Reason #1435298 why I love my husband.

Last post for the day, I swear :)

So, Derek and I went to see a "scary" movie tonight, The Uninvited. It wasn't a horror movie per se, more along the lines of thriller/suspense I guess. Anyway, I'm kind of a big chicken when it comes to movies like this...

We show up almost as the previews are over and the theater was pretty full (lots of teeny boppers and adolescents in the audience). The movie starts up and within the first 45 seconds I'm already diving into the popcorn, head down, eyes nervously looking from side to side. Derek is just sitting there, cool as a cucumber. Luckily the atmosphere was not super serious, there were so many people there that there was an almost constant hum of people talking, giggling, etc.

You know how you can tell when things are about to get really scary in a movie, when the suspenseful music gets louder and louder? Well there were many moments like that in this movie. Every time the music got creepy, I turned my head and stared at Derek so I didn't have to look at the screen. It was so funny to watch him - things would get really intense on screen and everyone in the audience would SCREAM AND HOLLER, and Derek just sat there, not even batting an eyelash with a little grin on his face. He was so calm. The one time he showed any aprehension was when he said "Now THAT would be when I pull out my Glock!".

On a side note, I had a nice tight grip on his hand throughout most of the movie, but I had to pull my hand away 3 or 4 times just to wipe the sweat off on my pants. Literally! When I'm nervous, my palms sweat! Derek laughed at me (in the movie) because his pregnant wifey was a scared little chicken with sweaty hands. It's nice to know that should ever a crazy murderer be in our house, Derek would be able to react calmly and very much UNLIKE his screaming, sweaty-palmed, teenager-like wife who is hiding in the closet. He makes me feel safe and protected :)

A picture or 4.

Here are a few pictures from today... nothing too out of the ordinary. We'll post a "real" belly shot tomorrow.

Derek earlier in the day before we headed out to Babies 'R Us to do baby gear reconnaissance.

We love each other.

There is a baby growing in there!

Just admiring the belly.

One decision down...

... a hundred billion to go!

We've made our decision regarding a car seat/stroller travel system today (after a return trip to Babies 'R Us).  Our top choice is the Chicco Cortina "Discovery" travel system (pictured below), although we also liked the "Adventure" system too.  It handled very well when we test drove it, has nice safety features, and is the top rated infant car seat.  We've been trying to compare prices online to find the best deal, but it looks like BRU is one of the cheapest places.  It's the only place we can find Discovery!  I'd say this looks pretty gender netural, wouldn't you?

Chicco Cortina travel system in Discovery

Beautiful day outside today - thankfully it was the weekend and we could enjoy it!  Our next job is to narrow down our crib choices (we've picked out 2 or 3 we like), so maybe we'll get to those today.  Who knows...

We'll post a belly picture either today or tomorrow.  We need to show how it's grown!

Funny thing happened yesterday, I got my first pregnancy-related comment from a stranger!

I stopped in the front office of our apartment complex to pick up a package, and one of the ladies said "How far along are you?".  I was totally thrown for a loop because, as I said, this was the time a stranger had said anything to me about being pregnant.  I managed to stammer "Umm... uh, about 5.5 months, I'm due in May".  I was worried that if I took too much longer to answer, she'd think she'd made a mistake about my being pregnant...I didn't want her to be embarrassed!  Ha!

Swimming babies and guard cats

Check out this amazing video:  

Swimming Babies

It's incredible!  Both Derek and I think that it is very important to teach our kids to be comfortable around the water starting at an early age.  To see this infant roll over and float is very impressive, and even though he cried/hollered a bit, he looked pretty relaxed (skip to 2:20 if you find it difficult to watch-it's really not that bad!).  And the little guy looks so happy when his Dad picked him up out of the water at the end :)

In other news, Derek and I were sitting on the couch last night and he was listening to my tummy with his stethoscope again, but instead of hearing baby kick, he saw my belly jump.  A LOT.  Baby gave a nice big kick just to say hi to Dad. :)  He also rested his head on my belly later and Baby gave him a little kick in the ear.  I'm glad Derek is getting to experience the exciting parts of the pregnancy now - not just coming home to a wife with an expanding waistline and a huge appetite.  Ugh.

Our cat, Nova, has been so funny around me lately, especially tonight.  Every time I get up from the couch to use the restroom or go to the kitchen or whatnot, she gets up from her spot next to me (where she's been sleeping), follows me to wherever I'm going and then sits by my feet, looking around.  When I'm ready to go back to the living room, I pick her up and carry her back to the couch where she lays back down and goes right back to sleep.  She does the same when I shower, she sits in the bathroom and looks out the door.  She used to do that occasionally before I got pregnant, but now she's doing it more than ever - she must be able to sense there's a little something growing in my belly.  She's also been sleeping on my lap with her head on my tummy.  Baby even kicked a few times right where Nova was resting today, but either Nova didn't feel it, or she is just used to being disturbed a lot while she's sleeping.    What a sweet kitty she is, guarding her Mom and little brother or sissy!

Week 23

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now - such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner - probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

(babycenter.com)

Derek and I went to "Babies-R-Us" today for the very first time. What an awesome place that is! We spent over an hour looking at strollers, car seats, traveling systems, cribs and other miscellaneous items... We've picked out several top choices, but have yet to make final decisions in any of those topics - we would like to get some input from our friends/relatives/others who have babies first before we buy the big stuff. The reviews we've seen say the items are good, but we still need to do some more research. We want to make the most out of our purchase without spending... oh, $1000 on a stroller. Seriously, people do that. I could definitely get carried away in there though, there were so many cute things! We didn't even go into the clothing section. As much as I may want to, we really can't buy much of anything in that area since we won't know Baby's gender until we deliver. But there are just so many cute dresses and little boy outfits out there!!!! Derek saw baby rainboots with Firefighters on them (too precious). If we have a boy, I guess I know what he'll wear when he's a toddler and it's raining outside!

Other than that, we didn't do much else this weekend. It went by far too quickly though. Today was a relatively slow kicking day for Baby, maybe it was tired or something. Derek brought his stethoscope into our apartment and we tried to listen to see if we could hear it moving around, or hear a heartbeat or anything, but we couldn't. Apparently when I'm further along, Derek should be able to put his head to my belly and actually hear Baby's heartbeat. That's just crazy to me!

I guess I'll need to dance around the apartment tomorrow to get Baby moving. We'll put on some upbeat stuff, or maybe some country and we could two-step :) Sounds like fun to me.

Oh how our baby grows...

Hello everyone!
We had our 3rd ultrasound appointment and my doctor's checkup today, and things look great. Baby was laying face down with its legs near my lungs and very stubbornly refused to let us get a good look at its face until the ultrasound tech made me empty my bladder and then, voila!, baby turned its head just enough for us to get a quick look. It looked like a little alien ghost. :) The tech basically collected all the measurements she needed, and she said everything looked on track. Baby's heartrate was a steady 167 bpm, and based on measurements Baby weighs 1 lb. 1 whole pound! It was fun to watch the ultrasound monitor because I could see and feel Baby kicking at the same time. Very exciting stuff!

Back during our 2nd ultrasound, they discovered that I had a low-lying placenta covering part of my cervix. They said that it was nothing to worry about yet; for most women with low-lying placentas, as the uterus continues to grow, the placenta moves with it away from the cervix (if it it's still covering the cervix by delivery-time, they have to schedule a c-section). This was part of the reason why they scheduled a 3rd ultrasound (to check my placenta location) and luckily when they checked today, my placenta had moved up and was no longer covering my cervix! Woo hoo!

In terms of the constant headache/migraines that I mentioned last night, the doc said it may be related to my blood pressure (which was raised slightly higher than normal for me today). I've got to make sure I keep calm so I don't get "pregnancy-induced hypertension". Yikes!

We've added the sonogram pictures below.

Baby's spine (looks like railroad tracks!) and head, face down.

Baby's foot, toes pointed to bottom right.

Looking straight down at baby's head, note the two ears!! Like little flowers to the left and right :)

Baby's face and belly! Baby is looking at us, laying on its side. Note little black eye socket.

Baby laying on its side, looking at us. Again, you can see it's little eye sockets.

Derek says our baby is just beautiful and I agree! :) We get to go back for a growth ultrasound when I'm 32 weeks, so we'll get to see Baby one more time before delivery. Apparently it will look much cuter, with baby fat on its little face and in its cheeks. Can't wait.

Let's compare bellies...

What do you think, do we match? 22 week belly.

I haven't been feeling very well lately, and Derek was sweet enough to skip his firefighting training tonight just to come home and comfort me. I've had a headache since last Friday that varies in intensity from a dull ache to a severe migraine, so life has been a bit unpleasant... the pain has worn me out so all I want to do is sleep, but even that doesn't do much to help. Hopefully at our doctor's appointment tomorrow they'll be able to give me something to take or have some suggestions.

Week 22

Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.

(thebump.com)

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas - essential for the production of some important hormones - is developing steadily.

(babycenter.com)

Almost forgot to update today! It's hard to believe that there is a ~10-11 inch baby in my belly... although based on the size of my belly, I guess it's not. I'll add a "week 22" belly shot tomorrow. I guess I sort of match the above picture from babycenter.com. It's funny though - when I feel kicks, I still picture just a little 5 inch baby swimming around, knocking into my organs. Baby is only going to get bigger! :)

Derek and I had a nice weekend together. The weather here in Cypress was pleasant- sunny, upper 60's. We did boring things like grocery shopping, cleaned our apartment, went for a workout... I guess we should enjoy these "boring" things while it's just the two of us. Once this summer rolls around and we have our little bundle of joy, it will be more difficult to just quickly run to the store, or squeeze in a quick workout. Not that I'm complaining. We are both getting more and more excited to have our little one join us.

Our 3rd ultrasound appointment is this Wednesday. Hopefully Baby will cooperate with the ultrasound tech so she can get good measurements. I think this time around should be great because Baby has grown a ton since the last one, and I feel the occasional kick/poke/shove above my belly button now, so there should be no reason for Baby to be hanging around down low. Can't wait to see our peanut again.

On a side note, I just need to take a moment to mention how wonderful my husband is. He helps me clean, he takes care of me when I don't feel well, and he goes out to get me a hot fudge sundae when I oh-so-timidly ask for one :) What a wonderful man I have!

Belly Pic (week 21, 3 days)

Here is my wife's belly today. The baby is poking out just a little bit more since the last photo was taken. I have been able to feel the baby kick, push, shove, flip, dance, or whatever it's doing in there quite a bit now. They are getting stronger everyday. It's truly amazing to feel the baby's movements while it is 'still inside' Lindsay. On another note, we are getting more involved in looking things up to buy for the baby such as clothes, cribs, toys, and furniture, oh yea, and a house! There will be a lot of 'nesting' going on in the coming weeks and months before Lindsay gets to the end of the pregnancy.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check back in the coming weeks for more 'belly shots' as Lindsay will be growing quicker as she approaches the third trimester. Good luck baby!

We saw this bedding set on Overstock.com and thought it looked great - both for a boy or a girl.  We even liked the crib too!  Saldy, it's not included :)

We've recently started looking at crib bedding, cribs and other items for our nursery.  Better do it now before I get too big and/or tired to do anything else!!  There are so many sites and stores to look at though, it's a bit overwhelming.  I just started getting emails about "steals" of the day for all things baby related from a website called BabySteals.com, so that's exciting.  Hopefully I'll find some good (cheap!) items.

Here is a pic of another crib I like, this one from JCPenney.com.  It's convertible - switches from a crib, to a toddler bed, then to a headboard/footboard for a full sized bed!

I'll post a new belly pic soon.  Things sure are growing!

Week 21!

Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they're already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

(thebump.com)

Yesterday, Derek and I went shopping at target and we bought our first baby purchases! We bought a layette set with little duckies on it (includes a sleeper, onesie, pants, blanket and bib) and 2 cute onesies that say "Daddy's little sunshine" and "Mommy's shooting star" on them. Luckily they are all green and yellow, so they could be good for a girl or boy! It was so exciting to actually buy the items ourselves!

Derek holding the onesie that says "Daddy's little sunshine".

Other than that, not too much else is new. Baby is still very active, flipping and kicking. On a side note, Happy Birthday to my Mom! Hope you had a great day, Grandma Lo :)

Belly Shots!

Dec 14, 2008 - 17 week bump. It's just a little bump!

Jan 7, 2009 - 20 week bump! Starting to look pregnant, not just pudgy around the midsection :) At least that's what I tell myself!

Nesting time?

Baby sure is moving around a lot!  I could feel Baby wiggling and kicking away when I was sitting in my office today.  It's a wonderful, reassuring feeling :)  Derek has been able to feel the movements on several different occasions, and two nights ago he said it felt like there was a mixer in my belly - he could feel the baby swimming all over.  Can't wait to see Baby again in just a few weeks on the ultrasound!

School has started back up for me, and Derek is back at work.  It's so hard to believe our Christmas vacation flew by so quickly!  We had a great time visiting and spending time with both sides of our family.  We saw my parents and sisters, my Grandma (she drove all the way to Austin from Tucson, AZ), Derek's Grandparents,and his parents and sister (who flew to TX from VA).  It was just like a mini family reunion!

Even though I'm only halfway through the pregnancy (only?!  It feels like we just found out yesterday!!), I'm already starting to feel the need to "Nest".  I wish we could start decorating a nursery, but unfortunately we need to wait until we move into a house (we can't paint the walls in our apartment).   We received some really cute baby gifts for Christmas - a silver musical carousel (shown above), a Snugli baby carrier, a baby swing and a basket filled with rattles, toys and blankets... things that would look great displayed in a nursery :)  First things first though, we need to start researching cribs, car seats and strollers.  We don't want to be pressed for time at the end of the pregnancy!

I guess that's all for now.  More updates as they come.

Week 20

Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

(thebump.com)

We have officially moved into Week 20, which means that I'm halfway through the pregnancy! Baby has been active over the past few weeks, giving me some nice kicks. Derek has even been able to feel a few token nudges!

According to my sisters, I have an obvious baby bump that has developed significantly over the course of Christmas vacation. Wonder if it's baby, or just food.... :)

Testing, testing.... 1, 2, 3.

Helllllo world! Our New Year's Resolution was to create a blog that will allow us to keep family and friends updated on the "baby situation" (thanks Dan, for the idea!). The hard part is not creating the blog, but instead keeping it updated so we'll see how this goes!

To give a quick recap, Derek and I are expecting our first baby at the end of May 2009 and we are very excited. We're planning to wait to find out the sex of the baby until I deliver because we think that this is one of the few, true surprises left in the world. We've had 2 ultrasounds so far, one at 12 weeks to make sure things were progressing properly and one at 18 weeks to take measurements of Baby and determine the gender it we so chose (we didn't). Here are copies of our ultrasounds for your viewing pleasure!

Week 12 ultrasounds. Baby moved around so much, the ultrasound tech asked what I'd fed it before we came in. I replied "peaches". So, we think Baby likes peaches!

Week 18 ultrasounds. From top down: Baby's foot and toes of other foot, Baby's arm and head, Baby's profile! This time Baby was much more relaxed but sitting low in my belly, and the u/s tech couldn't get very many clear measurements so we get to go back in for a 3rd ultrasound at the end of January!