Ellie Jean

I've gone through every single name in the baby book, and I'm right back to the name we picked out when we first talked about having babies!

36 Weeks!

I can't believe I'm already at 36 weeks. It seems like just yesterday I found out I was pregnant.

I started my weekly prenatal appointments this week. They couldn't tell by feeling my belly if your head was down, so they had to do an ultrasound! Papa wasn't there to see it, because we thought this was just a routine appointment, but we had a sweet Mommy/Daughter moment, which was extra special too. You're in the perfect position, head down, and I got to see your little face. It wasn't a very clear image, but I could tell it was the prettiest face I've ever seen! Your little hands were tucked up near your face too.

I talked to you, and said, "What are you doing in there?? This is your Mama!!" You seemed to look around a bit, so I'm sure you recognize my voice!

Today I had Papa take pictures of me, just in case I go into labor early. I wanted to have some photos to remember this time. I've never felt so pretty and so complete! (And big! When are you going to make your grand entrance, Little Lady?!)

Woah Baby!

Look what you can do now! - 34 Weeks!

Love you!

33 Weeks! This weekend is our romantic weekend before your arrival - a little time to relax before you come home. We decided to have dinner at Von Trapp's, and on the way there, you fell asleep in the car.

I told you that you didn't have to sleep, that you could always come with us on our dates. I already can't imagine life without you. You're living proof of how much we love each other (a million times better than a pretty necklace or even a wedding ring).


We had so much fun. We talked about you most of the night, and how cute you are interacting with us through your little kicks and pushes.

The dinner special was, oddly, some of my favorite pregnancy foods, and they were made exactly how I like to eat them! Gouda cheese melted over French onion soup. Grilled beef tenderloin, asparagus, and garlic mashed potatoes (with cheddar cheese on top!). Apple strudel for dessert! So delicious.

I leaned back in my chair so content, and your dad and I watched the waves across my belly as you pedaled your little feet in there. Good food, great company, and baby kicks. Who could ask for more?

Then the piano player played this song, which you seem to like. And it has special meaning to me as a wife and mom. I'd do anything for you both.

Can't wait to hold you "for a million years."

Love,
Mom

32 Weeks!

32 Weeks, and you're oh so busy! I'm getting much bigger, and so are you! I feel you move a lot more often now, though not the big rolls like before. You're running out of room in there! Last night, we curled up on the couch to watch TV before bed, and you put on a show for us.

Your dad got to feel big swipes from your knee or elbow. You now make my whole belly shake when you kick - it's so sweet!

Here I am last weekend, and I have a video from Tuesday night of you wiggling in my belly. Love you!!

First Snow!

(from inside the womb!)

What's in a Name?

So I took a baby name quiz, and these are my results... I have to agree!

From movies, to books, to fashion icons, you sure have an appreciation for all things classic. So, chances are, when it comes to naming baby, you probably won’t spring for anything too unusual. You’d much rather stick to traditional names that have some real staying power than risk having your kid taunted on the basketball court. (Smart move.) Just don’t confuse traditional with boring (i.e. think about going beyond the Anns, Jennifers, and Jasons.) Our advice: There are definitely tons of classic baby names to choose from that are still unique enough to seem original (see below). And trust us, baby will be grateful later -- when there aren’t 10 other kids with the same name on the kindergarten roster.

I still like Ellie, Tessa, and Sarah... how will I decide?!

6.5 Months!

Six and a half months! How exciting!

Grammy and Grandpa came for the weekend to help clean up the apartment a bit. What a nice treat! I helped a little but mainly you and I got to relax, crochet, and cook in the kitchen!

I made chili, chicken & biscuits, and blueberry bread & muffins. It was fun, and oooh did we eat well!

Wednesday night you put on quite a show for us! You squirmed and made my belly jump. Grammy couldn't get  a good kick out of you for a little while, but Grandpa did! He put his big hand on my belly and said, "I love you. God bless you," and you gave him a nice big kick! We were so proud!

After I got comfortable on the couch, Grammy sat with her hand on my belly and got the biggest kick of all! We told you we love you and can't wait to hold you! Only a few more months now!

You saved some nice, big kicks for your dad last night. After one big kick, he just looked at me shocked. We were sure it was your little foot hitting the palm of his hand. So sweet!

Grandpa set up your crib this weekend. That definitely made everything seem so real. Your dad and I sat in your room for a long time trying to imagine you in that crib and talking about how wonderful it will be to hear you call for us when you get bigger.

Aunt Kim is coming to visit tonight with Alfie to help work on your room for a bit. Should be lots of fun! Sleep well, be happy, and know that Mama loves you with her whole heart!

Names

Our favorite names so far are: Sarah, Ellie, and Tessa. I wish you could help us choose!

Sarah Elizabeth is so pretty and traditional.
Ellie Jean makes me think 1950s movie star, which I love.
Tessa Jean feels classic and unique at the same time.

I think I'll have to hold you and see you to know for sure.

Ok, so...

I'm really behind on posting happy pregnancy moments, but I promise there are at least a few each day!

Some of them are:

The day Papa sang to you (Down by the Bay) and tapped his foot in time with the song. You began kicking in time with him. What a smart girl you are! You make me proud every day!

When your Papa comes in the room and you hear his voice, you seem to know and kick for him. I'm just as happy to see him!

Any moment I worry about you, you seem to sense it and give me a little kick - a sweet reminder that all is going okay in there.

I feel little pressures in there a lot, but this last weekend, an entire head (or butt) was pushing out the side of my belly. We both got to feel you and for a moment hold your little head or bottom in our hands. We were completely shocked (and in love) with you!

We say just about every day, "I just can't wait to hold her!"
I already feel you in my arms, and I can almost imagine your pretty, little face!

Happiness Is...

You.

There are so many sad things in this world that sometimes I feel guilty bringing you into it.

But how would we truly know and appreciate happy moments without knowing the sad?

You're going to make this world such a bright, beautiful place!

5 Months Already!

Oh, there's so much to share and not very much time, but I'll start with a pic! And I'll add that on August 17th (your cousin, Julia's 4th birthday!), we found out that you're a GIRL! We were very surprised, and absolutely thrilled! This is me at 5 months, and now I'm about 5 months-3 weeks. More pics to come!

You're the sweetest baby! Your little kicks and pushes make me melt. I try to read to you every single night. So far your favorite is The Poky Little Puppy. You kick a lot when I start to read, and get really quiet until I'm done the story. Then you kick some more. I love you so much!

5 Months!

Been Awhile

It's been awhile since I've written! There hasn't been much news to share, though, which is good!

Lately I've been feeling more flutters, pushes, and kicks! I felt one the day my mom left after helping us clean the apartment over 4th of July weekend. We had the family reunion the following weekend. It was so fun to share my growing belly with everyone!

This Monday was my first doctor's appointment in 5 weeks! We were kind of hoping for an ultrasound to find out if it's a boy or girl, but no luck! We were perfectly happy, though, to hear the heartbeat and some movement in there! Sounds like baby's doing just fine!

Next month will be my 20 week appointment, and they'll check to make sure the baby is okay, and we'll know the gender!

My favorite memory from yesterday was, after working a crazy morning, coming out to the parking lot to see Mark there waiting for me - knowing that we each worked as fast as we could to get everything done and make it to this appointment. Everything just stopped, and our focus was on you. I cried when I saw him there.

I've been having some awful dreams lately. I know they're just my own fears, so I asked Mark to give me some happy baby thoughts that he's been having. He said, "I know it's kind of cliche, but... I love thinking about playing catch." My favorite thought, for some reason, has been driving around with you bundled safely in the back seat - our first family road trip.

Baby Registry

Is it too early to start a baby registry?

Who cares! It makes me feel like I can actually do something to contribute to all the hard work you're doing in there. Grow, baby, grow!

It makes me so happy to do some planning for you!

With a Little Help

My mom's visiting this weekend! We picked her up at the ferry in Burlington yesterday and shopped the mall for a bit! We had lunch at Al's French Fries and hit a few other stores.

Boy did we get around! Felt great to be up on my feet most of the day. No complaints from baby - belly felt great and no nausea for most of the day. That was a nice change!

I rested for a bit when we came home, had a few pieces of veggie (& pineapple) (yum!) pizza, and headed downtown for the fireworks.

It was a very busy, fun day! And somehow, in between all we did, Mom cleaned my kitchen! She also helped us shop, made sure I was fed/hydrated all day, and put away the pizza we left out on the counter. I seriously don't know what I'll do when she leaves.

Currently Playing - My Life by John Lennon

Radio

I missed yesterday, so another happy moment! Two of my special happy baby songs came on the radio today, one right after the other.

When the first one came on, I thought, "Oh, this is sweet..." and then I thought I wanted to hear the other song too, and it came on! What are the chances??

Table for 3!

Tonight we went out to eat, and the waiter said, "Table for 2? Soon to be 3!" He was the first stranger to notice! I said, "You can tell?!" And he said, "Oh yeah, you're showing!"

I thanked him twice and was beaming the whole rest of the night. All I want to know is that you're growing, and it's hard to tell when we see my belly every day.

This confirmed it - you're getting so big! And we're so proud of you!

Where Troubles Melt Like Lemon Drops

I found this journal last night and thought I would actually *try* to start journaling again. Nothing fancy, just the typical day-to-day stuff. You know, like the 1800s farmer journals. Sometimes they would just say, "Rained all day, and the crops sure are lookin' fiiiine." :-) I think I can keep up with that kind of journal. And then you'll have a peek into what our life is like with you on the way.

And of course I couldn't resist this journal. It has sections of different color pages just like my very first diary. It also has a big rainbow, birds, and a ribbon that reads where troubles melt like lemon drops which reminded me to sing you the song Somewhere Over the Rainbow!

Shopping Trip!

I took you on our first shopping trip together last week. I decided to stop by the Once Upon a Time toy store in Stowe. I wanted to pick you up your first special teddy bear. There were so many cute ones, but once in there, I got the funny feeling you'd rather have a dog. I looked for the perfect one and found this guy. I hope you like him!

A Baby Bump & A Rainbow

Mark took an official pic of my baby bump at 13 weeks! Wow, I look huge! It must be the lighting... :-) It was really nice to take a moment and just enjoy holding my belly.

And! Today Julia drew a beautiful rainbow, and Dad emailed it to me. I think the red circle around it represents my belly... She got the shape just right. Haha! I love it and hope that she'll draw more for the baby room!

Hey, Mama, Rock Me

My cousin, Dani, introduced me to this song, and I'm determined to re-write it as a baby song for you. I play it a lot now, and it sounds great with Dad's bass. I think I felt you kick me after we finished playing it one day. They say it's still early to feel movement, but I'm pretty sure you were telling us to keep going, that you liked the quiet boom boom of the bass.

Calico Skies

This song is just one, big, happy baby moment.

I'll tell you about Paul & Linda later, but the important thing to take away from this is that: Smoking is bad for you, and some of these fashions have gone out of style: particularly Paul's super-short shorts and "His & Hers" mullets.

Baby Belly

My belly looks bigger today! Mark and I held each other tonight and talked to you. We told you we love you and what a sweet baby you are!

Ready!

I remember a few months ago when we were hoping to get pregnant, a woman told me to wait to have kids, that we should do all the things we want to do first.

I smiled politely but thought to myself that there was nothing I wanted to do in my life that didn't include you. We're so eager to share every moment of our lives with you!

Do You Love Me

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts! Ok, at the last ultrasound (12 wks), we got to see you stretch, roll over, and wiggle a bit! I think about that any time I worry about you. A few days later, The Contours came on the radio singing Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance).

It seemed appropriate, and yes, we do!

Happy Baby Thoughts

So, my counselor insists that I keep a log of all pregnancy anxiety attacks. So far, so good. Thanks to the pregnancy hormone itself, I think I'm feeling more relaxed anyway.

After telling me that, though, she looked at me sideways and said, "Why don't you keep track of your happy pregnancy thoughts too...? I want you to focus on at least one a day. Write it down. Enjoy that moment."

But it's so much easier to wallow in self-pity and worry about the baby...! So, this is my compromise. I will blog about it. At least 1 happy pregnancy thought per day.

I'll also try to post updates about the last 13 weeks. That's how far along I am.

One *happy* thing about this pregnancy so far is that, no matter how much I worry, I still dream about holding you. I can actually feel the shape of you in my arms. That must be a good sign.