4.28.2009

I popped

All the message boards I have been reading lead me to believe two things. First, I probably wouldn't get my pregnancy belly until about 16-18 weeks. Second, that my belly will literally pop overnight and I will wake not looking fat, but pregnant. The first was untrue, but the second sure did happen. Here are my first official photos of my pregnancy belly. They are the the shotty, done in the bathroom kind of pictures, but you can deal.

Alas, I present myself and little baby R.

14 weeks, 6 days along

4.27.2009

Love is...

A co-worker of mine is getting married this weekend. The mothers have gotten together and are making a scrapbook to give her. All of the kids, the other teacher and myself were to decorate a scrapbook page about what love means to us. True to form it was due last Friday and I just finished it tonight. Oh well!

Anyway, here is my page. Not my best scrapbooking work, but it is a very accurate representation of what love means to me.


4.24.2009

I used to be so responsible.

April is a big month for birthdays in my circle. It is hard enough coordinating birthday celebrations when you all live in the same state, but for those of us out-of-towners we are left to our own devices. Since moving to CO I have been so good about getting birthday cards and gifts out on time. The week before the event everything has been in the mail.

So this April I seemed to have dropped the ball. Sitting across from my computer are birthday cards for my brother, sister-in-law and mother. Their birthdays were on the 7th, 15 and 16th. Oops. The sad thing is that I was about to take pictures of the unsent card for my blog. In the amount of time that would have took, I could have addressed and mailed them. I also have ultrasound pictures that I am supposed to send my mother and bridal shower invites that I am sending out for my best friend's shower. Don't worry Becky, I will get those out on time!!

I have always been responsible and punctual. This whole crazy, forgetfulness thing is driving me nuts. I just don't have the drive to be a Virgo right now. At least I remembered to turn in my payroll this month...because I forgot last month.

Basically, what I am trying to say is that I have not forgotten everyone's birthday. I am with you in spirit and I guarantee that there is a card laying around my house somewhere for you. You will get it before this child is born. I promise!

Since it is that time of year again I must end my blog with some words of encouragement.

GO RED WINGS!!!!!

4.20.2009

My weekend getaway

The weather here in Colorado has been smoking the wacky tobacky (if I can't make a 4:20 reference on April 20th, when can I?). On Friday I got the 4:30 a.m. call that we have a snow day. I look out the window and there isn't a drop of snow on the ground. Seriously. Granted, I wasn't going to complain about a day off from work, but isn't this is a little preemptive? On Thursday we had some hail and thunderstorms and I knew snow was in the forecast so I just sat and waited. Around 7:30 it came and boy was it snowing. We got about 3 inches in an hour.

Friday also happened to be the day that I was leaving for a weekend of scrapbooking in the mountains. I got a call from the women I was going with asking if I wouldn't mind leaving early. That meant I actually had to start packing. Oh well. So around 11:30 Dave drove me over to Lindsey's house. The roads were already getting slick and the mountains were getting hit even harder. After debating for an hour and a half if we should go, Lindsey's mom made the executive decision, we packed up her Audi and left.

Can I tell you how awesome an Audi Quattro handles in the snow? I am a believer. We got up to Woodland Park with no problem even thought the roads were snow-packed and icy. The road to the camp we were staying at was about 2 miles long and, even though it had been plowed, was still at least 6" deep with snow. That little Audi passed a Honda Odyssey stuck and a Toyota 4-runner also stuck. The Subaru in front of us was slipping and sliding all over the place. The Audi drove like we were on dry pavement. What a car!

Anyway, once at the camp we unloaded the car, set up our scrapping area and got to work. There were 7 of us off the main room in our own private area and it was great! Lindsey and I shared an 8 foot table, which was nice b/c were the 2 youngest people there. My goal was to finish my wedding scrapbook by the end of the weekend, which I did! I also made some cards too.

It snowed all of Friday and Saturday and there must have been about 2.5 feet of snow when all was said and done. The camp was nestled in the forest and with all the snow it looked so majestic and beautiful! The lodge had 2 story floor to ceiling windows with a gorgeous view of Pike's Peak and Pike National Forest. We had to walk to the dining hall, which was slightly treacherous with all the snow, but totally worth it. The food was delicious! They also discovered I was vegetarian and pregnant and made special plates for me and let me take extra food back to the lodge to snack on.

I had a fabulous weekend filled with lots of scrapbooking and conversation. I am very glad that I went. Now I am back to the daily grind, but I certainly cannot complain, especially since the 10 day forecast is showing me 5 days in a row of 70 degree weather.

You gotta love Colorado!

(The only solo picture of me at the Lodge)

(Lindsey in our scrapping room)

(walking to the dining hall)

(The great snow melt on Sunday)

(The Lodge we stayed in)

(The dining hall)

(The group I scrapped with all week)

4.14.2009

Scrapbooking Weekend

I got a phone call tonight from a co-worker asking me if I wanted to go on a Scrapbooking Weekend Getaway. I knew that there might be an opening, but hadn't heard from her in about a week so I just assumed it was a no go. I have about 3 scrapbooks that I want to finish before this baby is born and this weekend would be a perfect opportunity. Needless to say I was very excited when she called me!

It is at a Lodge outside of Woodland Park and they will be showing movies, having chocolate fountains and doing a lot of scrapbooking...obviously! Since moving to Colorado I really haven't made any friends. I know a lot of it is because I don't put myself out there. This weekend will be a great time for me to connect with people and just have a good time. I will post pictures and write all about it when I get back. I feel like I am going to Girl Scout camp except for adults!

4.10.2009

My letter to Old Navy

I went into Old Navy today for my first foray into maternity clothes. I left disheartened because the stupid store didn't have ANY maternity clothes. You have to get them on-line. The following is the e-mail that me and my pregnancy hormones wrote once I got home.


To Whom it May Concern-

I have a complaint regarding your maternity wear and in-store availability.

I am pregnant with my first child. As with many people in the country, we are on a budget. I have always loved shopping at Old Navy because of your affordability and selection of current styles. Your sizing is never really consistent so I always make sure to try my items on at the store. No big deal.

I live in Colorado Springs, CO and have 2 Old Navy stores near me. The one I normally shop at is the store in Chapel Hills Mall. It is smaller and the selection is not as great as the one located at Powers & Barnes in Colorado Springs, but it is more convenient. There is a small maternity selection as the Chapel Hills store, but nothing impressive. The other store, as I said, has a larger selection and is a little bit nicer. I went to the Powers & Barnes store today to look at their Maternity section, but they do not have a maternity section. Granted it might be the hormones, but I almost started to cry I was so frustrated.

Before I was ever pregnant, I had heard about how affordable and great Old Navy was for maternity clothes and was excited to start shopping. Now I am frustrated with you for ostracizing your pregnant customers and forcing them to get all their maternity wear on your website. I will not buy clothes from Old Navy on-line. As I stated previously, your sizing is inconsistent and I do not want to start a game of "return these pants that didn't quite fit and hope I get a pair that does."

It is not like women are going to stop getting pregnant anytime soon so why do you not sell any, or a better selection, of them in your stores? You are sending a message to all your loyal pre-pregnancy customers that they are not important enough once pregnant to cater to their needs. If we want, however, we can go your website, pay for shipping and get clothes that may or may not fit.

I hope you can address this situation in the future so other budget conscious pregnant women can shop IN your store, try on maternity clothes and not feel like pregnancy is an affliction. Thank you for time in reading my e-mail.

--
Sara E. R
Colorado Springs, CO

This might be TMI for some. Pregnancy related.

I had my fifth ultrasound this past Wednesday on my first day of week 12. Woohoo! I survived my first trimester. I have been reading various message boards and most women don't even get their first ultrasound until week 12. I was kind of curious as to why I was so special. I knew my OB was keeping a closer eye on me, but I only speculated as to why. On Wednesday, I got my answer.

I have a uterine blood clot. This is the reason I have been spotting since week 4. It is also the reason I went to the ER in week 9. So what does that mean for me and the baby? At this point, not very much. I think my OB didn't tell me earlier because he didn't want me to worry. It is preventing the placenta from attaching 100% to my uterine wall. The blood clot, however, is shrinking and the placenta is attaching as the clot shrinks. He showed Dave & I where the placenta is attached and where it isn't. We were super relieved because it is not nearly as bad as it sounds. Also, my OB reassured us that the baby is not affected by this. In fact in the ultrasound he/she was moving around and the heart rate was 167.

I am so happy that the 1st trimester is over, our baby is growing and that our family is healthy. These hormones, however... I cry at everything! I watched a Lifetime movie yesterday about a woman who had twin sons that were autistic. I was sobbing when Dave came home and he was terrified that something was really wrong. Granted, my entire view on Autism is based on the wonderful boy that I work with and the strong support system that he has. It makes me sad that so many people are ignorant to this disorder, but that is another blog on another day.

My morning sickness is waning, but I still have my moments. Dave has been a gem during this past month rolling with the punches like a pro. He takes my sense of urgency seriously when I tell him that I need a Oreo Sonic Blast now. A true test of a man is how he treats his woman during pregnancy. I know that when I have gained 40 pounds, have cankles and hemorrhoids and all those other lovely signs of pregnancy, Dave is still going to tell me that I look beautiful and mean it.

Alright. I have to go to Costco and pick up some yogurt and veggie sausage now. I hope this wasn't painful for you to read!

4.03.2009

Pregnancy Brain

I wouldn't have believed it. I probably would have made fun of other people who claimed to have it. Now I've got it. Pregnancy brain.

I should just kiss handwriting goodbye for awhile. I tried writing in my Belly Book and there are words in there that I wasn't even thinking and misspellings up the wazoo. Just typing that last sentence I had to go back and insert words I forgot to type. Chalk it up to not eating well enough or 10 hours of sleep a night just isn't enough, but I think pregnancy makes you stupid.

I was talking to Dave last night about how my body really isn't mine anymore. The baby sucks all the nutrients out my food, reaps the benefits of all the sleep I'm getting, is making my blood supply double hence all my bloody noses, slowing down my digestive system and the Dr. said if I don't get enough protein the baby will start stealing it from my muscles. How can you not love the person that stole your body for 9 months??

Seriously though, I get weepy when I think about seeing him/her for the first time. I am already in love with this child and just want to hold them. Our last ultrasound, when I was exactly 10 weeks along, showed us the most clear picture yet of this child. He/she looked very much like a baby and was moving their hands and legs around. The heartbeat filled the ultrasound room and Dave & I were in awe! We have another one scheduled next week when I will be exactly 12 weeks along.

I am almost done with the 1st trimester!!!!!!!!!!