Happy Halloween

I've decided to revive an old costume. This year, I am pregnant WonderWoman. I tried on the costume last night to be sure that Baby Garrett could fit, and we have a winner. If only I could get Andrew to dress up as Batman....


Here is a picture of some of our friends' children. Samantha was Eeyore, Eleanora was Batgirl, Andrew was the Blue PowerRanger, Finn was a politician (complete with $100 bills with his face on it), and Lilly was a flower. (It was difficult getting everyone to look in my direction given I was not a parent of any of them.)

Almost 18 Weeks

New this week is that I think I'm beginning to feel movement. As I was relishing one of my last Saturday morning sleep-ins, I noticed a feeling in my abdomen like my heart was beating two or three times really fast and then stopped. It was kind of a like butterflies were stuck in my uterus and flapping their wings. I noticed it a few more times this morning too. Other than that, there hasn't been a big difference from last week. I'm still feeling pretty good for the most part with maybe an hour a day where I feel a little sick to my stomach. We've been running through some more names, but don't have a name pegged just yet. Thanks to all of those with suggestions. Keep them coming.

Today's weight = 126 lbs.

Alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP) Test

Last week I had blood drawn for an AFP test that gives us an idea as to whether the baby might be at risk for spina bifida or Down syndrome. At first I didn't think I would do it, but the doctor said it might give us something to look for during the ultrasound if the test gave ambiguous results. I guess it doesn't matter though because the nurse just called and said my blood work looks great and the baby doesn't appear to be at risk for either one. Yay!

Almost 17 Weeks

Not much new this past week. At the beginning, I wasn't sleeping well because I was constantly concerned about doing something wrong for myself or the baby. Several books say that once you get in your 4th month you shouldn't sleep on your back because the extra weight puts too much pressure on your spinal cord. They also say that you should try to avoid sleeping on your right side because it doesn't allow as much blood flow to the placenta. I normally will start off on my left side, but I love to change positions when I wake up in the middle of the night, so that I can fall back asleep. Staying on my left side has left me very sore and tired in the morning. After talking to several other mothers and mothers-to-be (one a biologist), I've decided to try my best and sleep on the left side, but allow myself a little time on the right side, so that I can get a full night's sleep.

Yesterday, Andrew and I spent about an hour at Barnes and Noble looking at baby name books. We both took a book to the lounge chairs and made a list of names we liked without sharing them with each other. We didn't include family names, just names we've heard and liked. After we got home, we shared our lists with each other. Of our lists, we had one girl's name and one boy's name in common. For a boy we both liked Owen and for a girl we both liked Leah. That doesn't mean those are the winners, just in the running. We're still looking for suggestions.

Today's weight = 124.5 lbs.

Baby Names

Andrew and I are thinking of names and would welcome any suggestions that you might have. Please feel free to include some in a comment to this post. Thanks!

Second Star Sighting

I was just standing about 20 ft. from Edward Norton. He's in the middle of taping, so I didn't get to walk past him or say anything, but it was still exciting. Susan Sarandon and Richard Dreyfus are also on campus, but I haven't seen them...yet.

Almost 16 Weeks

I wasn't able to post a blog this past weekend due to a trip to Kentucky. It was a nice trip in that we got to see lots of family, but sad because the occasion was to settle my grandmother, Marge's, estate. I'm posting some photos from our visit with my mom and Andrew's parents in Danville (actually the Perryville Battlefield).



Here are a couple of my niece, Alexandra, that were adorable.



I should have gotten more family shots, but was distracted by the task at hand.

You can probably tell from my photo and my weight that I was a "good eater" this past week. I also wasn't able to do my daily 3 mile walk while away, but I see it as more padding to keep the baby safe. Andrew laughs as I have started doing the classic "John Pepper belly rub" after meals. My sister has lent me some maternity clothes which was timed perfectly since just as of last week the only pants I own that I can wear comfortably (without rolling my eyes and sighing as I try to cinch the waist far enough to fasten my pants) are a pair of jeans. I used to have to wear them with a tight belt because of the low-rise waist, but not anymore.

We enjoyed hearing the baby's heartbeat last week. It was at 160 beats a minute which tells us absolutely nothing in regards to the myth that 160 and below is likely a boy and above 160 is likely a girl.

We also scheduled an appointment for this coming Thursday to do some blood work and the next ultrasound which is on Thursday, November 6th at 8:30am. If the baby cooperates, we'll find out whether Baby Garrett is a he or a she. We can't wait!

Today's weight = 125 lbs.

Almost 15 Weeks

I've been feeling pretty normal this past week. I only have about 2 hours a day that I get sick to my stomach, but it's manageable. We'll go on Thursday to hear the baby's heartbeat again. This time I'm going to try my best not to laugh. Hopefully, we'll also schedule my next ultrasound to find the baby's sex.

Today's weight = 121.5 lbs.

Locks of Love

I decided today that I needed a new hairstyle. I went to two salons until I could find one that had room for a walk-in at 2:00 pm on a Saturday (because of course this was a spontaneous decision and I didn't want to wait until Monday). While there I decided I should just go ahead and donate 10 inches of my hair to Locks of Love. I have done this once before (actually twice but due to some communication problems in Paris, my hair was thrown out), and really enjoyed the feeling. Because I was donating, the wash, cut and style was free. Also, the salon was doing a promotion that with any cut you could receive a free eyebrow wax. I thought, "Well, I've never had one before, so sure. Why not?" Here are some pictures of my new hair. Granted they straightened it with a flat iron which I don't have the equipment to do, but I thought it would be fun.

Baby Garrett's First Onesie

Our friend, and colleague, Joshua, brought over a present for Baby Garrett. On the onesie is the chemical structure of the hormone oxytocin, the molecule that makes parents want to cuddle their newborn, bonding them together. Isn't it adorable?

Cravings

I've been asked if I've had any new cravings since I've become pregnant. I'd like to say that ice cream is one of pregnancy desires since I have had it every night that I've known I was pregnant, but really I always crave ice cream, now I just give into the temptation more often because "it's a source of calcium for the baby" ;). One item I did find myself wanting desperately a few nights ago, was melted cheese. I wasn't picky as to the type of cheese, but when Andrew offered mozzarella or cheddar, I emphatically wanted mozzarella (even though he had just finished grating it for his burrito dinner). He kindly sprinkled some on a slice of bread and stuck it in the toaster oven for me. Mmmmmmm. It was delicious.