Is that a plum or a baby?

With 1 week of our pregnancy being out in the open, things have gone pretty well. I have noticed people have started looking at my belly before they look at my boobs (oh wait! I mean eyes--yea before they were looking at my eyes) ...so that is a plus-I guess ;-)

I had my 3rd appointment today. Week 13! Whoo Hoo! Elaine and Al were visiting Chattanooga this week and on their last day before heading back to IL, I had my doc appointment. I asked Elaine if she would like to hear the baby's heart beat and she said yes. So that was the first thing we did at the doc's office today. It was just as cool as hearing it the first time. Baby Sweet's heart beat is sitting at a solid 148. It was reassuring to hear it again. The days leading up to my appointment I have been feeling really good. I have not had any gassiness or bloating and have been able to work out; so I was beginning to think something might be wrong. I mentioned this to doc and she reassured me that is a normal tendency and in a short period of time I will be able to feel the little one moving around. Whew. Good to be normally OCD ;-)

I have gained a couple pounds, so my cute jeans and shirts are no longer comfortable. I can get into them but after about 30 seconds, I want to rip them off and walk around in my sleeping pants and a race t-shirt. Hmmm sleeping pants and t-shirts at work. Could happen, but not in this lifetime. So I got the best present EVER!!!! Cara sent down ALL of her maternity clothes and I think I am going to be set. She has such great taste and all the stuff I pulled out was super cute. I will admit, I had a little trouble seeing myself getting to the point where I would be able to fill some of it out. I think that sentence will be really funny when I go back and read that in 6 months. Maternity clothes are all sized to your pre-pregnancy size. So since Cara and I are small--all of our preggers stuff is small too. I think the only stuff I might need are some bras and skirts. Other than that, I have a whole new wardrobe. =) I am looking forward to adding to our preggers collection. It will be exciting to pass the big girl clothes back to Cara when she needs it again.

I was reading another pregnant woman's blog the other day, and I was shocked when I read some of the questions people asked her...until I was asked a few. So to help y'all out and not slap you in the face (which I totally will--I have the patience of a 2 year old right now haha). Here is a list of things you might want to steer clear of when talking to a pregnant woman...

1. Rub or feel her belly. Would you go up to a perfect stranger who wasn't pregnant and touch their belly? No, you wouldn't. So why do people feel like a pregnant woman's belly is public property? As far as I was concerned the only person that had right to touch my belly without my permission was my husband.

2. "Wow, you're getting big." You think? I didn't notice I couldn't see my feet anymore. Thanks for pointing that out to me. How about saying something nice like, "Wow, you look great!"

3. "You look ready to pop, I can't believe you still have (insert time frame here) to go." Thank you. So what you're saying is I'm fatter then what I should be? You're probably doing nothing but making her feel even more insecure then she already is, especially if she still has a few months to go.

4. "You haven't had that baby yet?" Nothing makes a pregnant woman want to strangle you more then this if she's already overdue. And if she isn't near her due date, once again you're just telling her she's fat.

5. "Are you sure you're not having twins?" Of course I'm sure! How would I not know if I was having twins?

6. Telling labor horror stories. The last thing a pregnant woman wants to hear is how you struggled for countless hours to have your last baby. She already has a lot going on in her mind and she doesn't need you exasperating the situation.

7. "Should you really be eating/drinking that?" What are you, the public nutrition police? What she eats and drinks is her business, not yours.

8. "Was it planned?" Talk about invading someone's personal life. Sheesh.

9. "Are you going to have any more babies?" Another no no. She's currently expecting one baby and you think she's thinking about her next one? She's probably suffering from back pain, swollen ankles, sleepless nights, and has a baby constantly wedging a foot between her ribs. Having another baby is probably the last thing in the world she's even considered right now.

10. "Are you going to breastfeed?" Yikes, where is the awkward police? Like most of these on the list, if she brings it up-ok, that is different.

11. "Did you take fertility drugs?" Really none of your business...unless you are taking fertility drugs.

12. "How much weight have you gained?" This one is personally my favorite. You wouldn't ask her this if she wasn't pregnant, so don't ask her because she is. That information is between her and her doctor.

I thought this list was funny and truthful at the same time. Just watching out for my readers...don't want any of you getting shut down or embarrassed. =) Much love and hugs all around. Off to do some yoga and make dinner.

TTFN,
Heather

News from the Sweets!

We have some really great news to share with everyone; and we have finally reached the point where it is "safe" to tell all...we are having a baby! Yeah!!!!

The proof is in the pee stick (it really does say "pregnant")

Andy and I have always known we wanted to be parents. We've talked and planned and talked and planned and the beginning of the most exciting ride is finally here. I took a home pregnancy test at the beginning of May, went to the doc to confirm the following Monday, and had our first sonogram on June 2nd. At this point I am 12 weeks along. The due date for baby Sweet is January 7, 2011. We are planning on finding out if we are having a boy/girl in August.

@ 6 weeks...I guess being pregnant makes your ass look flat ;-)

@ 12 weeks...guess getting more pregnant makes you look like a drown rat ;-)

Some interesting things we have discovered in early pregnancy:

• Almost immediately my blood veins, arteries, and heart increased in size, but my blood volume has not caught up yet. Consequently, the first month of knowing I was pregnant was a dizzying experience. Typical increase will be 45-50% -- whoa that is a lot of blood
  
• Not all women experience morning sickness...some women experience extreme bloating, belching, and farting. Ahhhh motherhood ;-)
• Starting at about week 9 I have to pee ALL THE TIME, it is mostly hormonal at this time. The baby is too small to be putting THAT much pressure on my bladder...but then again the bladder is the most ignorant organ in the body. Really it is.
  
• Exercising is good for the baby. More oxygen and increased blood flow for me = more oxygen and blood flow to the placenta. Out--are the theories of keeping your heart rate below 150 and limiting ALL activity. In--is the practice of "knowing your body and knowing your limitations." I am going to continue working out the way I have always done. No more TT's or track workouts, but working out 5 days a week with yoga, swimming, running, biking, hiking, and walking is just what the doctor ordered...seriously it is. I am reading "Exercising Through Your Pregnancy" by James F. Clapp III Good read, a little technical and scientific, but VERY informative
  
• My boobs are GINORMOUS! 'nough said.
• Sonograms and an ultrasounds are the same thing. A sonogram uses ultrasound technology to render an image
• The coolest thing in the world to hear is your baby's heart beating for the first time ----------> tears
  
• Telling people how big the baby is compared to an olive (week 9) is mildly entertaining
  
• I have gained 1.5 lbs. in 12 weeks but it looks and feels much different
• After delivery of baby Sweet, my VO2Max will increase 5-10% for up to a year!!!!!! At least that is what "Exercising Through Your Pregnancy" estimates
• You can get your hair highlighted in the first trimester
• The main reason "they" recommend for you not to eat deli meat or rare, medium rare, or medium meat is the fear of food poisoning. If I were to get sick, the dehydration and the convulsing of throwing up so violently could be very dangerous
  
• The only other food restrictions I have are: I can't eat unpasteurized cheeses (brie, camembert, feta, or blue veined--seriously BOO!) or fish that contain mercury (tuna, shark, swordfish, farmed/fresh/canned salmon, shrimp, or tile fish) and of course no alcohol or caffeine :)
  

I will leave you with a picture of baby Sweet 9 weeks and 1 day in utero...
Head is to our right

TTFN,
lil' momma (nickname from Andy)

Wet Hot American Summer

Summer has finally arrived. Here in the dirty South, things have been "summer like" for a while now, but with the arrival of June and the passing of Memorial Day...it's official.

We had a really great Memorial Day. Our neighbor's youngest daughter graduated from UTC and they wanted to throw a graduation/Memorial Day party. It really was an excuse to a) create a smoker b) smoke over 60 lbs of meat c) drink a lot of beer. Our friend Wes Young, chef extraordinaire, was the man of the hour. He came out to our place after work on Friday night to do a "test run." I went to bed at midnight...they were all still up "testing." Smoking meat is HARD work ;-) Wes worked downtown in the morning on Saturday and after work he came out again for the big show. I think they started smoking the pork shoulders, pork loin, turkey, and ham at about 7 pm. Andy said they went to bed at 5 am. After a couple hours sleep Andy got up and tended to the smoker until about 2 pm on Sunday.

We took a break from smoking meat to head down to Possum Creek and go swimming. The hike to the creek off our back deck is about 25 minutes...warning: Crocs are NOT good hiking shoes ;-) Our friend Steve took a beautiful tumble exclaiming, "God Bless 'Merica!!!" Classic.

Suggestion: when you come out to our house bring a pair of lace up shoes, an extra change of clothes, and know your cell phone reception will be crappy.

All in all, it was an awesome holiday. Great friends, good food, and beautiful weather (minus the rain at the end of Sunday). Not that the movie "Wet Hot American Summer" has really anything to do with how our summer down here in TN will play out, I just LOVE that movie. HERE is a clip...enjoy.