Fruit of the Womb

I've just entered my 17th week of pregnancy and I officially have a can't-suck-it-in-to-hide-it baby bump now! It's not so big that I have to start wearing maternity pants, but we're pretty close. I plan on writing a letter to whoever invented the belly band (this stretchy band you wear over your pants that allows you to unbutton the pants, but they stay on and you can't tell it's unbuttoned) to offer my thanks and congratulations, it will keep me in my regular pants for at least a few more weeks!

On Black Friday Justin and I hit the mall to take advantage of the sales and load up on Christmas gifts. (I've always loved day-after-Thanksgiving shopping, it can't be helped!) We were walking through the mall and we came across a Motherhood Maternity and stopped so I could look at dress pants. The jeans I can still make work, the dress pants are becomming increasingly difficult to fit in comfortably. The sales person graciously set up the dressing room and I stood outside of it just staring and didn't even realize I was wide-eyed and breathing heavily until the woman kind of nudged me and told me it was going to be okay. I tried one pair on and then left the store in a hurry with my belly band beacuse I'm just not ready for all those extra inches of awkward and ugly panel. -plus I technically don't need them yet. I want to put it off as long as possible...

Anyway, on to the development: at 17 weeks Baby Bail can move its joints, and its skeleton — until now rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden to bone. Its sense of hearing is also developing so Justin is adament I listen to more Mozart and classical music, although I think Christmas music will suffice for now because I can't get enough of it! and at 17 weeks it's approximately (on average) five and a half inches, which is the size of a turnip. I had to laugh when I read that though because they always turn my baby into a fruit or vegetable! For your reading enjoyment, here are all the foods Baby Bail has morphed through:

Week Four – Poppy Seed
Week Five – Sesame Seed
Week Six – Lentil Bean
Week Seven – Blueberry
Week Eight – Kidney Bean
Week Nine – Grape
Week Ten – Kumquat
Week Eleven – Fig
Week Twelve – Lime
Week Thirteen – Medium Shrimp
Week Fourteen – Lemon
Week Fifteen – Apple
Week Sixteen – Avacado
Week Seventeen – Turnip

...beacuse I promised Erin...
the first bump picture (me at 17 weeks) I can still see my feet though, which I consider a good thing! I'm not usually quite this big... this was after a big dinner!

Will You Accept This Rose?

I'm not sure if anyone is a Bachelor fan, I get turned on and off by season, but this year some of the friends and girlfriends at work got sick of their friends and boyfriends being completely obsessed with fantasy football that we created our own fantasy league--Fantasy Bachelor. You could earn points based on if your girl advanced to the next round, kissed him, confessed love to him, was talked about, didn't wear make up, etc. etc. I know it sounds ridiculous but it made it really fun! -plus I got back at Justin and made him watch with me claiming compromise since I watched football and (mostly) supported his fantasy game. Anyway, my girl was one of the two in the finale, and depending how tonight went I could win the pool, so I was stoked! It'd be like winning free Christmas money for presents and everything!

If you haven't watched the finale yet, quit reading! If you couldn't care less, read on: the finale was tonight and I DVRd it so I could watch through it quickly without commercials later. Anyway, I saw the girls meet his family and I saw their last individual dates and they both confess their love to him and he says nothing in return to either (they never do) but goes on and on about how much he appreciates it blah blah blah. Then as the first girl is about to get out of the limo, our DVR freezes and skips and goes straight to the end where he's just chilling there holding the ring in his hand looking lost as ever. Then it shows a preview for the "after the rose" episode and both girls are pissed at him... he didn't choose either! Who does that?! I was strung along for an entire season--what a tease! haha! The ending only made it more fitting for how ridiculous the show is, and consequently we were, but it was fun to meet with the girls on Tuesday to recap and argue for points. (okay, I was the only one arguing for more points, but those of you that know me, that shouldn't surprise you. haha!)

Silver Lining of the evening: my husband is completely hilarious. He makes me laugh daily and I'm so blessed for it. Our conversation during a commercial break:

J: I would have chosen you out of seven million girls
me: (rolls my eyes at the fake flattery)
J: but I would have been true to myself, and I would have made out with all of them...

Love Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing

One of the many perks for my job is that for each concert that rolls through the arena, we get a chance to win tickets to watch from one of our suites. I won tickets to go see Keith Urban last Friday and was so excited! I took Justin with me (even though he couldn't name one single songs he sings!) and we had a genuinely good evening with some friends at work. It was the kind of night where it ended but I kept bringing up to Justin what a good time it was; I love those! I've had the opportunity to see a lot of my favorite country artists with my job: Tim and Faith, Rascall Flatts, Kenny Chesney, and Carrie Underwood. I was pretty stoked about going to Keith's concert (I admittedly couldn't name many of his songs, but I knew that I would know some!) but it wasn't the most excited I've been for one of the country concerts... it's no wonder he won CMT Entertainer of the Year a couple years back because it was by far the most fun I've had at a concert. He's completely awesome! At the event operations meeting I learned he was only supposed to play until 11:15 and we left at midnight and he was still going! It was fun to see an artist play off the crowd that much.

Before we got to the concert I got an email to stop down on the production level to help quickly with media, which bummed me out because I thought I'd have the night to chill and spend time with my friends and husband. I was only bummed until the show's production manager invited me to attend the meet and greet to say hi to the Aussie myself--of course I'll go! So I had a chance to meet him and he's genuinely nice and genuinely short, haha! I'm not sure what it is with Nicole Kidman and the short guys... then he sat down and played a song acoustic to a small crowd of radio winners and I got to hide in the back and listen, it was awesome!! All in all, it was a pretty perfect evening!

me and the Aussie Country Swooner!

me and the girls, my Ohio favorites! Coleen and I, she's from Colorado too so we've formed Team 'Rado!
I think we do a great job representing for Colorful Colorado!

That's the Beat of the Heart

Justin and I have been anticipating the OB appointment we had on Friday for some time because we heard we would be able to hear Baby Bail’s heartbeat for the first time. It was actually the first time Justin’s had a chance to come to an appointment with me because his schedule is so full with work and grad school, but he wasn’t going to miss this one! Anticipation with excitement quickly turned into anticipation with terror when she kept sliding the instrument all over my stomach and was unable to pick anything up… I’m over 14 weeks, there has to be a heartbeat! She could tell I was getting nervous and scared (mostly because I made absolutely no effort to hide it) and even though her assurances that Baby was probably lying low making the wavelength bounce off everything but... it fell on deaf ears and I just wanted to know it was all okay.

She wheeled in the ultrasound equipment and after a few more reassuring “I’m sure it’s all okay” she found the baby and quickly pointed out the rapid movement of its little heart. I have a baby with a heartbeat, wahoo! After I calmed down and we were watching Baby Bail move around, I was thrilled she wasn’t able to hear the heartbeat and the ultrasound was necessary because I would have hated to miss the tiny miracle we were able to observe for those few precious minutes. Our baby moves too—lots! He didn’t say it but I’m sure Justin was thinking about the races it would run someday.

As we were watching the baby I saw the coolest thing I’ve ever seen… the baby was on its back and we could barely see what will be (or already is, I’m not sure) it’s profile when it turned and was facing straight on and it’s teeny tiny hand was by its head and started moving back and forth. Our baby was waving at us!!! I’m sure it sounds crazy, but Justin saw it too and we both swear it waved. It’s like it was acknowledging it already knows it has a crazy mama who worries too quickly and was saying hello letting me know it’s okay. –that part might be a stretch, but I’m going with it.

…and now for your viewing pleasure: Baby Bail

just seven short weeks ago...(the peanut cuddling the wall is Baby)

One Down - Two to Go!

I'm officially done with my first trimester! -I think. I thought they were only 12 weeks long but apparently it's 13 full weeks... who knew. I'm in my 14th week and feel great! Although, technically I don't really feel pregnant and I feel like I should be relieved, but truthfully I'm a little bummed. I'm sure that will change when the baby is big enough that I feel it and get that connection you always hear pregnant women talk about. I'll patiently wait for it--but that's completely a lie because I don't do much of anything with any degree of patience.

I really like Baby Center's website. I love learning the weekly progress and development for my baby. Since I don't feel very pregnant it's been a great resource that's helped me feel much closer to Baby Bail already. It's completely insane (read miracle) to think and see how much growth happens week to week. God is amazing. In 14 short weeks our baby already looks like a baby and no longer a tadpole. It (hopefully?!) has all its fingers and toes and the brain is developing. This week the body starts to catch up to the size of the head and will look a little more normal, because right now it has this huge head and brain and little body--I think it just means it will be smart like Justin. A girl can dream...

It can make faces (squint, frown etc.) and could potentially already be sucking it's thumb! crazy right?! Likely it's approximately the size of lemon... I wonder if you start showing gradually or if you just "pop". I feel like I popped this morning! I woke up and I had this baby bump that's usually only there after big meals, but I started my day with one! I'll have to take some pictures so people can weigh in if I'm actually showing, or I just want to be so I'm convincing myself I actually am. Either way, it's pretty exciting!

The only aspect that entered Too Much Information Land was when I read that its kidneys are producing urine, which releases into the amniotic fluid around it, and ultimately into some something that's connected to me. Most might continue reading that and still see a miracle and beauty, but I'm freaking out that my baby is swimming in pee and worse, I have pee floating around in me?! It's disturbing.

Picture Me

I was tagged by Jenn from Knee Deep in Munchkinland for the "picture me" meme. I've had an online journal for years but I'm new to these memes people speak of, sounds like fun to me though so I'm going to give it a shot! I'm supposed to choose a picture of me, write about it and then choose three other people to play this fun game. It should come as no surprise however, that my first meme I'm going to cheat a little. It's not a picture of me, but I took it (and I have another picture I plan to post another time, but need to find a scanner to get it and who knows how long that will actually take...) so these will hopefully count!

When Briana brought BJ to Ohio for a visit last December, it was basically the first time Justin and I have ever been around an infant for longer than a couple hours. I can laugh at these pictures, but Justin was a champ when Briana expected us to change our first dirty diaper... I absolutely would not but Justin stepped up to try to figure it out. Poor guy--Briana said this was one of the worst diapers she'd even seen yet! It was straight dirrrrty! J did great though, he only had to run out of the room with dry heaves once, haha! To be honest, I think we're both a little scarred from this day. I have high hopes I'll be able to continue avoiding the super gross diapers, but don't have high expectations that will actually happen. frick. I'm not sure if this post was supposed to be deeper than it obviously is, but in light of Baby Bail in the near future I thought it was at least appropriate.

...and now I tag Sherri, Janaque and Britni (as soon as I find her blog address!) to choose a picture and tell their story.

Thumbs Up Thumbs Down

Thumbs Up - getting an extra hour sleep this morning thanks to daylight savings

Thumbs Down - driving home in the dark thanks to daylight savings time. I feel like I've put in an extra three hours at work and it feels so much later than it actually is!

Thumbs Up - getting a package from my mom today addressed to Baby Bail :)

Thumbs Down - Justin finding Cold Stone closed shop and moved out when he stopped for what may have been my first official craving