Today Was The Day

Brian said that between yesterday and today I "popped".  Today makes us officially 15 weeks and 3 days!  He said that he can really tell a difference in my tummy, nearly overnight, and he noticed it most when we hugged tonight.  I guess my little tummy pooch is becoming quite a bit bigger!

I think reality set in for him at that pivotal moment because shortly after he said that to me I went upstairs to get ready for bed.  I was brushing my teeth - Brian was looking at me, and he said quite frankly, "We're having a baby, E."  (News flash, Bri.  I've been trying to tell you this since February...)  The sound and pitch of his voice was a mix between nervous and scared and excited and very excited.  That mixture's kinda been the vibe of our emotions recently.  It was so sincere and so sweet.

We really are having a baby, and now we've got the bump to prove it:

Our little bambino - nearly 16 weeks!

Cinco de Mayo

Happy cinco de mayo from our familia to yours!

Señor y Señora Hendricks.

Jack, aka "Paco", says, "¡Ay, caramba!"

Garage Sailing

Today we went to Mary and [Gangsta] Tom's neighborhood for their community garage sale.  We hopped all around the neighborhood looking for bargains, and bargains we did find!  There were a ton of baby clothes, but since we still don't know if we're on Team Pink or Team Blue we didn't go too crazy in the clothing department - we picked out one outfit for each team.  We did, however, get some great books to add to our growing children's book li-berry (read: library), a couple of cute stroller toys, some adorable shoes, AND a wonderful jogging stroller - of which we paid ten bones for and were pretty excited about!  In addition, we got to practice our math and bargaining skills! 

There was one house in particular that had some Dr. Suess books that we were going to purchase.  They were listed at $1.00 each, so I inquired with the seller if she would like to go to .50 cents each.  (Believe me, I know that Dr. Suess books are not cheap, and $1.00 is already a bargain, but we're at a garage sale and wheelin' and dealin' is the name of the game!)  Anyway, she agreed to .75 cents each.  We had four books.  So I said, "Great!  So, $3.00?"

She said, "$2.25."

(I didn't realize we were still negotiating, and, at first, I thought I had done my math wrong.  I did a quick, slower calculation in my head and determined I was indeed correct.  The total should be $3.00, which I was willing and happy to pay.)

I said, "I have four books."

She said, "Yeah, $2.25 is good."

At that point, Brian and I just paid her what she wanted and headed on out.  We could help but laugh because we weren't sure if she was just doing her math completely wrong or if she renegotiated the per book price to .56 cents each and didn't tell us or what!  Perhaps she had been garage sailing for a bit too long.  Who knows!

Anyway, we found some great deals and even Mary and Tom were able to find a couple of strollers in the mix too, so they are all set when any pint sized humans decide they would like to visit!

Click here for garage sale mania!

In the end, we got some fantastic deals on some fantastic items!  After all, one man's junk is another man's treasure, right?!

Gangsta Tom Up in Da Hizzouse!

Remember Gangsta Tom?!  He was the one that was wearing the hat backwards when we had our hot dog/canoeing/family picnic extravaganza weekend?!

Gangsta Tom.  (We may or may not have
twisted his arm to take this photo.)



He is also the one that built our fabulous cupcake stand, from scratch, AND helped us put up our storm door AND has voluntarily helped us with other multiple handy things around the house and in life.  He is a master carpenter, and, literally, is able to make any idea that you can conceive come to fruition.  He is that amazing!  He gives Geppetto a serious run for his woodworking money, and today we had the pleasure of helping watching Gangsta Tom create some masterpieces around the crib!

First, Tom got started on our storage shelves in the basement, then he swapped our dryer door so it would be more accessible from the washer (I didn’t even know this was possible – I thought you had to completely swap the dryer and the washer), then he built two shelves in our garage, AND, finally, he hung our bikes on four snazzy bike hooks! And this was all done in ONE day! He is a trooper, I tell ya!

We are so thankful that Gangsta Tom stopped by with his bad self and hooked our house up.  We are, once again, amazed at his mad skillz and are very appreciative of all the hard work and effort that he put into helping us make a little more room for baby and organizing our otherwise chaotic basement!

Click here to see more of Gangsta Tom's masterpiece!

Thank you, Tom!  Thank you!  Thank you!  THANK YOU!

(PS: Tom doesn't typically go by 'Gangsta' Tom, but he is referred to as such multiple times in this post.  If you recognize the person you are viewing in the photos, but find that you have never known him as 'Gangsta' Tom, please don't be alarmed.  'Gangsta' Tom also goes by Tom...and will continue to do so.)

Magic Poo

That’s right, folks, I said poo. Dog poo, to be exact.

Jack and I went for a run today. Typically when I take Jack on a run with me I am feeling ambitious. His gait is normally a lot faster than mine, so I usually either end up exhausted after our run or I can’t even finish it in its entirety without stopping to walk sooner. Most of the time it is the latter of those two.

Today was a different story.

I made it very clear to Jack that we were “going for a run”. I didn’t want him expecting that we were “going for a walk” or “going to play ball” or “going to the park”. We were going for a run and our final destination would be home again. I got my running shoes on, grabbed Jack’s leash, stuffed a poop clean-up bag in my shorts, grabbed the pup, and headed out the door. Jack doesn’t typically poo on our runs. He usually just runs. Period. And then expects to play ball when we return home. Today, I kid you not, he pooped right as we made our first turn – too far from home to drop the poop bag off and not near any trash bins that we could throw the poop bag in. So we ran with it. For the entire three miles, I tightly gripped a bag of dog poop while Jack and I had our best run ever! He was patient with my slower stride, he didn’t pull me along, he found a tennis ball which also ended up in my shorts since he didn’t want to carry it and my hands were full with a leash and poop, and, by the end of our run, I think he was more tired than I was! There must’ve been magic in that poo!

I’ve been waiting and waiting for the day that Jack and I can get a good, consistent run in, and now I feel like we’re there! I have a running buddy, at least until sometime in October when yet another running buddy will join Jack and I. We are going to be quite the trio, I tell ya – poo and all!

End of the First Trimester

Tomorrow we enter the start of week fourteen.  We have officially made it through the first trimester!  Here is a quick recap of what we have experienced thus far:

Physically
1. Nausea - I've been thankful to still not have gotten sick at all throughout our first trimester.  The nausea is another story.  I know I've talked about this, but I had afternoon/evening nausea that sometimes had me laid out.  Fortunately, the nausea has noticeably subsided over the last week.  It's not 100% gone, but it's definitely not what it was!

2. Tiredness - (Read: so exhausted you don't even have the words.)  I have been tired for a long time.  The other day I got home from work at 4:30 pm, took a nap until 7:30 pm, grabbed a quick nibble, and went back to bed at 8:30 pm...and slept through the night.  My doctor asked me if I was getting eight hours of sleep per night.  I explained that I needed eight before we got pregnant.  I think I need ten to twelve now!  Surprisingly, over the last week while the nausea has subsided, the sleepiness has only increased.  I'm hoping that this is a baby growth spurt, not an indication of the next six months!

3. Headaches - O.M.G.  I should've known I was pregnant when I didn't know because I got this pounding headache at work one day.  I don't normally get headaches.  When I do, I have a reason: I'm tired, I'm dehydrated, etc.  Since I've become pregnant, I get headaches at least five times per week.  Some last 15-20 minutes and others last for hours.  Again, this is one of those symptoms that has increased toward the end of this last tri.

4.  Digestion - I'm either constipated or I have diarrhea.  There is no in between.  That's all I'll say about that.  (I'm sorry if that is already TMI for anyone.)  Pregnant women have the get outta jail free pass to say what they want, right?!

5. Bladder Control - I think my bladder went from holding 15 oz. to 5 oz. when we became pregnant.  I never used to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.  Now, I try to use the bathroom at the last possible moment with the hopes that I'll be able to sleep through the night.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

6. Bump Status - The update on the bump, or lack there of - there's a little something there, we think.  Our bambino is still very tiny, so give us a few more weeks/months and I'm sure we'll have more to write about!

Cravings
I haven't had many cravings yet.  The only one I recall throughout this first trimester was about two weeks ago.  I just HAD to have some blueberries!  You know - the ripe, fat, plump ones?  Those are the best!  I went to the grocery store, picked up a container (with some strawberries too), and went home and ate.them.all!  :)  I've since gotten more, and they are amazing ever time I eat them!

I did have another craving about a month ago for some Taco Bell at lunch.  The Bell is not usually one of my "go to" lunch options, so it took me a bit off guard.  But I wasn't near any Taco Bell's, and I convinced myself that our little bambino could probably use something a bit healthier, so I passed on the thought...that time!

Weight Loss/Gain
My doctor said that I'm actually in the negative for weight gain because I am down four pounds from the last time that Brian and I visited a month ago, or my normal pre-pregnancy weight. (Surely, no thanks to the nausea.) But she said that it is nothing to be worried about and that at our next appointment she would like to see me back at my normal weight. Fortunately, since the nausea has subsided quite a bit I should be able to get all my meals in.  Now, if I could just stay awake to eat we'd all be good to go!

I think that we are are at a funny stage of our pregnancy.  We don't look physically different, but there is so much going on internally that I don't remember the last time that I had a day where I felt "normal".  I'm actually kind of wondering if I will ever feel "normal" again?

We know that the next thirteen or so weeks will probably hold some other surprises, but we are officially one third of the way through our pregnancy, ladies and gentlemen!  That is amazing and exciting and terrifying all at once!

Welcome to the second trimester!

Baby Bump or Big Breakfast?

Our dear neighbor, Virginia, invited Brian and I and our other neighbor, Ed, to brunch today at the prestigious Scioto Country Club where she is a member.  Together, we encompass our little block, and, believe it or not, Ed has lived in his house for over 40 years and Virginia in hers for over 50 and they had never met until today!  It was quite the gathering!

There was breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, and dessert options, all of which were exquisite!  We definitely dined away while we got to know our neighbors a bit more and enjoyed an amazing brunch that we otherwise would not have been able to attend.  (Scioto Country Club is very exclusive and only members are allowed.)

In addition to enjoying a fabulous brunch, we are also anxiously anticipating my expanding belly!  We are in the middle of our 13th week and while there's not too much "bumping" going on, we think there's a little bump forming.  We're not sure if it's baby driven or big breakfast driven, but we think there's a little something there, so we decided to post a photo of what we have deemed our "little bump" until we can fully graduate to our "baby bump"!:

13 weeks & 2 days: baby bump or big breakfast?  You decide.

When I am fully clothed you still cannot tell a difference in my physical appearance.  My normal clothes still fit but my tummy has definitely changed/been changing since we found out we were expecting!  We know we are just at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to physical changes, but it has really been amazing to become more in tune with my body watch my "normal" transform into "pregnant".

Baby makin' is no joke!

Born on Broadway

We will be delivering at Riverside Methodist Hospital.  On our way to our second appointment today, I noticed that our hospital is partly located on North Broadway.  While it's physical address is Olentangy River Road, Brian and I are happy to report that our baby will be born on [North] Broadway!  (Unless we are not in the vicinity of Riverside and baby decides the time is NOW and comes wherever we are...I suppose that could happen.)  But the plan is Riverside!

Our appointment today was amazing!  We learned that my blood type is O+ which is the same as the majority of the population and poses no particular risks to baby, and we have also confirmed that there is only one passenger aboard the mothership.  We pretty much confirmed this with our first appointment, but you never know if one little guy or gal is hiding in there!

We are entering week thirteen today and for the very first time we heard the perfect whoosh-whoosh-whoosh sound of our little baby's heartbeat.  It was incredible!  Our doctor said that the heartbeat is sometimes hard to find, but as soon as she put the doppler on my stomach the heartbeat was there beating at 150 bpm!  We were very proud of our cooperative little wee one, we even heard a random noise which the doc informed us was a little kick!  That made both Brian and I laugh!

After we heard the amazing sound of our baby's heartbeat, I was whisked away to give blood to test to see if I am a carrier of any cystic fibrosis genes and then we headed down to Maternal Fetal Medicine where we had a detailed ultrasound to test for any signs of down syndrome or trisomy 13 or 18.  This was a special treat because we got to see our little baby again!  Had we not done this test, we would've heard the heartbeat and headed on our way, which also would have been satisfying, but being able to see our bambino was a bonus!

On top of it all, our initially cooperative wee one was not being cooperative at all, and it took nearly 30 minutes to get the baby to move in to the right position to get the correct measurements.  At one point, the ultrasound technician was trying everything to get our baby to move, and what did baby do?!  Baby moved alright - 180 degrees the opposite way!  (Child stars are so difficult to work with...)  Fortunately, once baby did get in the right position, we were informed that all appears to be perfectly healthy and normal, so aside from poking and prodding a little bit our bun is still cooking away! 

Doing the ultrasound was simply incredible.  Our baby has grown so much over the last month!  It is amazing!  We saw perfect little fingers on perfect little hands, and baby even open and closed its hands while we were watching!  Baby also open and closed its mouth AND our ultrasound technician said that we may have a thumb sucker in there because baby put its hands toward its face multiple times in what looked like the start of sucking its thumb!  Brian and I both sucked our thumbs when we were little, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if Baby is too!  Sorry, Baby...

While we did the ultrasound we saw the funniest image of our little bambino loungin'!  Now, I'm not talking about just relaxin' a bit.  No, ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about straight up chaise lounge pool side loungin'!  Baby had its both of its arms by its head and was completely stretched out!  We, again, couldn't help but laugh at the thought!  Apparently, living in the womb is the bomb-dizzle!

Last, but certainly not least, we have another appointment scheduled in four weeks and another appointment scheduled in six weeks.  The second appointment will be a big milestone - we will be finding out if we are having a little girl or little boy, in addition to making sure all is healthy and baby is growing as it should be!  SO, that means if you are interested in voting in our baby boy/baby girl poll, you must have your votes in by May 29th!  (It's right there to the right on the sidebar!)

What a day!  It was so exciting to see our growing bun again, hear its little heartbeat, have the reassurance that all is going well, and have a few laughs as a family along the way!

Enjoy the ultrasound photos below!

Here baby is sitting indian style getting his/her meditation on!

How precious is that little profile?!

Our baby is facing us here.  Don't you love the buddha belly?!

Here is the loungin' pic - legs stretched out, both arms up by its head!
 I wonder if there's a baby hammock in there too?!

Here is baby's little hand waving hello!

And here are baby's little fingers!

I think our baby has quite a sense of humor after seeing what's been going down inside the womb!  We are so looking forward to meeting this kiddo outside of the womb, but we're content with him or her to keep on cookin' until it's time!

You just can't help but smile, can you?!

Tomorrow

Tomorrow we have our second doctor's appointment!  We are very excited to see how much our little bambino has grown and to see what's been going on in there!!  One month ago we were fortunate enough to catch a quick glimpse of what life was like in the womb.  (It looked pretty cozy in there!)  So tomorrow we believe we will be able to check out our growing baby and perhaps hear the heartbeat!  At our eight week, five day appointment, we saw that the baby's heart was beating 160 beats per minute, but we didn't get to listen to it.

I believe this appointment will confirm we are on track for our due date, make sure baby is growing as it should, and hear that little heartbeat that we haven't heard, as well as make sure I'm getting all the right amounts of nutrients to keep our bun-a-cookin'!

It is a very exciting time!  We will be sure to post more photos, if we get them, and let you know how everything went!

Dear Baby- We can't wait to see you!  Love, Daddy & Mommy

Sally Sells Sea Shells in our Backyard!

Well, at least she used to!  This weekend we did our Spring clean-up and mulched.  While we were cleaning up the yard, we were picking up some of the rocks out of our flower beds.  When Brian picked up a rock, he noticed a fossil on it!  A sea shell fossil to be exact...in our very own yard! 

At a best guess, I think we could peg this as a Brachiopod.

It's a pretty small fossil.  This is an azalea flower.

And for an even better size comparison...Jack's tennis ball.

Pretty amazing, huh?!  I was quite impressed with my Baby's Daddy - one for spotting such a tiny imprint and two for putting his impressive palaeontological skills to use!  It's simply incredible to wonder how that fossil got into our backyard and what the earth (and our backyard) looked like millions of years ago!