What I'm going to miss

As the days go on there are fewer and fewer things I'm going to miss about being pregnant, but this is certainly one:



Yup, that's Floodling moving around, not me breathing.  You would think that after 5 months or so of really feeling him kick I'd get tired of it, or at least not so excited by it...  I still often put my hands on my belly to feel him wiggle and roll around.  Before I was pregnant (and early on when I was pregnant) I often  scoffed at those women who couldn't seem to keep their hands off their belly.  It was as if they were saying "look at me! I'm pregnant! See my big belly!" (as if you can't see their big belly).  But now I know, at least for me, I just can't help it!  When he's squirming around in there it's like a magnet! I love imagining what he's doing and what body part I'm feeling.

Yes, it does hurt sometimes... I swear this kid is going to be looooooong because even though he's head down and "low" he does still manage to get into my ribs.  All I have to do is stretch out and it's fine, but it does still surprise me.  And there have been a few times now since he is "head down and low" that he's hit some interesting organs and/or nerves and caused some interesting sensations.... but I still love being able to feel him!

As much as I love it, and as much as I'm going to miss the sensation (what will it be like to eat a meal with a still belly!?), I'm ready to cuddle this little guy and feel him squirming in my arms!

P.S.  Thank you to my wonderful hubby for the new video camera!  It was my Mother's Day/Birthday gift (and a little Father's Day in there too....) so I can share videos of Floodling once he arrives!

Why I'm NOT ready

 At 38 weeks I know a lot of women are just "done" with pregnancy.  They're over the whole thing, tired of sharing their body and all the aches, pains, and side effects caused by it.

I, however, am apparently not at that point yet.  It could be partially due to my long "to-do" list which looks something like this:

1. PACK!
2. Install car seat!
3. Clean carpets
4. Get glider cleaned and moved
5. Make curtains
6. Hang wall art
7. Find a solution for bookshelves
8. Finish organizing nursery

I need more time!

I'm sure there's a "fear" element too.... fear of not being a good mom, not knowing what to do, not being able to handle things, not getting enough sleep, and overall life changing so drastically!  But I'm also super excited to meet this little guy and get to see who he looks like, what he'll be like, and who he'll grow up to be!

It could also be due to the fact that I'm simply not miserable.  What I'm about to write makes me nervous because I could be ruining everything, right here, right now, as I bring up all the things I have yet to suffer.  I could be "jinxing" myself to say these thing "out loud" (okay, in writing, but still...).  But here goes....

Overall I feel I've had a really good pregnancy.  Except for the pretty rocky beginning (see these posts: 1, 2, 3) I've skipped out on a lot of the typical complaints, as I've mentioned before.  I have been happy not to suffer from:

• Morning sickness- except for the one morning I actually threw up and an overall sense of "bleh" for a little while, I never really had a problem with morning sickness
• Itchiness- I don't know if it's been the stretch mark creams, or what, but I am thankful that my belly and skin haven't been driving me nuts!
• Moodiness- even ask Jason, he'd tell you overall I've probably been more level-headed than normal.  Until the last few weeks that is... I'm getting a little irritable and the stress of the unknown with my job is getting to me too... but still, I don't seem to have "whoa, watch out for the pregnant lady!" mood swings.
• Trouble sleeping- okay, this one is kind of surprising me.  I still only get up once, maybe twice, a night to go to the bathroom, then I go right back to sleep!  Sleeping is not as comfortable as it used to be, but it really doesn't take me long to fall asleep, nor do I wake up out of discomfort or from Floodling squirming around.  I used to be an incredibly light sleeper, but things have changed and now I sleep like a rock.  I swear this kid could kick me right between the ribs and I wouldn't even roll over.  Kind of makes me worry about when he arrives.... will I wake up when he cries!?
• Painful kicks- I've heard a lot of people complain about their little ones getting their hands or feet all tangled up in their ribs, or getting really painful kicks.  Every once in a while Floodling will do something that makes me go "oof" (especially if he hits my bladder) but it hasn't been bad at all!
• Swelling- unless I sit in a chair for too long I really haven't had any swelling!
• Food cravings/aversions- I've had a few things that I've had "hankerings" for- spicy pickles in the beginning, steak in the middle, and right now it seems to be s'mores, but I haven't sent Jason out in the middle of the night to grab me anything because I haven't needed anything "right now!!".  Nor is there anything that just completely turns me off.
• Weight gain- I've put on the appropriate amount of weight, not too much, not too little, so I feel good and mobile still! 
• Stretch marks- I know I still have 2 weeks to go, and he's going to grow a lot in those two weeks, so I really shouldn't say anything yet, but so far, so good!  My secret? Check here!
• Heat- I really haven't been overly hot at all. I think, though, that I've really just become more like a normal person.  I am usually always freezing cold and my husband and I would always argue over the house temperature.  I think he's fairly pleased that I am now happy to have the temperature set where he likes it!

Now I'm not going to say I haven't had my complaints....

• Back pain- if I move the wrong way, or sit in the wrong type of chair, my back gets so achey that the only thing I can do to make it go away is lay down.  I can't even do the stretches I love at the gym because they make my back hurt!  And spending more than an hour at a restaurant? No thanks!
• Bending- it's getting incredibly difficult these days, and so, of course, I seem to be dropping everything!  I can thankfully still tie my shoes, though that is a long and annoying process in and of itself!  I'm loving that it's summer break and I can wear flip flops all the time!
• Getting around- getting up off the couch, out of the car, out of bed.... everything takes a little extra effort these days and it's getting a little old.
• Exhaustion- trying to get my "to do" list finished seems impossible sometimes because I get half a task completed and am just too tired to keep going!
• Bras- This is probably THE one thing that is getting to me the most.... the pain I posted about earlier has still not gone away!  Even after giving the bra a break for a bit.... the doctor thinks Floodling must have a foot there or something and it's stretching the muscles or skin.  I don't know, but living with this stabbing/burning sensation constantly is one thing I am looking forward to getting rid of!
• Bathroom- for someone who used to go maybe 3 times a day, it's hard sometimes having to go 3 times in one hour!  But I do have to admit that's not the norm for me.  I think I went from peeing like a camel (hardly at all!) to peeing like an actual normal person.

But overall I don't have the feeling yet that I'm just ready for this to be over.  (Of course, nor do I feel like I want to do this forever!)

My grandmother said that her mom told her not to wish away the pregnancy because "they're easier to take care of on the inside than the outside!".  So for now I'm happy to go with the flow and not wish away my time. 

We'll see how I feel in another week or so........

Massage from the inside?

I wish you could feel my belly right now!  Floodling is sliding around in there and making my tummy look all kinds of funky!  While getting my pedicure the other day it hit me!  I know what he feels like now, he feels like a massage chair!  The kind with the balls that roll around.  Except it feels like that inside my stomach (maybe not as comfy and relaxing though....).  He isn't much for the short, sharp "kicks" these days; he seems to be all about dragging his elbow or foot from one end of my belly to the other.  It is one of the strangest sensations!

We got to see our little one again this week!  I always look forward to sneaking a peak at what he's up to and how much he's grown.  And grown he has!  His estimated weight is 3 lbs. 11 oz.  Definitely on the big side for being at week 30 (as you'll see below).  In fact my due date was apparently still wrong in their computer... they had me at 30 weeks 5 days when I was in fact 29 weeks 6 days (they were almost a week ahead!).  I didn't realize this until I left.  At the appointment I asked how he was measuring for his "age" and they said "he's slightly on the big side" and that was with them thinking I was a week farther along!  I'm getting a little nervous about how big he's going to get...

I'm also getting nervous about how big I'M going to get!  I've had a lot of comments lately about just how big I am.  I have to laugh because I've read about how pregnant women don't like to be told they're big, and I've also read that pregnant women don't like to be told their small.  Because of this my friend Stacey always tells me "you look 30 weeks pregnant" (or however many weeks I am) in response to my comments of how huge I'm getting.  I didn't think I really cared either way, but I guess the comments are starting to get to me now.  One person told me "wow, you're so big already! Do you think you'll end up on bed rest??".  Not very comforting... Though one lady at work told me "you're already7 months? You're not going to get very big!".  I guess it's all perspective.

I did tell Jason though that I'm going to have a complex after the baby is born and I no longer have a cute tummy (no matter how large it gets).  I've been told so many times "you look so great!" and "you're so cute pregnant!" or even "I want to look like you when I'm pregnant!". After the baby is born and I no longer have people telling me how cute I am I fear I'm just going to feel fat and ugly!  I guess people will be staring at the baby though and telling me how cute he is, and that will more than make up for it I'm sure! :)

30 weeks... can you believe we've made it this far? 10 weeks to go!  It feels like a lifetime away, and yet it feels like there's not nearly enough time to be ready!

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

Bring on the third trimester!

According to most sources I am now officially in the third trimester!  Woo hoo!  BUT that means we only have 3 months left to prepare!  Yikes!

Thankfully I've taken the first few steps and finally started my registry.  Unfortunately it is not yet complete though as after 2.5 hours and having only made it through about half the store I was too exhausted to continue.

Some notes I want to share about my registry:

1. I do not expect gifts from anyone.  The registry is as much for me to prepare and be able to purchase items piece by piece as it is for people who would like to buy gifts.  I often feel like making a registry is a way of begging people to buy you things, but I think it's just nice to have everything you need written in one place, especially since it would be impossible to afford it all at once.
2. I did not put any clothing on the registry.  First off, we do have quite a bit of nice stuff from Andrea and Jason's dad and Donna.  But I also know that people LOVE buying clothes anyway, so I'm not going to tell them what they should buy.  If you would like to purchase clothes for Floodling, feel free to pick something you think is cute.
3. I do plan to breastfeed.  I may have a post about this topic later, though I'm not looking for as much input as I have with past issues (childbirth, diapers, etc.).  I am pretty convinced this is the way I want to go.  I did not register for supplies for breastfeeding though as I don't foresee people wanting to pick up nursing pads and nipple creams and such for me.... I also do not know what I'm going to want in the way of a pump and all of that.
4. Even though I plan to breastfeed I did register for bottles and supplies.  I will be going back to work so I will have to pump and therefore have bottles for feeding.
5. I registered for my stroller and car seat at Wal-Mart because both were a lot cheaper there... Babies R Us does sell the same items though and depending on if there is a good sale going on they may be cheaper at Babies R Us.... I am not a huge fan of Wal-Mart overall, but sometimes you just can't beat their prices...
6. My registry is not yet complete.  I realize I do not have any receiving blankets yet.... a play pen.... and plenty of other things.  A girl can only do so much in one day, especially a preggo one!
7. I did register for things like sippy cups for later on.... I figure the more prepared we are now, the easier it makes it later!
8. If you are choosing to purchase a gift for us, when it comes to the small things I'm really not excessively picky about brand, style, etc. (pacifiers, bibs, towels, for example).  You do not necessarily have to find the exact item on the registry.  If it makes you feel more comfortable, that's fine, but overall I have a feeling that everything and anything will be useful!
9. Again, if you are purchasing a gift, the registries have our shipping information so if you choose to purchase online, items can be shipped directly to us.

All that being said, you can view my Babies R Us registry here and my Wal-Mart registry here.

As I said, we are now officially into the third trimester at 27 weeks.  Floodling is growing bigger and stronger by the day!  I'm enjoying feeling his antics in my belly and was allowed to rest a little knowing that apparently he's so squiggly now because he still has a little space to do acrobatics.  When he's bigger, however, the space will be tighter and he won't be quite as mobile.  I've been concered about what he's going to do to my insides when he does get even bigger and stronger so that news was somewhat comforting.

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother him, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

I'm late! (No, not that kind of late... well, actually....)

I am actually a day late posting!  Sorry if you've been waiting on me. I've posted my Saturday posts late in the day before but never a whole day late... there is a first time for everything though and I have a feeling that once Floodling arrives I will have a whole new meaning to the word "late"!

I was actually out of town without a computer on Friday and Saturday.  I attended a FLAG conference (Foreign Langauge Association of Georgia).  It was actually very fun and informative!  I have a TON of new stuff to bring back to my classroom, and not just ideas!  I did a "make and take" seminar on Friday morning and actually made some games and things to use.  This was one of the first conferences I've been to where I didn't feel like it was a complete waste of time.  I usually sit in the seminars falling asleep because they're boring or it's something I already know.  Especially now that I teach elementary school I have a hard time finding sessions that apply to me (I don't teach grammar, I can't really use computers or internet.. and overall my kids are just not teenagers!). Elementary school language teachers are few and far between so most conferences are geared towards middle and high school.  But there were a TON of seminars for elementary teachers this time.  And every one of them had us either up and moving, or singing, or coloring, or doing something fun!  Besides the awkwardness of having to share a hotel room with a complete stranger I had a really good time.

I left the conference a bit early on Saturday so I could get home and actually visit with my mom!  That was a nice surprise.  My dad was driving down to Birmingham, Alabama for a motorcycle track weekend and my mom decided to go with him and just drive out to Atlanta to visit me.  She got here yesterday afternoon and we just sat and talked the afternoon away, went to Longhorn's for dinner (yay steak!) and chatted some more.  She stayed the night and left this morning... thus the reason my blog post is late.  It was so nice to see her, even if it was just for an evening.  And she got to feel Floodling wiggle for the first time!  Actually she felt lots of wiggles!

Speaking of... Floodling is obviously getting bigger these days!  I can feel him more and more and his movements are getting a LOT stronger.  I can actually feel him "shifting" now.... not just the little kicks and pokes, but I can feel my whole belly kind of shift as it feels like he slides around inside.  It's still not painful, but I can only imagine if he's moving this much now what it's going to be like later on and he has even less space!

In fact, Floodling definitely is bigger these days.  I had my monthly high risk OB appointment on Thursday.  He's a whopping 2 lbs. 6 oz. or so now!  He's still "above" the curve (somewhere in the 60th or 70th percentile... I don't remember exactly).  Turns out last time when he was "right on target" it was because they had my due date in the computer off by a whole week!  They had it as 6-11-10 instead of 6-17-10... someone read the 7 of my actual due date as a 1.  While it's not a huge deal (I know it's highly unlikely he'll actually be on time) it does make a difference when it comes to measurements, and that's the whole purpose of these appointments!  I actually caught it because I noticed that my last ultrasound pics said 22 wks 6 days but it should have been 22 wks 0 days, so I asked about it and the tech went to check on it.  She came back and asked where I got the date 6-17-10 and I said "my OB/GYN" so she left again and came back and was like "oops...".  Kind of scary!  The doctor apologized several times... I know they don't like to be caught in mistakes like that.

Floodling is about the length of an English cucumber at 26 weeks, but instead of a fruit/vegetable picture, or a drawing of a baby inside the womb, how about a picture of what he actually looks like?

Isn't that a cool picture??  That's the front view, by the way.  Can you see it?  It took me a second, but once you see it it's really cool! (Kind of like a "Magic Eye" picture)  I think it's much better than this front view at 18 weeks...

You can really see the shape of his chin though in both the pics!  So cute!!  My friend Stacey says it's my chin... I wonder if he'll have a dimple in his chin like Mommy too!  I think that's much cuter on boys than girls...  (And he is definitely still a boy.... once again he was flaunting it, the tech laughed.... I'm a little worried!)

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

P.S  I uploaded 2 other ultrasound pics on my "Ultrasound Photos" page (in the right-hand bar or you can click here).
P.P.S Don't forget to vote on my poll also in the right-hand bar!  Do you think Floodling will arrive early, late, or right on time??

LOL!

Week 24! That's "technically" month 6, though I say technically because we all know that every month (except for the one that we're currently in) is longer than 4 weeks.  Various books, websites, etc. all proclaim that month 6 starts at various different weeks, but I've more or less been going with the 4 weeks per month thing.  Of course that means I can expect my pregnancy to be about 10 months long as the "average" pregnancy is 40 weeks, but you know....

Floodling has still been very active this week, though still not as much as he was on Wednesday!  I'm still curious what he was up to!  Maybe I'll find out at my next ultrasound that he managed to change positions (since he was upside down at the last one).  My best friend Stacey did finally get to feel him though!  She made me laugh so hard... she's been trying desperately for quite a while to feel him moving, even before I could really feel him well.  And a few times she's had her hand on my belly and I've felt him and asked "did you feel that!?" and she hasn't.  She started to say she thought her hand was broken.  Well, Floodling started wiggling after dinner the other night (we go out to dinner every Thursday for trivia!) so I put her hand on my belly and just kind of pressed it there.  And FINALLY he gave a good kick where her hand was!  She shouted and had many people in the restaurant looking at her!  That made me laugh so she could no longer feel him but she did have the joy of experiencing the weirdness of my belly button! (My belly button gets hard and pokes out when I cough or laugh... it's very odd).

On that note, I've been thinking I want to laugh more these days.  Have you seen videos of laughing babies?  Not just giggly babies, but babies that have a good ol' hearty laugh?  I think it is sooooo adorable, and I want a happy laughing baby like that.  I've started wondering if those babies come from moms who laugh a lot.  They say you should talk to your baby, and even sing and read books, so laughing would have to be a good sound for them to hear, right?  I also wonder if if babies would like the sensations of the rocking and shaking too.  And not only that, but doesn't laughing release endorphins? Do you think baby gets a little kick of that too?  I've been wondering this for a while... along with wondering if he gets a kick of adrenaline if I get scared, or feels any of my other emotions.  So many emotions seems to be tied into chemicals that are released in our bodies.  What are your thoughts? Does Floodling feel my emotions?



and...


How can you not laugh and smile when you watch those??

I've started thinking since I don't have weekly fruit pics anymore for size and growth that I'd like to put up a pic of what baby looks like in the womb at this point.  I'm having a hard time finding something to my satisfaction, but this will work.  On a side note I discovered it was me that was mistaken last week, not the website.  I commented that the website claimed baby was the size of a mango but they had a picture of a corn cob for that week.  Turns out I grabbed the wrong pic, the corn cob should have been for this week!  Oops!

 

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Keep an eye out this week for my monthly belly photo!  I also may be posting some thoughts on some books I'm reading these days...

Wiggle Worm

I don't know what has gotten into Floodling today but he has been a little wiggle worm, from first thing this morning!  Right when I woke up this morning he jabbed me right on the side I was laying on.  It was so strong I jumped right up because it startled me!  I rolled over to my other side and he started jabbing me on that side!  I definitely haven't felt him that strongly before.  Felt something like this....

Kidding... I'm sure it will feel more like that later on, but he's seriously been kicking big time today!  Even when walking around today I could feel him, normally I mostly feel him when I'm sitting. On my drive home he was poking me higher than I've ever felt him.  He's getting close to my ribs!  And the last hour or so I've been watching my belly jump around....  I'm curious what's gotten into him all of a sudden?  Did I eat something yesterday? Is he just getting that much stronger?  I've been enjoying feeling him so much, just hoping everything's okay in there! And hoping this doesn't say a lot about what's in store in the coming months... ;P

Added later: Seriously!  What is he up to??  I just saw my stomach poke out probably half an inch! I had my arm resting on my side and he apparently didn't want it there!  I moved my arm but he continued to squiggle and I can't believe how much he was moving! Even Jason got to watch him up to his antics... is he redecorating in there??

So I haven't been imagining things...

Yay!  Finally, after 4 weeks of feeling the kicks myself, I finally got someone else to feel Floodling!  I was laying down this afternoon after returning from some Tahoe sight-seeing and, as usual when I'm still, he started kicking.  Jason was going to head out to the casino to waste $40 and came over to give me a kiss good bye.  I decided to grab his hand and put it on my belly (I don't even try half the time because whenever I do he stops kicking).  Well, within seconds Floodling kicked and I knew Jason felt it because I saw his eyes open a little wider.  Then he kicked again, a big kick, and Jason broke into a big smile and went "oh yeah! I feel him! That's weird!".  I was really happy to see his reaction... while he's very excited about the whole pregnancy, he doesn't get excited about the typical stuff.  He was very "meh...." about finding out the gender (he said it didn't matter either way, which it didn't, but it was still exciting to me).  And he just doesn't get as happy as I do seeing the ultrasound scans.  He did point out though that he was the first to run out and buy an outfit, and that we just show our excitement in different ways.  So... in any case, I didn't think he'd be all that excited about feeling kicks, and he really hasn't been eager to try, so I was really pleased to see him look so surprised and happy! :)

AND, since Jason had gotten to feel him, I decided to call Laura over to try.  He had kicked a few really big kicks after Jason left, but of course as soon as Laura put her hand on my belly I felt nothing.  She sat there for a minute and nothing... so I took her hand and poked around a bit.  Still nothing... then finally a little one, then a bigger one!  Laura's face was awesome too!  She thought it felt really cute, like a little "nudge".

So I haven't been making it up or imagining things!  There is definitely something growing and moving around in there! I have definitely been feeling him more and more these days.  For a little while I would feel him a lot one day, then not at all the next (which would worry me).  Now I feel him every day, and though some days are still stronger than others, overall it is getting more frequent and stonger.

P.S. Stacey- I know you'll be jealous but hopefully this means you'll get to feel him soon too! ;)

Month Five Reflections

Just to clarify, I had found these monthly pregnancy reflection questions on another website, and thought it would be fun to do each month.   It was kind of more exiting at first because I combined a couple of month's questions into one, so there was more to say.  Now it's only a couple of questions, but still fun to think about.

The first time I felt baby kick: I can't really pinpoint an exact first time because I felt a lot of flutters here and there and I wasn't sure if I was feeling actual kicks or just gas bubbles.  I now know that they were actually little kicks.  The first time I was certain I felt kicks though I was sitting doing my medicine (at 6:00 am) and was surprised by how bouncy my tummy felt!  I was sad that I was the only person awake... not only in the house, but that I couldn't really call people.

It felt like: I would describe it as muscle twitches or spasms, kind of like an eyelid twitch (when you're stressed) but much bigger!  That is the big kicks, of course.  Everything else feels like flutters in my tummy or gas bubbles, as mentioned above.  That's what I feel most often and still get excited when I feel bigger kicks that I can feel from the outside.

The strangest food craving I've had is: either Texas Pete pickles (yes, they're pickled in a brine that has hot sauce added, yummy!) or steak!  Steak isn't a strange food craving exactly, but it is for me after having been vegetarian for almost 7 years!  This is part of what made me think I might be having a boy... all the meat and cheese cravings!

This month's prenatal visit taught me that: I need to ask my questions, even if it makes me feel stupid.  I have a right to know what's going on with my body and my baby's!

My hopes: That we'll eventually find some suitable names that we both like!!  We have one we like, but we're just not certain.  I'd like to "meet" baby before making a final decision, but I'd also like to have a narrowed down list of choices before then.

My fears: That we won't get everything together in time.... feeling overwhelmed by all the decisions that have to be made- crib, car seat, stroller, high chair, baby monitor...... what kind of diapers and wipes???  Oh my....

On that note, I've been trying to kind of settle on a nursery theme.  I really don't like how all the sets you find are so matchy matchy. (Side note: if you press ctrl while clicking it will open the page in a new window rather than navigating away from the blog.)  And I also don't like very typical boy themes: cars, sports, and even jungle/animal themes.

I like the idea of kind of solid or simple colors, like brown and green or brown and blue, then adding some touches here and there of a theme we like.  With the above being said, we're kind of thinking of dinosaurs, or golf.  Both fit into those themes that I don't like, but I guess the uniqueness of them make them okay to me.  They're also both "passions" of Jason's, so that makes me enjoy them as well.  Jason is a very avid golf player, and apparently loves dinosaurs (his all-time favorite movie is Jurassic Park, it took me a while to realize that the dinosaur thing went beyond the movies).

It's hard to find bedding in either of these themes, but this is what I've found so far for dinosaurs.  Again, I'd take a piece or two to add to some solid colors or a simple pattern.

For golf I haven't found anything specific, but I really like the green and blue argyle in this photo... my mom says she could make some bedding, which would definitely be a nice touch.

So, I want your opinions.  What do you like? Golf? Dinosaurs? Or something else, like turtles?? (I think this would be really cute too!)

P.S. Floodling already has a cute dinosaur outfit, and a cute golf outfit!! :)  Actually, several dinosaur outfits (one thanks to Bad Aunt Laura!).  The golf outfit was from my mom!  Grandma Simpson I guess.... :P

As if to say...

"Yes mom, it's really real!" our baby Floodling started kicking BIG TIME this morning!  As mentioned before I had been feeling small flutterings and what not, but this morning I was sitting doing my medicine before school and started to feel it.... how to explain "it" exactly I don't know, but there was definite movement going on in there!  I put my hand on my tummy and could definitely feel it on the outside too!  I wished Jason had been awake so he could feel it too!  And I couldn't believe how long he kept at it!  :P  I have still been feeling the little flutterings all day today inter-mixed with a few "big" kicks every once in a while.  I guess I'll be feeling a lot of that now!

Believe it or not, Jason was the one to buy the first outfit!  A pair of "J's" and a Jordan onesie.  He saw it a while back and couldn't wait to find out if it was a girl or boy so he could buy the pink or the black.

Not a fruit this week!!

So, Georgia finally got some snow yesterday and I got to have a day off!  Woo hoo! Yes, it wasn't even an inch of snow, but we know that #1) Georgians can't even drive in rain, and #2) there really is no equipment to make it safe to drive in snow (ie. no snow plows, no salting trucks, etc.)  So yes, even with under an inch of snow, we had the day off due to icy road conditions.

The day off was incredibly welcome after my busy and stressful week!  My News Team did a great job in their Wednesday morning debut!  However, cords got mixed up sometime between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning (who would touch those!?!?) and we could NOT get live feed in time for Thursday morning.  We had to run to the front office at the last minute to do announcements over the intercom... not a fun way to start out the morning (stressing and running around before 8:00 is not my choice of wake-up call).  Then I spent every spare minute I had the rest of the day Thursday playing with the cords until my fingers hurt from screwing and unscrewing cable wires!  I did manage to fix it though, ALL BY MYSELF!  Who knew I was so tech savvy??

So, with all that, the snow day was welcome... a day for me to chill out and again focus on taking care of myself!

Our baby is growing lots these days and is now the size of an onion!  I'm trying to figure out if I'm feeling movements now!  I think I keep feeling little flutterings and nudges, but I can't feel anything from the outside when I put a hand on my belly.  The sensations are so light it's easy to make myself think I just imagined it.... and on top of that it's not like things haven't been gurgly in that area these days... but I think by now I know what gas feels like as opposed to something else. I've read that people usually start feeling movement between weeks 14 and 22... but that first time moms are more likely not to feel anything until closer to week 20 (or at least not to recognize what they're feeling).  I've also read that "skinny minnie" moms tend to feel movements earlier than larger moms because the extra "padding" can kind of mute the sensations... and though I am by no means going to claim that I am fat, my pudge tends to accumulate on my tummy so I'd be kind of surprised to be feeling things so early.

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, her sweat glands are starting to develop, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints.

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