Avocado Baby

Letter to a Bean 3/aka Avocado Week

Dear Bean,

Though it seems hard to believe...we've just completed our 16th week already! Just under 4 weeks to go & we will be at the halfway mark...

And just 5 more months 'til we get to meet you!!!

I am told that you are about 5 inches long now & weigh as much as an avocado. How perfect that our little Pearl Jam baby is being compared to an avocado:) That makes me smile just to think of it.

I am feeling good; the headaches are less frequent & I seem to be less and less tired as the days go by. Last night I stayed up past 11pm...which was unheard of during my first trimester!

I read today that you are going to be going through a big growth spurt in the next few weeks. How exciting!! I imagine that I will start to "show" over the course of the next month or so, since I haven't really started to yet. I am still wearing all of my regular clothes but don't imagine that I will be able to for very much longer.

We go back to see the doctor this coming Tuesday. We are meeting Dr. Rudo's partner this time because the office wants us to get to know each of the doctors in the practice, in case Dr. Rudo happens to be out or on vacation when it comes time to deliver you. I hope that this new doctor is nice. Dr. Rudo said that this will be the appointment where we are given the prescription for our "big ultrasound"! Once we schedule that, I'm sure that your Dad and I will be counting down the days until we find out whether you are a boy or a girl!!!

It seems that a lot of people are thinking that you are a girl. I sit & wonder every day if they are right. It seems so unbelieveable that in just about a month, all of that wondering will be overwith!

Another thing I read this week was that you are starting to be able to hear around now. Ever since I read that, I have been trying to talk to you, in hopes that you can hear me. Today I told you that we were having hummus & fresh vegetables for lunch. I also sing a lot in the car...so I guess you are going to have to get used to that;-)

Well, my little avocado...be well in there. Grow strong & continue to be as good to me as you have been so far. Your Daddy & I are taking you to your first Pearl Jam shows in June, lucky little avocado baby that you are:) I can't wait till you are born so that we can get you your very own fan club number! You will thank us for that when you're older...promise;-)

Happy week 17 to us. I love you & will be seeing you soon.

Love,
Mom

Week 14 Updates

Today marks the first day of my 14th week. I am officially into my second trimester now & feel great. Baby is roughly 4 inches long now & the size of a lemon...or so I'm told from my friends @ thenest.com. This concept blows my mind, I must admit;-)

I had some quite painful random afternoon headaches last week, which research taught me were the result of hormonal surges that occur around weeks 13/14. But they only persisted for 3 days or so & don't seem to have come back, which I'm hoping is a trend that will continue...

I'm not in maternity clothes yet but a few of my jeans have gotten snug around the waist...more so in the afternoon/evening than in the morning, though. I don't know what causes this exactly. Maybe it's more bloat than baby. I hear bloat is a common complaint of pregnancy.

Rob & I let Erin & Sandy in on our "little secret" on Friday night over a wonderful dinner @ P.F. Chang's. They were very excited for us! We are very excited about the possibility of them moving closer so that we can see them more often...and so our kids can play together:)

I added a "fun baby links" feature at the bottom of my blog, to which I will add links to fun baby-related websites as I find them. Let me know if you know of any cool ones I should add!

And lastly...

If you haven't voted in the baby gender poll yet, please do:)


...xoxo...

Chinese Gender Predictor

This chart...found in an ancient royal tomb near Beijing...is said to be over 90% accurate in predicting a baby's gender.

To use the chart: Match the age you were at baby's conception (down the left side) with the month of conception (across the top) to forecast baby's gender.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

FAMILY & FRIENDS...

Let me know if the chart looks like it may've been accurate with your past pregnancies...

Dawn: Was your lil' boy conceived in October?

P.S. I was 29 & baby was conceived in December:)

Galloping Horses & Unexpected Fortune Tellers

Our appointment with Dr. Rudo yesterday was much shorter than our last appointment with her but it was very exciting nevertheless...

We got to HEAR the lil' bean's HEARTBEAT for the first time!!!

At first, doctor said not to get our hopes up because she wasn't sure she would be able to find it...but no sooner had she finished saying that...when THERE IT WAS......clear as day! It sounded like galloping horses to me. Cute little baby galloping horses:)

It was truly just the most awesome thing. And such sweet relief! Thankfully, Baby seems to be doing just fine in there.

After the appointment we went to have dinner with the family, which was nice:)

Then today at work I had a patient give me a totally unsolicited...and completely random...psychic reading, which managed to drive me to tears right there at my desk...

(Pregnancy hormones. What can I say?)

She told me that I am carrying a girl who will look a lot like me & that Rob and I will have at least 3 children. She said that at least one of them will be a son. She told me that my mom is overjoyed for this baby to be born & that it will bring us closer than we ever were before. She told me that Rob likes to work on projects around the house, like carpentry & that sort of thing. (For those of you who don't know Rob, this is 100% true.) She said that we love each other very much, will be married a long time & will be very happy.

She also told me that I have been working at my job for "4 or 5 years". (My 5-year anniversary is coming up in July.) And that my mom has high blood pressure. (Also true.) But then she asked if we have a shed in our backyard...which we don't.

Random, I know.

Her name was Bahama & she wore a headdress & looked more like a psychic than anyone I have ever met before. She asked me not to be upset with her for giving me a reading that I didn't ask for...but she said that my spirit was so strong that she couldn't help it...

I swear...the strangest things always happen to me.

In a strange way, it was kind of nice, though. And since I didn't feel right voting in my own gender poll...I just decided to cast a vote for "GIRL" for her.

LOL

13 weeks!

Today marks the start of the 13th week of my pregnancy. Just 3 more days...and I will officially have begun my second trimester:) I can't wait to see what changes are in store for me in the months to come. The thing I look forward to the most is feeling baby move for the first time! They say this can happen anytime from about 15 weeks on...so with any luck...it won't be long before I start to feel those first flutters...

Rob & I visited Babies R Us together for the first time this past Sunday afternoon. Though a bit overwhelming to a set of (utterly clueless) first time parents-to-be...it was a fun and memorable experience:)

We spent the most time in the stroller section & narrowed it down to 2 that we really like: one made by Chicco (the Cortina) & the other by Peg Perego (the Pliko P3). I think we're learning towards the Chicco, though. It's really cool looking, comfortable to push & seem to get great reviews everywhere we've looked it up.

Oh! And we *finally* go to see Dr. Rudo again today at 3:00pm. Wish us luck!!!

Around The Bend

I decided to change the web address of the blog from http://sweetlilbabybean.blogspot.com to http://babybeanaroundthebend.blogspot.com today.

Indecisiveness has always been my biggest vice...so why should pregnancy change that fact, right? ;-)

I had wanted the baby's web address to be Pearl Jam related if possible...and I finally figured a way to do it in such a way that the address wasn't already taken by somebody else.

Yay to that!

PJ's Around The Bend has always meant a lot to Rob & I...but it means so much more to us now that baby's on the way...

"I am wishing you a-well
Mind at peace within your cell
Covers up, I cast you off...
I'll be watching as you breathe
I lie still...you move...I send
You...off around the bend

I hold your head deep in my arms
My fingertips they close your eyes
Off you dream, my little child
There's a sun around the bend

You're an angel when you sleep
How I want your soul to keep
On and on around the bend..." ~Pearl Jam

So yes, Mommy's indecisive...but with good reason.

After all, a rockstar baby should have a rockstar address, right?! :)

Blossoming Creativity

This is the onesie that I made for my best friend...baby's Aunt Nat...to break the news about the pregnancy to her.

I have plans to make more, including some rock n' roll inspired ones...

So if you have cute ideas, please don't hesitate to share:)

193

WhOoOoOo HoOoOoOoOo!!

Under 200 days to go:)

Letter to a Bean 2

Hey Bean...

How's it going? I can't wait to see you again! Your Dad & I don't go back to see Dr. Rudo until next Tuesday and we are SO anxious for that day to get here! We are hoping that she will use a Doppler to let us hear your heartbeat since the last time we only got to see it. Maybe she will even give us another ultrasound so that we can see how much you grew in the last month. I really hope so.

You have been really kind to me so far...so I have to thank you for that! Its strange though because a lot of the time, I don't really "feel" pregnant...and so maybe that's why I can't wait for our appointment & the reassurance that will come along with it that you are doing OK in there...

Hey, did you know that you have been to 2 concerts already? You are really a little rockstar & you don't even know it yet! We took you to see Ani DiFranco back on January 26th and to see the Foo Fighters last Thursday. I'm sure they were just the first of MANY concerts we will take you to. We hope you love music as much as we do:)

I also wanted to tell you that your Daddy is very anxious to start looking at and picking out furniture & strollers & high chairs & things for you! We are going to go to Babies R Us for the first time together sometime in the next few weeks and, although I'm sure it will be overwhelming at first, we are very excited to learn about all things BABY!

Well, Bean...I hope you are having a happy day in there. I am going to go get us some lunch. I will be seeing you soon.

Love Always,
Your Mom

The beginnings of an Infant Wardrobe

While I know that baby still has almost 6 1/2 months before (s)he is born...I simply can't resist looking at baby clothes on the internet these days! They are just so precious...and looking at them makes me smile:)

Yesterday I went one step further & actually stopped at the Gap on my way home from work to buy this one particular onesie that I just absolutely could not resist. It has already started selling out online & so waiting until the birth to buy it wouldn't have been an option.

Our due date is September 8th & the astrological sign VIRGO falls between the birthdays of August 24th and September 23rd. Soooo...it is a *pretty* safe bet that baby will be a Virgo.

Hence...behold the cuteness before you, that has kickstarted the beginnings of an infant wardrobe destined for greatness:)

By the way, in case you can't read the miniscule print...it reads...

"I am kind hearted and generous. I will be a good listener, love to nuture...caring, creative, shy."

...xoxo...

Letter to a Bean

Dear Bean,

Hey nugget! How are you doing in there? I read on the internet today that you are as big as a lime now. That's pretty big for a baby who's not even 11 weeks old yet! You seem to be growing sOoOoOo fast, although people can't tell that I'm pregnant yet. I wonder how much longer it'll be before we start "showing"...?

Your Dad & I have started to tell people about you & everyone is so excited to meet you! Your Mom-Mom, Pop-Pop & Nonna are going to be some of your favorite people in the world. They are going to shower you with so much love that you aren't going to know what to do with it all:) We are very lucky to have them in our family. They were SO happy when we told them about you last weekend! Your Nonna said that she can't wait to start knitting blankets & all sorts of other cool things for you...and your Mom-Mom made sure that I left one of your ultrasound pictures with her so that she could look at it & smile from time to time:)

So yesterday was Valentine's Day & we went to a fancy dinner with our friends to celebrate it. We told them about you while we were there! They are going to be your Uncle Ry & Auntie Jo and you are going to love them very much! Your Aunt Nat was the first friend that we told about you, back on January 19th. We made an iron-on transfer onesie for her to unwrap that said, "If you think I'm cute, you should see my Aunt Nat!" She loved it! She will be another of your favorites, I'm sure:)

You are going to have *lots* of cool aunts & uncles. You are going to be a very lucky little baby. I hope that you love all of us as much as we already love you.

After we got home from our dinner last night, your Dad gave me a Valentine's Day present. It was a "fill-in-the-blanks" baby book! We read through it together before bed & it is very cute. We can't wait to fill in all of the fun facts about you!

Well, baby...be well in there. I love you and will be seeing you soon.

Love,
Mom

Week 9

So I am into the 9th week of my pregnancy now & I'm feeling great! The extreme tiredness is still with me (mostly at nighttime, usually starting around 8pm or so)...along with some pain in my lower back...but I still haven't experienced any morning sickness yet, which has been great! I know I'm not out of the woods yet as far as that's concerned...but it has definitely been nice to be without so far...

I don't know if the tiredness has anything to do with the fact that I gave up caffeine pretty much right away when I found out I was expecting...but I'm sure it doesn't help, since I used to drink coffee twice a day most days...

Most of my spare time these days is spent reading about pregnancies & babies, which is a good thing because there is SO MUCH to learn...

oh
SO
SO
SO
much
to
learn

But I am getting there...slow but sure:)

Our 1st Appointment

Well, our first meeting with Dr. Rudo yesterday went as well as it possibly could've! She was an absolute doll and a pleasure to talk with & learn from.

She sat down with us & taught us all the do's & don'ts of pregnancy & gave us all sorts of reading material to take home. She gave me 2 scripts for blood tests to get done. Then she did an internal ultrasound, so that she could better determine exactly how far along I am.

The ultrasound was amazing! There (s)he was, up on the screen...

Our little bean!!! :)

We were even able to see his/her flickering heartbeat...

Doctor said that I am currently measuring at 8 1/2 weeks along & my due date was calculated to be September 8th, 2008...which is right about where we had imagined it would be.

In just 7 months, we will be getting ready to meet our baby for the first time.

What an unbelieveable feeling.

Meeting Dr. Rudo

Rob & I have an appointment this afternoon at 3:30pm to meet with our OB/GYN, Dr. Sharon Rudo for the first time. I am so nervous, anxious & excited! I hope that all goes well, that the doctor is nice and that we get to see our little bean's heartbeat...

I will post an update either later today or early tomorrow:)

*Updates*

~ January 25th, 2008 ~

I went to see my primary doctor on January 15th where she did a quantitative blood test to confirm the pregnancy. We got a call the very next morning with, as Dr. Kenis put it, our "Happy News"!

It all felt even more real after that:)

The past few weeks have been great, symptoms-wise, for me. I haven't experienced any morning sickness yet & only feel slight cramping in my lower abdomen from time to time. I am super tired all of the time, though. Most nights I don't make it past 9:00pm without konking out on the couch! Rob is wondering how long this will last. LOL

We're pregnant!!!

~ January 11th, 2008 ~

Rob & I had only just set forth on what we'd imagined would be a long & winding road to conception...when, lo & behold...so many of the classic symptoms we had read about were closer to home than ever before...and the very first home pregnancy tests we bought both showed as glaringly positive!!

We feel blessed beyond belief & words cannot begin to express our excitement! We can't wait to meet our little bean:)