Book Festival

10 weeks! I'm starting thicken out a bit. It's hard to say if it's because Munchkin has been so hungry or just because I'm getting fluffier all on my own. Either way, I'm starting to realize that there is a little more of me to fit into my clothes each morning.

I wandered on down to the National Book Festival yesterday. I've wanted to go for the last couple of years but something has always come up. I was able to hear both Isabel Allende and Diana Gabaldon speak. I have several dozen "favorite" authors, and they are two of them. I really enjoyed it. My plan was to stay and have Diana Gabaldon sign her latest book for me. Munchkin had other plans, though.

1) Munchkin did NOT like to ride the Metro. I barely made it to the Mall without getting sick, and I knew I had to get back.

2) It was HOT. And crowded. And the long lines in the even hotter, more crowded tents weren't doing me any favors. When I realized that Diana Gabaldon wasn't signing books until a couple of hours after she spoke, I knew I wasn't going to be able to hang around.

3) I needed to eat something or I was going to pass out. I brought some carrot sticks (I never travel without something in my purse these days), but they were only going to get me so far. And Munchkin emphatically did not want me to eat a hot, greasy, fried whatever-was-being-offered-at-the-festival and get back on the Metro.

So, I had to head home. Luckily, though, a friend from work went down and got the book I lent her signed by Isabel Allende for me....wasn't that nice of her? I owe her big time.

To say that I'm a voracious reader is a bit of an understatement. One of the things I'm most looking forward to is reading to Munchkin. We all used to read to my brothers when they were little and it was a lot of fun. In fact, I will probably have to make a concerted effort to make sure the baby has enough clothes when he/she comes...I'm much more likely to buy too many children's books and forget about things like keeping him/her from going naked!

9 weeks!

We're 9 weeks with child today! I'm headed into the third month, and so far everything is going well.

I'm still really, really fatigued. I'm starting to wonder if Edward/Alex would even recognize me if I weren't horizontal on the couch or zombie-walking through the house trying to get ready to go to work. Beatnik (one of our cats, for those who haven't met him) even acts surprised when he sees me moving around. The other day he kept pawing at my head...I think he was trying to make sure his food source was still alive. I was plenty sleep deprived, stressed, and worn out when I was going through rotations for PA school, but this is a whole new ball game. I'm hoping that the rumors that the energy should return in the 2nd trimester are true.


On the other hand, my morning sickness hasn't come back, so I really feel like I've lucked out.

We go for our first appointment with the midwife in 2 weeks. I'm really anxious to hear that heartbeat so that I know Munchkin is doing well. I was somewhat tempted to order a home doppler so that we could check for the hearbeat at home, but I decided that was a bad idea. If I tried to use it and was unsuccessful at hearing the heartbeat (either because I tried a little too early or just because I didn't know what I was doing), I would FREAK OUT. We're just not going to go there.

I did make one early purchase for Munchkin. It's a Mei Tai carrier that I've been eying. I was doing a lot of baby-related research long before we were pregnant and decided that I wanted to try this type of carrier. It keeps the kid in a sitting position and supports the hips rather than making them hang from the crotch like a lot of carriers. Plus, it's easy to wad up and pack in a bag, and can be used for several different types of carries. And no, it's not the type of "sling" that has been in the news. Plenty of carriers are safe when used correctly...it's the cradle holding slings that can pose problems. I've done my research, I promise.

I was going to give it a whirl with one of the cats, but Edward/Alex vetoed that idea pretty quickly!

Munchkin's Auntie Adria sent us a very cute little outfit the other day. As she said, Munchkin won't go naked with Auntie A. around!

So, all's well in the womb today. I'll post more later about some of the projects I'm hoping to work on, why we chose to go with a midwife, etc later on.

The Tiniest Tarheel

These booties were sent my my Mom...what a sweet gift! It's hard to believe we're going to have a little one with such little feet soon!

Yesterday, we browsed around a baby store to get an idea of what we were going to need for Munchkin. I have to say, that I'm not a fan of the huge, clunky, dark cribs that seem to be so popular right now. Is everyone raising a baron or baroness these days? What happened to whimsy?

I've found some bedding that I really like. Since we're likely going to wait and find out the baby's sex once he/or she is born, we need something that can be used for either. This has a blue background, but it's a soft blue (with a little green) and I think it could work for a girl as well as a boy. I like the animal and alphabet theme...we can decorate with various stuffed animals and animal prints. I have to admit that I saw some cute mama and baby animal prints when we were in Alaska and I bought a couple for a future nursery!


I like these animal prints (below), but my designer of a husband is a bit hung up on the fact that they are a bit clashy with the bedding. He said he could design something similar...that would be awesome, and if he does so before 5-6 months gestation then Munchkin will have some custom art. Otherwise, we may be introducing a few more colors into the room...gasp! We haven't committed to anything yet, so feel free to give suggestions!

It may be a bit early to be looking at this kind of thing, but Ed/Alex keeps reminding me that the time will fly by faster than I think. Plus, he needs time to look everything up on Consumer Reports and analyze what we need vs. what we might like vs. what's the best deal, etc.

We had a good time imagining having Munchkin around. It was a long day, though! This first trimester fatigue has hit me harder than I ever thought it would. It's not a sleepy kind of tired...it's more of a whole body weariness. It's like everything from my elbows to my earlobes are crying out for a nap. Of course, that's not going to happen at work, and when I actually go to sleep at night it's rarely a restful night. I'm hoping that I get my energy back soon.

Gummy Bear

Our baby looks less like a chicken nugget and more like a gummy bear (squint a little...now look at it out of the corner of your eye...there...see it?). Munchkin passed today's ultrasound with flying colors. Munchkin's heart was beating away at 156 bpm, and the crown-rump length (CRL) was right on track at 14.6 mm.


We officially "graduated" from the fertility clinic. I have to admit that I'll miss being so closely monitored and cared for, but I'm also excited to be able to approach this pregnancy like most other moms from this point forward.

Our first official OB appointment isn't until October 1st. I can't wait to hear Munchkin's little heartbeat for the first time. Up to this point, we can see it on the screen but we haven't been able to hear anything.

Telling the family!

So, we've told the grandparents-to-be, as well as the auntie and uncles-to-be on my side. We're waiting to tell Bill and Mason until we get their gifts in the mail. Everyone seemed to be pretty excited. I know that there was also a sense of "well it's about time," not unlike when we announced we were getting married! It certainly wasn't for lack of effort or tears, though. We've been (not so patiently) waiting for this to happen ourselves.

We go in for another ultrasound tomorrow. I'm super nervous again. I haven't had any morning sickness for over a week and, for some reason, I'm fixated on that. I need to just be glad that I'm not feeling so puny anymore. The fatigue is plenty!

Things uttered by my husband

"You have a 7 mm person inside of you! It's like you have magical parts" Thanks, honey. It's nice to think that my body can produce "magic" seeing as it took enough to get them to work properly!

"I wish you would stop worrying so much. I want you to be able to enjoy the process. After all, you might as well enjoy the pregnancy....that delivery is going to huuuurt!" (I think he went on to say something about a watermelon through the nose). Thanks birth-coach-to-be. We'll have to work on your soothing techniques before the delivery.

"We have a big-headed baby." It's supposed to be all head at 7.5 weeks! It also has a little tail, but that's not likely to stick around, either.


While looking at an admittedly daunting array of baby-proofing gadgets at the baby store:
Ed/Alex "Do people actually put locks on their toilets?"
Meredith "Well, toddlers have big heads and they are top heavy...if they fall in head first they can't get out."
Ed/Alex "I don't know nothin' 'bout this world"

"Why don't we just keep the diaper pail outside?" I won't even tell you my response to that one.

Ed/Alex "We'll need to get some sort of screen to put up in front of the high chair."
Meredith "Do you mean a mat under the high chair?"
Ed/Alex "No, a screen. For when it throws food. We don't want food to get on the furniture in the living room."
Meredith "What kind of arm do you think our kid is going to have, and why would it be hurling food across the house?"
And then I remembered that Munchkin is my husband's child!

More comments to be added as they become available :-)