Christmas time

It is fun to celebrate Christmas this year and think about having a little baby crawling around next Christmas! We got some fun baby-related things this year. We got some booties with rattles, pacifiers, a cute plastic bowl that looks like Babo, a children's Christmas book, and some fun maternity clothes. We also got a great book from Rebecca that is an owners manual for a baby that gives us all sorts of directions about how to prepare for and take care of a baby. We love it! Lots of fun pictures and instructions! I got this really cool Haitian carved figurine from Amanda of a pregnant lady. It is really unique and pretty. What a fun time in our lives! We are getting excited to find out the sex and share the name of our baby with our family! I want to start setting up my polka-dot nursery! 

 Thanks to everyone for all of their enthusiasm. I am now at 18 weeks. The baby is the size of a bell pepper and almost 6 inches from head to bum. I have gained about 5 pounds and don't have much to wear. I sometimes get frustrated because my tummy is too big for my normal pants but maternity pants still fall off of me. What an awkward stage. But, it is totally worth it all. We are excited to be parents.

17 weeks

So, this week, my belly seemed to pop out noticeably. What fit me on Thursday no longer fit me on Tuesday. I had many co-workers approach me and tell me that I finally looked like I was pregnant. My pants have gotten increasingly tighter. Kinda fun!

  This week, Ryan came home with a HUGE tupperware crate full of maternity clothes from one of his co-workers. She has had 2 kids and was just keeping all of her clothes in her basement. So, because of her kindness, I have a whole new wardrobe! I seriously have everything, and they are cute clothes too! Probably about 10 pairs of pants- jeans, capris, khakis, etc. I also go lots of long sleeve shirts, dress clothes, t-shirts and cute tank tops for this spring when I am really big. I tried everything on. It was like Christmas! So fun! Quite a bit of the stuff is too big still, so I will have plenty to grow into. How fun!

 I went to the doctor last Friday and all went well. The baby's heart rate was at 143, so not as high as when it was younger. But, right in the middle of average and healthy- which is all I can ask for!

 I should start feeling the baby within the next couple of weeks. That will be really exciting!

15 weeks

So, Baby Mork is now 15 weeks old. Apparently, S/he is the size of an apple. A big honeycrisp apple or a little golden delicious? Well, I don't know. But I like apples, so this is a fun week. Baby Mork can now hear us talking, so we are supposed to talk her/him or read it books. And, it can sense light- so if I were to shine a flashlight on my belly, the baby would squirm away from it. Crazy!

  Last week, we went to Atlanta for Thanksgiving to visit Ryan's grandpa Art- who just turned 90, and his aunt Lori and Uncle Rob. I got to meet all of these fun people for the first time. Josh, Claire, Bruce, Heidi, Ryan and I all went and had a good time exploring Atlanta and hanging out with family. And Baby Mork got to take his/her first trip to Atlanta. I now have my appetite back and could enjoy all of the good food for Thanksgiving.

 People seem to think someone has kidnapped me when they hear me order at restaurants. I ordered a reuben a few weeks ago and Josh said, "Who are you?" And I ordered a real hamburger at Red Robin and my mom was shocked! But, I guess this baby wants its meat (iron) and fat. So, I let it dictate my choices. Whatever sounds good! 

 Not much else to report. Oh, except that I can no longer button up my jeans, so I have graduated to wearing the belly band over them, and leaving them un-buttoned so I can breathe. It is fun to finally be showing. I added some pictures to show the bump during the last few weeks. The one up top is in Atlanta. I think Ryan's belly beats mine!

 We will find out the gender of the baby in early January, so we are anxiously awaiting that!