17 Weeks Pic and My New PJs!!!

Look at what I bought just for me!!!! Sleepers with feet in them, just like I had when I was a kid! It has been so cold here (today it was in the 60s), that as I was walking through Target tonight and spotted these sleepers, I just had to have them! They are fleece and super comfy, and I love that I don't have to wear socks with them. Cleo keeps chasing my feet though; I guess she thinks I am playing with her by having my feet covered. It's too funny.

I am officially beginning my fifth month. I am 17 weeks and 2 days, and feel like I am not progressing much. (Though I must admit that my belly looks pretty big in the above pic; it's not normally that noticeable.) I haven't felt the baby in a few days, and I don't seem to be getting much larger. I do think a change is coming soon though - or at least I'm hoping! My next appt. is next week, I think, so I will get to hear the heartbeat, which is always a relief and an excitement at the same time.

I picked out the bedding for the baby - one for a boy and one for a girl. I just love the puppies! I think I am going to paint the room a light sage green.

My parents bought us the crib and dresser/changing table that we wanted. They are both espresso color, and the pics don't do them justice. They came in last week, and are now in the baby's room on the floor in pieces, just waiting to be put together.

Yes, I'm jealous; Is that wrong?

There are two young teachers at school who are also pregnant. One is due in just 6 weeks, but the other is due only ten days after I am. While it is fun to have someone to talk with about body changes and baby stuff, it is also sparking some jealousy on my part.

First of all, she (the one due in April) already felt her baby move once while she was lying down. After she told me that, I had to go home and lie flat with my arms above my head until I felt the baby move - which I did and it was really awesome. The second is that she is showing the same as me or just a tiny bit less, which is not much! I have been the same size (to me anyway) for weeks now. I am not complaining about having such an easy pregnancy, but I would like to have something to show for all of this! She assured me that she is only that big because it is her second baby, and while I know you get bigger faster with the second, I must say it is not very consoling.

So ya, I am jealous. I want to look pregnant and not just like I ate too much. I want to feel my baby move, so I know that it is okay in there. Is that wrong? The funny thing is, I know I will feel the opposite when I am like the teacher due in 6 weeks - she seems very uncomfortable, and I bet she just wishes she had my tummy right now...

I best go now. I need to go lie flat on the floor, as has become my daily ritual.

Baby Names

Roy and I have actually stuck with the baby names we chose a year ago: Alyssa Mercedes and Warren Van (or Vance - used to be my vote until I read its meaning!). We chose them just because we liked them, but it is always neat to know the origin and meanings, so I thought I'd share what I found:

Alyssa: Germanic origin, means "noble kind; of the noble sort"; in the Greek, it means "logical"
Mercedes: Spanish origin, means "mercies"

Warren: German origin, means "guard, protector, loyal"; in English it means "defender"
Van: Dutch, meaning is equivalent to "de" in the French (which usually means "from")
Vance: English, means "dweller of a bog"; in French it means "marshland"

Roy's dad's name was Vance, but his nickname was Van, so that's why Roy wants the name Van; however, I didn't want to have a Van and a Mercedes if we have a boy and a girl, so I thought we should just stick with Vance. However, after reading the above meanings for Vance, perhaps I should let Roy have his way just this once! LOL Most of our friends have the same first letter or sound for their babies' names, I guess we can be different and just have vehicles for our babies' middle names! If for some crazy reason we have two girls, we could name the second Avalon - that's a car! LOL This is so much fun!!!!!!

By the way, I think I felt the baby move on Thursday night. I was lying flat in bed with my arms over my head, and for once I didn't have gas, so the fluttering I felt must have been the baby! Hurray!

14 weeks Dr. Appt.

I heard my baby's heartbeat again today! I had been looking forward to it for 4wks now, and I was not disappointed. The doctor said the baby has a strong heartbeat, and it was about 160bpm. He said that's normal for right now and will slow as the baby gets bigger. He felt my stomach and said the baby is right where it should be for 14 weeks and that the next time I see him (18weeks), the baby will be just under my belly button. I have only gained 4lbs total, and everything is normal and "average" so far. Story of my life... average.

He told me to think about whether or not I wanted the prescreening blood test next visit. Roy and I haven't decided for sure, but we are thinking not. Doc said out of 1,000 women who take it, 50 will get a positive, and only 1 out of those 50 will actually have a problem, the others are false positives. If my test was positive, then I would have to decide whether or not to have an amniocentesis... To me, it seems unnecessary since even if the baby did have Downs or something else, we wouldn't do anything but keep it and love it, and prenatal care and infant care is the same no matter what, so why put myself through the possibility of worrying over a likely false positive. I am only 31, so I only have a 1 in 900 chance to have a Downs baby, and no one in my family or Roy's has Downs or any other neural defect. They can also see some signs during the ultra sound, which will be at week 20. Would love to hear your thoughts on this...

Oh ya, I did ask about how come my belly seems to grow overnight so I really look pregnant, and then all of a sudden look 3" smaller... he said that is based on my own bowels and systems shrinking and expanding, and it has nothing to do with the size of the uterus. Makes sense to me.

I got my hair cut yesterday. Super cute, I think. I got 2-3" cut off, so it's just at my shoulders right now, and has long layers, but flips out. Ya, I know, it's just a shorter version of what I always have... call me a creature of habit!

Below are a few pics of the wedding jewelry I have made. The bride is looking over them and will let me know which she likes most. Which do you like most?

Shrinking and Crying

Okay, why am I getting smaller? Crazy thing - last week I was so much bigger, but then this weekend it is as if I shrank a few inches! Seriously, I went back to looking like I had one too many Big Macs instead of looking pregnant. My boss's husband is an ob/gyn and I saw him at work today, so I mentioned it. He said it could be that the fluid shifted... but he also said I look pregnant, so I guess that's okay. My doc appt. is this Thurs., so we'll see what he says.

I have to tell you about last night:

I did something really stupid - I watched two delivery videos online! Not only did I feel nauseous after the second one, but I told Roy three things: 1) I am really stupid for watching these videos, 2) Now I definitely want an epidural, and 3) Is it too late to put this one back and just adopt?! LOL I have seen delivery videos before, but they never affected me this way. I guess because I was never pregnant while watching them. It brings a whole new meaning when you know it will be your turn soon!

About ten minutes later I started watching this show with Roy on Discovery Channel. It was about a polar bear who had to swim for days to find food, because all of the ice had melted. By the time he got to land, he was too exhausted to hunt. After a day of sleep, he began hunting these walruses on the beach. He kept trying to grab them by the neck, but they were fighting him off. He got stabbed in his leg/foot with the tusks, and began limping and gave up his hunt. He went over, dug a shallow hole in the sand, and laid in it to die. I was balling!!!!!! I kept saying to the TV, "Why don't you help him instead of just filming him?!" It was terrible. Roy said, "Are you crying at this? Boy, you are an emotional wreck." Yep. All this after last week I cried for 15mins because our neighbor's dog was crying about something - I actually called the police to try to get him help (the neighbor wasn't home). Then I laid in bed crying and praying for that dog, telling God that if He wanted me to open a shelter for dogs then I would... OMG!!!!!!!! I am glad I haven't had morning sickness with this baby, but geez-a-lou; how much more emotional can I get?!!!!!!! LOL

One more thing... this weekend I got inspired, so I moved the furniture out of the upstairs office into the guest bedroom, and rearranged the guest bedroom. I must say it doesn't look half bad, but Roy said I shouldn't have done it. I didn't try to move the treadmill, but I moved the file cabinet, desk, and bed. My doc said I can do anything as long as I don't strain myself.... I was glad I did it. Now when my parents come in Nov., we can paint and get some baby stuff in there!

6mths to go!!!