Merrily we Roll Along

Lots has been accomplished this week! I'm finally feeling like we're making some progress toward preparing for Baby M, and that makes me a very happy momma-to-be. To catch you up, here's what's been going on at our household this week:

* We started the week with a visit to a pick-your-own farm in the area and enjoyed being surrounded by the sights and smells of fall. We spent some time picking a variety of apples, some beets and a bag full of spinach. And we topped it off with a glass of apple cider that was nowhere near as good as the apple cider from White House Farms.

* Jeremy spent most of his weekend cleaning out the music room and making way for baby. And we even purchased a chair that we've been eyeing for the nursery. It's nice and bouncy, and we've already spent time breaking it in. Let's just hope the crib and dresser we've ordered all fit nicely into this tiny, tiny space!

* We've started the tedious and stressful process of looking for daycare. Between the two of us, we've called about 25 centers and family providers and we only have three prospects we plan to visit. It's a competitive market around here, and although we're not looking for care until May/June, most spots are already filled. I think I might start playing the lottery in hopes of becoming a stay-at-home mom one of these days ...

* And finally, my uterus is growing. (Is this TMI?) I've had two days of some pretty uncomfortable growing pains and lower back pain. But it's all worth it, I know. Just like we're making room for baby, so is my uterus. And this week it has to make way for a spaghetti squash-sized Baby M. (All this comparing to vegetables and fruit has made grocery shopping VERY interesting these days.)

TGIF

Just thought I would give my weekly fruit-vegetable comparison to the growing Baby M this week, particularly because it's one of my favorite fruits. Baby M is nearing banana size this week. Grow baby, grow! And here's another pregnancy tip for the weekend. "Cutting loose" is definitely in order, and we're hoping to get out and enjoy our favorite time of year -- fall! But rest assured, there is no breakdancing on the agenda for this weekend, at least on my behalf. As for Jeremy and the poopers, they can breakdance all they want!

A Kodak Moment

We've got more photos of Baby M to share! Our 20-week ultrasound was this morning, and everything went really well. Baby M is measuring where he/she should be (about 10 inches and weighing 12 ounces) and had a heartbeat of 150 bpm. We got to see the brain, the heart and its four chambers, the kidneys, the eyes, and all of Baby M's developing features ... with the exception of the sex organs, of course. However I was unbelievably tempted to tell the ultrasound tech to just show us the goods, but the urge passed once Baby M started putting on a show for us. Both Jeremy and I were entranced just watching Baby M and all of his/her punching, twisting, wriggling, sucking and reacting to the ultrasound tech's movement of my belly. I think we've definitely got a busy-body on our hands.

Profile shot

Profile shot .... I love the little nose!

Another profile shot, with Baby M stretching his/her neck back

One of Baby M's arms

So based on the latest photos, any guesses as to Baby M's sex? We've had Grandpa M with two dreams that we're having a girl and Grandma M agreeing that it's a girl based on the shape and size of my belly. However, Grandma A has been dreaming it's a boy. As for us? We haven't had dreams that say one or the other, and maybe that's because we'll be ecstatic either way!

View from the Top

This weekend marks the halfway point as I reach the 20-week mark. 20 WEEKS! I can't believe there are only 20 more weeks to go before we meet the illustrious Baby M! Only 20 more weeks until Baby M grows from it's current 6 1/2-inch cantaloupe size to it's potential watermelon-sized self. And only 20 more weeks left for us to prepare the house for baby, work out some sort of daycare situation and convince ourselves that yes, we are indeed going to be parents.

And the reality of it all should sink in next week, when we go in for our 20-week ultrasound and get a glimpse of the action. From my vantage point, though, it looks as if Baby M is definitely growing, with the help of our recent trip home to Ohio. After indulging in the Italian food and cookie selections available at a typical northeast Ohio wedding, and taking a trip to White House Apple Farms for some doughnuts and cider, Baby M and I got our sugar fill for the week. The way I see it, though, is that it's never too early to give Baby M a little (or big!) taste of home.

Body Moving

In this 18th week, I've come to notice that my appetite is officially back ... and it's back with a vengeance and a hankering for potluck dinners and picnics. You see, for the past week or two, I haven't been able to stop dreaming of casseroles.

Yes, casseroles. The saucy, melty, steamy and sometimes-crunchy amalgamation of sheer heaven and culinary delight. If it's loaded with carbs, has some sort of creamy accompaniment and can be baked in a casserole dish, then I'm sold. I've especially been craving some of my childhood favorites, like cheesy potato casserole, homemade baked macaroni and cheese (in a casserole dish, of course), tuna fish casserole with crushed potato chips on top, lasagna (especially Jeremy's butternut squash lasagna), and green bean casserole. And to think ... there are LOADS of casseroles out there that I haven't even tried. If this craving keeps up, I just might try them all before these next few months are over.

However, while I like casseroles, Baby M is proving to be a big fan of juice. Such a fan that it feels like Baby M thanks me with a display of somersaults and flips after I drink my morning glass of juice. (Or maybe the baby is telling me that it doesn't like juice ...) By the time I'm halfway into my hour-long commute to work, I feel like there's a gymnastics competition going on in my lower stomach. It's an amazing feeling, and Jeremy's anxious for Baby M to bulk up a bit so that he can feel the movements for himself.

Speaking of bulk, here are some 18-week belly shots. Still nothing terribly noticeable, but it's definitely growing!

The Sound of Music

Major developments have occured during this 17th, almost-18th week! Here's what the pregnancy books and web sites say about our little onion/sweet potato:

"Your baby is almost certainly listening up by now. In fact, loud noises — the dog barking, the doorbell ringing — will actually startle your baby (and also get him or her used to such noises; for instance, fetuses who regularly hear a dog barking will become babies who sleep right through Fido's outbursts). "


And Baby M has lots to listen to these days! Between Olivia's barking (which I am no longer going to yell at her for since now I know she's just "conditioning" the baby) and Jeremy's nightly serenades to my belly, there's a lot of commotion to entertain the little one.

Luckily Baby M can only hear and not see. Because he/she might be concerned about the Magnum P.I. mustache Jeremy's been sporting these days. I know I am.

Now onto another major development ... we've made our first official baby purchase! We bought Baby M a crib bedding set from Baby Gap, and I can't wait to see it in the room. It's cute, gender neutral and should go well with the orange walls in our nursery, which were meticulously painted by Dad (Grandpa) Moorhead when we first moved in.



We're still slowly transitioning the room over from being Jeremy's music room, but I think this space is going to be a very stimulating and playful hangout for Baby M. I'm already collecting a little library of books that were mine when I was little. I just hope Baby M likes them as much as I did!

16 weeks

We had another doctor's checkup this week, which went just swimmingly. I've gained five pounds so far, and Baby M's heartbeat was going strong at around 160 bpm. We set up our next appointment, which will be the big sonogram, and we can't wait to see a little more of what's cookin' in there! (And yes, Dad, you'll get new pictures for your screensaver.) The doctor advised us not to look at the screen if we don't want to know the baby's sex, because sometimes the answer is literally just right there in front of your eyes! I'm totally fine with not looking, but Jeremy insists he's going to peek. I have four weeks to convince him otherwise :)

In other news, I've started feeling small baby movements this past week. To me, it feels like a little "tap, tap, tap" on my insides. Others have described it as a popcorn feeling, or like little bubbles popping. Either way, it's a pretty cool feeling.

Here's another belly shot, as the poopers watch on in the background. (Shhhh .... we still haven't told them about the B-A-B-Y yet.)