Baby Bump - 27 Weeks!

Name: Ellie, Ellie-Bear and "Ellie Belly." Thinking about "Violet" as a middle name, but Joe isn't so sure about it. I really need to sit down and take a look at Nameberry!

Belly Button? Innie still, but Joe predicts it will pop out in two weeks. Yucky!!!

Feeling: Pretty tired after the road trip. I have a sore spot at the bottom of my ribs most of the time too.

Food I'm Missing: Deli meats. I missed out on some nice sandwiches at Which Wich!

Movement: Joe and I still like to watch her punch my belly.

Dreams: Nothing unusual.

Listening to: Iron Maiden, courtesy of papa-bear. 

Looking Forward to: Our new house! Well, technically it's an apartment... but thats okay. I'm so sad our road trip is over but I'm glad to be at our final destination. Mrs. Peacock is happy too, but she is still suspicious that we will leave again. She keeps getting into her carrier in the morning when we wake up and start to get dressed. Soon she will have her favorite kitty-tower back to take naps in and she can relax again.

This picture was taken in Roswell at the UFO museum! I cheated since this was technically taken on the very last day of week 26. Oh well! I'm too tired from all the travelling to actually get myself together and find a nice place to take another photo. I will be posting some more pictures in a couple days of the museum. It was pretty fun!

Baby Bump - 26 Weeks!

Weight Gain: Not really sure at this point. Hotels never have scales!

Name: Ellie, Ellie-Bear and "Ellie Belly." 

Maternity Clothes: Just bought some "palazzo pants" and hopefully they look trendy and not like lazy-pants.

Feeling: My back starts to hurt after a while of standing up.

Food I'm Missing: Once again, bagels with lox. We went to a bagel shop and I really wanted some smoked salmon lox.

Movement: Joe and I can both see her punching at my belly. It's so weird how strong she is! I was poking back at her to see if she would react. It work (I think.) I will have to try a flashlight!

Dreams: Nothing unusual this week!

Listening to: The Yeah Yeah Yeah's and an audiobook by Craig Clevenger called The Contortionists Handbook. It's a really good book! Not so kid-friendly, but Ellie doesn't know that yet.

Looking Forward to: Decorating the new house. I got all my furniture out of storage and it's being shipped to Louisiana. I haven't seen my stuff in so long! I have some pretty unique things and I'm excited to put everything together. 

I know I'm skipping ahead with my posts right now, but since these are the only photos we took in Phoenix I might as well update. We had a nice breakfast at Lola's Coffee Bar and went skating in Tempe. I got to go shopping at a second hand store and we picked up a bunch of stuff - I was all excited to find some legit southwestern turquoise jewelry. I figured we weren't going to have many cool places to shop in Louisiana so we should probably pick up some stuff now. 

I love the landscape of the desert! I wanted to go through Joshua Tree in California - it's an amazing place - but it was faster to skip it. There will be plenty of desert in New Mexico to see though, and I'm hoping we can get a little visit into Roswell. Yay, aliens!

Baby Bump - 25 Weeks

Weight Gain: Joe insists that the scale we used was off by at least 5 lbs. So maybe 10?

Name: Ellie, Ellie-Bear and "Ellie Belly." Still no decision on the middle name! That's me, indecisive about this type of thing.

Maternity Clothes: I went shopping for some new clothes and I stocked up on some shorts, a maxi skirt and a couple dresses. The after-Christmas sales were really helpful.

Feeling: I still feel a pain where the skin is being pulled but other than that I'm feeling great.

Food I'm Missing: Nothing really right now. I discovered that there were some soft cheeses that are pasteurized so I had a little with my family for the holidays.

Movement: Both my dad and my brother could feel her moving! She liked to kick a lot and then as soon as I called my dad over to feel her she would go still. Little stinker! Finally the day my dad was going back to New York he felt her moving.

Dreams: I had a nightmare one night that she wasn't alive anymore. I woke up so scared and relieved that it was just a dream. Another night had a dream that I took her out of my belly like a kangaroo and looked at her, but had to put her back. Weird!

Listening to: Tame Impala and Sigur Ros.

Looking Forward to: Setting up the nursery and revamping the bedroom set I will be using for her.

Sunset on California Route 1! We have just left Santa Cruz and we are making our way down the coast. I'll still be posting up my San Francisco photos this week. I've been having so much fun on this road trip!

Baby Bump - 24 Weeks!

Weight Gain: Unknown! I still don't have a scale.

Name: Ellie, Ellie-Bear and "Ellie Belly."

Maternity Clothes: Searching for some decent pants, but no luck. I can't wait to start wearing dresses when it gets warmer!

Feeling: I still get a stitch in my side a lot.

Food Craving: None.

Food I'm Missing: Pâté and wine! We are sooooo close to Napa and Sonoma and I can't go wine tasting!

Movement: Joe can feel her a lot now and said he puts his hand on my tummy while I'm sleeping and can feel her kick. So cute!

Dreams: None really.

Listening to: We are still playing a lot of CDs in the car. Included are Au Revoir Simone, Sleater-Kinney, The Black Keys, The Yeah Yeah Yeah's and ELO.

Looking Forward to: Visiting friends in San Francisco.

This was a picture Joe took while we visited the Redwood State Park in California. I'll be posting more photos of the amazing trees once I catch up posting all the Portland pics. I hope everyone is ready for the holidays!

Baby Bump - 22 Weeks!

Weight Gain: Unknown! I don't have a scale right now.

Name: The first name will be Ellie but I still have to decide on the middle name. We thought about Rain, or something equally hippie-ish like "Moon," but I think only Moon Zappa can pull that one off! We have nicknamed her Ellie-Bear and we call my tummy the "Ellie Belly."

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing and loving my maternity leggings.

Feeling:  My tummy stretching hurts sometimes so I have to be careful about twisting or reaching for things.

Food Craving: None.

Food I'm Missing: Beer.

Movement: Joe felt the first kick two weeks ago! It was pretty cool. He has felt a few more since then and is surprised at how strong they are.

Dreams: I had a dream about going to VooDoo Donuts in Portland. I've never been there but I guess I want donuts! 

Listening to: Lots of Devotchka. I haven't put them on the Belly Buds yet but we have been playing a lot of CDs in the car while on the road. I figure it's loud enough that she can hear it.

Looking Forward to: Everything! It's been so much fun so far on our road trip. 

We took some family photos in Haines before we got on the ferry to Washington. Kitty needed to stretch her paws and get out of the carrier for a while. She wasn't too impressed with the snow though!

Baby Bump - 20 Weeks!

Weight Gain: 5 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I got my maternity uniform for work after I decided that it was way too uncomfortable to wear the regular pants anymore. I don't need the top yet, which looks ridiculous unless you have a big belly, but the pants are much better even though it's the old school elastic waistband. 

Feeling:  Considering the failed baby shower I'm still feeling pretty awful, but physically I'm fine. It's getting more and more uncomfortable to sleep though.

Food Craving: Reese's Puffs cereal, which is like eating razor blades. I couldn't eat anything for almost three days because those darn things scratched up the roof of my mouth! 

Food I'm Missing: I suppose I miss lunch meat. I've been running around at work and needing to pick up quick lunches. The veggie sandwiches at Subway are okay but I really want some gross processed deli slices.

Food Aversions: None.

Movement: Lots of moving around and kicks. It's still too light for Joe to feel them though.

Dreams: I had a dream that my husband and I were at a Rocky Horror midnight showing and he wouldn't sit next to me. I woke up very upset about it!

Listening to: I don't want to use the Belly Buds too much since I can't really tell when the bear cub is awake or not, so I only play a little music once in a while. I've been enjoying The Neighborhood album "I Love You" and Au Revoir Simone. 

Looking Forward to: Getting packed! We have things packed up and ready for the movers. Tomorrow night we are officially staying in a hotel!

Oh, and by the way...

The "Baby Shower"

Well guys, be prepared for a really sad post. This post was designated for my baby shower which was supposed to happen about 45 minutes from now. I'm only halfway through my pregnancy but my friends offered to throw us an early shower before we moved to Louisiana, where we won't know anyone at all. This, clearly, did not happen.

I didn't expect anything fancy, like silly games and cakes or things like that, but I kind of expected some effort to be put into it. I found out only two days ago that only one person had even been invited. I sent out some last minute texts to invite the people I thought had already been invited, but they understandably went unanswered. No one wants to be invited to a party at the last minute that requires shopping for gifts, especially after a snowstorm. Then the rest of the very few people who were going to show up, all cancelled.

So yeah. That happened. I swear I'm not a nerd who doesn't have friends. I swear. I feel like that socially awkward kid in school who invites the whole class to their birthday party and no one shows up.

It's not all about gifts... but it would have helped to get at least a few cloth diapers or something. A crib sheet maybe. Moving is always a big expense and I'm worried that by the time we reach our destination we won't have anything left over to buy baby stuff. I'm sure things will work out fine with money, but you know, it's always a thing people worry about.

Really what makes me sad is that no one understood how much I was looking forward to this and also how hard it was for me to let myself enjoy the idea of a shower. I wasn't going to plan one for myself because it's just weird for me to ask people to buy me gifts. I'm a big introvert and I don't like being the center of attention, so when my friend offered to throw a shower just for me I was really nervous and excited to be given so much attention. I felt awkward just going to register at Babies R Us, because it seems so self centered. I had to convince myself that it was okay to be given gifts, that my friend wanted me to be happy and were excited for me. So imagine how lame I feel now, knowing they actually didn't care as much as I thought?
I would have been happier not having a shower at all rather than expecting one and being totally disappointed.

So what do I do now?
Retail therapy.
All the stuff I resisted buying because I was waiting for the shower is going in my shopping cart today. I'm buying ALL the cute onesies that I was supposed to get a million of.

Baby Bump - 19 Weeks!

Weight Gain: 4 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I prefer to wear my maxi skirts or my stretchy black jeggings from Aeropostale that I bought 3 years ago. Jeans are not happening. 

Feeling: Some leg cramps. My calves have been sore and since I started getting set up to leave Alaska I don't do my pregnancy fitness class. I think it must be leg cramps. Not too bad though. 

Food Craving: Sweets like tiramisu, cheesecake, yogurt and hot cocoa (NOT with almond milk though. I want the real stuff!)

Food I'm Missing: Bagels with lox.

Food Aversions: None.

Movement: I feel kicks a lot more often now. I'm excited for Joe to be able to feel them.

Dreams: I still haven't had any weird dreams.

Listening to: I just started using my Belly Buds, so the bear cub and I have been listening to The Middle East. I'm so happy the adaptor is split so I can listen to the same music.

Looking Forward To: One week until we find out the sex! I have no idea what to expect. The technician predicted a girl, but I still have the feeling that it will be a boy. I just always pictured having a boy first. I will be happy either way though! 

Baby Bump - 18 Weeks!

Weight Gain: 4 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I don't really need any at this point, but my mom sent me some really cute shirts that will look nice after the baby is born. The embroidery detail on the shirt I'm wearing below is so pretty, it's my new favorite shirt.

Feeling: Fine. Sometimes the stretching in my tummy is uncomfortable but mostly everything is great.

Food Craving: Banana bread, banana cream pie, banana pudding, banana yogurt... Not so much actual bananas though.

Food I'm Missing: Wine and brie.

Food Aversions: None.

Movement: If I'm really still and sitting down quietly I can feel kicks once in a while.

Dreams: I haven't had any weird dreams yet, but Joe has reported dreaming that he wasn't the real father and had another dream that I was getting drunk all the time while pregnant. Is it weird to think that is cute? Because I totally think it's cute that his subconscious is jittery. I'm sure I'll have my fair share of dreams about babies with six arms and two heads and crazy things like that.

Looking Forward To: The 20 week appointment to find out the sex, the baby shower on the 23rd, and getting out of Alaska! As you can see it started snowing over the weekend. Only 13 more work days left at this command!!!!! I was lucky that the snow only started now, but I really hate the feeling of being terrified to drive back and forth from work every morning. Alaskans don't believe in snow plows.

Baby Bump - Sixteen Weeks!

I actually have a little bump now! I got so excited I went out shopping for new clothes that will hopefully be comfortable to wear once the bump gets bigger. I picked up some maxi skirts (which I have always loved but never actually went out to buy!) and some real maternity leggings, which I won't really be wearing until later. The ruched t-shirts look cute even with a small belly, so I will probably just start wearing them now. I'm pretty sure when we get to Louisiana it may be difficult to find any stores with cute stuff... I hear there is nothing but a Walmart that is 30 minutes away! This city girl is going to go a little crazy!

Also, I might be in love with Wet Seal. I know it's not the greatest place and they have terrible music playing loudly in the store, but it was less annoying to shop there than Forever 21, which I love but is huge and hard to find anything. There were tons of cute patterns and some palazzo pants I might have to go back and get.

Our appointment to find out the sex of the baby is at the end of this month! I'm so excited!! I think this month is going to be SO long!!

The Sweet List - Maternity Style

Now that I'm into the third week of my second trimester I've started thinking of buying some new clothes. I haven't gained any weight yet but I have had to pick up some nursing bras. While we were in the shop I had some fun trying on the "baby bump" pillow and maternity clothes they were selling. I was super excited about it and wanted to go on a shopping spree right then!

I really don't shop for clothes that often. The last time I got a bunch of new clothes was when my friend purged her closet of things that no longer fit her. I don't think I've shopped for clothes for more than a year! Ugh. A girl deserves some new clothes once a season at least! I actually should empty my closet and get rid of the stuff I don't wear anymore, along with picking up some new clothes of better quality. 

These are all from H&M, which isn't in Alaska as far as I know, however it was a favorite place to shop for me in New York.

1. MAMA Jersey Top - 2. Short Necklace - 3. Cardigan in Slub Jersey - 4. Handbag - 5. MAMA Pants - 6. Matte Metal Bracelet - 7. Leather Boots

Over the Weekend

(1) Joe won a game of Risk Legacy and wrote his name on the board (I won a game too and named a country "Charlandia" for Charlie the dog. (2) Trying on maternity clothes with the funny pillow "bump" they have in the dressing rooms. I'm SO psyched to wear the leggings! (3) Kitty being curious about what's going on outside. Maybe a squirrel?

Baby Bump - Ten Weeks!

Friday, September 20: React to this term: comfort. 

I know, it's a day late!

I really haven't had a chance to blog at all, seeing as this week had been awful. Comfort has been the last thing on my mind. It's not just this week either, it's been about three weeks now where it just gets worse and worse. I have discovered a whole new form of sexism that I have never previously experienced. Apparently it is a crime to be pregnant and the only reason women do it is to be lazy! So my boss insinuated the other day in his office, anyway. He tried keeping me from going to my ultrasound appointment and even tries keeping me from going to mandatory classes. So comfort? I guess it's comforting that I haven't done anything wrong so I can't really get into any trouble at work. I should be leaving Alaska in December and I will never have to deal with this unit again. For now I know there are at least a few people I can talk to if things get out of hand. 

I also have a "friend" who seems to hate me for getting pregnant before her (the girl is five years younger than me...) and seeing as I only have one other female friend in Alaska that's a pretty depressing thing to deal with. She wants to "have it all" and hopes all her friends are unhappy and not as successful. That's her problem, not mine. I suppose it is comforting to know that I have other friends who are truly happy for me. I understand jealousy, I really do, but it's okay to own up to it. There is nothing wrong with telling your friend that you wish you could have what they have. Being rude and passive aggressive isn't the right way to deal with it.

Anyway, my ten week belly picture is the ultrasound picture! It was pretty cool to see it wiggling around and kicking its little legs.

Baby Bump - Eight Weeks!

This week was just bleh. Too tired to do much of anything. I am not even sleepy as much as I'm just done. I get home from work and I'm done. Dinner? nah... we will just have cereal. Putting on regular clothes to take a belly picture? You're lucky I managed it! The little bear cub is a half inch and swimming around with webbed toesies. Like in Waterworld.

Baby Bump - Six Weeks!

Well, my tummy looks just like last week! I know six weeks is nothing, but I'm so anxious! Right now it's kind of like everything is the same as being not pregnant except I can't drink wine, eat sushi or have lox on my bagels. Still no morning sickness or anything really. I'm crossing my fingers on skipping that all together... Great, I probably jinxed myself.

Today was interesting... Charlie-dog, the cutest German shorthair pointer evaaaaar who we took care of  last month for our friends, went missing last night. We spent six hours today looking for him and he didn't turn up. They went to animal control and filed a report and everything. Hopefully someone will find him. Poor Charlie... That boy is so afraid of people. We are going out again tomorrow so wish us luck!!

Baby Bump - Five Weeks

This is my first belly picture! I'm sure I will look exactly the same for the next few weeks but I thought I should start early. 

Saturday is Joe's fourth marathon (his first in Alaska.) I'm so excited! I've only gotten to see him race once on Thanksgiving Day in 2010. We are pretty much going to relax and play board games this weekend, especially after his long run when he is super sore!
I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my husbands 25th birthday! We had a really nice lobster tail dinner. I also found a really fabulous recipe for Red Lobster Cheddar Bay imitation biscuits here... I usually hate recipes that copy places like Olive Garden but I have to admit those biscuits are pretty delicious! This is the only recipe I found that doesn't use Bisquick, so that was really nice. They came out very well! We had present opening time after dinner and followed it up with Tiramisu for dessert. He was really happy with his gifts (I got him some Playstation gear, a new controller and a capture card)

In other news, we had our first appointment at the hospital for an orientation. We got information on all the programs they have for new parents. They even have a program where you have a nurse assigned to you from pregnancy all the way up to age 5. It is just like a program that Sweden and other countries with socialized medicine have. The nurses come to your house and give you information and help. How cool is that? I'm so excited. I can't wait to start showing... I don't have any morning sickness or anything so it feels like it's not even real yet.
I should probably enjoy my time in my first trimester before I get bigger and more exhausted, but I'm so anxious!

The Sweet List - Baby Things!

I'm kind of at a loss right now. I feel like I should be so pumped to make baby things! I really don't know where to start... and boy do I wish I had my surger with me! Talk about an easy way to make receiving blankets and washcloths. I guess pinking shears and a zigzag stitch will have to do.

I found a ton of inspiration on Etsy:

Woodgrain Baby Bib - How cute is this bib and cloth? I saw this and it was immediately decided that I will be searching for a woodgrain print as soon as I have a chance to go to the fabric store!

Cotton Gauze Baby Wrap - It will be hot in Louisiana so I think this light wrap would be great to have!

Organic Baby Wipes - Are store bought disposable wipes unnecessary? Probably. Do I have time to wash reusable wipes all the time? It's worth a shot. I'm sure these would come in handy for a million and a half things anyway.

Felt Mobile - This inspires me to make my own mobile!

Baby Bear Hat and Cocoon Set - I'm for sure making one of these sets for our little bear cub.

The Big News

So my first day back to work was pretty eventful... I immediately had to go through a pre-deployment health screening thingy with about 150 people. Did I mention I'm NOT even deploying? I got shots, which turned out to be extremely painful, I still can't lift my right arm. I also had to do a 24 hour shift, no sleeping allowed, which was sprung on me out of nowhere. This was topped off with a painful migraine that lasted until about 7:30 this morning.

You would think that as a first day back from an amazing vacation that it would suck pretty badly... But it turns out that it was probably the best day ever! While taking the health screening I was given a pregnancy test...
It came back positive!

Like, whaaaaat???

I seriously didn't know what to think. My brain was sort of frozen in time for about 10 to 12 hours after I was told the test results. It's still hard to process. I don't feel any different. I don't feel extra hungry or extra tired or nauseous or anything like that. I pretty much spent the day calling family members and telling them the news. I spent last night downloading pregnancy apps and looking up patterns for baby slings and looking for organic hemp baby hammocks, LOL.

Anyway... I have pretty nice collection of old family photos and albums (pictures from the victorian era, even!) I found these on my computer. Soon I will get to take some baby pictures and add them to the collection!

My Grandmother Edna with my Aunt April in the early fifties.

My Great Grandmother, Sarah, holding my mother in October 1956.

...and that's me! In good old 1985.