Pregnancy Firsts

I have had a lot of "firsts" this week in terms of pregnancy. I have had my first battle with heartburn. My first pre-natal yoga class. And the most amazing of all I felt the first tiny flutter that is Peanut moving.....

I was sitting at my desk doing a few deep breathes when I felt it....a tiny flutter as though I had a butterfly in my tummy. It was so amazing. I can not wait to feel more of Peanut's movements. And M is ready for Peanut to get big enough that he can feel the movements too.

15 Weeks

What's Happening with Peanut?

• Peanut measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple).
• He/She's busy moving amniotic fluid through his/her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in the lungs begin to develop.
• Although his/her eyelids are still fused shut, he/she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at my tummy, for instance, he/she's likely to move away from the beam.

What's Happening with Mama?

• Total weight gain/loss: 8 pounds
• Maternity clothes? I am wearing a few items that are maternity but still in the majority of my pre-pregnancy clothes.
• Sleep: Sleeping was pretty good the past week - other than the up 4 times a night to use the rest room.
• Best moment this week: Taking Peanut to the Georgia Tech football game - we came from behind in the 4th quarter to win!
• Food cravings: Mexican
• Belly button in or out? In.
• What I miss: Again,I am not missing anything as I am doing everything I did before Peanut.
• What I am looking forward to: Suprising M all week long with gifts leading up to his 30th birthday on Saturday!

What's Happening with Daddy?

• Daddy has to open the office this week which means he is up at 4:30 each morning, so he will be quite tired by the end of the day.
• Next Tuesday marks completion day on the State Patrol office and Daddy can focus all his efforts on the new school he is building.
• Daddy also turns 30 this week!

Travelin' Mama

Peanut and I will be taking a road trip later today. Work is taking us to Dublin for a conference, after the conference ends I will head north to Atlanta where I will watch my beloved Yellow Jackets take on the Clemson Tigers.  The game is at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN..... look for me I'll be the gorgeous pregnant woman ----

 

I am sure you'll be able to pick me out of the crowd of 55,000.

14 Weeks

What's Happening with Peanut?

• Peanut can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb!
• From head to bottom, he/she measures 3 1/2 inches and weighs 1 1/2 ounces.
• By the end of this week, his/her arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his/her body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.)
• Though I can't feel the tiny punches and kicks yet, our little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

What's Happening with Mama?

• Total weight gain/loss: 7 pounds
• Maternity clothes? I have finally purchased a few maternity tops because my regular tops were becoming to tight on the emerging bump. I can still wear normal pants/skirts/etc.
• Sleep: I am sleeping thru the night 95% of the time. On those nights that I drink more tha a few sips before bed, I am up a least 4 times answering nature's call.
• Best moment this week: Spending lots of time with M thanks to the 3-day weekend. We were able to dream/plan about the upcoming weeks.
• Food cravings: Hibachi vegetables and Little Debbie Oatmeal Pies
• Belly button in or out? In.
• What I miss: Nothing. This is the first week that I feel like my "pre-pregnancy" self.
• What I am looking forward to: Taking Peanut to his/her first Georgia Tech football game on Thursday.

What's Happening with Daddy?

• Daddy has been busy working on the State Patrol office.....it should be completed by next Tuesday.
• In his few spare moments, Daddy has had his nose stuck in his "CIA/Spy/Mystery" book - which Mama think is so cute.

Honeymoon Day 6

(I am just realizing that I never finished blogging about my honeymoon, so I am doing that now. )

We awoke to rainy and dreary weather on the 6th day of our honeymoon. It was the kind of
weather that made me want to snuggle under the covers and sleep away the day. But we had
grand plans, to see the King Tut exhibit at the Atlanta Civic Center, so I arose and prepared myself for the day.


In spite of the rainy weather, M suggested that we walk the one block to the Marta (subway) station and take the subway down to the civic center. It seemed like a reasonable idea since it meant we would save on gas, parking, and most importantly time. However, we should have realized our folly the moment we stepped outside and the monsoon began. I was drenched from the knees down before we reached the station - and it would get much worse.
Although wet and mildly uncomfortable, M and I were making the best of the day and finding the humor in the situation. We rode the MARTA to our stop and got out. Then came the trial of finding the Civic center. Atlanta did not have very good signage, so after walking 6 blocks in the wrong direction, M stopped into a hotel and asked for directions. 15 minutes and another 20 blocks later, we arrived at the civic center. But at this point, I was completely soaked, freezing cold, hunger (did I mention we had skipped breakfast) and in quite a foul mood.
Silently M and I made our way into the exhibit. It was amazing! As I read the various descriptions of the artifacts and the stories of King Tut's life, I felt my anger melting away. At some point, I slipped next to M and grabbed his hand. We strolled thru the exhibit hand in hand after that.

Two hours later, we emerged from the Civic center and started the wet trek back to the MARTA station. On our way back, the umbrella we were carrying broke and as we were dashing to the station, we saw our hotel -- apparently we had ridden the train a mere two blocks. We couldn't help but laugh.







Following a quick costume change at the hotel, M and I went to the Vortex for a HUGE lunch. We ate some of the biggest (and tastiest) burgers I had ever seen. Once our stomachs were full, we made our way over to the world of Coke. We enjoyed seeing the various coke items, learning the history of Coca-Cola and enjoying lots of free samples. That was until I started feeling sick....

Feeling sick to my stomach, I asked M to take me back to the hotel. He obliged and then spend the next 11 hours taking care of his very sick wife. The 6th day of the honeymoon was quite a comedy of errors

Oh Baby (Questions), 2.0 (Edited to Add More ?)

I have a had a few more readers to post questions, so I figured I would address them in a post.

Are you planning on finding out the Peanut's sex?

Yes! Those who know me best know that I am a Type-A personality and very much a planner. Therefore, it would kill me (or at the very least drive me insane) not to know if Peanut will sport pinks/purples or shades of blue. We will have an ultrasound done at 18 weeks to hopefully determine the sex. Of course, that's assuming Mama does not sneak a peek early with the girls from Diagnostic Imaging.

Do you have names selected?

M and I had talked extensively about names before we found out we were expecting, so it was easy to transition that converastion into concrete names for peanut. If Peanut is a boy he will be named Micheal Lenwood Lee, III and we will call him Micheal. Lenwood was the middle name of M's paternal grandfather. Lenwood became the middle name of M's dad - and then the tradition of Micheal Lenwood was born. If Peanut is a girl, who first name will be Rebecca, we are still undecided on a middle name. I should also note that my sister who is expecting a baby girl in the next few days has expressed an interest in the name Rebecca, so if she chooses that name, it will be back to the drawing board.

Do you like having your "bump" touched?

With 4 nieces and nephews, the bump has gotten lots of touching, a little patting, and even a few pokes. I do not seem to mind when friends/family touch the bump. But I am a little put off by strangers touching the bump. And it is really weird/annoying when people want to rub my belly like they are petting a dog or something - definitely not cool.

Will you stay at home with the baby or place Peanut in daycare?

This was one of the first issues M and I addressed after finding out we were pregnant. While part of me would love to stay home for the first year of Peanut's life, financially it is not feasible. Furthermore, I absolutely love the job I have now and really do not want to give it up. Therefore, I am working on a compromise with my company. The tentative plan now is to stay home for the first two months of Peanut's life (thanks to the joy of paid days off). After that I am hoping to be able to schedule my work as a divide between days in office and days where I work at home. Thankfully I have a supportive management staff and co-workers who should make the transition easier. Once I go back to working a true "9-5" work week, Peanut will attend the daycare that is part of the hospital system that I am employed with.... and each set of grandparents will have the option of having 1 day a week to keep Peanut if they so choose.

Readers, anything else you are dying to know about me, Peanut, or M?

13 Weeks

A close up of the "bump"

13 Weeks and Glowing

What's Happening with Peanut?

• Fingerprints have formed on Peanut's tiny fingers.
• The organs and veins can be seen through the still thin skin.
• Peanut is almost 3 inches long and weighs nearly an ounce.

What's Happening with Mama?

• Total weight gain/loss: 5 pounds
• Maternity clothes? Not yet, but I have had to purchase pants in a larger size.
• Sleep: Sleep was the best it has been in quite awhile this past week.
• Best moment this week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat at the doctor! Peanut's heartbeat was strong, steady, and averaging 150 beats per minute. Dr. H was quite pleased.
• Food cravings: Cereal and milk (I had 3 bowls for supper last night).
• Belly button in or out? In.
• What I miss: My stamina - everything takes longer now because I seem to tire easily. At least it is a good excuse for taking naps on the weekend.
• What I am looking forward to: Taking Peanut to his/her first Georgia Tech football game next week.

What's Happening with Daddy?

• Daddy is just over a week away from finishing project number one. This means he is crazy busy but things will slow down soon.
• Daddy's smile when he heard Peanut's heart beat was the sweetest site ever. Then he busted out some dance moves to the beat, and Mama died laughing.
• Cute Daddy moment: Last night Daddy spent the better part of 20 minutes trying to explain to Peanut how to give us a thumbs up on the ultrasound (schedueled for 18 weeks).