pregnancy.  But I will promise this:  I will not take a single belly picture until I actually look pregnant and not just fat!