Thursday, February 24, 2011

Oh Boy.

Ever since we found out that we are expecting Elliott (back in November), I've had nerves and such. However, after seeing him on the ultrasound and everything, all those feelings have escalated. Some good, some bad.

Good: I'm even more excited to meet him than ever before. I spend a lot of time looking at his pictures and talking to him and feeling him move. I think about the fun things I'll get to do as the mom of a little boy, especially since I never grew up with a brother. T-ball, dinosaurs...boy things. If he's not into that, it's cool, but the possibility is higher with him than if he was a girl. It's amazing to see so much potential in such a little package. He is also being born in a big year for my mom's family. He'll be the third great-grandchild born within 8 months, joining Emma and Brooklyn (who was just born the other day). There will be so many little ones running around at family events. I'm excited for the new apartment so I can nest. I'm excited for my baby showers. I'm excited for July and giving birth (eek) and learning to care for him. Also, my friends and family are even more excited. My sister has started buying him things already. She's so excited to be an aunt. Almost as excited as Jason and I are to be parents.

Bad: I've always been sort of an anxious person, and it has become elevated in the last few weeks. I was in a car accident just before we got pregnant, and that had me on edge while I drive anyway. But now the stakes are higher. I'm afraid of eating something I shouldn't. I'm afraid of falling (especially on these icy days). I'm afraid of overdoing it. Now that Elliott seems like a more concrete person and not just "the baby," everything about my pregnancy seems even more important than before, which is difficult to believe.

Looking at those two paragraphs reminds me that there is way more positive than negative right now. It just needed to come off my chest.

Well, my little banana baby, here's to another week of growth and such. You're already Mommy's little prince. :)

- J & M (but mostly M today).

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Elliott's First Photoshoot



First, I finally got my scanner to work! Hooray!

Second, here are a couple of shots of Elliott from our ultrasound yesterday.

- J & M (and soon to be E).

Elliott Zachary

Yesterday was our 20-week / mid-pregnancy ultrasound, and we got one of our first real glimpses at our little one.

It's going to be a boy!

When we found out we were pregnant, one of the first things we discussed was if we would find out the gender at this point. Jason was adamant: He had to know. I, however, was firmly in the other court (following in the footsteps of almost my entire generation in my family): No way. As time wore on though, I wanted to know more and more about this little being who made my mornings interesting and was making my clothes tighter. I started to waver. Jason knew it was time to make his case and convince me to know the gender ahead of time. I caved.

Part of the reason I switched teams was because while I get to carry the baby and know the baby, Jason doesn't get a lot of these experiences. He wants to be a really involved dad. If we could afford it, he would be a stay-at-home dad and be the happiest man on earth. So, this seemed like something I could provide him at this point.

So, it's a boy. His name is Elliott Zachary. He is perfect in terms of growth (after she measured, she asked my due date again, and he is right on track to the day). He weighs 15 ounces. He loves to roll around and flip. We even saw him do it on the ultrasound. Everything is 100% good. We'll post some pictures soon. He's perfect.

- J & M.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Week 19

Baby Yinger is in the midst of week number 19. For one of the first times in my pregnancy, I can tell that serious growth and progress is being made.

First, my body is growing at a much higher rate than before. I have a lot more stretching pains, and my clothes are fitting less well. I bought my first maternity dress (Old Navy was having a sale and I need a dress for work / special occasions). It's adorable and I can't wait for the weather to warm up slightly so I can wear it out.

Second, Baby Yinger is starting to get the hang of kicking and moving in a more definite way than before. Now, movement is less flutters and more definite punches or whatnot. He / She even had a case of the hiccups the other day, which was awesome / kinda wild. After dance rehearsal today, he / she wanted to keep going, I think. Someone was doing the cha-cha in there.

Finally, other baby related things are moving along. We found a new apartment, which we are super excited about. We have a hold on it and we are just waiting for the credit checks to go through. Pictures later. I know when my baby shower is and I'm helping to plan that as well. I'm almost half way through the school semester too, so my "leave-of-absence", as my boss calls it, is getting closer and closer.

Thanks for all the comments. I do have two questions for my readers.
1. For mamas (or other baby care-givers): What was the one thing you could not live without on your registry? We are planning on cloth diapers and breastfeeding, so take that into consideration.
2. For everyone: I'm looking for great recipes, including some to freeze for the early days of baby-life. I have some in mind (my spaghetti sauce, taco soup, and chili), but I could use others. Thoughts?

- J & M.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Right on Track

Baby Yinger is right on track, as is Mama.

We had our monthly doctor's appointment today, and it went well. Baby's heartbeat is 145 b/min., I am finally gaining weight, and the baby measured right on track as well. The doctor said I just need to continue eating right.

Dr. B also reminded me to be VERY careful with the icy sidewalks and such. She was on call the other day and so many of her patients were pregnant women who had slipped and fell. As she put it: "Be careful. Don't be a 'trauma'." If I fall, I'm supposed to call and come in ASAP. This makes me so nervous! I've been very careful, but some of our neighbors have not been very diligent with the snow and ice clean-up on their sidewalks, so I do risk it sometimes. La Salle and Philly U have been wonderful with snow clean-up and salt, and as a result, I feel pretty safe. Last Wednesday, I was battling a cold and they sent us home early, so I called security to shuttle me to the parking lot. I just didn't feel like "sucking it up" and walking. I don't like giving in to what looks like the "pregnant lazies*," but sometimes I think it's for the best.

Not much else is going on here. We're gearing up for a busy weekend (the show I'm in has a number of activities and fittings going on this weekend) and we're already feeling tired.

- J & M.

*Pregnant lazies: asking for help when you are just feeling lazy and use pregnancy as an excuse. Not to be confused with actually being really tired, sick, or in pain. I also want to feel like a 25-year old as long as possible and being pregnant makes you feel physically old very quickly. :/ All week last week I felt like I had to tell complete strangers that I was pregnant to explain why I wasn't helping my roommates or husband shovel the heavy snow or push the car out of ice. I don't know why I have that impulse. I guess I don't want people to think I'm lazy.