Today's Dr. Visit

We had a fantastic visit today and I really like our new doctor! He went over the entire practice with us and explained what we should expect throughout the entire pregnancy including specifically delivery day = ) I forgot that he not only was our #1 recommendation from my former GYN but also he's a good old Texas boy! That pretty much makes you an amazing doctor in my book! He did his residency at Parkland which Michael, Shae, and Bri are more than familiar with.

This is for all you Old Wive's Talers out there...or anyone just looking for more ways to confirm we're having a baby girl...

Our little lemon's heart bpm today was 160! Baby seemed to be on the move so it took some time to catch that little bpm, but its so amazing when it comes across the doppler! If you are not familiar with this old wives tale, a low bpm means boy - a high bpm means girl = ) And in the scientific world, it just means that you have a baby in there and you have to wait for your ultrasound to find out the sex!

Morning Sickness

Good news on the morning sickness front! I think that week 14 is my miracle week! I've noticed yesterday and today that I am no longer getting nauseous every 2 hours if I don't have something to eat. I don't want to jinx it but hopefully this means my energy is about to come back also! Thank goodness b/c my treadmill and bike have missed me!

Saturday, June 27th

Trav's parents, Steve and Joyce, were in town this weekend and we put them to work! Well first, we wined and dined them at Farina Pizzeria and Wine Bar - downtown ABQ. They have some delicious funky pizzas! Then Saturday morning they sent Travis and I out to run errands while they painted our guest bedroom = ) We have been talking about painting our guest bedroom for more than 2 yrs now...

It turned out fantastic! We went with a Colonial gray that had enough undertones of brown to keep the gray warm. Next paint project...baby nursery!! Joyce has already offered her painting services for that job also = ) I usually enjoy a good paint project but I am now learning that coming home to a freshly painted room is a nice little change! Yay for pregnant women not being allowed to paint!! How Travis piggy-backed on to that excuse...I don't know...

Baby Belly - 14 Weeks

Our baby is the size of a Lemon this week! Our little lemon is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, and (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys, and spleen continue to develop.

Big Baby moment of the weekend - we braved Babies-R-Us for the first time! That is one insane store that has absolutely everything you could possibly need! It was mainly just a recon mission but we found some good furniture and definitely some good strollers = )

Time to Research Maternity Leave

I'm a little behind on my checklist so this week I need to research everything on Maternity Leave and Paternity Leave. It seems so surreal to be researching this since my due date isn't until December but this checklist is all about preparation! I received all of my documents from HR and now its time to prepare all of my questions, submit my forms, and take care of financials. Hopefully Travis' firm has a decent paternity leave...crossing my fingers!

The Peach and I played our last sand volleyball games of the season last night. My team took 3rd place...not quite what we were aiming for but it was a fun season. Next season will be my last for a while so I plan on taking full advantage. I'll be playing on a 5's team at Stoneface and a 4's team at Sneakers. I've never played at Sneakers so I am really excited to get one season under my belt before baby!

Disney World Recap

Enjoy if you are interested in all 237 pictures of our adventures at Disney World!

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0CZN2rRs2bMWMt

You can just click on the pictures...no need to actually sign in to shutterfly to view = )

A few memorable mishaps and experiences:

Day One - With a little bit of magic, we got Shae and Michael into the Magic Kingdom without their tickets! Little mishap...

Day Two - Travis gets asked to participate in the Lion King Extravaganza...declines! Danny takes his place on stage.

Day Three - Staci makes it to the top three of the American Idol Experience at Hollywood Studios! One major accomplishment including backstage hair and makeup and then performing in front of a full house!

Day Four - Dad smokes all kids at the Buzz Light Year Astroblaster...but is immediately taken down a notch by Mom at Toy Story Mania!

Honorable mentions - Shae doing the splits into the resort pool, Mom and Dad not making it back to San Angelo via plane, and Dad leaving his cell phone in the Midland Airport.

And the magic factor - Travis and Beth score a free funnel cake! It may not be ideal in the heat and humidity but we enjoyed every free bite of deliciousness!

Baby's First Onesie

Shae surprised us with this little gift on the drive to our Disney World Resort! Adorable...On My First Trip to Disney World I was This Big (the week of the Plum)! And I say little gift b/c newborn onesies are so itty bitty, I can't even imagine Travis and I producing a baby that small! Can't wait for this to be our baby's first outfit! And I love the long sleeves for our Winter baby!

The Magical World of Disney!

Baby Belly - 13 Weeks

Baby is now the size of a Peach! Our little peach is forming teeth and vocal cords. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient)

I'm not sure what my family did (or maybe it's the Florida water) but my belly definitely doubled in size over this weekend! I packed two cute regular tops for evenings at Disney (by regular I mean non-maternity) and they definitely fit differently on Thursday than on Sunday! I think its safe to say we officially have a baby bump!

One Sad Puppy

Travis and I are off to Disney World today with my entire family! Super excited to get in some Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios! I am still nauseous if I don't eat EVERY two hours and I am definitely still low on energy, but with some careful planning I think baby and I can definitely have a fantastic vacation. And I finally get to put my cute, summery maternity tops to use = )

Back to the sad puppy...Remi definitely knows that when he sees the suitcases come out it means we are about to leave him. He has spent the entire morning moping around the house staying very close to Travis and me. Oddly enough, the moment his Doggie Day Care comes into view he couldn't care less about us! And there's an extra surprise for him...on Monday his favorite person in the world will rescue him from Doggie Day Care - Gramma Joyce! I can only imagine the entertainment he will provide when he sees her thru the window to pick him up = )

Happy Father's Day weekend to all Dads out there! I cannot remember the last time I got to celebrate the actual day with my Dad so this vacation is extra special! We'll be sharing a Dole Whip (delicious!) at the Magic Kingdom to celebrate my Dad and my baby's Dad-to-be!

Baby Dalton has arrived!

My cousin Brindley had her baby last night! Dalton Patrick - 9 lbs 10 ounces...and the word is mom and baby are both doing well! She ended up having to go c-section I believe around midnight last night. CONGRATS BRINDLEY & DILLON! I'll add a picture once I receive one = )

Vitamin D

I love the weather in ABQ right now! The lack of sun I got over my first trimester is absolutely pathetic so instead of my usual post-work nap yesterday, Gabby and I went to the pool for a post-work nap in the sun! I might still be pasty white but I definitely got a little vitamin D yesterday!

All in preparation for the Florida sun this weekend!!

Baby Belly - 12 weeks

And we've made it to our Second Trimester! Baby is now the size of a plum = ) Our little plum shifts into the growth and maturation stage. After weeks in the critical development stage, almost all of baby's systems are fully formed.

And yes, I am most definitely hiding my face in this picture because it was way too early in the morning for pictures and there was no chance I was putting on makeup...

We actually made it out to a few places this weekend to research prices of baby furniture and travel systems...just to start feeling out what is available in ABQ. One day we'll make it to Babies R Us to continue the price comparisons, but I don't know that we're ready for that overwhelming experience just yet = ) Memories of registering at Crate & Barrel for our wedding come to mind...scary!

Confession

I'm usually very good but today I let the little lime have his/her first sample of Dunkin Donuts glazed donut holes. I'm weak...don't tell Travis!

I am so ready for our very laid back weekend! Only things on the agenda...back to Costco for more watermelon (yes, completely addicted) and go see The Hangover. Other than that, I am slowly getting my energy back so hopefully I will finally be able to get a substantial amount of housework and pregnancy reading done!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Today's Lesson : Round Ligament Stretching

Tuesday night I had some discomfort in the baby belly region but by the time I got home and went to bed the discomfort had turned into some serious cramping and pain. Of course this first timer freaked out that something was wrong with the baby! After calming info from Mom and my cousin Brindley (who will be having Baby Dalton any day now) I set out to learn everything there is to know about round ligament stretching. Now that my uterus is the size of a grapefruit and slowly starting to move to make room for baby...the thick ligaments that hold the uterus in place are starting to stretch. This is quite the unpleasant process (and so I'm learning even worse the taller you are b/c the ligaments have to stretch even futher)! I am feeling so much better today so hopefully I am fully stretched for this leg of the pregnancy. I am now hearing more and more about the coming aches and pains I will have to endure! I guess as long as I know they are coming I will be better prepared next time = )

My recommendations for round ligament pains:
Take the day easy and try to find a comfortable position to lay in
Drink even more water than usual
I found that by the end of the day actually doing some stretching helped with the stretching pain (I couldn't do this earlier in the day as I could hardly stand sitting up)

Yay for surviving my first freak out (no doubt of many)...

And Baby Makes Four

Remi rec'd his first 'Big Brother' gift from his labrador cousins Gabby & Denton. And Baby Makes Four is a trimester-by-trimester guide to a baby-friendly dog. Hopefully Remi just looks at baby as another lap to cuddle on...but this will definitely help us train him! I have definitely noticed that Remi has zero interest in little kids but it will all change soon enough = )

The Wonders of Maternity Clothing

Travis is mortified that he was an accomplice to this picture...but check out how much a maternity top can hold! We'll have to compare my volleyball belly to my full term belly.

Baby Belly - 11 weeks

Its official, I have a baby pooch that was not there before! Its not cute enough to be called a baby bump yet...

Baby is now the size of a lime! My little lime currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through. But, fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds, and nail beds are forming--setting up a significantly more attractive future.

Lets hope baby gets some of Travis' super thick hair!

Rough Weekend

I still have it in my head that when I hit 12 weeks my morning sickness will disappear and I will have my energy back...but this weekend was not a step in the right direction = ( Instead I added a new symptom to my morning sickness (heartburn) and I spent most of the weekend laying around either napping or trying to control the nausea and heartburn. I can list my accomplishments of this weekend on one hand (which most definitely means I did not get the necessary house cleaning and errands run).

Saturday - big outting of the day, Costco! Looks like we'll be going to Costco once a weekend to fulfill my watermelon needs = )

Sunday morning - did a 5K with my workout ladies...thanks to previously stated nausea and low energy I was not able to run the full 3 miles (a fact that had better change very soon!) but had a fantastic time catching up and finally spilling the big news to my girlfriends.

Post 5K and breakfast - baked my Mom's Million Dollar Pound Cake. This is a huge accomplishment bc it was my first attempt at replicating my Mom's deliciousness...and I felt super ill at this point which makes adding butter and sugar, etc very nauseating!

Sutin Summer Picnic - Travis and I made it out to the Sandia Lakes for the Sutin firm picnic. It was a perfect afternoon (aside from a little wind) and we had fun hanging out with our little lawyer crew. I get to see all of the crew again at Trav's next softball game...and...wait for it...I finally get to share our news with the other wives!!

The picnic zapped any remaining energy I had and we spent the rest of Sunday watching all extra innings (18 innings total) of the Padre/Dbacks game. Thank goodness that only requires laying on the couch with your head propped up for prime tv viewing!

My New Maternity Wardrobe

My maternity wardrobe has now more than tripled thanks to Auntie Shae Shae and Uncle Mikey! I rec'd a package yesterday with two maternity cardigans (brown one above...grey one currently on me), all kinds of goodies, and some Burt's belly butter! I absolutely cannot wait to wear my [bump] tank top at Disney World = ) Its a little blurry in my picture but it says [bump] baby under manufacturing process - in the oven.

As my Mayo Clinic pregnancy book so delicately puts it...I am on track and starting to get a little potbelly. From what I am learning, baby is still very low but my body is making room for the growing uterus. I'm ready to graduate from potbelly to baby belly!!

Your Mission!

I see the commercials for the Iced Mocha McCafe and absolutely want one! Your mission is to try one of these in honor of the pregnant lady avoiding caffeine and let me know if it is as delicious as it looks = ) I hope baby appreciates my coffee sacrifices!

Our first challenge competitor - Shae - bought one today = )

Missing the hubs

Travis had to go to Flagstaff to earn some Navajo bar credits = ( He's been gone 26 hrs now and we are missing him! Remi watched the door for hours last night waiting for him to get home...poor little guy finally gave up and hung out with me around 8pm.

Gear Daddy

I'm not sure I approve of the tone Travis' Pregnancy Survival Guide is taking... Here's a little excerpt Travis shared with me yesterday:

'If your idea of a good time is shopping for and spending money on items you never knew existed, let alone thought you'd ever find space for in your home, you're going to really dig pregnancy and parenthood.'

Haha, this book is actually very funny in its sarcasm and incredibly helpful in the preparation department. I feel like Travis is now more prepared than I am...Ok, only in the topics covered in the first 66 pages so far! Who knew we'd need both a regular stroller and a jogging stroller (maybe most of you but I didn't = )

So much to learn and only 208 days to take it all in!

Little Victories

Yesterday I finally had enough energy to get in a little workout. Nausea and zero energy have done a number on my workout routine so my new goal is to get in 30 minutes of exercise every day. It wasn't much but I got in 20 minutes on our treadmill and did some squats, bi's, and tri's. Hopefully yesterday was just the start of gaining back some energy!

I also bought my first maternity top! Technically I don't need it yet but I wanted to check out the maternity section at Old Navy (which does not exist in ABQ). Fortunately they had a few maternity online returns so I was able to try those on for sizing and I found one top that I had to buy = )