Half-Baked!

We made it half way now to 20 weeks!!  In some way I feel like time has flown by, but then again I feel like I’ve been waiting for this milestone impatiently.

Today we’re enjoying the perfect snow day at home…and hopefully will get some productive things done like sort through the office which will be Tipp’s nursery.  But lots of cooking is also on the agenda.  After a surprise bonus and raise this week, Ben offered to make me a cake since I’ve been treating myself to a slice from the grocers bakery every shopping trip. I had a different idea for home-made Cinnamon Rolls!  Sweets are still one of my major cravings.

Tippett weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana.  He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and we'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery). 

How far along? 20 weeks!
Total weight gain/loss: 3-4 lbs
Maternity clothes? For the most part
Stretch marks? none…hopefully the Mama Bee Belly Balm will keep those away
Sleep: It’s normal…I started waking up twice for potty breaks again.
Best moment this week: A coworker in another department noticed I was expecting!
Movement: Once or twice a day 
Food cravings: Lots of berries still, sweets, and beer!!
Gender: BOY!!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Still in
What I miss: Beer…I haven’t really craved it at all until now.
What I am looking forward to: Feeling more consistent movement.
Weekly Wisdom: Give into your cravings…in moderation!
Milestones: Half way there!

19 Weeks!

It’s hard to believe I am almost half way through this pregnancy!  Ben and I are enjoying talking about Tippett and his arrival.  We started looking into daycare centers this week and visited our first of many on our short list.  I’ve heard horror stories of people getting on waiting lists even before they were pregnant and thought I was slightly behind in inquiring at several centers.  Turns out I’m ahead of the game and every single school I called had openings for November!  We’re pretty lucky I get to take a such a long maternity leave. 

We also spent Saturday test driving strollers and fell in love with the Baby Jogger City Mini.  It’s incredibly light weight, compact, turns on a time and folds so easily even single handed!  I was sold.  We can get an adapter bar to fit the infant seat.  I hated the idea of having 3 to 4 different strollers for different uses adn this one seems so universal.  We also spent almost two hours registering at Babies R Us…who knew there were so many choices for bottles, pacifiers, and even thermometers.  I even felt prepared after studying Baby Bargains for months now. 

I’m also feeling pretty good.  I’ve become obsessed with fruit – kiwis, strawberries and blueberries.  I also love peanut butter and not just any peanut butter…special kinds like Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate Swirl and Tropical Banana!  All are delish on cinnamon waffles for breakfast or stirred into oatmeal with extra banana.  While those seem like pretty “good-for-you” cravings, I’m also bad with cake!  Every single shopping trip to Target ends with buying a slice of cake from the bakery and all I can think about are cupcakes from The Cupcake Shoppe.

Our baby's sensory development is exploding! His brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he may be able to hear my voice now.  Baby Tippett weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato.  His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

How far along? 19 weeks!
Total weight gain/loss: 3 lbs
Maternity clothes? Still wearing the bella band with jeans, but all maternity dress pants and few maternity tops
Stretch marks? none
Sleep: Lots of sleep…feels so good.
Best moment this week: Registering for Baby Tippett!
Movement: almost daily, especially at night. 
Food cravings: Blueberries, strawberries, peanut butter and cake.
Gender: BOY!!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Still in
What I miss: Beer…we found some old favorites this weekend, but they’re put away until June
What I am looking forward to: purchasing nursery furniture
Weekly Wisdom: I highly recommend Baby Bargains for all things the baby needs…practical and has great reviews.
Milestones: Felling Tippett move every day!

18 Weeks!

What an exciting week it has been!  Not only did we have an awesome ultrasound for a perfectly healthy baby, but our baby is going to be our son!  I feel like I’ve popped this week and maybe most people notice my bump now. 

Head to rump, our baby boy is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that I'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born.

How far along? 18 weeks!
Total weight gain/loss: 3 lbs
Maternity clothes? I wore regular jeans today with a Bella Band!!
Stretch marks? none
Sleep: Decent, but I’m exhausted this weekend
Best moment this week: Finding out we’re having a BOY and putting a name with his sweet face
Movement: Much more later this week, but still pretty sporadic. 
Food cravings: Blueberries, strawberries, salad and oatmeal.
Gender: BOY!!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Still in
What I miss: Sleeping past 630am while I have the chance
What I am looking forward to: thinking our dreams for Tippett
Weekly Wisdom: Whether you decide to find out the gender at the Level II ultrasoud or wait until the birth, both are big surprises!!
Milestones: Putting a name to sweet face we’ve seen by ultrasound!

Cute Clothes are Not Just for Girls

Saturday morning Ben and I woke up still in disbelief and giddy that we’re having a son.  It’s mind boggling to think for most of your life you think about your future children, so the wait to know what our first born will be is more than the 18 weeks we’ve been pregnant.  Since I scheduled our Big Ultrasound, my mom and I planned a shopping trip for the day after. 

We began at Southpoint Mall and hit all the major children’s stores like Baby Gap, Gymboree, Strasburg Children’s and even Belk’s children department.  I’ve never really looked at little boy’s clothes, so it was exciting to go to that side of the stores.  We were swooning over the little polo’s, onesies, overalls, and chinos all day.  I am in love with Gymboree…some of his favorite things of the day where purchased there…and alligator shirt with “Feed Me” on and the matching ball cap with alligator spikes on the top.  And the sweetest and softest, mix and match Monkey outfits and matching cap. 

Baby Gap always has the cutest onesies with clever graphics.  Tipp got his first swimsuit for the summer…mostly for looks since he will be too small for long days on the beach.  I love their swimsuits since they come with 50+ UV protection.  Hopefully he will get his Daddy’s skin and not my fair skin.

My mom and I took a quick peek into Strasburg Children’s to just “look”!  Of course right on the clearance rack in the perfect size was a classic smoked Jon Jon for Christmas.  The deal was too good to pass up…so much for just looking!

At Belk’s I scored with a Santa Suit, a Santa’s Workshop fleece hoodie set and a light blue embroidered bubble which will be perfect for church this summer.  Gommy bought Tip quite a few sleepers and gowns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course no shopping trip for a baby would be complete without at trip to the Carter’s Outlet.  For everyday inexpensive clothes, I love Carter’s.  I could have bought almost every single piece of clothing there for Tipp!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly we ended our 6 hour shopping trip at Babies R Us looking at strollers, bouncers, swings and bedding.  My mom is handing down my brother’s old cradle, but wanted to buy a new mattress, bumper and sheets.  I cannot wait until the cradle is set up in our room and Tipp arrives!  I’d say our first shopping trip was a success…I keep going into the guest room where all of his new things are laid out just to imagine him in them in just 5 months!

The Big Reveal!!!

After a very very busy week at work, I took Friday afternoon off for our Level II ultrasound.  Immediately the Ultrasound Technician asked us if we wanted to know the gender and we told her yes, but not right now.  She had an envelope ready to put any gender pictures in and the result written down.  In order to make sure Baby Stafford was awake and wiggly, I chugged an entire Dr. Pepper in the parking lot before and it worked!  She began at the baby’s head measuring the circumference, looking at the brain, then the spinal cord and face for clef palate.  She looked at the heart and saw all four chambers, but Peanut was moving around too much to get the other measurements (oops-too much sugar and caffeine)!  She continued looking at the stomach, kidneys, bladder and umbilical cord.  They showed us the blood flow in and out of the umbilical cord, which was one of the coolest things I have seen.  The tech measured most of the bones and it looks like Baby Stafford will have Ben’s long legs and high arches. 

She then told us to look away while she determined the sex and luckily Peanut cooperated!  After she went back to the heart where we saw again the four chambers, valves and heard the heartbeat again.  This was the most clear sound we have heard so far…another perfect heartbeat at 146!  Then, it was Dr. Reddick’s turn to take a look and she did the checks all over again.  We got to watch our little one for 45 minutes, which flew by.  Dr. Reddick confirmed the gender and said they definitely got the shot they needed. 

We got some great pictures, especially the sweetest profile picture and pictures of the feet.  We were handed our secret envelope and sent our way with a perfectly little healthy baby…all that we could ask for! 

The rest of the afternoon we spent doing some errands before dinner at the Melting Pot for the Big Reveal.  I’m so glad we waited to find out over dinner with just the two of us.  We had some time to kill, so I took Ben’s for his first tour ever of Babies R Us.  Everything we saw there we gravitated towards Boy.  Finally it was time for our reservation.

We had a private booth in “Lover’s Lane” at the Melting Pot, put in drink orders.  Blackberry Sage Lemonade for me and a beer for Ben, then made our dinner orders and opened the envelope! 

It’s A BOY!  The tech had written us a sweet note Congratulating us on our son.  We toasted to our son, Tippett Jefferson Stafford and called our family and friends between courses.  Tipp will be named after Ben’s grandfather, Miller Tippett Marple and my dad and grandfather, Don Jefferson Senior and Junior.  It’s so special for us to honor three great men in our lives, and being my dad has four daughter’s we can pass down a piece of the family name.  The rest of our dinner and dessert was awesome as usual and we’re so glad we we made the big reveal so special. 

17 Weeks

At little late, but better than never right?  During this week we found out the date of our Level II ultrasound.  I’m kind of glad we did not have to schedule it 4 weeks in advance and anticipate the date…waiting.  I scheduled it 10 days out and being that it was year-end at work, it made the time fly by. 

I’m continuing to feel great and our routine has gotten back to normal after the holidays including lots of cooking again! 

Our baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord —the baby’s lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Our baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and he or she around 5 inches long from head to bottom. The baby can move its joints, and the sweat glands are starting to develop.

How far along? 17 weeks!
Total weight gain/loss: maybe 1 or 2 pounds…it’s up and down, but not much
Maternity clothes? Definitely maternity pants and a few maternity shirts with the gathered rouching
Stretch marks? none
Sleep: Pretty good, but still waking up twice for the potty
Best moment this week: Scheduling out Level II ultrasound
Movement: Not as much this week, but I’ve been so pre-occupied with work I probably don’t notice it as much
Food cravings: I’ve eaten 3 large bags of Skittles in a month, but converting to fruit for more natural sugar.  And MILK.
Gender: Maybe Boy
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Still in
What I miss: Beer, but it’s all worth it.
What I am looking forward to: Our Level II ultrasound on January 15
Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy the 2nd Trimester (the Honeymoon phase of pregnancy).
Milestones: Scheduling our BIG Ultrasound and anticipating knowing what our little peanut is!

Popcorn Pops at 16 Weeks

This past week was so exciting…I finally felt Baby Peanut move and it feels like popcorn popping in my belly!  It was the best present for Christmas and little Peanut even got quite a few gifts as well.  We also had another quick doctor’s appointment where we finally got to hear the baby’s heartbeat.  Dr. Placide found it really quick, but then Baby Stafford played hide and seek with him and moved all over away from the doppler.  This week we should be scheduling a Level II ultrasound at Duke where they’ll check out all of the baby’s organs and we will find out if it’s a Boy or Girl. In the next few weeks, our baby will double its weight and add inches to its length. Right now, our baby is about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. The legs are much more developed, the head is erect than it has been, and the eyes have moved closer to the front of the head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He or she has even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his or her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as our baby continues to develop.

How far along? 16 weeks!
Total weight gain/loss: 2 pounds
Maternity clothes? Maternity dress pants for work and occasionally jeans although my favorite pair of pre-pregnancy jeans still fit with the Bella Band
Stretch marks? none
Sleep: Much better now that I have a Snoogle
Best moment this week: Feeling Peanut pop around inside and hearing the heartbeat!
Movement: Little popcorn popping every other day or so!!
Food cravings: Skittles, salad, cherry popovers and more SKITTLES!
Gender: No idea
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Still in
What I miss: Being regular still…Colace, apple juice and Metamucil every day!
What I am looking forward to: scheduling our Big Ultrasound
Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy time with your husband!
Milestones: Feeling peanut move…I never thought this day would come and I look forward to more!