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!

Practice makes perfect!

This was the sad little face I got when we pulled up to the vet's office yesterday afternoon. Maybe she knew what was to come later that night. It was time for Tabasco's annual shots. She was a good little girl for all of her tests and her report card was excellent in all categories (little lump even lost 6 pounds since her last visit - our goal for the year was 3-5!!!).

However about an hour after we got home, Mark asked me what was wrong with her back. Poor thing was broken out in these big swollen hives all over her little body. Immediately called the vet and he said to give her benadryl and keep an eye on her for the next few hours. Mark was off to work and I was worried sick about her. She was so itchy but couldn't scratch so I was forced to put the crazy looking cone on her. This did not make her happy (I must say though as worried as I was, you just can't help but laugh when they have those on :) She also got sick so I thought maybe she didn't keep the benadryl down so I gave her another one. Now I was in a panic that I had overdosed my puppy! They told me the swelling should continue for about 4-6 hours until the steroids from the rabies shot wore off.... So I just stared at them constantly for hours thinking if I looked closely enough I would see them start to go down.

I laid blankets out all over our bed and brought her in there with me where we had another 2 hours of her whining and freaking out b/c she couldn't scratch. She finally calmed down which was great but then I would panic and check to see if she was still breathing. Mark came home in the middle of the night and she was looking much better so we went ahead and put them in their beds. Then b/c I am a crazy person I kept running to their room about every hour and a half to make sure she was still alive.

I am completely aware of how ridiculous this is... but I thought it sounded so similar to a new nervous nelly mom I had to share. We both thought it was great practice.... of course I know they are dogs and its not the same, but it was a pretty good representation of the stories you hear. 1. of course it happens on a night where I have extremely important meetings all day and have to be out of the house much earlier than normal to travel.. 2. there was a lot more sickness and mess than I included in the details (you're welcome whoever is reading this :)) and 3. DAD got to check in once and was able to avoid all the whining crying while Mom was home taking care of the baby. See... Just like life with a child!

1 pound and... bigger pants!??

Not quite sure how I have barely gained a pound but can't fit into any of my work clothes! Regardless... I broke down last week and bought my first pair of maternity dress pants. It seems a little early but I guess I don't really care :). Comfortable is the name of the game these days and since its not an option to look like a slob during the day, why not just dive in and look good in pants that actually fit. I think I actually look more in shape in pants that fit than I do trying to squeeze into ones that don't. Wait... is this where is all starts? ... is this what those people that have to get cut out of their house at 600 pounds say to themselves in the very beginning? :) Oh well, I'm 13 1/2 weeks pregnant and loving my new stretchy waistband!!!


TIP for any first time moms: go to several places when making this transition! I was so traumatized by my first shopping trip that I left my sister the most desperate pathetic whiny message begging for moral support b/c the ones I had tried on were the most unflattering bad cut pants I had ever put on my body! I felt like a Macy's day float and I was actually 2 pounds in the red at that point!!! And sometimes you get what you pay for... outside of a surprisingly well supplied Belk's, we have terrible department store shopping here. But lots of cute boutiques that I stayed out of thinking they would be way over priced. Fortunately caught a sale at one and got a great price on a little higher end brand and they fit perfectly!!! I actually smiled at how I looked when trying them on! Should be sufficient until my little shopping trip in FL with Mom and Mrs Janet!

NEWS!

We're pregnant! A little over 12 weeks along and very excited!! We posted some things on facebook to make the announcement but I really don't want pics, sonograms, etc... out there quite so public going forward. And we know how terrible I am about phone calls, so I figured I would fire the old blog back up for anyone interested in following this new adventure Mark and I are embarking on!

Since we are past the 12 week mark I don't feel quite as foolish talking about the ins and outs of everything now... (except of course poor Mom and Ryan (my personal physician) have had to hear most everything up to this point- whether they wanted to or not!)

Here are our first two sonograms. The first was at 9 1/2 weeks (Jan 5th) and the second was 12 weeks (Jan 25th)

Due date is August 10, and our next doctor's appointment is Feb 22nd. The doctor's office we have chosen actually prefers to see us fairly often and I say as long as insurance is good with it, the more visits the better!

I have been pretty lucky this first 12 weeks with sickness, etc... I have been really tired and felt queasy most of the time but in comparison to what most people describe I think it has gone really well. Mark is of course so excited and has been reading his "Expectant Father" book regularly. I thought this would be a good idea until he started coming to me with thoughts of his OWN. (which is never good) "Are you getting enough iron? Many pre-natal vitamins don't have enough iron in them so you need to make sure you are getting it somewhere else." "I read you shouldn't color your hair while you are pregnant... some studies show that it can impact the baby at the cellular level!" Seriously? I may have created a monster! :)

Several people have told me to take monthly belly pics (don't worry, these would be COVERED belly pics). I'm not sure how I feel about this but since this site is pretty much just seen by family and close friends I think it may be fun. The Dr. said I have actually lost weight in the 1st trimester but just a couple pounds... says it is completely normal but to make sure I'm getting enough to eat. I think the eggo waffle, ice cream sandwich and ramen noodle breakfast pigout I had the other day should help put me back on track, :) And as much as I'm not looking forward to packing on the pounds, I'm ready to get out of the - "hmm, has she been eating too many doughnuts" phase - and into the "I'm clearly pregnant so leave me alone!" phase. :)

Well, I'm sorry to say that most of my posts will be pregnancy related b/c I am kind of obsessed. Work and baby/Mark pretty much consume most of my thoughts and I'm sure no one wants to hear my boring daily work trials.... so I apologize if I have a one track mind. Assuming not many people would even see this, it may end up being more of a "diary" for me throughout the next 6 months (and on from there too I suppose).

Here's to a happy and healthy new baby!