24 Weeks/ Update

I know it's cliche, but really, where does time go? At six months, I figured I better get the ball rollin' just a tad. We took advantage of the long weekend and painted the nursery. Even though it's pink, very bright pink, I thought that maybe the black and white will give it a touch of sophistication. I think it looks fab, especially since we did it ourselves.

We had a nice Thanksgiving with some friends and enjoyed eating leftovers
for several days. Three and a half more weeks till Christmas, and it can't get here soon enough. I so look foward to seeing ocean, eating great food, and most important, family. It will be nice to leave Kansas for a few days.

Next month is crazy for us. We have no less than four events a week. Anticipating going home will make it all worth the while.

I am starting to have a little belly going on. Fortunately, most of my clothes still fit, because maternity clothes are a drag. I will probably just buy regular stuff in bigger sizes as I haven't found maternity wear that is going to fit me properly. Come on- just because my belly is growing, I don't need pant legs big enough on each leg to fit both legs into either side, but designers of maternity don't seem to get this. Oh well, that's less money I have to spend on that fashionless garb:)

21 Week Ultrasound

SHE'S A GIRL!!! Al and I have been elated since we found out last week. What did we do when we found out? We went shopping for her of course.

Currently, we have a couple, mostly one but not completely decided, of names in mind for baby girl. It's not as difficult as I thought it would be. The only problem is our favorite girl names are on top of the 100 most popular names list. Add to that a common middle name, and there are bound to be dozens of girls with the same exact name. Oh well, she'll have a beautiful name even if it isn't unique.

As far as weight gain goes, I was up roughly 9 pounds at 21 weeks counting from the time a found out I was pregnant. I don't really have intense cravings, but Al does. He gets cravings- chinese food, pumpkin pie, Freddy's, any pasta in marinara sauce, sweet potatoes, oatmeal raisin cookies. For me, homemade quiche and fruit make a delicious breakfast. My favorite snack is string cheese. On the weekends, I like to have mint milanos and Freddy's Frozen Custard as a treat:)

I am enjoying every bit of energy I have while it lasts, not sure if nesting is really supposed to hit already, but I think it has.

20 Weeks

Halfway there! Some days it feels like the baby is never going to arrive and others like the past weeks have passed in the blink of an eye. I am anxiously awaiting Friday's ultrasound.

The last couple of weeks I have been feeling pretty good. The energy has come back, sleep is good, my appetite is pretty normal although no crazy cravings or ravenous episodes yet. The best part is feeling baby movement frequently. The moving began two weeks ago. Al keeps asking me what it's like. Try describing to a man the unique sensation of little baby doing its thing:) Pretty funny stuff. The best I can explain it is that it feels like popcorn popping in the bottom of my belly. At times, it feels like there is a butterfly fluttering around, but popcorn is more like it most of the time.

Thinking about the future, as if the responsibilty of being parents wasn't enough, I have decided to try and go green meaning that I want to make the attempt to cloth diaper. Yep! That's right. Call me crazy. First of all, we would be saving several hundred dollars a year. Truth be told, my conscience cannot bear the thought of tossing thousands of diapers into a landfill where they will take 500 years to decompose and release toxic chemicals all the while. Regarding the poo factor, there are liners. If mothers of generations past did it(and washed those wretched poo catchers by hand), then why can't I with the modern conveniences of a washer and a dryer?

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? Unfortunately, this is a controversial subject. I still have some time to keep on researching. For now, with all the information in favor of them and all the research against them, it seems to me that the best thing to do is to 1. delay them just enough time so that they can build up some immunity on their own which is what is done in other countries in Europe and Japan 2. get the shots only one at a time 3. avoid the ones with thimersol and heavy metals(about 3 of the shots given routinely contain them, but vaccine makers are beginning to take out those potent metals and preservatives). On the delayed schedule, children still receive their shots in time to start school. I'm glad I still have several more months to gather information and decide.