The belly at 22 weeks!  It's getting bigger.

Nursery ideas

So now that we know we're having a boy I can really start planning the nursery.  I've already picked out a crib,



crib bedding,


and a dresser, which will have a changing pad affixed to one half of the top.


We've already got this white bookshelf



and I recently bought a white Dutalier glider from a co-worker that has khaki colored cushions.

We're planning on redoing the floors next month (stay tuned for this project), replacing all of the carpet and linoleum with a dark walnut laminate wood flooring and over that we'll throw a big area rug in beige or some coordinating shade of light green for the nursery.  The walls will be painted a light beige color.

Despite the bedding's hippo-only theme, we're going to work jungle animals in to the room decor.  I've already got my eye on some fun animal prints for the wall, a couple of cool jungle themed mobiles and lots of stuffed animals, all in coordinating neutrals and soft colors.  We'll get some baskets for toys on the bookshelf and we've already been collecting books for the baby's book collection. 

   

I also really like this cute kid-sized elephant chair.   

 

I'll probably get some colorful curtains with colors that tie in to the bedding and a colorful changing pad cover.

As you can see I'm really enjoying this! 

My generous mama took me maternity clothes shopping.  Here I am, pregnant and barefoot at the stove but looking oh so cute!Vegetarian chili and green salads for dinner followed by season one of Battlestar Galactica.

A healthy baby

The results from our 20 week ultrasound are in and baby boy Rosenberger has been given a clean bill of health, at least so far.  No scary markers to indicate any problems were detected.  I have to say, it's quite a relief.  I'm not in a medical category that would cause me to worry but I was still a little apprehensive.  It feels good to know that everything is progressing well.

The baby is real!!!

Tuesday night as I was laying in bed, before Jason came in, I started thinking I felt the baby move.  I lay very still, staring off at the ceiling with my hands on my belly and I was certain I felt some baby flutters.  Jason came in to go to bed, saw me staring at the ceiling with a vacant look on my face and asked me what I was doing.  I told him I could feel the baby moving.  He seemed sceptical, as I'd been saying this off and on for about a week but was never able to get him to feel it.  As on prior occasions, he simply said "It's probably just gas."  He got in to bed and I grabbed his hand, placed it on the belly and told him to wait.  After about 30 seconds we both felt a major kick!  "Did you feel that?" I crowed, just as he said he felt it!  After that the baby settled down.  I guess baby was tired after making it's presence known.  Both Jason and I went to sleep smiling.  It was a really cool moment, with both of us finally knowing the baby inside of me was really real. 

Wednesday was our 20 week ultrasound and all initial indications are that everything is proceeding normally.  The baby had 10 fingers, 10 toes, two arms, two legs, a spine, a head with all of the important parts attached, a heart (which we could see so clearly that all 4 chambers were visible), kidneys, bladder and sex organs!  In this case, sex organs indicate a boy!!!!



It was so exciting to have felt the boy and now to see him.  We could see him moving around and swallowing on the monitor!

Our baby's second picture!  Isn't he adorable?

The progress of the belly bump

16 weeks                                                   18 weeks                                                 20 weeks       

Ok, so the 18 week pic is at a different angle but betwee the three pictures you can definity tell that the baby bump has grown in 4 weeks.  At 20 weeks it's now obvious that I'm pregnant.  Only two more days until we find out if the baby is a boy or a girl!  I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!  I'll post ultrasound pictures on Wed. evening as well as the results for the sex of the baby.  Then we can start planning nursery themes, buy baby clothes and really get planning.  You all know how much I love planning! 

The belly at 20 weeks.  It's starting to feel big!

The dreaded scale

So part of being pregnant is knowing that I'll be gaining weight every week and that this is normal and healthy for the baby and for me.  Conceptually, I understand this and I'm ok with it.  But watching the numbers creep higher and higher every week has been a little bit scary.  For a girl facing the big 3-0 this year and knowing my metabolism has already started slowing, before pregnancy I was working out and eating right to maintain a healthy weight as I grow older.  Being pregnant has decreased my working out, increase my food intake and had me craving things I don't normally indulge in on a regular basis (ie Krispy Kreme, ice cream, and pretty much anything deep fried, but especially fried pickles). 

After being out of town for business one week, falling down with some KK donuts the next weekend and then spending a weekend in Phoenix eating more KK and good food, I had been avoiding the scale for about the past two weeks.  Sunday evening I decided I should check the damage so I stepped on the scale.  And then I almost passed out!  The scale said I had gained ~12 lbs in two weeks!  Was this even possible?  I have no idea, but I'm pregnant and my body is definitely changing so I can't draw from any of my previous body shape/size/weight data I used to use.  I backed away from the scale, assumed this was a fluke and promptly moved the scale to Jason's bathroom (as though I could forget about it if I couldn't see it). 

I decided last night to weigh myself again to prove that Sunday night's weight must have been a mistake.  Imagine my shock and terror when the scale again told me I had gained 12 lbs in 2 weeks!  I got really upset and a little later when Jason came home from work, I told him I was a giant fatty and almost started crying.  Of course my husband is wonderful AND intelligent so he immediately started telling me (as he does all the time) that I'm growing our baby and I'm going to gain some weight and I'm still beautiful.  This little pep talk did manage to stop me from crying.

Jason then went off to take a shower and emerged shortly thereafter to say that he thought the scale might broken because it had just reported that he'd gained 12 lbs since Sat.  That is impossible, Jason never gains any weight!  I immediately became hopeful but asked him to weigh himself again while I watched.  It definitely was reading incorrectly so I felt better.

Jason then wisely suggested I call Candace, who lives three blocks away, and see if I could come over and use her scale.  By this time it was about 8pm but Candace graciously volunteered her scale.  I raced to her house, weighed myself and confirmed that I hadn't gained an obscene amount of weight.  In fact, my weight gain is right on track.  A huge weight was lifted from my shoulders!

A break from the cold and the rain!

Last weekend some old friends and I gathered in Phoenix to celebrate some two 30th birthdays.  Both Jessica and Carrie turned 30 on Feb. 24 so Derrick, Matt, Carrie and I flew down to stay with Jessica, her husband Mike and another high school friend, Robin.  The trip down was a bit of a nightmare.  I drove up to Portland on Friday afternoon and met Matt, Carrie and Derrick and Matt and Carrie's house.  We left for the airport at about 5pm for our 6:40pm flight.  Literally as we arrived at the airport I received a call from Southwest to inform us that our flight would be delayed until ... 8:40pm!!!  Since we were already at the airport we decided to park and wait around PDX.  It being dinner time and me being preggers, I suggested we kill some time eating.  I had a hankering for fondue and my friends indulged me by eating at Gustav's.  Here are a few pics of us enjoying our meal.

Once we actually boarded the plane, our flight was uneventful until our arrival in Phoenix.  As we pulled to the gate the pilot informed us that Murphy's Law was in full force, the jetway was malfunctioning and we were unable to exit the plane.  We would have to wait while the plane was towed to another gate in order to disembark.  As the passengers let out an audible groan, I called Jessica (who was waiting in the cell phone lot) to inform her of the news.  Keep in mind, it is now midnight in Phoenix.  Needless to say, she was no more excited than we were about the situation.  Fortunately, after about 10-15 minutes, some stairs were found and we exited the plane, walked around the tip of the plane on the tarmac and then up some more stairs to the gate.  The beginning of our trip was a bit bumpy but the weekend would improve.  I'll post about Saturday and Sunday in the next post.

18 weeks!

Here's an update from week 18.  The bump is definitely becoming more pronounced and all proceeds well.  Stay tuned, we'll find out the sex of the baby on Mar 16.