Cheer up, Charlie!

23 weeks!

Just checking in to report that Elfie and I are just plugging along, growing bigger every day and experiencing some of the not-so-joys of pregnancy! Lately, I have had quite a bit of pain and pressure in my lower abdomen, mainly triggered by walking long distances. Unfortunately, the longest distance my body seems to be okay with is to the park down the street from our house. In my book, this is just not nearly enough exercise. Oh yes, and the back pain and heartburn? They're still hanging around too! I don't worry about it too much since most of my pain is relieved the minute I sit down and relax, but will definitely be bringing it up to Dr. D at my appointment on Monday. I'm guessing it is just par for the course, and most likely ligament stretching...Has anyone else experienced this or something similar?

The nursery is coming along steadily. We are going to start our furniture shopping soon, and then it will really start to come together (!). Charlie (our canine "baby") has been moping around the house since I've become increasingly less mobile...but last Friday I found one way to cheer him up:

He loves to feel Elfie kicking away at my belly button! This is in the nursery..as you can see, I decided to get crafty with some canvasses, paint, and stencils. Funny that I have those done, but still need the majority of my furniture!!!

He's a kicker!

I've been a slacker blogger this week...my apologies! I just returned from a fabulous trip out of state to visit my Mom and Stepdad to see their new home. It was so much fun to relax and catch up with them. Mom and I did a little bit of baby planning and dreaming (and shopping!), and she was officially the first one to feel Elfie kicking from the outside.

My boy has gotten so much stronger in the past two weeks, and is now consistently kicking (or punching?) my belly button. The sensation of feeling my baby move inside of me is incredibly unreal. It's quite possibly the most moving, exciting experience in my life so far. I crave the movement, and when it happens I am fascinated and in awe. Today, sitting on the couch, it was so strong I could actually see my belly moving.

M and I painted Elfie's room last weekend, and I have plans to get the furniture soon. We inherited a white Jen.ny L.ind crib from M's SIL, which has been sitting disassembled in the room for two years! I put the bedding on to see how it looks, and I'm even more in love with it now than when I picked it out. So we are going with white furniture...and I'd like to make a trip to I.KEA to see some of our options. My friend is selling us her glider for $40...I lucked out on that one!

We registered at BRU on Sunday, it feels great to have checked that off the list. The actual experience of registering was overwhelming. Especially when you start in the breastfeeding and/or baby safety section. There are SO MANY different products to choose from! I think we did a good job of starting with the basics, and now we're having fun getting online and adding/deleting items as I do more research. I also started reading a few parenting books to get me prepared to be a mommy!

This morning I had an appointment with a cardiologist. Dr. D (my OB) referred me to him because I told him that I've had a few episodes of my heart racing and I also have heart palpitations quite frequently. He told me that it's completely normal for such things to happen in pregnancy since circulation changes so much, but I think after seeing that there's heart disease in my family, he wanted to take all necessary precautions. The appointment this morning went well. He did and EKG and took a pretty thorough history, only to tell me that he thinks I'm fine. I wasn't too worried, just glad to be more safe than sorry!

Tomorrow!

19w3d

Well, it's finally come! When I look back to my last OB appt, I thought 5 weeks was AN ETERNITY to wait! But then I compare it to the 2 years we've been waiting, longing for, crying about, and praying for this miracle of life, and it seems like such a blip on the radar. And it truly has gone by pretty fast.

I have been feeling my little elfin baby moving around quite a bit in there. It started about a week and a half ago, and since it is so subtle and not consistent, it took me a while to really identify it as the baby. Now I know for sure, and LOVE the feeling. He/she moves most when I am lying down or sitting still, so I try to do that as much as possible.

I have so much excited anticipation regarding tomorrow's appointment. I am just a tad bit nervous about the scan, and am hoping that Elfie is measuring appropriately, is healthy, and doesn't reveal any major problems. In the back of my mind I know it will be fine, but the worry thoughts do creep in from time to time, and I can't help but be anxious. Mostly though, I am excited to fall deeper in love with my baby tomorrow.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY....

I really hope our little Elfie is not stubborn like his/her momma and decides to show us the goods!!! If we are lucky and do get to see those beautiful genitals, M and I are planning to spend the day together telling friends and family. I will post here tomorrow night after we've let our IRL peeps know!!

And then....LET THE SHOPPING BEGIN!! I have not bought a single thing for this baby yet, and I am excited to pick out a really special outfit for him or her. I can't wait to get started on the nursery!!

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