Kickin' it into gear...

Well, I'm gearing up to head back to work next week. I'm pretty nervous about it on the whole. While I'm excited to see everyone and actually do the work again, I'm not excited to not spend everyday with Kacey anymore. I know it will be what is best for all of us, but I'm sure I'm going to miss her a whole heck of a lot. I'm also only working 4 days a week so Fridays and the weekends I'll be able to be with her all day.

I feel fortunate that my parents will be watching her so they can stop by the office and let me see her in the middle of the day. I'm trying to just enjoy every moment with her now instead of dwelling on how hard it will be leaving her everyday. I'm sure it will get easier as the time goes on though. I just need to remember that I'm not going to leave one day and return to a teenager.

And now that she's teething, sometimes I think, heck, a break every day might not be all that bad :-)

Here is my favorite recent picture of the little one:

What a wonderful Christmas!

We had a great first Christmas with Kacey. I think it will be even more exciting next year when she has some idea what is really going on and can rip open her own paper. Nonetheless, we loved it! Here are some of my favorite shots from the day:

Getting ready to open with her mommy!

Checking out all the loot that Santa brought!

Sitting in her Bumbo! Thanks Santa!

She loves her Jumperoo from Grandma and Grandpa!

Looking lovely in her Christmas dress!

Happy 3 months!

Well, our big girl is already 3 months old. I don't really have any stats to update since we don't see the pediatrician until her 4 month appointment in January. We're guessing she's around 11 pounds or so now. Still a little skinny thing, but so happy. She coos and ahs and loves smiling at us all of the time.

Happy birthday little one!
Here are some shots of her 3 month photo shoot :-)

Cute much?

What a lucky lady I am to have such a wonderful family :-) Could they be any cuter together?

NO WAY!

Santa is coming to my house?!?!

Kacey graduated!

Kacey graduated from her Great Beginning group this week! Here are some pictures of her with all of her friends. FYI: She's the one sticking out her tongue and waving at the camera...what a cutie!




Here's a closeup of Kacey and her buddy Teddy! They spend lots of time together thanks to their awesome moms! Check out Teddy's blog!

A bad mommy?

Does it make me a bad mommy that I just laughed and took pictures of this instead of not letting her fall over? Oh well! She thought it was funny too! Check out my little elf!

She's gotta be the most talented baby...

Check out her new skill! Blowing raspberries! It kinda makes me feel like she's always mocking me, but it's so darn cute, I could care less.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Kacey had a great first Thanksgiving! She saw her dad run a turkey trot 4-mile road race in Somerville in the morning. For more on that, check out Timmy's blog. She was very impressed by his performance and even spit out her pacifier and smiled and yelled as he crossed the finish line! Then she watched the Macy's parade with her dad (she really liked the Hello! Kitty float!).

We then headed over to my dad's house for a very nice thanksgiving with all of the Keegan family. She was great all day, but exhausted by the end of it (just like all the rest of us!) We were thankful for the very quiet Friday as she spent much of the day napping and recuperating from the events of the previous day.

Celebrating this holiday with such a miracle makes you understand what it means to be really thankful for such joy in your life. This year, we were very thankful for our new family member and the love she brings to our lives.

She loves her jeans!

Here's a little montage of Kacey's favorite item of clothing...her baby jeans. She thinks they make her look very grown-up!

Kacey is 2 months old!

Our little Kacey has hit another milestone. She turned 2 months old! She's doing wonderfully. She is such a smiley and happy baby (and she's mastered her new favorite hobby of sucking on her hands). She sleeps great and is not much of a crier. We couldn't ask for anything better. Our little girl is growing up so fast! She's now up to 23.5 inches and weighs 10 lbs. 4 oz. She's definitely tall and skinny like her dad! We're going back to the pediatrician in a week to have her weight checked to make sure that she is still doing well since she is still small in that area.

We decided to continue with her vaccinations as scheduled so she received her first three shots at her 2 month doctor's appointment. She really didn't like them, but only cried for a few minutes before quickly falling fast asleep in the car on the way home. Timmy and I each held one of her hands while she was getting them. I really think it was harder on us than it was on her, but we're confident in our decision to proceed with her vaccinations.

Anyway, like I've said before. She is just such a blessing and we love spending every day with her.

First Halloween!

Kacey had a great first Halloween! Even though Timmy says it's his least favorite holiday, I think he found new joy in it this year by celebrating it with his daughter. He even made her costume all himself. See, check out our little tortoise and the hare!

One month come and gone...

On Thursday, Kacey celebrated her 1 month birthday! Happy birthday little goob! Everything is going so great. I can't believe how much she is growing each and every day. At her one month doctor's appointment, she weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs. 14oz (72 percentile) and is a very tall 23 inches (95 percentile). She's still fitting into her newborn clothes, but I think that will be coming to an end soon. They're just getting a little too short on her. She's going to be a tall one like her daddy!

We successfully made it through Tim's trip to Chicago. My mother-in-law came and stayed with us and that helped quite a bit. We're so happy to have him home though. She definitely missed her daddy! Kacey and I are finally getting onto somewhat of a schedule. She's been sleeping well at night and she's napping better and better during the day (this makes for a very happy mommy too!). We transitioned her into her bassinette this past weekend and that's letting us get better sleep too. While we miss having her in our bed, the last thing we want is to have a 5 year-old who can't sleep anywhere else but with us. She's even started smiling and cooing much more over the past week. It just melts my heart when she gives me that big toothless grin.

She's just a beautiful and wonderful little girl. We are very lucky parents. Although sometimes it makes me a little sad that she is growing up so fast, I can't wait for the new things that every day brings with her.

Oh how the time flies!

I just can't believe my little girl is already 23 days old! She is just the most miraculous thing that has ever happened to me. I can't even put into words how much I adore our little family. It's certainly been a crazy first 3 weeks, but we get more used to one another with each moment together.

Well, here's just a quick synopsis of the last few weeks. So far we've seen our pediatrician three times. As of last Wednesday (2 weeks and 1 day old) she has gained 4 oz. from her birth weight and grown 2 inches! And that was up 12 oz. from just 6 days earlier! She really is thriving which I'm so happy with. Nursing is going really well and I'm so happy that I stuck with it even when it was incredibly painful and difficult. It's so worth it now. I really hope we can keep it up. Sleeping is going well. We're tired, but she's a good sleeper so we appreciate what we do get. She's usually only up one or two times in the middle of the night. My mommy confidence is improving each day.

I love watching her sleep (looks just like her dad when she's totally zonked out and is totally adorable). And she makes the cutest faces and smiles at us. Although I suspect it is just gas at least some of the time, that doesn't make it any less sweet. She's just a great baby. Even survived 2 BC football tailgates so far. So basically, we're just totally loving her to pieces all the time. I hope time slows down soon though. I know before I know it, she's going to be a toddler running around and raisin' hell and I'm sure we'll be loving every minute of that too.

Our Birth Story

Well, little Keegan Catherine is now busy enjoying her 1 week birthday in this big crazy world. And in honor of that, here is her birth story...

The plan was to begin our induction on Monday morning (the 17th) with cervical ripening gel and then to go home on Monday night for early labor and return Tuesday morning (the 18th) to start Pitocin and have this baby. Unfortunately, the baby's heart rate wasn't having enough accelerations for the doctors to feel comfortable giving me the gel. Instead, the midwife on call decided that we would just start Pitocin on Monday and get the show going since I was still only 1+ cm dilated and 70% effaced. We were a little surprised and unprepared, thinking that we would have one more night at home, but luckily we had all of our supplies with us and we were anxious to meet our little one. We were checked into labor and delivery and I started on a Pitocin drip as well as IV fluid. I was hooked up to monitors to track my contractions and the baby's heartbeat. Then the waiting started....

It was a long day and night of little sleep, contractions, walking the hospital halls, constant nurse visits and monitor readjustments. Timmy even went out and got us milkshakes to help pass the waiting time (I have a great husband!) By 6 o'clock Tuesday morning I was exhausted and I decided I really needed to get some rest because I would need it for delivery. The nurses gave me a shot of nubain. I can't sing the praises of this drug enough. It was like taking 6 shots of tequila without any of the horrible side effects. First I became giggly and then I happily became very sleepy and was finally able to get some rest. I definitely think it was the best decision for me. Throughout the day they continued upping they amount of Pitocin I was receiving. When I got to 4 or 5 centimeters (around 12 noon), the contractions were painful enough that I requested an epidural. I felt no guilt about this since I knew I was going to want it going into labor. The anesthesiologist was wonderful (and also pregnant and understanding) and all I felt was the stinging of the local anesthetic. Before I knew it, I was much more comfortable. I lost all feeling from my abdomen down, but was happy to still be able to feel my legs enough to move my body on my own. I was worried that everything would be limp, but glad that that wasn't the case. By 3 o'clock I was 7 cms and at 5 o'clock, I was surprised to be fully dilated and ready to push.

Rachel, one of the midwives who took care of us during this long labor, had already delivered 3 babies that day and was hoping that ours would be her fourth. Unfortunately, I was still pushing 2 hours later when all of the shifts changed and we got new nurses and midwives. Although I really had the pushing technique down, our little girl was in a posterior position or "sunny side up" and therefore had a much more difficult time passing through my pelvic bone. My usual midwife, Helen, took up the job that Rachel had to leave and it was nice to have someone I was so familiar with being there with me. Tim was the best coach and he held one of my legs while counting me through all of my pushes. Unfortunately, my contractions, even with the help of Pitocin, weren't occurring often enough to really make the baby progress between pushes. At 10 o'clock, the medical personnel had decided that I had been pushing for far too long and they were going to have to use the vacuum to assist our little girl on her way out. Along with this would come the dreaded episiotomy that I had insisted I did not want. I assured them I could continue pushing and luckily my attitude was positive enough that within minutes, I had made just the progress that I needed to. Everyone was amazing and so encouraging. Before I knew it, there was some slight burning and then I felt my whole body empty and I heard my little girl crying. It was absolutely the most surreal moment of my life. Tim and I were both crying and I just kept asking "Is she pretty?" I think I must have been unable to wrap my mind around the extraordinary thing that had just happened. Tim says she was blue when she first came out, but within seconds, she was pink and in my arms. Tim cut her cord and there we were, a brand new family.

We stayed in the hospital until Friday. I had developed a fever while I was pushing and so they needed to keep Keegan on IV antibiotics for 48 hours. It's been a huge transition being home, but we're all getting much more accustomed to eachother as each hour goes by. Tim has been absolutely amazing and my confidence is getting better every day. Breastfeeding has left me pretty sore to say the least. It's not easy, especially with the baby blues and hormonal craziness I've been experiencing, but she's just such a joy, it's hard for me to feel anything but total love for everything she does. We're just very very lucky new parents.

Announcement to the World

I'm guest authoring my wife's blog today as she is currently busy taking care of our 8lbs. 4oz. bundle of joy, the little girl formerly known as Tazby...

Keegan Catherine Parcell entered the world at 10:11pm on September 18, 2007 and both mom and girl are fantastic, healthy, and beautiful.

I'm sure that Smokin' Hot Mama will have plenty to write about as the next chapter of life begins. One things for sure, the belly won't be growing anymore!

Stay tuned...

+5

So I'm 5 days overdue and there's still no sign of Tazby...

We met with our midwife, Helen, today to check my progress. Unfortunately it wasn't as much as I'd hoped after many hours of increasing contractions over the last several days. I'm still between 60% and 70% effaced and 1+ cm. dilated. I know it doesn't mean that she's not coming soon, but it was somewhat of a disappointment and, I have to admit, it was really hard for me to hear. Timmy and I are both just very anxious to get through this phase and onto parenthood. Thank goodness for Timmy though. He never fails to put things in perspective for me and make a tough situation much look so much brighter.

The good news is that we know for sure that if she's not here by Monday, we'll get started with an induction. Helen just said that I wasn't "favorable" enough (i.e. I haven't progressed on my own enough) to schedule one any earlier. Plus, she said she wants to be selfish and deliver me herself so she picked her next 24 hour shift to induce me. I personally think she just wants me to avoid the induction and let this little girl come at her own time, but I appreciate her excuse too :-) Although 7 days seems like an eternity from now, I'm thrilled to have an absolute end date in the calendar. I know this waiting has been so nerve-frying for everyone who cares about us and hopefully this will ease things a bit.

We'll be seeing Helen again on Thursday morning to check on my progress and then, in the afternoon, we'll be getting a biophysical profile for little Tazby so we know that she's fine for a few more days, if need be. I guess I'll just have to take my mother-in-law's advice and enjoy the peace and quiet I have now because as wonderful as having our daughter here will be, I know that it won't be able to be described as peace and quiet!

Maternity Leave: Day 1

"The time has come. The time is now.
Just go. Go. Go! I don't care how.
You can go by foot. You can go by cow.
You can go on stilts.You can go by fish.
You can go in a Crunk-Car if you wish." - Dr. Seuss

I was hopeful that I would be able to begin maternity leave as a new mommy, but, of course, our little Irish girl is being stubborn for sure! So, little Tazby, I'm getting ready to send you your official eviction notice. Don't get me wrong. I have loved having you the last 9 months, but I know you're running out of room since you've expanded to taking up residence in my ribs and you have a lot of people out here who are so excited to meet you, especially your mom and dad.

I'm glad to not have had to take the train into work this morning. It certainly is more comfortable sitting in my own living room than at my desk, but I have a feeling that this day is going to drag on as I try to find things to occupy my time and encourage my water to break and contractions to start. And I know it's tough for Timmy having to be at work an hour away from me in case something happens. So, send me some labor dust! I think I'll go eat some pineapple now...

Patience is a Virtue...

...which I have yet to master. Well, today is my due date, but as Timmy reminded me this morning, it is only an estimated date of arrival and certainly not a guarantee. As you can probably tell by my lack of news, Tazby has yet to make her grand entrance into this world.

I had an appointment with my OB yesterday. I'm making progress, but there's really no way to tell when this whole thing is going to go down. If she's not here by Tuesday, I have another appointment and we'll talk about doing a biophysical profile to assess how she's doing and whether or not an induction will be necessary. I'm hoping to avoid that, but we will, of course, do whatever is safest for her.

Although it is disappointing to see your due date come and go, I know she'll be here when she's ready. At least I only have 1 day of work left before I start my maternity leave so I'll be able to get plenty of rest to prepare for labor and delivery.

As the waiting continues, wish us luck that we'll meet our little girl soon (Any time would be fine with us, but I know Timmy is secretly hoping she'll come sometime this weekend between the BC football game and the Patriots season debut)! Thanks for checking in!

"Is she here yet?"

While I appreciate that the phone calls have not yet started asking me if I’ve had the baby, I’m starting to realize that it’s still the only thing on most peoples’ minds. I was just sitting here (at my desk at work) and feeling distracted (which is the only way I feel these days). It was one of the more quiet moments I get here when no one walks by me and comments that “Oh, I’m still here?” followed by advice on how to induce my own labor. Well, as I was sitting, I was thinking I should call Timmy at work and say hi. He’s been so busy trying to tie up some loose ends so he leaves everything in a somewhat completed state when he has to pick up at the drop of a hat and head out on a couple of weeks of paternity leave. I thought maybe a quick phone call instead of an e-mail would perk up his day a bit. But I’ve decided against it after more thought. Even if there are a million things going on around him and he’s far too busy to have a pointless conversation with his bored wife (which I know he is and completely understand), he’d answer his phone in fear that it was me calling in an emergency situation (which it isn’t at all). I think I’ll leave the phone right where it is.

I called my mom yesterday to tell her how we had finished all of our final shopping for the baby and I swear she was half way to the car on her way to the hospital by the time I got a single word out. Even Tim has all but been forbidden from calling his family in the middle of the day because it’s so out of character for him, they assume it must mean baby time. Even when I called my dad last week to set up plans for BC’s tailgate on Saturday, the first words out of my mouth were “don’t worry, there’s no baby yet”. I’m not even sure he was going ask, but I thought I’d go for the preemptive strike in that case.

Eh, I guess I can’t blame any of them. I guess it’s easy for me to judge since I always know what’s going on with me and the baby. I think the best solution is to start appreciating more how many people there are that care about us so much.

Labor Day!

Yep, it's labor day! Unfortunately, it has little more significance for me than the usual three-day weekend off from work. So, you guessed it, I'm still pregnant. I can't complain too much though. I'm not actually overdue yet or anything and my back has been feeling significantly better over the past several days. Plus, not having a baby yet gave Timmy and I a chance to get the last of our baby shopping done today, as well as some house organizing and laundry done. I have to give Timmy the credit for all of that though. By the time we got back from a day out at Babies R Us and Magic Beans, I was exhausted and not feeling well at all. He's really been taking amazing care of me and letting me get all the rest I need. He's going to be a great dad.

Tomorrow I'll officially be able to say that Tazby is due the day after tomorrow. I'm not sure why this is significant, but I guess I'm just happy to say it. We've decided that we'll just be as prepared as we can be for her arrival because, in all honesty, we may really never feel completely ready. There is just too much unknown. I'm trying to be patient. As I said in my last post, I know she'll come when she's ready. We're predicting next weekend, but I've been having a lot of contractions over the past couple of days so I guess we'll just wait and see. I'm just relieved to know that after our shopping excursion today, Tazby has a Goober Bear to come home to :-) What a lucky girl....

5 days to go!

Well, I guess I'm counting down to a fairly arbitrary date. While it is my "due date", it is, after all, referred to as an estimated due date. I have to say that I was fairly shocked to find out that less than 4% of women actually deliver on their "EDD". In fact, first time moms can almost always be counted on to deliver 10 days after their assigned due date. So, I guess it's all a waiting game at this point. Since I've never been pregnant before, I have absolutely no idea what all of the aches and pains I'm feeling are. I'm definitely having the occasional contraction, but nothing that I can really track. While they can get pretty painful, there certainly nothing like what I've heard described. Every time I feel one, I think to myself , "this has to be it." But in my head, I'm pretty confident that I shouldn't even begin to expect her until after her due date. It's funny that it's even more tangible to count down to the start of my maternity leave, even though I'm not scheduled to leave until 1 day after my due date (unless she arrives early or on time).


So, basically, I'm thinking that doctors should start giving expecting parents an estimated due month...or maybe even a 5 week time span. I'm just thinking that if they did this, they'd avoid all of those unhappy very pregnant women who anticipate their due date for 9 months only to have it pass them by uneventfully. I guess I'll just keep on waiting on her. I'm sure she'll come when she's ready. Until then, I'm going to keep counting down to one of many possible days that she might make her arrival :-)

Scary Baby!

As my work day was wrapping up yesterday, I came to the realization that I hadn't felt Tazby move for almost all of the day. Now, I can't emphasize enough what an incredibly active baby we have here. I didn't want to be alarmed, but my midwife is always telling me that the baby should never slow down (which is what some people say will happen as you near your due date).

So, I gave my doctor's office a call, but of course by now it was after hours so I was connected with Brigham and Women's and the midwife there said they wanted me to come in and get monitored right away. I called Timmy and told him what was going on, but that everything was probably fine. He sounded so nervous I think he probably had enough adrenaline to run to the hospital faster than he could drive.

I hopped in a cab and went straight to the hospital. They took great care of me and immediately hooked me up to a bunch of monitors to track Tazby's little heartbeat and my contractions. It took her a little while, but after 3 glasses of apple juice, our little girl was back to her normal rambunctious self. Timmy raced to the hospital (even offering to get our labor and delivery bag from home on the way...I told him we wouldn't need it) and he was great at reassuring me that I had done the right thing by getting us both checked out.

Long story short, every thing's great. She's even been overly active today (which is much more reassuring than bothersome right now). I think it might have something to do with the stern talking-to Timmy gave her last night (don't worry, he read her a book right after :-) My midwife even called me at home before work this morning so she could have me come in and get monitored at my usual doc's office just for extra reassurance. Everything looked great. Despite the scare she gave us, she really came through in the end. I couldn't be happier or more relieved.

Only one more week to go until the big due date! Come on little Tazby!

Going Strong!

Well, there are officially only 9 days left until my due date! I can't believe it's here already. I am happy to announce that I am feel much less stressed and more prepared than in my last post. Timmy did an amazing job on our nursery and it's absolutely beautiful. She's a very lucky girl to already have such an amazing dad. All of Tazby's clothes are washed and put away in her drawers and we've stocked up on all our newborn essentials for when she comes home. It's incredible to think we're going to meet our little girl so soon.

I met with my midwife today. Everything is going great. Tazby keeps getting lower and I'm about 70% effaced, but not dilated yet. I'm hoping I'll make even more progress before my appointment next week. Anyway, everything is going great. I'm having some back pain that's making it hard to get around, but it's bearable knowing I don't have to deal with it for too much longer.

I'll try and keep posting small updates every day until the big day comes! Thanks for checking in!

Only 4 weeks to go!

I have to be honest, I'm really feeling the pressure right about now (and no, I'm not talking about the baby constantly sitting on my bladder, which she is.) I know I haven't posted in a while, but things have been hectic and I think there are far too many emotions currently going on for me to be able to really focus on one thing for long periods of time.

On a good note, my mother threw me a lovely baby shower where our little Tazby was spoiled beyond belief by many people who already care about her. She is definitely a very lucky girl and I'm lucky to be reassured that she will be well taken care of always.

Prepared Childbirth class has been going well (despite traumatic video viewings of a birth and c-section), but we managed to survive and Timmy has been great through the whole thing (only one more class to go). I can tell though that he's feeling the pressure as much as I am. While I'm focused on actual labor and delivery and bringing home a newborn, he's worried about having everything ready and providing and taking care of his family. I suppose we're both just anxious about the unknown. It's so hard not knowing when she's coming because, honestly, a due date certainly doesn't mean she's going to show on that date. I even started feeling a lot of cramping and pain in my abdomen on my way home on the train tonight and completely convinced myself that I was going into labor. As soon as I got home, I rested and the pain eventually subsided. I'm pretty sure that she's just dropping and hitting things I haven't felt before, but it did make me acutely aware of how petrified I am that she'll come early. We don't have bags packed or the nursery ready. There is just still so much to do, but we're making progress and my wonderful husband is prepping so much for her.

People who have never been pregnant sometimes compare it to planning for a wedding. Now, this is totally delusional. A wedding lasts for a day! One single day! While some relationships may change slightly after the wedding day, it is certainly nothing like the dramatic change you undergo when you have children. Not to mention how unfair it is that I had 18 months to plan for a single day and only 9 months to prepare to claim sole responsibility for another human being!

Suffice it to say, I'm nervous. I guess I have to assume that every pregnant woman feels this as she nears the end. I know that friends who are expecting after me are all feeling the same pressure. It's hard to get up and go to work everyday and pretend like you're not completely distracted by this little baby jumping and kicking. I've even started analyzing every ache and pain to determine if perhaps it's the "real thing". Well, it's not and rationally I know that, but something in my just wants to make sure that when it's happening, I know it's happening. I just hope that soon I can start feeling more assured and less completely overwhelmed. As excited as I am to meet our little girl, I'm hormonal and emotional and completely scared. Maybe I'll have to wait for that to subside until she heads off to college.

For all you who have missed me, I'll be posting again shortly on the shock of discovering my first stretch mark and fred flintstone feet...oh what a week that was!

Preppin' for havin' this baby!

I am happy to report that we successfully survived our first Prepared Childbirth class. For those not experiencing this whole pregnancy yet, this is a bit like what they used to call Lamaze class (except we didn't sit on the floor the whole time and practice breathing, but we still have 5 more classes to go so we'll see if we get there...). Despite a few traumatizing moments and smart alec comments by Timmy to the rest of the class (although I think he's a big hit :-), I have to say it was a good overall experience.

I can't tell you what a relief it was to see so many other couples feeling the exact same insecurities about the entire preparing for baby part as we have been feeling. I think we can most luckily just chalk it up to anxiety about the complete unknown. As much as we can prepare mentally and physically, there is still no way for us to know when she is going to come and how it's going to be. As much as we were dreading having to go to these classes, I think we'll actually be really glad that we did. Not to mention the additional hospital tour (so Tim isn't catching any babies in the back seat of our car!) and our Caring For Your Newborn class (so we can hone all of our awesome parenting skills).

I can't say I'm really looking forward to the classes where they show us labor and delivery videos, but as long as they keep up teaching husbands new massage tricks, I think I'll have to keep going back.

Also, just an update that Tazby is doing great. She's measuring perfectly for 32 weeks and already is head down and ready to go! I'm sure she'll be stubborn though and I'll go 2 weeks after my due date. I passed my one hour glucose test, don't need to take iron pills, and the doctor said my moderate weight gain is perfect. I just hope the whole rest of this crazy pregnancy thing keeps going so well! Wish us luck!

Gettin' "Knocked Up"

I feel like everywhere I go, I'm constantly being asked if I've seen "Knocked Up". I have been wanting to see it, but we're constant procrastinators when it comes to actually making it to the theater. Well, we compromised and saw "Transformers" on Friday night (which I really enjoyed despite having very little knowledge of what I was in for). And today, we actually made it to the theater to see "Knocked Up". It normally would be a movie that I would wait until it hit DVD to see, but with it being so relevant to us and my exhaustion at constantly having to listen to people tell me how funny and horribly graphic it is, we decided to see it before Tazby made her debut.

So, here's my opinion/review. While there were some very funny scenes, I think I definitely would have enjoyed the entire movie experience more if I was not currently pregnant. I suppose something about it what a little too realistic and tangible to really enjoy. While there is so much excitement that comes as your pregnancy progresses towards the end, there is also a lot fear that accompanies it and it became a little to imminent for me.

There were some things that I thought were really spot on and accurate with what I have experienced (like the roller coaster of emotion that comes when you first find out you are pregnant), but there were other things that I thought were absolutely ridiculous (aside from just her belly). First off, she looked far too comfortable putting on knee high stiletto boots and hitting up the clubs in the last month of her pregnancy and secondly, the fact that she just avoided telling anyone at work and no one bothered to mention it until she was in her 8th month? Really not realistic.

For me, the best part of the movie was that they succeeded in avoiding all of those pregnancy cliches that are easy to identify in any movie involving a pregnant woman. While there were the occasional hormonal outbursts, they were all warranted and realistic. There were no obsessive eating or excessive morning sickness scenes (as true to life as those situations can be). This woman didn't just lose her identity when she became pregnant. It was nice for me to see them explore that perspective. It was heartwarming to see this couple really experience the ups and downs of preparing for a child together...I just think I would have enjoyed it more if I had really been able to detach myself from the story line a bit more. As Timmy put it, it'll be nice to watch it once we've already been through the process ourselves and know that we can do it. Maybe then we can sit back and laugh...but that's just this pregnant girl's review. To read more of Timmy's take, check out his site here.

Check back early this week as I'll be posting about our first "Prepared Childbirth Class" that we're having tomorrow. I can't believe there are only 8 and a half weeks to go until our little girl is here! AH! :-)

Oh the pressures...

There's a whole freakin' lot of responsibility that comes with being a parent. I'm not even one yet, but I find at times that I feel a little overwhelmed by the decisions that you have to make very early in your child's life despite not having a chance to educate yourself first.

This is a bit related to my previous post about educating yourself to make the best decisions in your own situation. I was having a discussion with the co-worker who originally sent me to my new chiropractor. This is a woman who I respect very highly and whose opinion I hold in high regard. We began to discuss the latest research that connects infant vaccinations to autism, ADD, ADHD and additional behavioral disorders. It really got me thinking about how little we know about the long term effects that these "chemicals" are having on our children.

I'm only just beginning to do my own research on the subject and I plan on discussing this more in depth later as I become better informed, but I was shocked to learn that mercury is used as the main preservative in vaccinations (known as thiomersol) and that these behavioral disorders are often seen to be developing immediately following standard childhood inoculations. Not only that, but the symptoms of autism are nearly identical to those of mercury poisoning.

The problem is that the U.S. Government and the CDC refuse to release information that has been gathered in their experiments on this subject. Europe has been much more forthcoming with information and dozens of countries now explicitly ban these preservatives while they still sit on the shelf, waiting to be used in the U.S.

Anyhow, I will continue to update with information I gather. I can't guarantee that I won't automatically refuse vaccinations for our daughter, but at least we're going to be heavily weigh our options and decide what is best for her. As much as I would like to post some websites that I think you should visit, I'm going to hold off until I feel as though I've looked at this argument from both sides. Until then, I encourage any parents-to-be reading this to start their own research and arm themselves with information.

Dr. Steve

This is just a quick follow-up to my journey through pregnancy back pain. After hearing rave reviews from a co-worker about the chiropractor she has been seeing since she first became pregnant 3 years ago, I gave him a call and was fit in for an appointment Thursday afternoon. All I have to say is that Dr. Steve (just what I call him...not actually what he goes by) is a miracle worker. He adjusted several of my vertebrae and took away so much of my pain that I could not believe how much better I felt.

As most of you know, I was very hesitant about seeing a chiropractor because I'm a little over-protective of my spinal cord. I couldn't be happier that I took a referral from a friend and found someone trust worthy and competent to help ease these aches and pains of pregnancy. I'm finally sleeping normally again and able to put my focus back on life. I even saw him again this morning and will continue to do so as often as I can throughout this pregnancy and after. So to all pregnant ladies, find yourself a great chiropractor. You'll thank me.

About those aches and pains...

Ok, so for all of you who tuned into yesterdays post about my back ache and my medication struggle, I didn't want to keep you on the edge of your seat much longer. I decided I just wasn't sure enough about the oxycodone to go ahead and take it last night. I did manage to get a little bit of sleep when I sat straight up on the couch, but those three hours didn't leave me feeling very well rested. So, I hemmed and hawed all day and spent half my day at work researching all of the horrible and detrimental side effects of giving this medicine to my little Tazby. I even made an appointment with a chiropractor and called my midwife for her expert opinion. After all the research and pain, I decided I was going to do the dreaded thing and "pop the pill".

So I took this little miracle pill that I didn't want to take, but I did it because I thought it was going to be the solution to all of my problems. And guess what? It didn't work! It didn't even leave me pain free for 30 minutes. Seriously, what a waste of hemming and hawing. Now it's back to the starting board. I'll let you know how it goes. Maybe the chiropractor will even call me back tomorrow. That visit will be a whole post in and of itself. If you happen to have any insight, feel free to comment. I could use any help I can get right now!

Aches and Pains

Well, I'm currently 28 and 6 days along in this pregnancy which means that I'm officially in the third trimester! YAY for me for making it this far without any major psycho-hormonal moments! Well, I haven't asked my husband yet if that's really true, but I can't remember any so I'm going with it.

Pregnancy has really been great up until now (once I got past that morning sickness, of course), but as much as I already love my little girl, but I have to say that this baby is getting on my nerves....literally. I saw a doc today to check out why my back feels like it's had a knife sticking out of it for the last several days. Apparently Tazby has decided to wedge herself on a nerve cluster in my back and is refusing to budge. Well, despite Timmy's stern talk with her and my threatening to ground her as soon as she makes her first appearance, she still isn't letting me sleep at night or focus on anything at work.

So the doc did the only thing he really could do (following a thorough examination)...he wrote me a prescription for percocet. Now, I'm not on the "natural birth" train when it comes to labor and delivery and will happily welcome an anesthesiologist into my room when the time is right, but I've really tried to avoid medications since I've been pregnant. I have my pill case stocked with pre-natal vitamins, tums, and extra-strength tylenol, but the vitamins are the only ones I take with any sort of regularity. As you can tell, I'm a little apprehensive about taking any dose of a pain killer...even one prescribed by an ob/gyn with full knowledge of my pregnancy. I haven't taken one yet and I'm not sure if I plan on it, but I guess I can't say until I've reached another sleepless night yet.

I guess the point is that I'm not trying to judge anyone who relies on prescription medication for any affliction, but in my own opinion, it's important to do your own research and decide for yourself what is best for you (and your baby, if the case my be). Just because a doctor prescribes it, you don't have to take it. I'll let you know tomorrow if I caved in and took a little help to ease my pain. Either way, I won't doubt my decision because I'll know I made the choice that was best for us.

The Mommy Test

Whenever one of my pregnant friends (ok, so I only have 2 so that narrows it down) starts worrying about something pregnancy related (ie, not feeling kicks frequently "enough" or the ultrasound technician saying that the baby has a big head), I calmly explain that these are those moments of pregnancy that makes us into moms. I'm convinced that every pregnant women must go through some phase of over-worrisomeness in order to know that she indeed will survive motherhood, no matter how difficult and troublesome things may get.

I felt blessed to have made it through the first 18 weeks of pregnancy with total blissful ignorance. Although I knew that a few women have miscarriages, It never occurred to me that it happens as often as it does because I had no scares or worries about it. This is very unlike one of my friends who spent almost 12 weeks certain that she was losing her baby. Thankfully, everything turned out wonderfully and her baby boy is due in mid-October. This was "her scare", her time to worry. Although she sometimes does wonder if he kicks enough (yes, she over-analyzes everything), at least she knows that he's there kicking sometimes.

My first moment of worry came when the doctors first told us that our little girl may have a heart defect. Thankfully, after 4 weeks of worry and several ultrasounds, our pediatric cardiologist told us that everything looked great. I'm pretty certain that this was my "mommy test" (not the funny mommy test). Through patience and support, we waited to hear good news and were happily rewarded.

On Friday, I had my second "mommy test". I was unhappy to find myself having uncomfortable pains in my abdomen while working. As the pain grew worse, I finally decided that I had to call my doc and get in there. Although I was sure that it was just "round ligament pain", I was, as I was assured by my doctor, having contractions. Fortunately they were simple Braxton Hicks contractions, a common occurrence in the second half of pregnancy (someone could have told me that earlier, thank you!). I just needed to drink more water with the temperatures rising.

The point is, I think most of us over think every little thing that happens during pregnancy. We just need to use our intuition to figure out what are normal and what are "mommy tests". Just remember, that they all make us better parents and people in the end. I'm hoping these are the only two she puts me through though! I don't think I want to handle any more worrying!

Dressing my Growing Belly

Just to start off, Mommy and baby are doing great. Tazby is still very active and I love (mostly!) getting to feel her everyday. I think the next big moving milestone will be when I can actually see her distinct movements from the outside. In my head it seems really strange, like a scene from Alien, but I know, just like all of the other milestones of this pregnancy, it will be wonderful.

So, I feel very fortunate that I'm pregnant now and not, say, 10 years ago. Aside from the fact that I would have only been 15, but because maternity clothes are so much more fashionable now than they have ever been in the past. This is a great thing because as pregnant women adjust to their rapidly changing figures, it's nice to be able to put on clothes that fit and look good too and don't make us feel like houses. This giant belly certainly isn't going anywhere so I might as well embrace it for what it is (and in something better than a muumuu, thank you!). As I read somewhere "I'm not gaining weight, I'm growing life"...(also a very appropriate response to all those strangers who insist on commenting on my figure)...so I'll love it while I have it. I've actually started referring to non-maternity clothes as "real people clothes". I don't know what that makes me, but oh well. There are only a few clothing gripes that I do have...here they are.

1. Why does every maternity shirt insist on being equipped with strings that tie in the back. Although I do own my fair share of these and some of them are very complimentary to my new shape, it's also nice to have some days where I'm not forced to wear a giant bow on my back...but maybe that's just me since my pregnant friend Martha insists on only buying shirts with the giant bow.
2. With all of the different social events of the summer, I've had a hell of a time finding dresses. Most mornings when I wake up, it's too hot to even thinking about putting an outfit together (which may even consist of several layers). Dresses are a great solution for this. Although there are some nice dresses out there, they tend to all look alike (and have a giant bow in the back) and are ridiculously expensive for something with such a limited shelf-life. If you have any of your own clothing observations, I'd love to hear them so leave a comment!

Now, with that being said, there are some great things that I love about maternity clothes.

1. Elastics...yep, when at most times of my life, I dread the thought of only being able to comfortably wear clothing without zippers, buttons or snaps, there is nothing I like better these days. It gives total freedom to let it all hang out with absolutely no discomfort...amazing.
2. I think I may never wear real jeans again (well, at least I'll know I'll never be as comfortable in them as I am in my maternity jeans). What most people don't realize is that they are like stretch pants, only they look like denim! Get that? While we all know (or should) that stretch pants are a horrible fashion statement, there is absolutely no denying that if it was social acceptable, we would wear them everyday for sheer comfort alone. Not only do maternity jeans look like stretch pants, but some of them have big cotton panels that cover your whole tummy so you never have to worry about your shirt riding up and your belly hanging out. Yes, these are the things that get me excited these days.

For future reference, here are my absolute favorite maternity stores. Check them out:
GapMaternity (great weekend clothes, great prices and my favorite jeans!)
H&M Maternity (also some great deals)
Mimi Maternity (huge selection)

And here's a funny website on how to find good maternity clothes. I think the advice is great if you're going to live on your couch for the entire pregnancy (seriously, leggings and your husband's button-down shirts?), but nonetheless, I was entertained.

I'm excited for the day I can fit into my old clothes again, but for the time being, I'll be chillin' in my elastic pants and loving it :-)

UPDATES!

I know it's been a while since my last post. I certainly didn't mean to let it go this long, but thankfully I'm in the "honeymoon" period of my pregnancy and therefore don't have too many things to report on.

I recently switched doctors for convenience reasons and am thrilled with my new midwife (no, I'm not having an at-home, unmedicated birth...bring on the drugs as far as I'm concerned at this point!). Anyway, the point is, I'm really glad that I've switched and will be delivering at Brigham and Women's Hospital (yes, the same one where I was born!) I'm also pleased with the fact that I've only packed on 11.5 lbs. as of my 23 week appointment...not so bad from what I hear!

Tazby's doing great and she's moving like crazy these days. It's very reassuring to have a constant reminder that she's doing well and thriving in there. This Sunday was my very first Mother's Day (even though I'm only a mother-to-be I still think that I get to celebrate.) I have to say that the best part of the day was Tim finally being able to feel her kick. Lately, every time she's been kicking like crazy, I've tried to get him to feel it, but usually as soon as he gets close, she stops. This time though, she was running a marathon in there and he definitely didn't miss it. I can't wait until he starts feeling it more and more. Sometimes I feel bad that he doesn't get this time with her like I do. At least I know he'll be a wonderful father and probably never want to put her down! We also picked up some very cute baby things at Target. It's crazy to think that with medicine these days, if little Tazby was born today (knock on wood), there's a good chance that she would be just fine. I think I get more excited for her arrival every day. Also, my mom finally remembered that my due date was September 6th JUST LIKE MY LITTLE GIRL! WEIRD! I'm not sure why this blows me away, but it totally does.

I'd say the worst part about this time of the pregnancy is the allergies. I'm so used to popping a benadryl every night before bed when this time of year rolls around, but that's a no go for now so I'm living off of our new awesome ionic air filter...so far I have to give it a thumbs up. I'm sure you'll all be checking in every day for my allergy updates (yeah, right...I warned you that I didn't have much to report).

Unless, something miraculous happens in the next couple of days, my next post may just be about the ridiculously difficult time I've had finding a dress to fit my growing belly...that's ok though. It's worth it for our little girl! Happy Mother's Day to all you mommies and mommies-to be! You deserve it!

I'm still here!

Sorry everyone, it's been a bit since I posted. Things have been so busy around here that I just haven't been able to get my act together (maybe I was just too wrapped up in the Red Sox sweeping the Yankees), but I'm happy to be finding some time now. Since you last heard from me, I have officially hit my half way mark in this pregnancy. I'm currently 20 weeks and 6 days. I've started feeling our little girl moving all the time. I keep being told I'm in the "honeymoon phase" of my pregnancy. I'm over the morning sickness and have yet to get too big as to be constantly uncomfortable or swollen. I think maybe they have a point. I do feel great. I have my share of back pains and I have definitely "popped" and am really showing now. Some girls at work have even started tracing my growing belly every 2 weeks. It's absolutely horrifying, but they've promised that "I will love it" after I have the baby (I sure hope so or else it's really not worth it).

So, back to my very active daughter. Feeling your baby move is one of the craziest feelings anyone can ever experience as far as I'm concerned. Part of it is absolutely wonderful knowing that your baby is in there (I mean, obviously I know she's in there, but this is a very tangible reminder). And despite how wonderful it is, sometimes it makes me feel like there's an alien in my stomach trying to break out. Either way, I can't say that I don't smile everytime I feel her so I certainly have nothing to complain about. Now I can't wait until she starts kicking hard enough for Timmy to feel her too. I'm already predicting she's got a great running future ahead of her with her daddy as a coach!

I actually predicted we had a little gymnast in there since I saw her do flips at our first ultrasound around 13 weeks (despite Timmy's insistance that we really didn't have the genes for that with his amazon like height and my complete lack of coordination), but I guess we'll just have to see! It was also nice to have the doctors all reconfirm this week that it is indeed a girl...it even made me feel better being able to see "the money shot" for myself on the ultrasound screen. It just nice to be able to see her thriving in there

So that's all the exciting news for now. I'm already working on my next post now about my feelings on The Nest and other mommy bloggers. Keep checking back in for baby Parcell updates!

How to Talk to a Pregnant Woman

This is advice that, as far as I'm concerned, is applicable to everyone. I wish someone had given it to me before I was pregnant. As basic as some of these things may seem, you'd be shocked that those of you who have never been pregnant before just don't seem to get it.

So, pregnant women sometime have a tendency to gripe a bit. And you know what? We deserve it. As much of a blessing as it is to carry a child, it's definitely not easy. First, there's the morning sickness. When I was dealing with morning sickness, it was an inexplicable all day feeling of being on the verge of losing whatever I had just managed to eat. Thank God for chocolate milk, bagels, and oranges which got me through my toughest days. Once the morning sickness subsides, there is the constant back pain, headaches, swollen hands, legs and feet. Then, of course, we have that little joy of pregnancy called labor and delivery. I haven't gone through it yet, but from the impression I've received from those who have, it certainly is never considered painless. All in all, what I'm trying to say is, we have a right to gripe a little if we want to. If you have an issue with it, you get pregnant and see how it feels.

Among pregnant women, the most common gripe regards rude comments and inappropriate touching from family, friends, coworkers and that overly friendly guy on the street or in line at the grocery store or on the train. So, for all of you who currently fit into one of those categories, I have some tips for you that will help you to avoid aggravating any pregnant women in your life.

First off, and most important, never tells us we look huge (or fat!). We're carrying a baby. It comes with baggage. We know we're bigger than we used to be and we deal with the prospect everyday that we may never return to having those abs of steel. Last thing we need to hear from you is that we must be having a giant baby because we still have 2, 5, or 7 months to go. Everyone carries a baby differently so please don't compare our growing bellies with any other pregnant woman you've ever known. If you feel completely compelled to say anything about our appearance, most likely you will have to "stretch the truth". I don't care if it's a bold face lie and I actually have acne all over my face, just tell me I'm glowing. Even if I know that I can't see my own feet and haven't been able to tie my own shoes for weeks, lie and tell me I'm barely showing or that I'm definitely "all baby" and just carrying in my belly. And never ever say anything about my clothes getting too small or not matching. Unless you've been pregnant (and therefore aware enough not to say these things), you have no idea what it's like to have to get dressed every morning. Some days I end up sitting on the floor of my closet in my bath robe out of exhaustion and frustration resulting from trying to find an outfit.

Secondly, unless we take your hand and place it on our belly, please make no attempt to touch me. Unless you are a close female relative or my husband, don't rub, poke, or hold your hand on my stomach. I was recently discussing this exact topic with a pregnant friend and we came up with several strategies. I've decided that every time someone inappropriately touches my baby bump, I'm going to go ahead and rub their beer gut right back. Then I'm going to ask you if you like it. Kinda snarky, I know, but it's my prerogative. I also enjoyed my friend's strategy. She's going for the all out avoidance method. As soon as she sees that hand headed to her belly, she's going to zig and zag and jump wildly out of the way just to avoid it. I don't know how successful it will be, but it's going to be hilarious to watch and that's enough for me.

My husband and I made a conscious decision to find out the sex or our child and to make this public knowledge. We also decided that we would keep our baby's name a secret until she is born. This means that it is a secret from everyone, including our parents, our siblings, our closest friends. When I politely tell you that we are keeping the name a surprise, don't try and convince me to tell you because you won't tell anyone else. Please think for a moment, if we're going to tell anyone, why would I be telling my coworker who I hardly know? Ridiculous...One of the main reasons were not announcing it is because I have no interest in hearing what your opinion is. This is our baby and we get to name her. It's one of the perks.

All in all, when having a conversation about the baby, don't ask if I'm excited. Of course I'm excited. If I wasn't, I wouldn't tell you anyway. I'm also absolutely terrified and I don't feel like you need to know that either. Also, don't asked me if it was planned. I know I've been married less than a year. I know I'm only 24. You don't need to point these things out to me. We're having a baby. Isn't that all that matters?

Ok, I could keep going. I do have more, but I'm afraid I've already scared off most of my readers with this post. I'm really not so bitter in real life. I actually am glowing and excited. Consider this a rant of a pregnant woman. Just don't chalk it up to "hormones"....

For more advice on this matter, here are a couple of my favorite websites:
CBS News
NFIB
Ask Men
Minti

The Origins of Tazby

Warning: This is not a sex ed post. If you don't know how babies are made, you are definitely not ready for my blog. Simply click here and please return and read away once you've familiarized yourself a bit more with the process. With the rate at which this pregnancy is progressing, I really don't have time to regress all the back there.

So, as you may have noticed in previous posts, my husband and I refer to our little one as TAZBY. Let me clarify, since I have been asked this question on several occasions, we do not actually plan on naming our child Tazby. What kind of horrible parents do you think we're going to be? My first goal in motherhood is not to (intentionally) traumatize my poor child for the rest of her life. This is the same reason that we refuse to name her a normal name with some crazy spelling variation as is so popular these days. We're really just not horrible parents-to-be. We do have a lovely name all picked out that we will be more than happy to announce at her birth, but for now, she's just our little tazby.

I don't think I'm mentioned this before, but when I first began dating my husband, he decided that I had been missing out all my life because I had never had a nickname growing up. I, of course, clearly didn't know that I was being deprived of anything (Lisa doesn't usually come with many nicknames), but for this reason, he began calling me Zuzu. For those who don't know (don't worry, I know most of you won't), Zuzu is the name of the little daughter of Jimmy Stewart in It's A Wonderful Life (you know, the one who says the thing about how angels get their wings every time a bell rings?). Anyway, apparently our mutual blond ringlets made my husband decide that this would be a perfect nickname for me. Well, the name stuck so over the last 3 and a half years, he has simply called me Zuzu.

Ok, so now that you understand that (don't worry, that was about as complicated as this post is going to get), Tazby is our own little conglomeration of "Timmy and Zuzu Baby". Some couples choose peanut or bean or squirt or some other cute size reference, but I am fairly confident in saying that I am currently carrying a one of a kind Tazby.

I do have intuition!

I hate to brag about myself (ok, not really :-) ) , but I have to say I was pretty darn proud of my motherly instinct when the doctor confirmed to us this morning at our 18.5 week utrasound that we are, in fact, having OUR OWN LITTLE GIRL! Over the last couple of days, I was preparing myself to learn that we were expecting a little boy just because the possibility has been so far off my radar, it almost shocked me when the doc told us it was a girl.

Now, I can't say that it's 100% certain as our little girl wasn't being entirely cooperative for the ultrasound techs. Like a good little girl, she was keeping her legs closed (Lord, please let that habit continue for the next 25 years!) I'm not worried though, to us it was just an extra confirmation of what I've known for almost 5 months now...IT'S A GIRL!

It's incredibly surreal to actually know what our little baby is going to be, but I just couldn't be more excited. I know my husband is just going to make the best dad and that our daughter is going to have him wrapped around her little finger from the moment she makes her entrance into this world (I'm even pretty comfortable saying that she already has him completely wrapped up even where she is right now!). Let me just say, watch out future boyfriends because he already has plans to scare you away...For my husband's perspective, check out his blog!

I just pray God keeps his eye on our little girl...she deserves it.

IT'S A GIRL...OR A BOY!

Five days from now we are finally going to find out if our little baby Tazby is a girl or a boy! I have to tell you, I'm a little nervous to know....and it's not because I really have a preference toward one gender or another, but I know I'm going to feel a whole lot of guilt if the ultrasound technician sees some "family jewels". I'll be honest, I'd love to have a boy, but I have been so sure this entire pregnancy that this little bundle in my belly is my own little girl. I've insisted on calling her (or "it" I guess I should say) a she. It just has seemed so unnatural to even imagine Tazby as a boy. So, if "it" does turn out to be a bouncing baby boy, I really hope I haven't already scarred him for life!

I'll be completely honest though, I will be totally shocked if they don't tell us it's a little girl in there. I've taken all of the gender predicting tests (including the Chinese Gender Calculator and innumerable Old Wives' Tales). Some say boy, some say girl. The way I figure it, there's a 50/50 chance they'll be right! Either way, I know we'll be thrilled.

The first 16 weeks...

So, let me begin by letting you all know why you should be glad that I didn't post during my first 16 weeks of pregnancy. I'll spare you the details of how I discovered that I was pregnant. To make a long story short, I showed up at work several days in a row feeling "under the weather" when my very observant friends suggested that perhaps it was time for me to pee on a stick (as they say). And I did and I can not say I expected to see what showed up, but there they were...those fateful and life-altering two lines. So what did I do? I can't lie and say that I didn't totally panic. I can't imagine any woman, whether caught completely unaware or been trying for years to conceive, would not tell you that one of the first emotions they felt was total shock. Luckily, as I've mentioned before, I do have an incredibly loving and supportive husband who took our little surprise so much better than I ever could have expected. It didn't take long for that total panic to actually start transforming into much happier dreams of our future family.

If I had been posting in the early months, it probably would have been a lot of complaining about how it took me three times as long to get ready for work in the morning because I could barely get out bed without running to the bathroom. I'm sure I would have mentioned that I woke up every morning at 4:30am completely famished, only to find that Timmy had left crackers on my nightstand to lull me back to sleep. And you would have heard aout the agony of keeping such big news a secret for the people you want to tell most!

There were days where it was absolute torture not being able to tell my mom about all of my new found aches and pains or gush about how I fell in love the first time we saw the baby doing flips or bouncing with hiccups on the ultrasound machine. But we had made a conscious decision to wait until we could assemble both of our families in one place (definitely not an easy feat) and tell everyone our big news.

It's a strange thing to tell your parents you're pregnant. I'm a grown woman and happily married, but it's easy to know why it was such a frightening prospect. I feel like I had been taking all necessary precautions to not have to go to my parents and tell them about my impending parenthood for all of my adult life. It was hard for me to imagine a positive reaction, but of course I completely underestimated both my family and my in-laws. I know it was certainly a shock when we finally let them discover the new member of the family (although my detective minded mother-in-law had been on to me since our last visit to their house months earlier...very little gets by her...I think it was my unusual refusal to drink excessively).

As hard as it was to wait so long to tell our families, I can't imagine having done it any other way. It was a wonderful joy to see all of their reactions and I really have to recommend our idea to any expectant parents wondering how to "break the news". We decided to buy a children's book for each member of the family. For our parents, we tried to pick books that we remember them reading to us while we were small. Then we mounted copies of our sonogram picture to cards that read "See You in September!" and attached them to the front covers of the books. We wrapped them and put each person's name on the outside of the package and used them as place cards for when the whole family sat down for dinner. I think they were all touched when they opened them (even my father who looked like he was on the verge of a coronary and continuing to check his pulse throughout dinner). For any of you who are even the slightest bit nervous about announcing your news, remember that although there may be shock, no one can't be thrilled about the arrival of a new baby. Enjoy this time as much as you can because it's a wonderful, amazing thing...we just couldn't be happier and we definitely can't wait for our Tazby!

Tomorrow I'll let you know our gender predictions for our big ultrasound on Monday!

And on a side note...

Ok, so tomorrow, I promise there will be an all new, very exciting pregnancy related post. It's guaranteed to be one of the top two posts I've ever written, but for the moment, I'm going to go on a bit of a tangent (albeit a very important one)

I just wanted to take a few minutes to say a little something about how incredibly proud I am of my husband. Today he officially completed 365 consecutive days of running more than 2 miles. Ok, so stop and process that for a moment. Sometimes I have to. Every single day since March of last year, he has tied on his New Balances and hit the pavement. Most of us can barely get our butt to the gym 3 days a week without running through a myriad of excuses in a feable attempt to remain lazy, but not Timmy. He has run on our wedding day, on every day of our beautiful Hawaiian honeymoon, on the day we found out about Tazby. He's run through cities all over the country and through airports when there was no other time in the day except when while waiting for a flight. He's run through heat waves and snowstorms and everything in between. There were good runs and there were bad ones, and I never heard on excuse.

So, skeptics may say (and he hears this from not runners everyday) that this kind of thing isn't healthy and is actually not good for your body, but when he hit 365 today, he knew he had accomplished something, something important, no matter who agreed or disagreed. And tomorrow, tomorrow will be another run because he knows that there are streaks to be beaten and goals to be reached and he's just not ready to stop. I can't even tell you how proud I am of him....I'm not sure my words could even adequately explain that him....

For more info on the phenomena of running streakers, I highly suggest www.runeveryday.com

Remember to check back tomorrow for baby stuff! Start getting excited now!

The NEW State of Tazmania

So, at the urging of my "media savvy" and "blogging extraordinaire" husband, I am making my first attempt to reach out to all of those lucky women (and very loyal husbands) currently experiencing the rollercoaster of impending parenthood.

Our little Tazby (as we have currently named my ever-growing belly bump and its adorable temporary occupant) is due on September 6th, 2007 which currently makes me almost 17 weeks along (about 4 months to those who aren't inclined to follow weekly updates). I'm getting to that point in my pregnancy where I'm noticing my "cute" expanding waistline as defenitely beginning to resemble a proud mama-to-be, but to everyone else, I'm just looking like I've indulged a little too much in Easter candy. Yes, I can still call it cute as no stretchmarks have yet appeared. I check almost daily in a sometimes horrifying ritual in my bathroom mirror to see if maybe I've "popped" yet. No such luck, but I'll enjoy the mini baby bump for as long as I can because I'm sure, before I know it, I'll be too big to tie my shoes or shave my own legs. Not to mention that a clearly showing midsection will somehow be an invitation for complete strangers to actually just rub me without my permission. As far as I'm concerned, I can just skip that entire part of pregnancy, thank you very much.

So, I thought in my first real post, I would explain what my three favorite parts of pregnancy have been in my first 3 full months. First, let me try to explain that there is this really incredible comaraderie that exists between currently pregnant women and anyone who has ever been pregnant. It's like a sisterhood of all those who have had the joy of being able to bring a new person into this world while struggling to live with the often confusing and uncomfortable condition of carrying that child around for 9 wild months. I see among the women in my life who already have children, a knowing look of understanding about the fact that I'm constantly and simultaneously worried, terrified. thrilled and completely in love with and about our little Tazby. It's nice to see survivors. In reminds me that I'm blessed every day.

Secondly, my husband. He has by far been the most amazing thing about the past 16 weeks (and 3+ years before that). He is the definition of a loyal and devoted husband and father-to-be. He has so much love for our growing family that I thank God every day that we are lucky enough to have one another. For any husband that is out there, here are some hints to having a very happy expectant wife. 1. If she's upset, don't just tell her that she's hormonal. 2. If she complains about her size, never affirm that indeed she is getting much bigger. We only ever want to hear that you are indebted to us for carrying your children. 3. Don't ignore a pregnant woman's cravings. If she wants strawberry frozen yogurt at 2:30am, find a 24 hour fro-yo stand! Pregnant women, be good to your husbands and try to curb your irrational emotional outbursts as best you can, you'll deserve to be rewarded with nightly backrubs. Feel free to remind him if he forgets.

And finally, and I find so much joy in this, I think that I've found what I always knew I would be really good at. I can't wait to be a mom. I can't wait for Tazby to be here so we can hold him/her in our arms and know that this is our family.

That's all for tonight. Stay tuned....Next up is a synopsis of why you should be glad I didn't post during the first 16 weeks and musings on our upcoming gender predicting ultrasound. WOOHOO!