First Christmas?

If I didn't know better, I would have thought that yesterday was the baby's first Christmas. It almost received as many gifts as we did - a lot of Penn State gear, a huge stash of Steelers outfits (including what is quite possibly the smallest hooded sweatshirt ever made), and a few story books about "mom" and "dad".

This Christmas experience raises an interesting question - was this technically its first Christmas since we know about it and have been following its development so closely? In reality, it won't have any better idea next year what is happening on Christmas Day, so why isn't this Christmas its first?

I did quickly discover one benefit of getting several gifts this year - we can re-wrap them next year as gifts for the baby. On that note, why stop there... I can buy gifts for myself and address them to the baby. It can have the excitement of opening them, and I can enjoy the benefits afterwards. That's what I call a win-win arrangement! So with this plan cooked up, I have one more chance next Christmas to splurge on myself. Excuse me while I start writing my wish list ... ;)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone.

Until next time...

- Mike

3 Months Down........

Well, we've made it to the 4th month! There are a few questions that folks always seem to ask when they find out we're expecting. So, I thought I'd post a Q&A session with these as well as some tidbits about the pregnancy so far!


Question: Were you trying?
Answer: Yes, absolutely! We've wanted this baby for awhile and feel very blessed to have one on the way. Read the beginning of the blog for all the details.


Question: Will you find out what you're having?
Answer: No! We're very excited to not find out. We want to have two names ready and be surprised in the end.


Question: Do you have a nursery picked out?
Answer: We know which room it will be... the spare bedroom beside ours. We'll get started on this after the holidays.

Question: What is the strangest symptom you've had during the pregnancy?
Answer: Sneezing. I have sneezed at least 4 times every single day since about 5 weeks.

Question: What foods have you craved?
Answer: Fruit (especially pineapple); Cheese w/ crackers; Sushi (which I can't have)!

And now for the 12 week picture. I am definitely expanding since I know a shopping trip for different pants is not in the distant future. But, morning pictures still hide the bump fairly well!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Alysia

Buried with Cookies

Well, we are buried in snow again.... We were lucky enough to receive our second large snowfall of the season yesterday - my guess is that we got 8-10". At least we were off from work yesterday for our alternating Friday off, so it was actually a nice day to be stuck.

We spent the day catching up on some chores, and also watched a movie during the afternoon (Ocean's 12... yeah, we're way behind on watching recent movies.). Sometime during the day, Alysia advised me that it was a good chance to read her Mayo Clinic book about all of the changes that will take place between weeks 13-16.... Needless to say, it reminded me that I shouldn't complain about shoveling the snow later. I don't know if it was the cold and snow, or the start of second trimester, but Alysia was knocked out yesterday for the longest nap that I've ever seen her take - about 3 1/2 hours from 4:00-7:30.

We woke up today to a picturesque winter wonderland - the sun was shining on all of the fresh snowfall, and the sky is perfectly blue. It is also a crisp 14 degrees today... with a high of 19 I think. To defy the winter weather, Alysia decided that she is going to wear her Hawaii North Shore shirt all day - we bought that shirt just a few months ago on a beautiful 80 degree day on the beach...

The good news is that today is the day when Alysia makes her Christmas cookies to take her folks' house for the holiday... so even though we're buried in our own house, at least we have cookies!

Until next time....
- Mike

Christmas Spirit

Last week was a busy one! The baby made its first trip down south (Arkansas) for a few days on a business trip. Then on Thursday, Mike and I joined some friends on a Christmas Walk at Dow Gardens. We had received our first major snowfall (14") a few days before, so the illuminary walk was beautiful. The walk was complete with carolers, hot chocolate, and even reindeer!

Alysia

Running Out of Room!

Here are pictures from Week 10 and Week 11. I think I've reached the point where there just isn't enough room anymore, what do you think? Oh yes, and I got a few hairs cut......

Alysia

We've Graduated!

Yesterday was our very last appointment at the specialist! This is a big step - as the pregnancy is no longer considered 'high risk'. Unfortunately, this means we won't get to say "Hi" to our little one as often. It's hard for us to believe we won't be making any more trips to Saginaw since we've been frequenting the facility since March. The nurses all gave us hugs and wished us well.

Here are some photos so you can say Hi too! Baby is now 3.5 cm long and seems to be filling up most of Mom's uterus. The 3-D shot is amazing. Look at the little arms, legs, and bum!

Alysia

Announcements and Other Happenings

We're now in the phase of telling friends and family that we are expecting. This started last week when we saw both of our families over Thanksgiving weekend. We made the announcement by giving our parents an "early" Christmas gift that was actually an article of baby clothing with a message referring to "grandparents". My parents got the message immediately... Donna, on the other hand was a different story. For some reason, she thought that someone was playing a joke on her (we had placed the gifts on the porch, rang the doorbell, and walked away).

Amongst our friends, it's funny to see the difference in reaction between those who have kids (or are expecting) and those who don't. The ones who do have kids tell you congratulations with about the same excitement that they would have about their own child. Those who don't have kids will give you the customary smile and "congratulations".

We passed a milestone this week, too. Last night marked the final hormone injection shot for Alysia - so much for our nightly ritual! The next milestone might be the first day when Alysia has more to eat than me... I'm sure that's still a long way off, though. ;)

Until next time...
- Mike

Fully Formed

From one of the many resources we've begun to read, we know that all our our little one's vital organs are now formed. No wonder mom's been so tired:)

Yesterday, the doctor performed a 3-D ultrasound. Very cool. Each week has shown consistent growth and everything looks wonderful. Although we've been seeing the heart beat for about a month, we were able to hear it yesterday (164 beats per minute - very strong)!

Here's the best picture we got from the 3-D ultrasound. Baby was facing opposite the probe and we couldn't see the face. But, we've got a great shot of the back and legs! Oh, and in case you're wondering, that's the cord between the legs.... the nether regions are not formed yet. In the words of our doctor, "That is not a weinie".

Now that you've seen the close up, here's this week's outside look. We were a bit late with the picture, so it's actually 9 1/2 weeks. Significant growth begins next week, so I can't imagine the baby will be hiding out much longer.