No baby yet!

Well, it's past Christmas day - 3 days past Christmas to be exact, and still no baby. My mom says she was within a few days of her due date with me, and Maggie (my sis) was 2 weeks late with her first son. That doesn't really help.

So on Christmas night, we tried Castor oil. That was awesome (not really), but it did not work - just crampy and... well, other things that we don't need to talk about here. We've tried some other things on the "home remedy" list also that have not panned out, either. He's obviously not ready yet!

BUT he "dropped" on Christmas Eve morning - his head is lower in my belly - which is a very good sign! and my doctor is trapped in a snow storm in Chicago, so that probably means he's going to be ready any time now=)

So - we had a great, quiet Christmas - lots of family and friends and lots of food. I got jewelry for both December and January - score! - my hubby says that way he's covered in case the baby comes either month.... what a nut!

Anyway, I'll try to blog more frequently now, so in case some action is happening, you'll get more details here.... we'll also plan to post at least something on FBook.

Love and blessings to you all-
Andy and Saud

Nothing dilated yet!

Hey all - Had a dr appointment this morning and there is no dilation going on... we are 38 weeks today, and 40 weeks is your 'normal' gestational timeframe. She was hoping I'd be at least a little dilated, but he's just not ready yet=)

We had a good Thanksgiving, stuck close to home and got a lot of work done on the baby room (aka "Bachelor Pad"), including moving the final dresser out, cleaning clothes out of the closet, ordering the rocker, and insulating the window. We go to pick up the rocker tonight, so that means ALL the furniture is in and ready, and we just need to tidy stuff up a bit... how exciting!

It's snowing here again, and cold. I thought pregnant women were supposed to be hot? Yeah, well, I go through spurts, I guess, but mostly freezing my butt off right now!

Not much to report, but wanted to say hi to everyone. Been feeling like a homebody lately, which is apparently normal as well. Anyone who's making Christmas cookies is welcome to send a few our way (ok... my way!) as I'm looking forward to the taste without the work!

Love to all-
Saudia

Down to the Wire - 5 Weeks to Go!

We toured the U of M Hospital yesterday - was very informative, though I was a bit surprised at the lack of waiting room space for the family. The rooms are pretty nice, most are singles and encourage you to have the baby housed in the room with you, which is really nice and answers many questions on my list (you KNOW I had a list!!).

It is a big hospital, but the Labor and Delivery floor is all together, whether you're having a C-Section (not planning on it!) or a 'regular' birth. Many of the rooms have big bathtubs, too... oh yeah! I've also heard rumors that the cafeteria is pretty good and cheap.

Meanwhile, At home: the baby room (aka Bachelor Pad) is going well. I do need to figure out how to make the words go onto the wall - Aunt Becky made me the words "Now I lay me down to sleep" in vinyl for his wall.... mommy's dream! Havent' really focused on that yet=) It's on my list for this week, along with 20 million other things!

and here's the body update - got my first stretch mark yesterday. It's HUGE! It runs from my belly button down (pretty far) and is about 1 1/2 inches across - and it kinda hurts! Any suggestions on how to control this or make it better are definitely appreciated and needed.

Baby is good - he continues to breakdance - he is head down, which is good. And he likes to spin on his head every half hour or so. It's a strange sensation, you can see his little buns move from one side of my belly to the other... it's amazing. I love it, but it's still weird. His little foot also found my ribs yesterday. Must be a sign that he's getting just big enough to start running out of room.

Ok - all for now - I'll try to be better about posting next week while I'm on vacation.
Love to you all -
Sauds

He's BIG!

Had a dr appointment this week, and will be going in for (another!) ultrasound in a week or so... you know what that means - yep, MORE PICS!!
Normally, you would measure (pubic bone to top of uterus) the number of weeks you are. So, I'm 33 weeks, I should measure around 33cm. Well, at the last appointment, I was 31 weeks and measured 33, this week I'm 33 and am measuring at 36. So we're going to have another ultrasound just to measure the amount of amniotic fluid and see how big he really is... she doesn't think he's a gigantor, but we'll see. He is a Kneffel. =)

Other than that, things are good. I have some unusual aches and pains, which I will not get into for fear of TMI online... suffice it to say things are strange!

Baby boy seems to be doing great - he is practicing and I'm sure will make first string for the soccer team pretty much as soon as he comes out. For those who haven't seen, my belly becomes a moving mass, I assume much like a volcano right before eruption. It's kinda freaky, but I love it!! He's such an active little guy - can't WAIT to meet him. Though, you all know how I feel about that whole "make like a baby and HEAD OUT" part. Ugh. Hands are sweaty just typing about it!!

Just a quick update today - Love to you all -
Saud and Baby Sherm

It's Raining!

Ha - the showers have started, and not just the gift-parties... I'm sitting at home working today, and reading the "you're 32 weeks pregnant" emails I get every week, weeping because it's talking about all the things moms wish they knew when they got pregnant.... awful!! They should know better than to publish this crap to gestational women!!

Anyway, I'll try to hold myself together long enough to put some words on a page for you all=)
Had a great couple of showers - The Alpha E's threw me a secret-not secret shower on Oct 23 at the Treehouse in Chelsea. It's kinda like an indoor playground. Had a top 3 best cake ever, made by my sorority sister Marija. It was amazing! Cool room, tons of little kids running around, it was great!

This past weekend, had our family shower, at our house. Andy decided he wanted to have the "man shower" in the garage during the "girl shower", so they grilled steaks and watched football in the garage (his new hangout) ... which really worked out for us!
Best gift of the day - Andy's mom brought an envelope filled with baby pics of Andy - it was awful! I couldn't help it and started sobbing - seriously... sobbing in front of everybody. I'm normally pretty emotional, but this was crazy! I look up, and my mom, my sisters, my grandma, my friend Leslie, Andy's mom, and various others are all either crying or misty-eyed too. Sorry, guys! Can't help myself!!
Andy says to me after the shower - I don't understand why she would give my baby pictures to you as a shower gift. I just started crying (again) and said "Because you're a guy. You don't understand because you're a guy. That was the best gift" He just rolled his eyes and hugged me a little. ...probably thinking "whatever! you guys are so weird!"

So anyway, we are doing great. The baby is measuring 35cm, which is a little long/ big. Dr Strzoda thinks it's because he's finally head-down and he's still stretched out. So we're going to wait until the next appointment (week 35, Nov 8) and see how he's doing then. She watched him kick my belly all over the place, and then when we got on the table to check his heartbeat, he calms right down and sits still for Dr Strzoda.... he knows who's the boss!! His heartbeat is good - still in 140-150 range, and he's kicking a ton!

The baby room is almost done - I got the lettering I hoped for from my aunt Becky as a shower gift. It says "Now I lay me down to sleep" so I/ we need to put that on the walls. She also found a template for a guitar and some stars, so those may be needed as well=) The Rockstar theme is coming together nicely- who woulda thought my husband would have a good idea?!

Anyway, we are doing great - and if I havent' seen you yet, I miss you. If I've seen you lately, you know my belly is getting big=)

Take care, love - Saudia

What a Week!

Let me start by saying - everything is fine, all the tests turned out well.
SO, Tuesday, I spent 3 hours in the Dr office, taking the 3 hour blood glucose test [baseline blood draw, drink flat Sprite tasting liquid, with the equivalent of 3 cans of Coke in sugar, then one blood draw every hour for the next 3 hours, followed by an extreme sugar crash because you've been fasting since the day before]. The test was bad - hello, needles, but the sugar crash after was way worse.
Before I could help myself, I ate the rest of a box of cereal... unfortunately, I realized later the name of the cereal was Cracklin Oat BRAN... owww! My tummy hurts! =)

Then, I traveled to Traverse City on my birthday for work. It was a beautiful (but long!) drive. I hadn't realized how long every drive is getting until I had to make this one. So, I'm packing up to leave on Thursday and smacked my belly, which, admittedly, was in the way, with my laptop. I know. Only me. It didn't leave a bruise, or hurt a LOT, but I did notice it, and apparently baby Sherm did, also. He was incredibly quiet for the entire ride home, and overnight.

I called my doctor (on my sissy's advice) today - Friday - and she said any trauma to the abdomen would be grounds for an ultrasound. Now, I promise - I did not do this for another ultrasound, but it is a side benefit!! So, I went to U of M this afternoon to the Labor and Delivery section (now I know where it is...) and they were very nice to me. My Dr called ahead, and paged a Dr friend to check on me and report back to her... she is the coolest Dr ever!

Wouldn't you know it, Sherm would not stop moving long enough for them to get a heart rate reading. So they did an ultrasound, and the tech again said "does he ever stop moving"? I was like, yeah, for the last 24 hours!! Little brat! But it was a good thing, they were able to confirm he does not have a concussion or brain damage (at least visible) from a laptop to the skull.

Whew! I have a follow up with Dr Strzoda next week, where I'm sure she will tell me to be more careful, and watch out for my belly... I get it, It's just... in the way! I'm not used to it!
Anyway, just wanted to update you all - we are doing great! I'll get some new pictures this weekend to post on Facebook.

As always, good to talk to all of you -
Love, Saud

6 Months along and all is well!

Hey All - I know - I'm a huge slacker! Thanks to all of you who have "suggested" I need to update my blog=) I know it's been a while...
Had my 6 month appointment this morning, and everything is GREAT - his heartbeat is in normal range (140-150) and you'll be happy to know I've gained weight... 13 lbs so far, 9 of it this month - whew! Dr Strzoda (stroh-duh) says this is absolutely great, she has no concerns. Unlike my husband who was worried I was not eating enough - really?!? I wrote down what I ate yesterday, including a tall Biggby's coffee for breakfast and a piece of lemon cake and a pear for dessert, and she said it was fine. I'm listening to my body and that's good. Hm. Never been accused of eating too LITTLE... it was odd, and kind of ...nice?

Also, she told me that I need to breastfeed because of my MS. Typically, a mom with MS will have a pretty severe flare after birth, ending up on steroids (that will be great - more weight gain!!) to help control the symptoms. She said that moms who breastfeed have a less severe flare overall.... so, any advice on this is much appreciated. I have a breast pump offer already (thanks, Jen!), and have bought a "cover" called... seriously now... an "Udder Cover" For the love of C**#$U(!! Like it's not embarrassing enough, you have to call it that! At least it's not cow print, right?!

In other news, we continue working to move the furniture out of the baby's room - my clothes mostly. I'm on the prowl for a glider rocker. Wonder if they have one with a skull motif? ha!

Doing well overall - I feel great - he is kicking and rolling up a storm. I especially enjoy being in meetings when he discovers how bouncy my bladder is... thank you. Dr Strzoda was taking his heartbeat today and had a hard time following him around - he's a wiggle worm!! I take the glucose tolerance test tomorrow, but, again, Dr Strzoda says she has no worries about this since she's never seen sugar in my urine... may be TMI, but there you go. You drink this vile sugar encrusted orange liquid, and then an hour later get a blood draw. They are looking to see how quickly your body metabolizes the sugar, indicating gestational diabetes. Sounds like an hour of complete fun and excitement, so be sure to follow along!!

Nice to talk to you all - take care!
Love, Saudia

All Clear and the Belly is Here!!

Okay, well, it's been a hectic few weeks for us - we've had a bit of trauma, but let me start by saying everything is fine.
We had our first ultrasound at 17 weeks, which was a bit early for their liking, so they asked us to come back at or near 20 weeks. We went back to the same radiology dept, part of U of M. In this ultrasound, it was fairly clear to both of us that the lab tech was spending a LOT of time on his heart, and at one point, I could clearly see a white dot in the ultrasound. I asked what it was and the tech just said "I'll let the doctor answer that" which I totally understand. I wouldn't want to say something and then be wrong or out of line.
So the next day, my doctor called at 6:30 pm and left a voice mail that they found an echogenic cardiac foci on his heart. This is not a big deal, but it is a marker for Downs syndrome. So we had a third ultrasound scheduled for the next day at U of M, at Mott Childrens' Hospital in the prenatal unit - talk about a slightly upsetting event!!
Luckily, my friend Jen Truman had all this happen to her not long ago, and was able to talk me down. We went for the ultrasound and, without our knowing, we also met with a genetic counselor.... seriously?? Who took our genetic profile (nuttiness and craziness apparently don't count for much in these profiles=), and said that we were a very low risk.
THEN we went in for the ultrasound, which was a much nicer place than the other two. The tech was very chatty, which we appreciated, and since we already knew what we were looking for, she was able to point it out to us. We sat for a few minutes after the ultrasound was over, and then the Doctor came in. He explained that this was probably nothing, it was either 1. a calcium deposit (normal) or 2. that piece of the heart was just more reflective of the ultrasound than other parts (also common). He said that since my triple test (a blood test that tests for Downs, Spina Bifada and something else) all came back negative, and they had measured Sherm's leg and arm bones, along with his neck fold (back of his head, another marker for Downs) and those measurements all looked fine, he was going to put this into the "not a problem" category.
What a MESS!! I'm glad we know, though, and I'm glad it's over.
One thing the lab tech asked me in the 3rd ultrasound was if I could feel the baby yet (not really). She said "You are in big trouble" because he was rolling, doing somersaults, and sucking his thumb the whole time. He apparently also was doing a little "boy part jig" - wiggling it around for her to see.... I laughed and said that is definitely GENETIC!! =)

SO, we are doing well, trying to relax and, now that the belly has arrived, trying to find pants that fit. I've been having pretty good luck with JCPenney online, but otherwise not so much. I have about 2 pair of pants that fit at this point, and am trying to find shirts that cover the pant lines.... looking pretty!!

Other than that, things are normal - work is hectic, and Andy has been up to his neck with work as well. As always, it's nice to talk to you - I will try to be better about posting... I'll do my best!!

Love you to all- Saud

Halfway There!

20 weeks is apparently a BIG milestone (or so says the baby website I visit). According to said website, the baby is as long as a banana now... ha!

So, to celebrate, we went and had our second ultrasound yesterday. Everything looks "fine" according to the lab tech, who is basically not allowed to say anything other than what the body parts are... and yes, we did see his giant penis once again =) Andy says we can take pictures of the ultrasound pictures and post, so look for that next week. I think basically, he looks like any other ultrasound pictures you may have ever seen, except that he's MINE and he's amazing!

We're working on registering... what a mess that is! How are you supposed to know what of the million baby things out there are actually worth registering for, and which are total crap?? I mean, we're not total baby idiots - we do have 3 nephews and 3 nieces, so we have some experience. Any thoughts on this topic much appreciated!!

Hope you are all well - looking forward to fall (summer is too dang HOT for me!!).
Love, Saud

It's He-ere!

My belly, that is!

So, I've got a bit of a chubby bump now. AND we go today for our second ultrasound. We went for a first one about 2-3 weeks ago, everything is fine, except that we went about 2 weeks too early. So we "HAVE" to go back for another one, so they can better measure the face and check out the heart.

I also got some maternity clothes delivered from JCPenny - will have to send back for a larger size (dammit!), but at least I know what size now, since these are only available online. yay, pants!

Baby room is coming along. It's getting crowded with clothes from Grammie and gifts and diapers, but I'm working to get my clothes and stuff out of there, so there will be room to add a baby... can't wait!!

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

Love, Saud

PS Special thanks to my bud Jen, who showed me how to upload pics... I'll get better, I promise!!

Why don't I have a Belly?

I'm sure in a few weeks, this post will be "what happened to my belly?" but for now... I keep waiting for the beautiful, cute little pregnancy "bump" that all the celebs have when they get knocked up. Why, why can't this miracle happen to me?

Probably for the same reason I don't weigh 101 lbs and do yoga for an hour every day to 'stay fit'... but that's ok. I'm looking basically a bit chubby, but I did have someone come up to me last week and say "you are expecting!" It was kinda cool... so cool I forgot to say "what do you mean, no I'm not" with a shocked expression on my face. hehe that one never gets old, truly!

So I have a chubby belly, which means my loosest pants are starting to pinch and chafe. Which means the dreaded Pants Shopping. For those of you with junk in the trunk, you know what I'm talking about. You have maybe 2 stores that fit You, and then the other stores you can buy tops or shoes in. Note to self: those 2 stores that fit You actually fit pre-pregnancy you, not Knocked Up You.

So I've resorted to online shopping without the pre-fitting test run that might normally accompany said shopping spree. Which is you would go into a store, try a bunch of crap on, find the one pair of pants in the entire store that fits You (see note to self, above) and then proceed to purchase 4 more pairs in different colors from their online stock. This new shopping for Knocked Up You simply skips the first step. As an added bonus, all the pants are now simply S-XL, 1X and 2X (when available). Who knows what size you are - it's like being 14 all over again!! Hell, Hell I tell you!!

We'll see how JCPenney's does - they have a pretty good online selection, so it could happen. It's getting close to fall (i.e. Pants season) and the ones I have are not fitting, so it's gotta happen. If you happen to have any Chubby Girl/ Knocked Up Me pants that might fit, please feel free to send along. I promise to return if/ when they do not fit.

PS if you haven't seen Facebook, I've posted pics of the crib I put together, and of the UP trip last week.

Talk to you all soon-
Love, Saud

UP Visit

So, you may or may not know that my Grammie is from the UP... not only from the UP, but from the very tip of the top of the UP. She grew up in a very small UP town called Lake Linden, which is about halfway up the Keewenaw Peninsula. She has two older sisters who still live in that area, one in Houghton (where Michigan Tech is) and one in Calumet (another small town up there).

Why am I telling you this? Well, we are taking a weekend trip to the UP, to Marquette specifically, about an hour from the Keewenaw. I CAN"T WAIT to visit my Auntie Betty and probably Auntie Mary, too. My auntie Betty is awesome, she's about 90ish and she still lives on her own in a small apartment. Auntie Mary lives in a senior apartment building, she's the oldest daughter, I think she's about 93 or 94. She's bossy, which I definitely appreciate as an oldest child! Her favorite phrase when we were kids was "Drink your juice!" She has a juice glass (think large shot glass, about 3 ounces) of juice and walks every single day.

I am riding up with my Leadership Michigan friends, Lynette and Tonia. We met during a leadership program, and we're all bossy. There are four of us, but our fourth Micki can't make this trip. We are staying at Lynette's cabin in the middle of nowhere, which I believe her husband Dave built... crafty!! I'll be meeting up with Loretta on Friday to make the trek to see Auntie Betty and my Grammie, who is up for a visit.

I'll be sure to letcha know how the trip was when we get back - Take care!!
Saud

It's a BOY!!

Ah... you knew we couldn't wait, right??

And the ultrasound showed everything else that she could see was fine, too. We are going to "have to" go back in a few weeks, since we are a few weeks shy of 19 weeks, which is apparently a magic week for ultrasounds. They will then be able to get a better look at the facial features and the heart.

I was kinda hoping for a girl, but only really thought about that in the last week or so... I have a picture (which I AM going to have to scan and upload) of Andy when he was a little guy. He's playing in the sand, wearing a red hat that's too big. He is so adorable. That's the picture I have in my head of our little guy... except he's going to have a giant, curly afro. Oh yeah.

I had a dream just last night - for those of you who have read my facebook posts, you might want to just skip a paragraph. Or read it, because it's cute!
SO I had a dream last night about taking my awesomely cute and extremely intelligent 3-year-old boy, with a dark curly afro, to our doctor's office for a checkup. He was wearing his kid's stethescope and carrying that mustard yellow doctor briefcase that I remember from when I was a kid. He wanted to know how each piece worked, and as Dr Strzoda was showing him, he was using the tools, and asking questions. It was amazing, cute, and I'm hopelessly in love with that little boy... whom I will meet in about 5 months.

So, just wanted to say HI and let you all know we are doing well. Talk to you again soon-
Love, Saud

They're getting bigger!!!!

My feet, that is.... I know what you were thinking. No change there - ha!
She had to stop on the way home last night and buy a pair of shoes. Oh, there have been shoe shopping trips before, but this excursion was different. Something about it was off, not the same.
She was shopping the same store she had shopped before. Her goal was the same. But it was different. She was looking... for a bigger size. Yes, you may know her feet are normally plentiful, there is a strong foundation there in her size 10 feet. But today, she was not shopping for a size 10. She was searching for a size.... gasp... 11.

What is that all about?!? Seriously, I'm going to end up shopping in the men's shoe department before long because NOTHING ELSE WILL FIT! BUT, I can't stand the blisters, the rubbing, the puffy feet any longer. And I found a sweet pair of Mary Janes, in a size 11, that were like butter on my feet. Because you know I wore them out of the store.

So, in other news. We've officially entered the 5th month! 5 months, +1 day today!~! According to the books/ websites, it's a turnip (see previous post on comparing your child to food). AND we will go have our ultrasound on MONDAY, JULY 19 at 4pm.... I plan to have some photos for this site, and for Facebook immediately following, if I can stop crying long enough to post. May have to plan to have hubby do this for me....

For those of you who are moms, let's recap this little procedure. First, drink 24 ounces of water. Second, DON"T "void" (AKA Pee) Third, drive 25 minutes to the radiology office, where you will presumably wait at least 20 minutes past your appointment time to get into the room. No peeing allowed here, either. Fourth, Get into a room where they will squirt cold stuff all over your belly, and press repeatedly on your now overfilled bladder for approximately 20 minutes. Thank GOD I will be crying because at least the liquid will have one outlet!
Nearly 2 hours later (you know I only pee every two hours WHEN I"M SLEEPING!!), you can "void"... we will assume their toilets can stand hurricane-force liquid discharge because there is going to be some seriousness happening here.

I guess that's enough for now - hope you've enjoyed hearing all about my pee, and can't wait to tell you what it's going to be (well, it already IS, technically).
As always, it's nice to talk to you -
Love, Saud

It was a steamy day in July....

OMG - I was so hot, I think I was melting!
What a week for a vacation (if you can call it that!) - every day was over 90 degrees, and I spent most of them in the basement! Ok, I was doing work down there, but it was also cooler...
So we decided to have a 'staycation' and catch up on some house chores - clean out garage, clean out/ paint "library" (which you may know as the drum room or the ocean room downstairs), move furniture from baby room to library, clean out office... it was quite the list!
We got most of it done, though there is some furniture which still needs to be rearranged, but I'm happy to let the brother in law and hubby work on that part this week=) We made a trip to the dump with a truck full of crap - old hoses, a broken futon frame, etc. That was $5 off our minds! Cheap!
We had the baby appointment (see previous post for details), and .... we went crib shopping. Now, this may seem like an ordinary thing for people who are expecting babies to do. However, let me just say, there is a never ending world of complications when it comes to cribs - color (espresso, buff, carmel, white), shape (prison-like rectangle, furniture-esque convertable), size (mini or regular?) AAHHHHhhh! And you know me, are we getting the best deal possible, or are we getting hosed out of our clothes?
We started at Babies R Us, where, to be completely honest, I was not expecting much. I was expecting lower quality, higher priced options, but something to get us started. Was I wrong! What a showcase! It was very high-quality, big selection, Andy said they had a "whole showroom" of cribs... it was amazing! We found two that we L-O-V-E-D. One is $500 and is fit for a king (or a Kneffel...), and the other is more reasonable price-wise, but highly furniture-esque. Both convert into a toddler bed, then a day bed, then a full-sized headboard. I think this gets you because you feel like you're investing in furniture instead of a baby bed. It worked for me!
But, you know me. We had to leave there and make sure we were getting the BEST DEAL. So we went to Target. They had the crib I had originally picked out, which now seemed... well, toothpick-like in comparison for nearly the same price. sigh. So I think we're ok with the BRUs one, just have to find room for the King Bed (or Princely counterpart) after the furniture is moved.
Any thoughts on cribs or other baby parts, I'd sure be interested!
As always, good to talk to you all - miss you and love you -
Saud

Baby Checkup #2

Hey all - I know it's been a while since I posted, but was waiting for today's Baby Checkup! Everything is going GREAT, and the baby is doing well. Dr Strzoda (Strode-uh) checked the heartbeat - 150, which is good - and my bp is 106/70, which is a bit low for me, but good. She still hasn't measured my belly, but basically there is nothing to measure yet (dang it!!), I'm just getting a bit thicker all over.

Interesting note that between the last appointment, where my weight stayed exactly the same despite a diet of potato chips and french fries, and this appointment, I have lost a pound. I know, right?? Generally speaking, I can't lose a pound to save my life... But apparently, this is also nothing to be concerned about. Since I'm "over" the starting weight for my size anyway, she is not concerned about this at all. Wasn't that a nice way to put it??

Couple testing items of note this appointment: they drew blood (fun!) for the genetic screenings. This will look for signs of Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida and other genetic abnormalities. If anything is out of range, the next step would be an amniocentesis (sp?). We're also planning our first ultrasound in a few weeks. This will show a better measure of the baby's growth, and .... the sex!! Now taking bets on boy vs girl!! All proceeds go towards diapers +)



Anyway, hubby and me are on vacation this week, staying at home getting a bunch of stuff done - taking a load of crap to the dump tomorrow, painting the "library" formerly known as the drum room, moving furniture out of the "baby room" formerly known as Maddy's room, and generally doing some housekeeping. It's not too bad, since it's about hot enough to cook eggs on the sidewalk (project for tomorrow??) outside.



Hoping you all are doing well and staying cool - and, as always, nice to talk with all of you!
Love, Mommy Saud

It's a Lemon!

I know, odd, right? that they compare the size of the baby with foods... first it was a blueberry, then a kumquat, then a fig, now... we've moved up to a lemon! Well, my uterus is apparently the size of a grapefruit, though still not big enough to SEE outside my body (other than that premenstural bloating I call general chubbiness!!).

I'm feeling better this week, and have been to the gym a coupla times. According to the books, this is normal. He is 3 1/2 inches long, head to "bottom" (does that mean butt or bottom of its feet??), and weighs about 1 1/2 ozs. Pretty cool!
Because his brain is sending out impulses, he is squinting, frowning, grimacing and maybe sucking its thumb! He's also starting to use his internal organs - liver, bladder, etc. Big steps!!

I know that I've been starting my count on Thursdays, so in a few days, it will be 15 weeks. More/ different news to come then.... As always, nice to talk to you all -
Love, Saud

What a weekend!!
We got ready for some extra-special guests to come and visit - our friends Jen and Scott Truman will be staying with us for a few days while their beautiful daughter Katie has heart surgery at U of M. She was born in ?March?, and is an otherwise healthy beautiful girl. We are very excited to have them with us.
Which really means we had to clean the entire basement, including dusting - ugh!
On Saturday, we spent some time with Andy's Administrative Assistant, Katie and her daughter Lia. Lia turned one and is A-dor-able. She had a tutu on, as did her uncle Pete ... hilarious!! (his was camoflage) Katie made Lia a red ladybug cake, so you can imagine her whole face (and belly, and arms, and legs) were red. So cute. I think Andy's already planning a 'red' cake for our first birthday party...
I've started cleaning out my dressing room - which will become the baby's room upstairs. It's Madelyn's old room, so it's coming full circle for us! Madelyn is our 10 year old neice who stayed with us for about a year while her mom, my sister, was in Iraq. She is such a joy to us!
Anyway, Madelyn and I painted two of the beige walls a bright shade of aqua! Which I think will be great for a baby's room - boy or girl. I'm planning to trim with dark brown... as soon as I figure out what to do with all my clothes!
Well, as always, nice to chat with all of you - I'm off to eat (shocking, right?!)... talk to all of you soon!
Mommy Saud

14 Weeks Today!

Hello, everyone! I decided to start this blog at the suggestion of my very dear friend, Margaret, who lives in South Carolina. Her daughter did a blog when she lived across the country and was pregnant with her first grandson, and she really appreciated being able to be a part of that with her.

Here we go...
I'm 14 weeks along today (not sure why I count from Thursdays, but there you go!). I didn't feel so great early on, but am feeling much better now. Hubby is nagging me, very gently, that I now need to get myself back to the gym and at least walk a few laps... I know he is right.

So, my thought for today, which I read somewhere, but can't remember where to attribute, is "A man becomes a father the minute the baby is born. A woman becomes a mother the minute she finds out she's pregnant. " I completely agree. My husband actually asked me if some of my symptoms were - seriously - in my head.
Now I admit, I am not a puker. Never have been. I can probably count on one hand the number of times (including drinking) I have vomited. I did not "get sick" or have "morning sickness" - I just felt like crap all day long, and wanted to sleep about 20 hours a day.

SO, I just am really waiting for my "baby bump" to come along to prove I'm pregnant=) We did get to hear the heartbeat at the last dr appointment (June 7 - 11 1/2 weeks).... which helped a bit. You'll all be interested to know that even with 10 weeks of gym-less ness, and a diet consisting mostly of french fries and potato salad, I had not gained any weight. Not sure how that's happening, but I'm ok with it! (as was my dr, just for the record!)

Of course, you all know I poke fun at my hubby, but he has been the best husband a knocked-up girl could ask for. He makes me dinner (potato salad, potato chips, baked potatoes, french fries), listens to me complain, and tucks me into bed while it's still light outside. I know he's still...uh... adjusting... to the thought that we've actually DONE IT. I can't say I blame him. I can't even talk about "That Event Which Will Not Be Named" at the end of the pregnancy. let's not go there yet, ok??

All right, well, hope this was enough info for a first post. Enjoy, leave comments (be nice, please! I'll cry!), and ask questions you might have.
Love to you all-
Saud