Week 14: Daycare is Like the NFL Draft

For the first 12 weeks of Kate's pregnancy, I was sort of pretending she wasn't pregnant. That might sound weird, but I am the type of person who would prefer to assume the worst is going to happen and be happily surprised when it doesn't. Kate and I agreed not to buy any baby related items until after 12 weeks, and I think we actually succeeded. I didn't let myself think about the fun stuff- nursery decorations, adorable onesies, etc or the not-so-fun stuff- daycare, never sleeping again, etc. I really didn't think about any of it. Well, that all changed after our 12 week ultrasound. Seeing our baby, who now looks more like a human than a blob, made it all feel very real. VERY, very real.

I am trying not to panic about all of the things we need to figure out between now and November, but it's challenging. The first thing I'm tackling is daycare. Who knew you had to secure a spot in daycare practically before your child is even conceived?

And man is it expensive! The daycare center in Davis Square is $2,100 a month! $2,100!! Wow. We obviously won't be sending Kiddo Curtis there. We have a couple of options lined up thanks to our lovely friends who suggested the places they send their kids. And Grandpa Curtis (it's so weird to call my dad that, I am definitely picturing MY grandfather who, at 87, is in no shape to babysit) agreed to schlep to Boston at least once a week, so that covers one day. We are eternally grateful. In a perfect world we'll be able to arrange our work schedules so that one of us is home 1 day a week, thus needing daycare only 3 days a week. Phew. There are many other life-changing decisions to be made in the near future, and we'll update you as they become finalized.

In terms of buying baby supplies, we haven't done much. Kate is stocking up on maternity clothes (bathing suits- what a pain) and a pillow that will prevent her from flipping over onto her back. She also bought one adorable gender neutral onesie to celebrate passing the 12 week mark and I happened to stumble upon a free nursery glider that was too good to pass up, but otherwise we haven't done much. We know it's still early and we're hopeful that some hand-me-down items might find their way to us. Plus, we don't have anywhere to put the stuff right now, since our guest room (soon to be nursery) is booked with guests (Hi Aaron! Hi Swin!) for a week in June.

When you buy your kid an expensive
toy...

As our friends and family have started suggesting baby items to us, we have been adding them to an amazon.com registry so we don't forget.  So I'm opening it up to you, our dear readers. What products didyou buy and never use? What are the things you couldn't live without? We can use all the advice we can get, so lay it on!

Week 13: Whip Out the Spandex

Well, here we are at week 13.



Kiddo is forming finger prints on his/her fingers, the head is about half of the total length of the kid- size of a peach!- and vocal cords are forming, which we surely will regret when he/she hits about 13 years old.

Some news!  We got the results back from the Early Risk Assessment and our nugget has a 1 in 10,000 chance of developing Downs or other major chromosomal problems.  High fives all around.

We have some check-ups between now and then, but we all know we're counting down until June 19th. Then we can find out the sex and buy all the things.

Ok, so let's remember this is not only a blog for updates on me (#ego) and Meg, but also to drop pregnancy knowledge bombs.  So, in the 13th week there are a couple things you will experience as you start your Second Trimester. #whaddup!

Your nausea will likely subside.  This will be replaced by gastro-intestinal miladies that mimic rush hour on the Mass Pike, after a Red Sox v. Yankees game, with the green line not even functioning at it's normal speed of smell, during a blizzard and then going back in time to when the Big Dig was happening. Here's my advice, friends: pray to whatever deity you believe in and consume all the fiber.  That's all I've got.

When you see a TGIF's commercial
and they show mozzarella sticks.

Your cravings will get stronger.  As your appetite returns (dammit, that was the best diet ever- next to mono. But for reals, I lost 9 pounds in the first trimester) you will want things more than Leo DiCaprio wants an Oscar.  And you'll try, as a rational adult, to make yourself eat super healthy because you are growing a child.  But you know what?  Dairy Queen beats guilt EVERY TIME.  So, yeah, eat that salad (for health and to aid the aforementioned tummy traffic jam), but chase that sucker with a Dilly Bar.  Your thighs will grow with or without it.  I haven't experienced any weird cravings (ie. things I hated before pregnancy, pickles, etc), mine exist solely in the dairy category which is milk which is healthy.  [Meg would like to interject that Kate has indeed been craving-and eating-more hamburgers than ever before.]

What Kate imagines a baby kicking
feels like.

You will start to expand.  And I'm not just talking about gas although you will start burping like a trucker... is that a thing?  You will also start to feel things stretching and growing- no kicking yet, that's around 18-20 weeks.

You will also have some pains every once in a while.  Of course they are typically around the uterus area ... let's remember team, there's a freakin' life form growing in there.  At 13 weeks, the uterus is slightly bigger than a grapefruit so some things have to move and shift to accommodate for the freeloader. Unless it is severe pain with blood, it's pretty much the norm.  Take your finger off the panic button.

Finally, as you grow your pants will start to feel like you just ate a big Thanksgiving dinner.  Now I know most pregnant women aren't my size, but for you fellow plus-sized preggos, Meg did a little research for us on maternity clothes that don't look like they were based on a dare.  Destination Maternity (check out this cute bathing suit that's not in a freakin' floral print!), Target, Kohls  (cute summer work pants that aren't pleated!) & JC Penney's (jeans that aren't stone washed!). That's basically all the options she found, so if you know of others- please leave suggestions in the comments!

Week 12: Guys, There's Really a Baby in There!

So here we are at week 12 y'all!

Sorry for not posting last week, but not a whole lotta new stuff was going down and I ran out of gifs to properly demonstrate my eternal struggle with nausea and my faithful relationship with dairy.  So let's talk week 12!  The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. The baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, toes will curl, eye muscles will clench, and the mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod my abdomen, the baby will squirm in response, although I won't be able to feel it (believe me, the ultrasound tech did it a lot). From crown to rump, the baby-to-be is just over two inches long (the size of a kiwi) and weighs half an ounce.

Today we went to have an early risk assessment test done.  It is a noninvasive test that combines blood work with an ultrasound of the baby to identify risk for specific chromosomal abnormalities, including Down Syndrome Trisomy-21 and Trisomy-18.  Another portion of the test (known as the nuchal translucency) can assist in identifying other significant fetal abnormalities, such as cardiac disorders. #googledit




We were able to see our baby!

On a big screen squirming, waving

and even giving the U-N-I-T-Y fist.

The baby looks good (all the limbs accounted for!), strong heartbeat (164) and both hemispheres of the brain even.  They were able to see a slight view of the nuchal translucency, but our little nugget wouldn't lay quite in the right position to get a clear picture  (thus the nurse pile driving my abdomen with the ultrasound wand) so they want to get a better pic, which means a return visit this Friday.  

Then we wait all the way until June 19th to find out the sex!

Checking your calendar for your next ultrasound

I opened some champagne for Meg and we celebrated our last Cinco de Mayo (Baby-o) sans-kiddo.

Pre-Pregnant Cinco de Mayos

Pregnant Cinco de Mayo

WE'RE HAVING A BABY Y'ALL!