We have a NAME!!!

Only took 8 months but we have made our first big parental decision and our little boy's name will be Cooper Samuel Guarino! Truthfully this has been our name for as long as we have ever talked about baby names but for some reason once we were actually preggers, we started re-thinking everything. Mark really wanted to have a Jr. but after much discussion I think he saw where my heart was and agreed that Cooper was what he should be. He's going to be such a good Daddy!

I feel like I just found out I was having a baby all over again. So excited... now I can get all the adorable baby gifts we have been given embroidered with his NAME! We can finish up the decoration in his room... I could only buy the "S" and "G" letters for his initials on the wall... now I need to pick up a "C" -sure hope Hobby Lobby still carries them! :)

Been a busy month... Had a BEAUTIFUL shower on the 11th... so happy to have family and friends there to celebrate such a special day. Truthfully, I was excited about it but sometimes these days I find myself just going through the motions. I was surprised by how touched I was that day and how it really was such a heartfelt celebration of this new addition to our family. Our WHOLE family. I know that Mark and I will have amazing support and little man will grow up with some of the most amazing people in his life!!!

The girls here have planned another little shower/luncheon this Sunday. I am so lucky to have such good friends already in this town that would be so generous! I can't wait!

We also took "maternity pictures" a week or so ago. I was so surprised when MARK suggested we take them. Here are two that I think we are definitely going to order!




Lastly, Aunt Angie and Uncle Vic were kind enough to let Mark and I spend this past weekend in their Amelia condo. HEAVEN! Sean and Lindsey joined us for most of it and was such a nice quiet fun time to relax, catch up and play with precious Linden! I'm hoping that Cooper somehow picked up some tips on how to behave from her.... she is so GOOD!! And SO SWEET! Definitely what we both needed and we know how lucky we are to stay somewhere so amazing! As we played the name game this weekend I can almost bet that if we were naming a little girl "Amelia" would have been a strong contender! :)

We have our 3rd pre-natal class this week at the hospital. They have been interesting... some good information... some kinda not so interesting information. But I really think it is just a rite of passage for parents. The videos are traumatic and I do get a little freaked out but they have been fun to talk about afterwards... There are certainly a few things we saw that we knew nothing about!!!!

All went well at the DR this week... status quo... all numbers/levels/etc look good and said we are progressing perfectly (this is week 34). Will do an ultrasound in two weeks to get height and weight measurements. Then we are on the every week rotation until Delivery Day! Oh.... my.... gosh..... :)

It's getting hot in here!

I know I know... "Just Wait!" :) I do wish that I could have collected a dollar from everyone who has said this to us... we would be able to pay for his full college education! But I understand the intentions of the "just wait-ers." Caught myself just in time as I was at lunch with a friend who is about 13-14 weeks pregnant. Just chatting away about how things were going for her and I had to stop myself 2-3 times from busting out "JUST WAIT" Ahhhh! :)

Not too much to report... Dr appointments have been great but boring as far as ultrasounds, etc.. He said they would normally start me with visits every two weeks (as of my last appointment) but he said he felt good enough about everything to wait 4 more weeks to start (this was a week ago). Thought that seemed a little strange but figured.... okeedokee!

He has been kicking up a STORM! (again, I know.. just wait! :) It really helps with my posture during the day... I can't slouch one bit at my desk or I get a swift kick in the rib. I know mark loves to feel him move, but I think he is getting a little freaked out when he goes berserk in there and my belly hops up and down - left and right. A little too alien like maybe for him at this point. :)

The heat hasn't really begun but I can definitely tell a big difference. Two of my male employees are LOVING it though... I crank the AC all day! Not looking forward to the bill but I just don't care! :) Clients seem thrilled when they walk in so that's how I will mentally justify it!



Mark has been hard at work decorating the nursery... I sketched out some plans to paint "frames" on each of the walls to save a little cashola, but the look on his face when I showed it to him was priceless. It was like "you want me to do what?!?!" But after some discussion he put on his happy hat and truly did it all with a smile. Well maybe SMILE is stretching it a little, but he didn't yell or say any bad words (he said he was thinking them, but didn't let them out). :)

Here is one of the walls... we will change some of the "stuffs" on the shelves, but these are the only baby toys/decor we have now.

I feel pretty spoiled when I hear some of my friend's horror stories... After mom's first trip up to basically re-organize our entire house... then Mrs Janet joining her a month later to help completely transform the garage (and more!)... and now Mark pretty much taking care of all the final prep in the nursery... I really can't complain or worry about a thing. Of our major to do's and to buy's we have almost everything crossed off the list!!! I of course find unnecessary things to worry about but it is so comforting to have all of these major things taken care of!

He's so handsome!!! ..... I think :)

These ultrasounds are a little freaky looking but I am still so excited to have ANY opportunity to see his little face! :)

We had the Glucose test that same day where I drank this super sweet orange mystery drink right before the scan. He certainly responded to the sugar and was all over the place... caught him in a little yawn at one point (or something that looked kinda like it :) - it really is amazing what you can see these days... and we enjoyed every minute of it.

All tests have come back as well as we could hope for... I'm up 10 pounds (yikes) but Dr said that is great for 25 weeks. He scared me to death when he said "you do realize he could be here happy healthy and fully developed in 11 weeks!"
.... and that was a week and a half ago! That would of course only have me at 36 weeks but it was crazy to think that it really is so much closer than we think!

Mark is loving that he can finally feel the baby move around... like I said I think he was thinking I was just getting fat and there wasn't really a baby in there. :) We are such nerds and will sit on the couch with the TV quiet and just watch my tummy bounce around... and every time he makes a move we both are like "did you see that?!?"

The crib came yesterday and I was so excited!!! Had to be put together... not too much to do but the pieces were heavy and I couldn't move those around myself.... So when mark got home after about 14 hours at work I knew he probably wasn't in the mood to put it together. But knowing that I was leaving town today and since he is the best and sweetest husband in the world he went and got his tools without another word and we put it together. It looks so great and is perfect in the room!

21W 2D

18 weeks and 5 days to go! Little man now weighs a pound... freaky. He has been moving around quite a bit these days which is so nice and reassuring. Everyone says I'm in that happy babymoon stage where I feel great, baby isn't causing too much discomfort, and I haven't put on too much wight. And they are right. I am definitely feeling more pregnant and throughout the day I catch myself hunched backwards (is that a real position?) and can really tell how much he is growing... and how much my belly is growing. I have been taking these pics first thing in the morning so I am all happy and upright but I assure you by the end of the day we look significantly "more pregnant" :)

Finally getting some baby stuff purchased/ordered... Crib, Car seat, (in a whisper voice) breast pump... I tried to get Mark to test that one out but he wasn't game. He painted the nursery so now we can work on freshening up some old furniture, curtains, hanging shelves, etc... very exciting stuff. :)

Next Dr appointment is April 12th. Don't think we would have another ultrasound then... I think they just set me up for the diabetes test etc... Good times!

Halfway there!

20 weeks down.. 20 to go!

Very excited to make it to the halfway point... I have been feeling great.. no complaints at all really. I am certainly starting to feel a little more "pregnant" as the tummy continues to grow, but nothing significant.

We got the nursery painted, and by "we" I mean I picked out the paint and Mark did all the work. In my defensive, even without the fear of inhaling the fumes, he would never allow me to paint anything indoors. And even painting something outside is still questionable. I have a history... many of you know this history... so I have unintentionally Tom Sawyer'd my way out of this chore for good!

Will try and remember to get a new "belly pic" tomorrow morning. Never thought I would be so intrigued by watching my body get fatter and fatter but it is kinda fun. :)

About a week ago, when I woke up I felt a lot of tension in my stomach, so I flipped on the light and saw that Mr Man must have put himself in some position to be completely on one side of my stomach. It was the craziest thing I had ever seen. I know there will be many more freaky moments as I really start to see movement from the outside, but right now when I am on my back my belly is basically flat... and that morning it was raised about 3-4 solid inches on one side! I actually thought something might be wrong but he went back to normal position within about 10 minutes. Mom says he is definitely going to be a handful... but from the stories I hear of myself as a little one, I guess its just the natural order of payback for all the torment I caused my parents.

:)

It's a BOY!

My oh my! Yup... looks like I will soon be out numbered!

We were all so excited this morning waiting to find out... I honestly just really wanted to see all the major body parts and hear that little heartbeat again! But it was still exciting to know if we would be welcoming a little girl or a little boy into our soon to be even crazier lives!

I truly think Mark would have been happy either way but lets just say he didn't hide his excitement when they told him it was a boy. I think the tech was playing with him for a little bit making him wait, she had her cursor on what was clearly the babys "mmm hmm" for about 15-20 seconds while giving me the "look." She finally told him what "that" was and I thought he was going to jump through the roof.

It is going to be so fun to start picking out more things for the nursery... and I am happy to be able to say something other than "IT" when referring to my unborn child.

The only thing bad about it being a boy is that we had completely agreed on a girls name but couldn't possibly disagree more on what we want for a little boy.

Let the name game begin! :)


(I'll post an ultrasound pic soon, they didn't come out too clear - except the "mmm hmm" picture and I think that it is too obscene for public viewing :) )

15 weeks and Counting!

Not much new to report... Finally took a few "belly pics" but there isn't much showing yet. But at least now we will have something to compare to as I get bigger... and bigger... and BIGGER! Mark and I have been pretty good about getting out for a couple walks during the week and I am fitting in some pregnancy yoga on our off days. Its sad how little effort can make me feel winded these days but everyone says its normal and it's actually how you should gauge your workouts. If you can't have a conversation then it's too much. So basically - longer low intensity exercise make for a happy healthy mama and baby.



Oh, and how can I forget all of Mark's new knowledge he is sharing with me. He is very concerned that I may not be getting enough protein and has determined that I should no longer be sleeping on my back. Hmmmm.... But how can I complain when he is so cute about it. He even came in the other day and said "I almost ordered you a maternity pillow but I wasn't sure which one."

I'm sure he will aggravate me at some point today so I really need to remember these sweet stories. :)

16 week appointment on Tuesday!