The Name Game

We haven't yet come down to final name choices by any means, because really we've tabled things until we know what the baby is, but we've still had some fun conversations about things we like. The one thing we will likely do is have an honorary middle name for our parents or grandparents, but it will all depend on what first name we pick that goes with it.

So, here are some names/combinations I like the sound of. For now. They're in no particular order. Who knows what I'll think when we actually try to commit to one!

Boys:

• Nathan James (Nate), James for my grandfather
• William John (Will), John for my father
• Samuel George (Sam), George for A's grandfather
• Gavin Alexander, Alexander for A, of course. 
• Thomas Kent, Kent for A's father

Girls:

• Evelyn Lettie (Evie), Lettie for my grandmother
• Clara Christine, Christine for my other grandmother
• Audrey Joy, Joy for my mother
• Emelia Mary (Emmy), Mary for A's grandmother
• Eleanor Rose (Ellie), Rose for A's mother.

Ellie and Emelia may be too close to some other names in our family (Ella and Amelia), which is why we nixed Isla (way too similar to Lilah), so I don't know for sure if we'd go for those, but I like them anyway. 

So basically we like old/classic names with sweet nicknames, for the most part. If I were a betting woman, I think our name will come from this list, though middle names could mix and match!

15 Weeks!

How far along: 15 Weeks, 1 day - Again, missed my actual week mark. Whoops. School is rough, man!
Maternity Clothes: Yup, except for my normal dresses which are all still comfy.
Stretch marks: Yes but some days they are dark and other days light. Who knows?
Sleep: I sleep pretty well (for me) but I am getting up to pee like 4 times a night. Ick.
Best moment of the Week: Telling all my students about the baby. Every time I revealed it to them, they actually clapped and cheered, which was so sweet. They are all super interested in baby stuff now.
Miss Anything? Not being totally wiped out after a school day.
Movement: No, and I doubt I will until like 20ish weeks, which is actually not that far from now, really!
Food Cravings: Yesterday I was desperate for tuna salad. 
Queasy or Sick? Nope. I've been so lucky, and I know it.
Have you started to show?  Some. I can see it. Not sure if others can, though.
Gender: Just SEVEN MORE DAYS and we will know! I'm excited because then we can actually narrow down the name for real. A and I thankfully have a very similar style, so we like a lot of the same stuff. The hard part, I think, will be picking just one we like more than others.
Labor signs: No!
Belly button in, or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody? Happy, but still emotional. I cry over everything. Everything.

Back to School

Baby, I love you. I just want to say that first.

But MAN have you made the first week of school a difficult one! Swollen feet, sore hips, painful lower back. Yeesh. Normally it takes me a day or two to re-adjust to all the standing time of teaching, but holy cow is it worse this year. I'll forgive you, though, because you are pretty cute in the ultrasound pics.

My students were all so excited to hear about the baby. They are filled with questions (Are you finding out boy or girl? What names do you like? Will you bring the baby to school stuff so we can meet it?) and it's really sweet. I've had numerous requests to be a babysitter - this is one great thing about working with honors high school kids. They're bummed I'll be out for so long, but they are more excited than anything, which is nice. They're also terrified of me a little bit - after all, I don't take any crap NOW, so how's it going to be when I'm like 14 months pregnant? Ha!

Personally, it's so bizarre to think "I'm only here until March." Yes, I'll go back for the very last few weeks in June, which I am actually glad about because I want to see my seniors graduate, but really there won't be a whole lot going on in those final weeks. So the real "teaching" ends when this baby comes. You get into the routine of school, the August to June, and it's weird to cut that so short in the winter/spring. I'm teaching a six month school year, basically. Thinking about maternity leave lesson plans is almost terrifying . . . as obsessive and organized as I am, how am I going to get it all together? I mean, I WILL, of course, but it's a daunting task for sure.

Though I've been wiped out all week (daily naps have resumed) and sore, I am ultimately glad to be back at school. Summer is great, and work is hard, but these kids are awesome and a joy to be around. I think it will be a fun (short) year with them.

14 Weeks!

How far along: 14 Weeks, 1 day - Sorry baby. First week back at school meant I came home and crashed after work on Friday instead of blogging about you.
Maternity Clothes: Yup.
Stretch marks: Yes. Boo hiss.
Sleep: I've started having issues because I like sleeping on my back, but now my lower back really hurts if I do. When I side sleep, I kind of lean over on my stomach which is also uncomfortable. Sleeping fully "upright" on my side is rough. I think a pregnancy pillow is in my future.
Best moment of the Week: Getting the positive news about our bloodwork to know baby was okay, and then going public! It was so exciting to share with the world and get all of the well wishes. I will admit, I enjoy the attention!
Miss Anything? Nothing too badly at the moment.
Movement: Nope. And likely not for a while. I think I saw on my NT scan that I have an anterior placenta, meaning the placenta is directly between my abdominal wall and the baby. It's totally fine, but it means it takes longer to feel stuff.
Food Cravings: I want a baked potato. A real one like from a restaurant (why do they always taste better at restaurants than when I make them at home?) with lots of butter and sour cream.
Queasy or Sick? Nope.
Have you started to show?  I think just a bit. It's not overwhelming and no one else would notice, but I can see it.
Gender: Nope. Two weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeks!
Labor signs: No!
Belly button in, or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody? Since the great NT scan, I am really happy and so much more relaxed. This is real :)

Public!

Our bloodwork came back this morning 100% normal, which meant it was time to tell the whole world about Baby C!

I just posted an announcement to facebook around 1pm, and the outpouring of excitement is amazing. It makes this whole thing feel more real than before!

13 Weeks!

How far along: 13 Weeks, 0 Days* . . . SECOND TRIMESTER WOO WOO!
Maternity Clothes: Indeed, at least in the pants department.
Stretch marks: Yes. I knew I'd get them because I already had some from earlier in my life, and they say you're either genetically prone to them or you aren't . . . and I am. 
Sleep: Sleeping well, actually. Not quite as exhausted as recently.
Best moment of the Week: Our NT scan was Tuesday, and we got to spend a good amount of time with Baby C wriggling around! Also great that baby looked awesome and was measuring right on track. Now we just need the bloodwork to come back (hurry UP, lab!!!) telling us everything looks good and we can tell the whole world about this kiddo!
Miss Anything? Wine. I want wine.
Movement: Nothing I can feel, but we watched the kid bounce around and wave his/her arms like crazy on Tuesday.
Food Cravings: Last night I wanted gummy bears. I don't even LOVE gummy bears, so that was weird.
Queasy or Sick? Not particularly, but I've had a really minimal appetite all week. 
Have you started to show?  I think I'm actually starting to show a bit at this point, and I can actually FEEL my uterus. It's kind of crazy. 
Gender: Nope. Three weeks to go!
Labor signs: No!
Belly button in, or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody? I'm in good spirits, but still cry all the freaking time over little stuff. A apparently thinks it's cute. I think it means I'm crazy. Maybe it's both.

*Apparently this didn't post on Friday when I wrote it and it saved as a draft? Silly blog.

Hi, Mom and Dad!

Yesterday we had our Nuchal Translucency scan which is used to check on baby's progress and look for early markers of genetic issues. While we are low risk for these things, we wanted the scan anyway since it's totally non-invasive (an ultrasound and a blood test for me), informative, AND gave us an extra look at baby as we head into second trimester this FRIDAY!

Baby is right on track, if not ahead a few days. And s/he is NOT cooperative. First baby was napping upside down, which wouldn't let the tech get the measurements she needed. So I had to use the bathroom, walk around, and cough a bunch to wake that kid up. Then when s/he DID wake up, they were less than pleased at being disturbed! S/he wiggled around and looked pretty agitated, and still was a little bugger avoiding the right measurement positions. It was so funny to watch, and it was hard not to laugh. Our kid is already stubborn. Uh oh! It did give us about a half hour to watch and enjoy the ultrasound, though, so I can't complain.

Finally, baby cooperated and they saw what they needed to see. All measurements were perfect and show no genetic issues. Baby has two arms, two legs, a nasal bone, a stomach, a bladder, a BRAIN and a million other things the tech pointed out to us during our appointment. We still have to wait until Friday or Monday for the bloodwork results, but I am pretty confident that those should come back with no issue. Of course you never know, but I'm not as nervous about the bloodwork as I was about seeing the baby had grown and had a good heartbeat (177). As long as our bloodwork comes back okay, we'll be going fully public about the pregnancy since I'll be in second trimester with an awesome report! I am so excited to not hide this from people anymore.

And without further ado . . .

12w4d - Look at that actual BABY profile!

12 Weeks!

Do you know why today is awesome? It's my LAST WEEKLY CHECK IN for the first trimester!!!

How far along: 12 Weeks, 0 Days
Maternity Clothes: Yup. Not exclusively, but I love them. Why be uncomfortable.
Stretch marks: Yes. I can't tell if they are new ones, or just old ones darkening. Still sucks.
Sleep: Sleepy all the time, but waking up in the night more often. Boo.
Best moment of the Week: Our Orlando vacation! We got to go to see A's aunts and tell them the big news in person, and then we got to celebrate the wedding of some close friends! Even though preggy couldn't go on the big rides at Magic Kingdom, A and I had a ton of fun together doing the safe stuff.
Miss Anything? A well fitting bra. Mine aren't bad enough to upgrade yet, because they FIT but they are NOT comfortable. But I don't think it's worth getting new yet since I have no idea how much they'll be growing.
Movement: Nothing I can feel, but the baby is able to flip and move and even wiggle its toes now!
Food Cravings: Not so much. I've just been hungry in general.
Queasy or Sick? Not much. I did feel HORRIBLE the morning we left Orlando, but I suspect that was a dehydration thing. Even though I was constantly drinking water, in that heat and sun I think it's hard to keep up.
Have you started to show? Maybe? Hard to say. I think a little bit, actually! 
Gender: Nope. See below post!
Labor signs: No!
Belly button in, or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody? Still emotional. While I'm happy most of the time, I cry so easily. I mean, I cried easily BEFORE pregnancy, but now it's worse. We saw Guardians of the Galaxy and I cried at least five times. Yup. Oh, and I teared up hearing the NFL music on the radio yesterday for the Ravens pre-season game.

Let's Talk About Sex

I am so excited because I now have LESS THAN ONE MONTH TO GO before we find out if Baby C is a boy or a girl!

I just got off the phone scheduling an elective ultrasound for 16 weeks. It's only $80, and it is SO WORTH IT to me to know. September 6th can't get here fast enough. Plus it will be a nice little belated birthday gift for A :)

Guesses? What do you think? I am hoping for a boy (slightly) but I don't have a strong feeling on what it actually IS.

I thought it would be fun to gather some SUPER SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH (aka old wives tales and things) to see what they say. Looks like they favor boy, but not by much. After all, they have a 50-50 chance of being right. I'm not showing enough for the carrying high/low thing yet, so that one isn't included.

Chinese gender chart says: BOY
I have some gnarly pregnancy acne which says: GIRL
I have horribly dry feet which says: BOY
Craving sweets which says: GIRL
"Swing of the Ring" is a circular motion which says: BOY
Baby's heartrate was over 140 bpm (9w2d) which says: GIRL
Mayan gender prediction says: BOY
Minimal morning sickness says: BOY
A gaining no sympathy weight says: BOY

11 Weeks!

How far along: 11 Weeks, 0 Days
Maternity Clothes: Pretty much just yes at this point. My pre-pregnancy pants all fit, but by the end of the day are so uncomfortable. Another mom told me to go for comfort over pride, so I have. These maternity shorts have room to grow, and are CRAZY comfy now.
Stretch marks: Yes. Ugh. Already. I think it's from the horrible bloat. I swear I gain a full size by the end of the day, then wake up normal again. I knew I'd get them because I already had some and was thus predisposed, but ugh. Sucks.
Sleep: Still really tired, but napping less.
Best moment of the Week: Visiting A's grandfather to tell him the good news! He was excited and it was great to see him. We also told my grandmother over the phone and she was thrilled (she almost cried)!
Miss Anything? Not burping like a college linebacker?
Movement: Nothing I can feel
Food Cravings: No, not really. I have had issues eating chicken the past few days, though. So unappetizing. 
Queasy or Sick? On and off, usually if I waited too long between feedings. FEED THE BABY ALL THE TIME, apparently.
Have you started to show? I don't think so. Maybe a teeeeeeeeeeeeeeny bit. I still think bloat, but then I am almost in second tri, so who knows.
Gender: Nope. Chinese gender chart says: Boy. I guess it has a 50/50 shot of accuracy.
Labor signs: No!
Belly button in, or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody? Happy but emotional. I actually cried watching the Adam Sandler movie The Longest Yard last night. Who am I?