The Braxton Hick

Let me take you back a few days, 7 to be exact. I was walking through the parking lot at Target (surprise, surprise) when all of the sudden I felt the little man move into a position where I believed his head was about to bust through my left side. If I had been in the comfort of my own home, I would have lifted my shirt to make sure my stomach hadn't split open. I gently touched his (what I believed to be) head and gave it a rub.... I immediately called Michael to share in this new "movement". It really felt like my little man was screaming inside saying, "I'm done being in here! I'm ready to play!"

Later that evening, I felt it again but this time on the right. I quickly called for Michael to come and feel what I believed to be his butt....

Oh, how naive I am. My little 28 week old, size of a Chinese cabbage son is already outsmarting his "I've read every book and know everything about pregnancy" Mommy. I continued to feel this "feeling" throughout my 27th week - except there was no rhyme or reason to what body part was trying to escape. I'd feel it on my my upper left, then upper right, then back to the upper left, then dead in the center. What the HECK is he doing in there?!

I have obviously read about Braxton Hicks, but thought - it's too early for them. I still have 12 weeks to go. But after consulting with my cube neighbor at work (Thanks, Brandi!) who just had a baby girl last October, she confirmed that what I have been feeling is not his head or foot or butt trying to burst out of the womb, it's Braxton Hicks.

The combination of these Braxton Hicks, the feeling that Spring may be springing in the DC area & the fact that his furniture is 5 miles away at Great Beginnings ready to be delivered is making this all seem that much more real. If he decides to be a Memorial Day baby, I'm going to be a mother in 12 weeks from today. And I cannot wait.

Smitten

Already so in love with his sweet little face....even though he's shy and likes to cover half of it up with his arm.....

14 weeks and counting....

I'm finding it hard to believe that I'm already 26 weeks pregnant. It's been 157 days since I stood in our bathroom, wondering if I was really looking at a positive pregnancy test. Now that we only have 98 days left before his "expected" arrival, I feel I've gotten a lot accomplished....

Remove junk from his bedroom & bedroom closet. Check.

Buy new carpet and install. Check.

Buy and start wearing maternity clothes. Check.

Paint bedroom blue. Check.

Register. Check.

Resist from punching the Victoria Secret employee who shocked me when she told me my new size. Check.

Marvel at the movements I'm feeling inside of me. Check.

Wonder if the scale at the doctors office was lying. Check.

Make bets with Michael about what fruit/veggie Poppy is going to be each week. Check.

Get emotional about unemotional things. Check.

Purchase way too many 0-3, 3-6 clothes. Check.

Discuss delivery with my doctor. Check.

I could go on and on about the things we've already done....but the one thing I'm ready to check off my list is meeting our son.

Here is the most recent belly shot at 26 weeks.....

A little of this, a little of that.

I have no idea how many of you actually follow the blog, but I'd like to apologize for the lack of postings. We've been up to quite a bit...or nothing at all if you think about the last 10 days in the DC area. Let's all take a collective sigh of relief that we made it through the two blizzards that paralyzed the region.

Shortly after we got the room painted, we took a tour of the Birthing Center at Shady Grove Hospital where we'll meet Poppy for the first time. We are both very impressed with the center - we'll have our own delivery room, our own Mother/Child (with a pull out couch) Suite for our stay at the hospital after he arrives and full access to the "family room", where our visitors can come and hang out, watch TV, get on the internet, etc anytime they want (yes, that means even at 2am!). The center is fairly new - it's obvious they did their research to make it the most comfortable place for new families. It definitely puts my mind at ease to know where I'll be giving birth and that Michael knows where to take me when I'm in the middle of contractions!

We also ordered furniture for the nursery. I told myself I wasn't going to start a countdown for the delivery date & I've proudly kept my word. All I know is it's supposed to be here sometime in April.....not that I'm counting. :) After much discussion with a sales associate, mapping out the room and figuring out how much space we have, we ordered a crib, dresser & glider. Can't wait until it arrives!

Poppy is definitely a growing boy...I feel like my body is changing daily. I'm feeling good but definitely am ready to be off my feet by the end of the day. Even though Pop is sitting (what I consider) low, I have a lot of pressure and pain at the top of my uterus - it seems all my organs have shifted up right against my rib cage. Lovely feeling! But all for a good reason :)

While I've resisted asking this since I started the blog, I'm dying to know - who's out there? Who's interested enough in our journey to stop by to catch up on our progress? Comment or email me - sldoggett12@gmail.com. While you're at it - if you live in Montgomery County and know of reliable daycare, please share :) We're already nervous about leaving him in someone else's care.....

The Evolution of the "Second Bedroom"

We moved into our condo in July 2006 and since then, the second bedroom has been through many phases....

• Phase one - elliptical, futon (set up as a couch), bookcase, 20+ inch TV. Also home to Carrie & Mitchell during the night so we could actually sleep without getting our feet attacked.
• Phase two - futon (set up as a bed), bookcase, 20+ inch TV. Moved Carrie & Mitch to the second bathroom because our carpet was being shredded from the two of them trying to "dig" themselves out.
• Phase three - see phase two + unpacked wedding presents.
• Phase four - corner desk for our new desktop computer, futon (set up as couch), ridiculously big 47 inch TV, bookcase.
• Phase five - our son's future bedroom.

Not only am I excited that this extra living space now has a true meaning in our home, I'm equally as excited to call it my son's bedroom. The phases of converting it to his own room:

• Phase one - empty out closet so we can actually see the floor (Thanks Shan for helping!)
• Phase two - install new carpet to rid the space of "digging" marks (see above)
• Phase three - remove all non-related baby items (anybody need any cable wire? we have about 10,000 feet)
• Phase four - paint room blue.

While I know there are many more phases in converting this space into his room, I'll stop there and live in the moment. Walking into the second bedroom tonight with the white trim & ceiling and a "soft sky" wall made it seem much more real that in about 4 months we'll have a little guy living in a room he can call his own.

From one baby boy to another...

Being the only daughter of Lisa & Geof, the only girl out of Eric, Michael & Toddy and the oldest girl cousin on both sides of the extended family, I've never really been privileged to get a bag full of "hand me downs." I mean, yeah - I did occasionally wear my brother's old t-shirts, but who didn't?

At the young age of 21 weeks and 1 day our little Poppy seed received his first bag of hand me downs....funny this happens two days after I post about wanting to buy him clothes ALL the time. Half of the items we received look like they've never been worn before....

OK, OK Michael I'll stop. I won't buy anything else for him.....any more clothes, that is :)

From Anthropologie to Buy Buy Baby

In the not so distant past, my idea of splurging was going to Anthropologie and blowing $100 on a handful of sale items. I'd love using my $25 savings cards at Ann Taylor Loft to get a new sweater. It's funny how all of the sudden it all changes. I don't know if it's the miniature cargo shorts, or the mini-Michael swim trunks, but I can't stop sifting through the racks at Carters, Gymboree & Baby Gap. While buying maternity clothes is fun, I'd much rather spend my time (and money) on baby clothes, toys & picking out things for the nursery.

Registering for your child is a LOT different than registering for your wedding. When registering for your home, you pretty much scan what you like. You could really go through the store with your eyes closed and scan away without regard. I guess the only thing you have to worry about is that everything matches (which REALLY isn't a requirement)....

Since this is our first kid, I'm happy to report I've done my homework. I consulted with friends that have little ones. I've read (and reread) "Baby Bargain" and even used post-it note tabs to mark off important information. I've had long discussions with the employees of Great Beginnings & Buy Buy Baby (my new 2 favorite stores) about the best crib and safest car seat. I'm proud to say, we've put together a pretty safe list of stuff for our little guy. And....found out that you can use those obnoxiously large Bed Bath & Beyond coupons at Buy Buy Baby before it expires! Score to saving 20% on a single item!!!

Thank you to all those moms out there who gave your advice. It is much appreciated....but don't think it'll stop now.... I still have a lot to learn.

And the first lesson I've learned, appropriately taught to me by my husband....stop buying him clothes. He's a boy....he'll be more interested in toys. My argument....he's going to look darn good playing with them.