Catching Up!

Time keeps slipping by and I keep getting more pregnant! In the past month Eli and I have moved, my sister got married, we travelled upstate twice, and it was Christmas! So, not only have I not written a post about the baby, I really haven't been doing too much prep for the baby. I only have 9 more weeks left and the pressure is on (literally, I pee every 1/2 hour)! I'm starting to feel panicked by the fact that I'm 31 weeks pregnant and there is no sign of a nursery in our apartment, I haven't filled out my pre admission forms for the hospital, we haven't taken any baby classes and among all the mayhem, Eli and I are living like college kids, minus the binge drinking; I barely plan meals, the fridge is filled with only condiments and instead of working on baby stuff, any free time is filled with napping. My due date is exactly 2 months from today, which seems like a long time, but after being pregnant for almost 8 months, I'm well aware of just how quickly those two months will go. What's even more scary is that I'll actually be considered full term in six weeks, SIX WEEKS! That's just so....close. I wish there was a firm deadline on pregnancy. It would be so nice to know that on February 27, I would go into labor and have a baby. I'm starting to realize the practicality of a planned C-section.

Anyway, enough proliferating on my panic. At this point, the baby weighs about 3.5 pounds and is about 16 inches long! It's incredibly active and it's little flutters have turned into painful jabs and what Eli refers to as a "sneakers in a washing machine" impression. At the last baby appointment my fundal height was 29 cm at 29 weeks, perfect! Still between the 50th and 75th percentile. We have made a were forced into a decision as to what hospital I'll be delivering at, which was part of the reason why I hadn't filled out the pre-admission forms. I missed my appointment with the other group I was considering to drive upstate for Christmas and they can't get me in again until January 13, so I'll be sticking with the OB/GYN group I'm currently using and I'm planning on sending the pre admission forms in today, yay!!

Here are some pictures of the happenings over the last few weeks:

Eli hoisted me on top of our washer and dryer at our new apartment! 27 weeks!

Stuffing my face at Heidi's wedding! 28 Weeks!

29 week silhouette! 

Decorating! 30 Weeks!

More decorating!

31 Weeks! Merry Christmas! From our little family to yours!

Goodbye Second Trimester!

I'm now 27 weeks pregnant! This week marks the last in the second trimester and I'm definitely ready for BIGGER and better things! The baby is about 2 1/2 lbs and 14-15 inches long, which seems huge to be housed in my stomach, but we definitely want to pack a few more pounds and inches onto that little torso before we meet him/her!

14 Weeks: Beginning of Second

27 Weeks: End of Second

For the most part I had an incredible second trimester, compared to the first. In the beginning of the second I felt so good it was almost like the first trimester was a fluke and I wasn't really pregnant. Now, at the end of the second, with a way bigger belly, I'm still feeling really good! Though, I have to admit I'm seeing some signs of decline. My eczema seems to be in high gear, although that could be because it's finally getting cold and I've been experiencing heartburn regularly. Eli discovered the ultimate heartburn cure: mango lassi, much tastier than tums! Moving around has also been slightly more difficult. I'm definitely not acclimated to this protruding belly yet and I can't tell you how many times I've accidentally closed/ opened doors on it or miscalculated my girth while trying to squeeze through small openings, it's kind of embarrassing!

My mom, Eli and I went on a hospital tour this week, which sounds lame, but when you're expecting, it's one of the most exciting things ever! We got to see the labor and recovery rooms and the best part, the nursery! With real, live newborns in it! I wish I had taken a picture of Eli's face when he saw the babies and realized just how small they are when they're born, and then subsequently when he realized just how big they are with respect to pushing them out! It definitely pulled us deeper into baby mode.

Eli and I have been having a lot of fun with the baby lately. We've been playing it music throughout the pregnancy but lately the baby seems to respond to it by kicking and rolling around and it definitely responds differently according to music genre. Bob Marley: no kicking. Tupac: lots of kicking, and we're pretty sure the baby hates the Smashing Pumpkins, because when we played that it felt like the baby was trying to escape through my belly button!

Some baby things I've been peeping: The gap "Northwood" collection. It's super cute and most of the stuff is unisex!
This thing: Nasal Aspirator , and just how gross it is.

I'm all for sucking the snot out of a baby's nose so it can breathe, but with your mouth? YUCK! I know I will probably eat these words the first time the baby gets a cold!

26 Week Update!

Besides a few extra inches, there isn't much new pregnancy-wise. Despite my every effort, my doctors appointments are getting shorter and shorter. From the moment my appointment is booked I look forward to those 60 seconds with the fetal monitor and yet time seems to be getting shaved off that number with each visit. Can't they indulge me a little? On the bright side, I don't have to rely on that monitor for reassurance that our little one is still in there and okay because the kicking and rolling has really increased in the last few weeks! Other new happenings:

• Tail went on it's first wine tour for Heidi's bachelorette party!

No tasting for me!

• We went back to Buffalo for the first time since we moved for our Hibit family baby shower and got lots of goodies for the baby (Thanks Everyone!)!  Speaking of baby showers.... Help us win! Babies R Us Ultimate Shower!

Eli sizing up the baby clothes!

•  Tail went to it's first Sabres game! Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures because I was rather loopy with a fever and cold. So here's a 26 week belly picture! 

Feet? 

By the way, there are less than 100 days left until my due date! It's all happening!

Crib Quest

I'm 6 months pregnant today! Yay! At 24 weeks the baby is officially considered viable with a 36% chance of surviving a 24 week premature birth. Not the best odds, but it's sort of comforting (and at the same time super scary)! I think it's slowly sinking in that in a few short months (hopefully not earlier) the baby will be here!

24 Weeks!

Holy Huge!

In preparation for that, Eli and I went crib shopping on Saturday. We had browsed the cribs at Babies "R" Us while we were making our registry and almost instantly decided that those cribs were not for us. The first thing that stood out about those cribs was that even though some boasted a solid wood frame, all of them looked like they were made from plastic. Red flag for some gnarly finishing chemicals.  I decided we should look at a baby furniture store, surely they would have something that actually looked wooden with a sturdy build and a somewhat small price tag (is under a $1000 too much to ask?). We couldn't have been more wrong, and after about 20 minutes in the store we sneaked out from under the salesman's watch.

Prior to Saturday, we didn't really have a solid idea of what we wanted in a crib, we just knew that the cribs we had seen weren't right for us. So when we got home from shopping I started searching online to get a better idea of our crib criteria:

Me + Hospital Crib
(Admitted with Pneumonia)

1. Simple Style: This was Eli's number one requirement. He found most of the cribs in the store over the top, either for their bulk or their flare. We passed a pet shop on the way home from crib shopping which had puppies in old hospital cribs on display and he decided that was the "look" we were after. Not Quite! 
2.  Solid Wood: No MDF or plywood! We knew we liked the solid wood look, and after some crib research maybe there was some subliminal reasoning. Apparently formaldehyde is used to bind MDF together, the emissions from which can cause asthma and cancer.
3. Non-Toxic Finish: When researching cribs the term VOC (volatile organic compound) pops up a lot, which are apparently used in crib finishes and have compounding long term health effects. No thanks! 

Basically, we want an inexpensive, simple wooden crib. Easy, right?
Wrong again! After a few hours of online searching I realized that there were almost no commercial cribs that met our seemingly simple criteria. So we did what any reasonable couple would do and started planning a trip to Amish country! That is until we realized that Amish made furniture is EXPENSIVE!

Eventually I found this website , which ultimately led me to our perfect crib!

Simple, non-toxic, and unfortunately the cheapest of it's kind. But for a couple who has spent close to $500 on festival tickets and driven 500 miles in 24 hours to watch a football game on TV, I think this crib is a more than justifiable purchase! That new piggy bank just got re-purposed!

23 Weeks!

23 weeks! One week away from the six month mark! The baby has been incredibly active this past week, so much so that I was able to see the kicks on the outside of my stomach! And I was able to get a video so that Eli could see it too!
I also bought my first solo baby gift! Up until now Eli and I have purchased everything together. But the other day I was feeling rather depressed about not working and not being a contributing member to our little family when it comes to income. So I did what any rational person would do and I set off for some online retail therapy! I didn't intend to buy anything, usually browsing baby stuff on amazon makes me happy enough, but I've been eying up this super cute piggy bank and I finally caved in and bought it.

How could I resist? Baby's first savings account! Purchase justified. Eli has decided that if it's a boy, the bow is getting the boot!

This Saturday I discovered that one of my teeth was crumbling out of my head. That might be a slight exaggeration, but I've never really had any major dental problems, so when I actually spit out a small sliver of tooth I freaked out. A major part of my worries was that I didn't think I could have dental work done while I was pregnant. I quickly learned that wasn't true and if this cavity had to happen, now was the perfect time. Once you hit the third trimester the baby is big enough to make you pass out while lying on your back in the dentist chair. So, after getting permission from my Ob/Gyn, on Monday I got a shiny new filling!

Other than online shopping and dental work, I've been coming up with little projects to keep busy. Last week I made our Halloween costumes!

This weeks project isn't as much fun. I'm going through our clothes in preparation for moving! Exciting stuff!

Deuce-Deuce!

Tail and I had our 22 week check up today! I got to hear the heartbeat again, which is always so exciting! This time instead of the doctor having to move the probe all over my stomach to find it, it was just there when she put the probe down! I guess the baby is getting big and has a nice strong heart! I found out today that there is something called fundal height, which is a measure of the uterus indicative of how big the baby is. The doctor was definitely not shy about finding the top and bottom of my uterus and it was quite uncomfortable! I measured at 22 cm! 22 weeks, 22 cm! I found a fundal height chart online which showed that I'm in between the 50th and 75th percentile. Eli loves reminding me that I'm having a polish baby and that means some serious mass! German and Polish! Ouch!

I may have to get this onesie!

IG (Row 1) is how far along you are in weeks.
P5 (and onwards) is the percentiles your belly fits into! (5th to 95th, 50th being average)

I also got my pre-admission papers for the hospital, which is very exciting! It means we're getting close to baby time! Here are some 22 week pics taken after my appointment!

22 weeks!

Belly!

 I love watching the show "Up All Night". Not because it's the best show ever, actually it's quite far from it, but it's very relevant to our situation right now. Here's a clip from the show depicting one of my biggest baby fears.

"I think we all know what I'm talking about"

Is someone going to have to tell me this in 5 months?

http://www.hark.com/clips/ykmjgspcty-your-baby-is-boring

Not so spoiled afterall...

So Tail isn't that spoiled....aka I got what I want. I've been feeling Tail kicking around quite a bit these days. It's pretty magical. I can't really fathom how close I am to the baby really. It was kicking near K's pelvis and then I started talking at him(her?) up on her belly, and Tail kicked at my mouth! It knew something was going on there! It's pretty incredible. It's one of those things that like before 3 months ago I thought it was cool but it's something you can't really wrap your head around until something you've created kicks at your voice through a tummy. I'm becoming one of those people who only gabs and gabs about their boring kid. It's the only thing to do though really. I feel like i'm really peripheral to the whole process. I kind of just have to sit here and watch the whole thing go on right next to me. So what else is there to do but talk/write about it and try to vicariously imagine what's going on?

Baby Registries are AWESOME!!!1!1!

Okay, so I made another registry. I was finding that Babies "R" Us didn't have everything I wanted/ needed for the baby, especially when it came to organic/low impact baby paraphernalia. So I decided that Amazon.com was a good compliment to the Babies "R" Us registry! Who doesn't love Amazon?

I have mixed feelings about the registry in general. As the registry maker it's sort of presumptuous to make a list of things you want/need in the event that someone will buy you a present. It feels tacky. To the point that we almost didn't make one for our wedding. As the present buyer, I LOVE registries. It takes the guess work out of it, and you can always throw in a small personalized gift as a show of thoughtfulness.

That being said, a wedding registry is nice, but they usually don't contain anything you can't live without. It's usually just a list of "nice to have's" and "this would make my life easier" -s. On the other hand, I have found that the baby registry is an irreplaceable tool. It's an awesome way to neatly keep track of everything you need to foster a new life, and I'm obsessed with it. I have spent hours browsing through the suggested "must haves", making sure I've listed every essential (and some really cute non-essentials too!). Whether or not one item is gifted to tail, I now have a compact list of everything we need for the baby and it puts my mind at ease to be so organized! Thank you corporate America!

Not even out of the womb yet...

And Tail is such a brat. Tail WILL NOT kick. We have positioned Kier every which way and nothing. It kicks when she leans forward to type on the computer but if she leans back so I can get a taste...nothing. Nothing if she's on the bed. So, pretty much we have to make Tail as uncomfortable as possible to get it to squirm around, which is never a position where I can feel. I guess this is the beginning of it. Tail is going to do whatever it wants, and I'm just along for the ride. But I like it so much!

Half Baked!

 20 weeks down, 20 more to go! I figure now would be a good time to do a little recap!

• I'm currently in the fifth month of pregnancy, 20 weeks and 5 days pregnant! I have 135 more days to go!
• According to the books/websites, Tail is between 6.5-7 inches long and weighs about 11 ounces (cantaloupe sized)! 
• I walk/yoga about 3-4 times a week. I'm not very proud of those numbers....but it's been rainy :P
• I've gained about 12-13 pounds, depending on the day. Not very proud of those numbers either! 
• I've gotten a lot of morning sickness but I haven't totally lost it at all yet!  I say yet, because even though I rarely get sick anymore, when I do it's pretty intense! 
• I think Eli and I have completed the baby registry! Which was a huge task because we really didn't know what we needed! I'm sure there will be some tweaking but the bulk of it is there! Feel free to suggest missing items! 
• We have a total of 6 onsies, 1 sleepbag, 1 towel set and 1 moses basket for Tail, we definitely need to pick it up on the baby preparedness front. 
• Number of friends who have also caught the baby bug: 3 (so far....)
• 35 days until our first baby shower! And our first trip back to Buffalo! AND Tail's first Sabres game! Woohoo!
• 1 week and 3 days until my next baby appointment! During which I will get my flu shot! The decision has finally been made! Thanks for all the input from everyone, it was incredibly helpful! 
• 27 days until Steve Wilson and 41 days until Puscifer! Thank god for seated venues!

We have some baby projects in the works right now:

• Refurbishing/ repainting or staining a rocking chair.
• Refurbishing my dresser, to become baby's dresser/ changing table.
• Building a top for the dresser which will be the actual changing part of the changing table.
• Sewing a cushion and pillows for the rocking chair.
• Sewing a liner for the moses basket.
• Choosing a nursery theme and creating wall art for the baby area/ room. So far we're leaning towards a not too childish, but still super cute rainforest theme. Our indecisiveness on this topic is also why you won't see bedding on the registry, if you check that out. 

Some goals for the remaining months:

• Complete at least 3/6 projects listed above! 
• Step it up with the exercise! 
• Eat better, although I feel like I've been doing a really good job maintaining a healthy vegetarian diet (and I think the pregnancy has actually made me a better vegetarian), I tend to eat a LOT of sweets, so I'm hoping to tone that down. Swedish fish is my candy of choice at the moment, which is oh so bad, for so many reasons! I resisted the urge to buy a bag for almost 2.5 weeks, but I caved in yesterday. 
• Pin down some solid name choices! 

Here are some pictures of the progression so far!
4 Weeks:

 

20 Weeks:

I'm adding 'take better pictures' to my list of goals! 

I'm eighteen (weeks) and I like it!

Last week Tail and I had our 18 week check-up! Eli took the morning off to go with us and what a lovely morning it was! Our appointment started off with a sonogram (yay!) during which they checked Tail's anatomy to make sure everything was growing properly. We were able to see the baby's heart and brain, which was super cool and well formed! We also saw the baby's fingers and leg bones and most importantly the baby's little face! Had we been so inclined, we could have found out the baby's sex at this sonogram, but we were able to say no and keep the surprise! The whole sonogram took under 10 minutes, but it was definitely the best part of the last few weeks. Eli and I were trying to keep the technician talking to draw out the sonogram, which worked for a few minutes, but eventually she cut us off. Here's one of the shots we were able to take home! Supposedly Tail is about 6 inches long (the size of a sweet potato) and weighs almost 1/2 a pound!

After the sonogram we talked to the doctor for a few minutes and he confirmed what the tech had said, Tail was growing properly and appeared to be very healthy! We also found out that Eli has type O+ blood. Boooo! Since I'm O- I'll have to be tested for antibodies and eventually get gamma globulin shots, just in case Tail inherited Eli's blood type. Oh well! A few shots are well worth it for a healthy baby!

In other news, I can now feel the baby kick! In fact, as I'm typing this the baby is kicking away! And Eli thought he was able to feel the baby the other night too! It's such an awesome feeling! Eli and I often prod at my stomach to get some reactions. I'm sure Tail isn't too happy with Mom and Dad, never letting the baby rest, but Tail will get revenge soon enough!

Apparently Eli and I forgot to take an 18 week belly picture, so here's a 19 week picture! 

Getting Big!

To vaccinate or not.....

Today at our 18 week appointment the doctor asked about whether or not I had gotten my flu shot yet. I knew this question was coming, because it comes every year, pregnant or not, if I go to the doctor prior to or during flu season. As a general rule I usually avoid most adult vaccinations (Flu, HPV, etc.), but now that I'm pregnant I feel like I have a lot more to consider. As the doctor so kindly pointed out, "you're pregnant, you could die from the flu"and if I manage to make it out alive all sorts of complications can happen with the baby if I run a high fever or dehydrate. On the other hand there are a multitude of reasons not to get the flu vaccine. The flu vaccine isn't approved for children under the age of 6 months, so why should I feel safe injecting it into me, and subsequently my developing fetus? In addition, flu vaccines (most vaccines) contain mercury or thimerosal, a mercury like substitute. Not something I want in my body, and especially not in the baby's body. (Which is why you should all stop eating/drinking things with high fructose corn syrup in it! It's processed with mercury!) Some research suggests that vaccinations are linked to autism, but a quick google search shows that this belief is highly debated. The question is who do you believe? One of the biggest cons is that the flu vaccine far from guarantees protection against the flu. The vaccine contains 3 different strains of the flu which are thought to be most common for the upcoming flu season, but the H1N1 outbreak showed us that this doesn't mean much when a new strain (or old, dormant strain) pops up. This years seasonal flu vaccine does contain the H1N1 strain, which has had a slew of bad press over the quick release and lack of testing of that vaccine. There are also rumors that the H1N1 vaccine can cause miscarriage. In spite of all of this, I 'd like to believe that the flu vaccine is a good thing, I like the idea of not dying. So, I've been looking for some legitimate trials testing the short term/ long term effects of the flu vaccine on pregnant women and babies, but I haven't been able to find much (admittedly, I haven't put too much time in). And I'm getting frustrated because I feel like I need to make a decision soon! If anyone has any input, ideas, info, I'd love to hear it!

Eli and I will write a way more fun 18 week post soon, with the new pics!

A Shopping Cart Cover

Is this real? Is this what I need to have to be a good parent? I don't even know anymore. I figured I could get away with a few cloth diapers and a papoose. I guess not. :/

I can't believe how much paraphernalia there is for having a tike. I can't tell what the deal is. I can't tell what of me is just being cheap and what of me is the last sensible man on the planet realizing that there are some things a baby just doesn't need. Like a shopping cart cover.

Another Sabres fan is about to enter this world...

Whether Tail wants to or not! The Sabres pre-season started yesterday and I got super excited about watching with my little tike. Hopefully Tail is going to want to be my best friend and get into the hockey spirit. Even if not, Tail will be draped head to toe in Sabres paraphernalia. Tail is already getting a taste of the holy garments....

Seriously though..I was thinking about when I was a kid and I thought my dad was the coolest thing going...and that I might be that to this little kid. It could be a lot of fun.

Tail's Playlist v 2.0

Echoes- Pink Floyd
Black Dog- Robert Plant
Get Low- Lil' Jon
Time of the Season- The Zombies
Deal- Grateful Dead
Bertha- Grateful Dead
Comfortable Numb- Pink Floyd
The Cave- Mumford & Sons

Annyong.

A lot has happened in the 2 weeks since we last updated!

Most importantly, Eli and I started Tail's baby registry!

We had a ton of fun making it, but after spending almost 2 hours in Babies "R" Us, we still only had a few small items on the list. Making a baby registry has proven way more difficult than making a wedding registry.  I may be over thinking it, but all we had to consider with the wedding registry was "what do we want?". While registering for the baby we have to take into account safety ratings, size charts, and a whole slew of other factors. Don't get me wrong, we were and still are very excited about making the registry, but there are at least 20 different versions of every baby item, how are you supposed to choose which is the best when you really have no experience in the matter! It's very overwhelming and I've sort of been avoiding the registry since we created it.  I've been researching none stop but I can't seem to commit and just register! Oh well, diapers and bottles, that's all we need, right?

Super cute Dad alert! Eli added the Babies "R" Us rewards card to his key chain and proudly proclaimed that he was "a real Dad now"! I love the juxtaposition with the bottle opener!

In other news, I bought my first pair of maternity pants (at 15 weeks)! Lizzette had the misfortune of shopping with indecisive me, but with her help I was able to settle on a pair. I pretty much wear them exclusively now when I go out, they are super comfy! All pants should come with an elastic band! I definitely need a few more pairs though!

Eli and I (and Tail) also attended Mary and Eric's wedding! Yay Mary and Eric! It was a ton of fun and we pretty much danced all night! The next morning I seemed to have popped even more, I guess all that shaking helped my ligaments stretch! Eli had a total of 2 pictures on his phone, so I picked the best one. I swear I only had a teaspoon of champagne!

Now for a size update! Here's me at 13 weeks:

Now here's me on the cusp of 16 weeks:

Yikes!
Look for a daddy update soon!

Pop Goes The Weasel!

I don't know if I've "popped" or if it's just bad angles. This is the first week I wore my bella band (thanks Beth!). I can still close my pants, but why do it if you don't have to! Plus my pants are getting a little snug and they are definitely uncomfortable to be in for long periods of time. I haven't been able to find maternity pants that I really like, so for right now I'm stuck with my own pants. 

Last Week(13): 

 

This Week (14):

I also saw a midwife this week and got nothing but good news! All the prenatal tests have come out great! We were also able to hear the heartbeat. This wasn't the first time but it doesn't really get old, I think I'd get a sonogram every day if I could! 

There are a lot of pictures on this blog of me, for obvious reasons, so here's one of Eli taken during his birthday trip to State College. I think if this baby is half as cute as he is, it'll be in good shape!

I mean c'mon! CUUTE!

What's normal now, anyhow?

The first trimester is over and I feel less pregnant than ever! Well, sort of. I definitely feel a lot better! So much so that I intermittently find myself forgetting that I'm pregnant. It's wonderful to feel normal! A little fatter, but normal!

1st Trimester Recap:
According to all of the books, the baby should have grown to be about 3 inches long. When I went for a sonogram at 7 weeks, our baby was a little ahead of that curve (of course!) so I'm guessing it's a bit bigger. I gained 4 lbs. Which I'm happy with, my goal was to keep it under 5 lbs. during the first trimester, but with the amount I was eating after week 12, I was sure that goal would be blown away, thankfully not! I've been walking, swimming and doing prenatal yoga (once :P ). I definitely want to step up the prenatal yoga now that I'm in the second trimester though! Around 7 weeks all I wanted to eat was salt, and the weeks after that I couldn't stand it. I also haven't been able to stand the smell of vodka sauce or chai tea. There hasn't been much in the way of cravings, just aversions so far! I haven't been measuring my belly, which I really wanted to do, but pictures speak a thousand words....


4 Weeks:

13 Weeks:

 There's not too much change, but definitely more protrusion in the belt area! Now for the progression inside..

7 Weeks:                                                                                

 

12 Weeks: 

From tadpole to baby in just 5 weeks! .......Now for my next trick! :P 

Our first family vacation!

Well, in utero family vacation. For my birthday, Kiersten decided to surprise me with a trip back to our old stomping grounds, State College, PA. This happened to coincide with evasion of the northeast being terrorized by Hurricane Irene. Go figure. So, we've been bopping around thinking about how nice this place is. Oh, and we found a little souvenir for Tail.

This will go with our already procured Geneseo swag (to be shown in a subsequent post, courtesy of grandparents-to-be Wallace(s)).

Tail's Current Playlist:
All Day- Girl Talk
Deal- Furthur
Down By The Water- Decemberists
Box Of Rain- Grateful Dead
Index- Steven Wilson

Family Pic!

Speaking of which, Tail is about to go to his SECOND real concert on Nov 12, at Best Buy Theater. Mr. Steven Wilson. The first concert being Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at Thursday at the Square in Buffalo, NY. Tail is going to love music? Tail is going to Penn State?

deTAILs

So, I think the name Tail needs a little explaining. Is this the name of our baby? Will we call it Tail when it comes out? Who knows. Maybe. It's certainly pretty cute. And we love it.

Right now it's a nice gender neutral moniker to call our growing tike. While reading every piece of information Kier could get her hands on in the first trimester we learned that at one stage of growth the baby actually has a tail! This tail winds up becoming the bottom of the spine and rump, and is now long gone. At the time we were fascinated. We started calling it Tail because it was too great to pass up. Since then we've been wondering if maybe we should stop? Does it make sense to give our baby a pet name about a part of its body it no longer has? No. Why are we over thinking this? Tail is great. We love Tail.

The Rabbit Done Died!

Just to bring everyone up to speed:

We found out we were pregnant on Father's Day when I was only about 4 weeks along. It would seem that I took the test about a minute after my body started producing hCG, which is the hormone a woman's body produces only when pregnant, and the hormone that all pregnancy tests test for. As you can see from the picture only one of those pregnancy tests are actually reporting pregnancy (first response). I went a little nuts when the first one came out positive and bought another pack of pregnancy tests (ept). Both of those test showed a faint second line before it disappeared completely. Which made me question the accuracy of the first one. Moral of the story ladies, don't buy ept! I went to the doctors 2 days later and it was confirmed, Eli and I were going to have a baby! Yikes!

I'm now 12 weeks pregnant and a lot has happened during the 8 weeks in between!

Here I am at 4 weeks, the baby is the size of a poppyseed:

 6 weeks, baby is the size of a pea (not much change)!

 7 weeks, a blueberry!

 8 weeks, raspberry!

 9 weeks, an olive! Is that a belly I see? Nope, just gas!

 10 weeks, a prune! Ah, the joys of a thickening waste line.

I'm a little scared at this point to take a 12 week shot. The baby is now the size of a plum. I've definitely gotten my appetite back thanks to a change in prenatal vitamins and the culmination of the first trimester (one week left)! Instead, here's a shot of what I've been working on for the past 12 weeks:

                                                   

Hey Baby!