It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Baby survived the Christmas chaos at the Goodwin home in New Braunfels! It was a full house--she was surrounded by Great-Grandmother & Granddaddy; Granna & Papa; Uncle Todd; Uncle Scott, Aunt Heather, cousin Katie & cousin Skyler; and Mom, Dad & Nate! She made quite a haul, too! My mother-in-law enjoyed looking at cute, frilly baby girl clothes (she's a purple gal). Then she had fun wrapping them and addressing the pretty boxes to her top choices for Baby girl names:
*Jeanie Ranae: Baby's grandmothers (Jason's mom, my mom)
*Jewel Louise: Jason's two grandmothers
*Victoria Lynn: Lynn is my middle name
*Naomi Ruth: a cute Biblical name to match "Nathaniel"
*Callie Rae: Bill's Grandmother & 2 of Baby's great-grandpas
*Melody Faith: Jeanie's girl's name when she was expecting

Baby Girl also received a purple baby blanket that her Granna hand-crocheted and heirloom white silk booties & sandals that her Great, Great-Aunt Ree knit. The inside story is that these were actually passed down from Jason. Jeanie was SURE Jason was a girl--granted she didn't have an ultrasound, but was going off pure instinct. So sure, that she brought a purple dress to the hospital (with said baby blanket) to take "Jason" home in. How many little girls can say they inherited their purple baby layette from their Daddy?! :) (And like my Dad said, "How many Dad's would want that known?!")

I've been in intense nesting mode lately! We decided to put Baby in our "extra" room when she arrives (currently a 10'x11' area serving as a guest room with queen-size bed, craft room and extra-large storage shed!) So, the day after Christmas, Jason and I took a road trip to the IKEA north of Austin (about 90 miles) to help this plan come together. We were looking for some smart shelves to help with this transformation to nursery/craft room. The guests will have to sleep on the futon out on the landing. And this clutter I've been storing? We've been BUSY cleaning & purging! We brought several big boxes of extraneous clutter to Goodwill, several boxes to consignment, a big trash bag of garbage to the curb, etc. (This process is hard for a baby pack rat like me!)

We did find the shelves--two black and a pink shelf. Jason let me buy a PINK shelf! My grand vision is to keep the walls white, use black furniture and splashes of light pink as an accent color (crib bedding, storage boxes on the shelves, lighting, etc.) I think the look I'm going for is shabby-chic-boutique. (I made that up...I'm still not sure what the official label is.) Cute story: while we were putting together the shelves, Jason told Nate we were setting up sister's room. Nate responds, "Not sister's room, it's both our room. We going to share."

All is well with Baby--still kicking her way around my belly. As you can see from the countdown bar, I'm in double digits! Baby will be here before you know it! After our trip to Minnesota for "The Holidays: Part 2;" it's work, work, work! My ultimate goals? To finish the nursery (though we're opting to keep the bed up for a little longer so Jason will have a separate place to get a good night's sleep during his upcoming (and demanding) surgery rotation for the next three months), finish Nate's baby album (I'm half-way through), and start walking more while keeping up with my yoga routine. I think that's doable.

Well, we're leaving on a jet plane Saturday morning for a proper winter in Minnesota. Our bags our packed and we're ready to go. Unfortunately, it's an early morning--7:00 flight, 4:30 wake-up (after a night of celebration for my father-in-law's big 6-0 Birthday Bash)! Arghhh. Now? We just need to make sure the DVD player is charged up for the airplane! Enjoy!

HAPPY 2008!

Ballet in My Belly

Jason and I went to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra last night (a combination stringed orchestra, 80's metal band and Christmas concert). It was quite a performance! We were entertained by the sensory overload for more than 2-hours--fire, lasers, deep bass, "snow," twinkling lights, electric-guitar & violin solos (complete with 80s stage antics) and the narrator's story. The fun part was taking Baby Girl! She got into it, too. I'd tap the rockin' rhythms on my belly or hum the carols in my head and she's start dancing inside me (or maybe she was fist-pumpin' and screaming, "Freebird!") She was quite active for 10:00 at night!

They say she's practicing all kinds of moves in there in preparation for life on the outside--including dancing (apparently) and pedaling against my belly, a sort of prewalking skill. As she gets bigger and stronger, the movements are certainly becoming more powerful…and occasionally, even jolting--"Oooh! Wasn't expecting that!".

I'm officially 26 weeks tomorrow (I think). That's two-thirds of the way through this gig! And [key sad violin music] my belly button is starting to make its break toward the outside. Again, They say this is perfectly normal. My growing uterus swells enough to push my abdomen forward, making my navel pop out like a timer on a well-done turkey (even though I have a way to go before Baby is "well done"). This happened with Nate, too. My belly button did revert back to an "innie" a few months after delivery (though it had more of a stretched-out, "lived in" look!)

Tomorrow is Christmas! (Time to go wrap gifts!) To answer a few questions about our Christmas card (the above family photo), it was taken over Thanksgiving. I was 22 weeks pregnant, or so. I hope you all have a wonderful celebration--wherever you are or wherever it takes you. Enjoy the memories you'll make this season! :) Merry Christmas!

Pregnant During the Holidays...blessing or curse?!

So, I had the 24-week OB appointment on Tuesday the 18th (yes, I started this entry before the appointment but didn't get back to it until now). Remember we switched insurance (and therefore OB/GYNs) last month. This is only my second visit with Dr. Jacobs; we're still working on building a rapport, I guess. I was a little frustrated because she answered my 4 questions/concerns with one-word answers or just listened to me talk (in silent non-responses) until I eventually babbled something about what I think the problem is or what my course of action will probably be. Then she'd nod. Hmmmmm. I guess I am experienced, having had one baby and all...

She didn't tell me what the heartrate was, she just said, "strong heart beat." I should've asked, but I was distracted (and maybe she was, too). Jason wanted to meet her (since she's the doctor who will most-likely be bringing our daughter into this world), so we brought Nate to the appointment and made it a family event. He was pretty well-behaved (Nate, that is), but wanted to turn the table light on & off or hide in the dressing room most of the appointment--distracting.

The two things I took away from the appointment is that my next appointment will be longer--more bloodwork & tests AND I've gained 18 pounds. (I'm not obsessing about my weight gain, just keeping track.) That's a few pounds more than I'd like. I'm blaming it my Holiday baking craze for my cookie exchanges, luncheons and Christmas parties--almond-cornflake wreaths, peanut butter blossoms, fantasy fudge, magic bars and the various samples I took home from said parties. Yummy! This leads me to my question. Is it a blessing to be pre-pleasantly plump with Baby during the one-month open Holiday buffet? I think it makes popping that extra cookie easier ("I'm eating for two!"); but, on the other hand, it's harder to stay accountable ("Baby wants just one more cookie, what can it hurt?!") Hence the "few pounds extra."

I'm doing very well physically. I've had no joint pain or nerve pain...yet! I'd love to be doing a little more aerobically (I'm out of breath a little more quickly these days), but the yoga is still keeping me flexible and strong. I was having some intense round ligament pain (when the belly ligaments stretch to accommodate my growing uterus) for a few days, but that's subsided for the time being. She's starting to kick a lot more inside there. I love this phase. "Hey, Mommy! Here's another love tap to let you know I'm here!"

As for cravings--cookies (see above paragraph..."Betcha can't eat just one!"), pickles, lemonade, cereal, crisp apples, crunchy baby carrots, cookies, ice cold water (I am always thirsty), and cookies.

That's life at the 24-week mark (give or take a few days).

The Reaction

Thank you for the great words of advice and congratulations that y'all shared upon the announcement of our Baby Girl arriving in April. My mother-in-law, Jeanie's, reaction was as expected--pure joy! We arrived at the lake house Wednesday evening for the Thanksgiving Holiday. After our greetings J asked, "Nate, what's inside Mommy's belly?" Nate yells, "A SISter!" (high, squeaky emphasis on "sis"). Jeanie was caught off-guard and asked him to say it again. "A sister," he repeated (this time a little hesitantly...like he thought he might've gotten it wrong the first time). It was cute. Nate performed his "trick" perfectly. (We practiced it throughout the 4-hour car trip with mixed results. We initially asked, "Nate are you going to have a brother or a sister?" And he kept answering "brother." I think he thought we were asking are you a brother or a sister?" He seemed quite confused when we corrected him; so we just changed the wording.) Hugs and stories ensued after they realized they were actually going to have a little baby girl in the family after two generations of boys (including the story of Jason's purple newborn dress.) Later that evening, the family watched Baby Girl's ultrasound on DVD--including her tiny heartbeat, a couple of kicks and the finale when she blinks her eyes then sticks out her tongue for the "camera."

And, yes, we do realize that there's the possibility that this "girl" could arrive in this world as a boy (i.e., the ultrasounds could be wrong)! Like I said, there's something about the second technician's confidence and pointing out of the labial folds (instead of just saying, "there's no winky, so it must be a girl") that we feel like putting a little emotional investment in the color pink. If it is a boy, we'll deal with that when God drops it in our lap; but, in that case, we're set! We have blue clothes, plenty o'cars and even a boy's name. We're in a good position!

Here's something fun--let's see what the wives' tales say about the possible sex of our baby:
* The Chinese birth calendar says GIRL (my sister thinks there's really something to this).
* If you're carrying just in front, it's a boy; wide, it's a girl. I'm carrying in front = BOY.
* A heart rate of 140 or higher means a girl; lower, a boy. Her last measurement was in the 150s (but Nate's was always a little higher, too) = GIRL.
* With a boy, you'll crave salty foods and meats; with a girl, you'll want sweets. I craved a lot of cake and donuts during my first-trimester nausea; while with Nate I had an intense craving for salami in the later stages = GIRL.
* If you get hair on your belly, it's a boy. Well, unfortunately, I'm a little fuzzier = BOY.
* Bad morning sickness means you're having a girl. Well, it wasn't bad compared to a lot of my girlfriends' stories, but this pregnancy was worse than with Nate = GIRL.
* If your skin is chapped, it's a boy; if you break out, girl. Arghhhhh...another zit?! GIRL.
* If you prefer to lie on your right side when resting, it's a girl; left, boy. I definitely prefer right (despite the recommendation to lie on your left while pregnant) = GIRL.
* If your hair has reddish highlights, you're having a girl. In fact just today my neighbor said, "your hair is looking more red. Did you color it?" GIRL.
* If you're carrying high it's a girl; low, boy. I've been told several times I'm carrying high and she's definitely is easier to find (higher) on the ultrasound than Nate was = GIRL.

Wow. 80%, huh? Perhaps there is something to these theories!