Halfway There!!

I feel like it’s been forever since I have written a post!  Mainly because Christian is the one that wrote the last one. Isn’t it great hearing from him?  He is wonderful and probably gave me way more credit than I deserve.  Also, I wrote this one a few days ago but due to our wonderful weather here in Houston, our internet service was down for a little bit.

So guess what?!  I have reached the halfway point!!  20 weeks!!! Woot woot!!  I just can’t believe it.  In just 20 more weeks we are going to meet little Aria and put her in a bubble so she never gets hurt.  That’s how it works right? J

Last Friday, I had my ultrasound and Aria was measuring right on track.  Except for her legs.  Her long legs were measuring over a week ahead.  This must mean she is going to be tall which totally comes from her Dad and NOT me.  I am a shorty.  She is currently weighing 11oz. and had a strong heartbeat at 144bpm. She was SUPER active during the ultrasound and was very open about being a girl. Lol.  Carrie, the ultrasound tech, tried once again to get a cute profile pic, but of course Aria as usual was looking right at the camera.  She did turn her head one time and Carrie caught a quick picture but it’s a little blurry.  Here it is.  Isn’t she cute?  Always has a hand by her face or in her mouth.

 

And here are her cute little feet.  She was literally doing flips in there.  Perhaps we have a little gymnast on our hands.

As she continues to grow, her kicks are getting harder, more noticeable and more frequent.  Christian and Axel have tried to feel her, but still nothing.  I’m not really sure when they will start being able to feel her, but we will keep trying until they can.  Both of these guys are already in love with her.  They kiss my belly and talk to her every day. <3  Here is a my growing bump at the halfway point.

 

There are only two symptoms that are bothering me a bit right now and they are: crazy hormones and pregnancy brain.  I seem to get grumpy and moody so easily which is a bit frustrating.  Noticing it and being aware of it only seems to make me even grumpier.  Ugh.  I try to push through it and not bite anyone’s head off.  I am not always successful in that area so I have learned to apologize… a lot.  Now let’s talk about pregnancy brain.  First, if you don’t know me super well, allow me to share some insight…  I am over the top organized and very on top of things.  I do forget things sometimes, but for the most part I do things way ahead of time and have charts and lists for it all.   In the past few weeks I have become beyond frustrated with my newly developed spaciness and forgetfulness.  Let me give you some examples of these…

I was late to work a couple weeks ago because I couldn’t find my phone anywhere!  I mean anywhere!  And I am not usually misplacing things.  I am frequently reminding Christian where his things are because he is the forgetful one.  After 15mins of looking, I finally gave up and out of frustration began to text Christian that I just couldn’t find my phone and he would have to call me at work if he needed me.  Now take a second and re-read that last sentence.  Yes, I was mid-text when I realized the phone was in my hand the entire time! 

Monday, I was working on the mailing envelopes for the upcoming baby shower (see! I told you I do things way ahead of time) and thought, I should go get labels so I can go ahead and get them printed.  By the time I made it from the living room to the extra room where we keep our printer paper and labels, I had completely forgotten what I was doing.  Came back to the living room and a few minutes later remembered.  I slowly got up and walked back… except I walked into my bedroom and sat in there for a few minutes trying to remember what I had just remembered I was going to do.  Seriously!?  It finally came to me and I was able to get to the correct room and grab the labels before forgetting again.  My goodness!  This is like a real thing.  I used to think women just made up “pregnancy brain” as an excuse… I totally get it now.

The last story I was going to share with you… I completely forgot so there you have it!  The forgetfulness at its finest. Ha!

Speaking of the baby shower, we were able to get our registrations complete!  Another thing done super early but hey it was way more fun than I thought.  It was all going smooth and we were doing so good scanning all the needed items… until… Christian got a hold of the scanner.  He got a little scanner happy and we had to go back and take some things out. LOL.  I did; however, leave his favorite item that he found.  I will let you guys guess what that is.  If you know Christian well you will know it when you see it.  If you want to check out the registries, have a look at BuyBuy Baby, Target and www.babyeagleston.mydagsite.com.  Hopefully you guys will have as much fun looking at these things as we had scanning them. 

Other than shower planning, I would say there is nothing else going on, but that is just false.  I have been keeping busy with a few other tasks and some days I just want to cry cause I feel so overwhelmed, but somehow I survive.  The good part about that is time seems to go a little faster getting me closer to meeting this little girl.  My next appointment will be in a month.  I will definitely try to post something between now and then so hopefully something exciting and good happens so I can share.

The Dad's Perspective (written by Christian)

Before getting into my experiences and thoughts and feelings throughout this process, I just want to say that reading Melissa’s posts are so great.  Even though I am living through much of this at the same time, it is fun to hear her perspective.  By the way, it is true that she writes exactly how she talks and when I am reading the posts I can actually hear her voice, which is so fun.

Melissa asked that I write a post to give everyone my perspective on our journey through this exciting new experience of having a little girl, and since she has gotten to share more frequent updates, this post may be a bit longer than some of the previous ones.  Full disclosure, Melissa shares her articles before posting for suggestions and edits, but I make a concerted effort to not interject my own perspective in them unless she asks.  Hopefully this will be a nice break for her.

In looking back at previous posts, I noticed that a little more context with what has been going on in our lives through all this might be helpful for everyone.  In the very first post, Melissa said that we found out about her being pregnant February 6^th.  Let me set the stage in a little more detail.  Of course, we had been trying to have a baby for a while, and everything else in our lives was moving forward, so this was something we had really been praying about and for.  I had been at my job for almost a year when, on January 31^st, I was informed that I was being laid off and would have a two week severance, “thank you very much for your service”. Six days later Melissa tells me she is pregnant and we are having a baby.  Two weeks after that, I get a letter in the mail informing me that the Master’s program I had been drooling over and trying to get into for over a year had accepted my application and that I would start in the Fall Semester.  As elated as I am for all of this news, this layoff just took a really bad turn in its severity. It was a very difficult and stressful time, to say the least.  Fortunately, one more blessing was in store and I found my current job, which I absolutely LOVE and which has removed all those terrible stresses from earlier. 

Throughout all of that, I am trying to wrap my mind around the idea that I am about to be a new father and the nerves that go with that.  I was overly concerned and protective on Melissa’s behalf because, as you may have read in her first post, she had a miscarriage prior to this. But it was all starting to get more and more real, with each doctor visit, and each ultrasound, the excitement grew: WE WERE HAVING A BABY! You have seen some of that journey through Melissa’s posts so I will try not to be duplicative, but every milestone added to the excitement.  Each week, we read about our baby’s progress and what was happening.  Melissa struggled with all-day sickness (why it is called morning sickness makes no sense to me), and all I could do was find ways to show my love and support through all of it.  It has been an enlightening journey.

When we knew we were having Aria, I was elated.  My dad had three boys and had always wanted a girl. A grand daughter was the perfect news for him (and you may have seen his reaction in a previous post). I got asked a lot, and still get asked occasionally, if I wanted a boy, and I can genuinely say that if I did it was a 50.1% preference for a boy.  I wanted a child.  The best news I have gotten was, in order: 1. Melissa was pregnant, 2) the baby was, and continues to be, healthy.  Learning that our child was a girl was just a way for me to better prepare (as much as one can prepare of course).  Up to that point, every decision Melissa and I were making were “gender neutral” and ultimately, having a boy or girl would only add the final pieces of the puzzle we have been creating when it comes to décor, names, etc.

There is one special note on the decision making process with Melissa that needs to be made.  Many women who are having a baby completely take over every decision related to “baby” and do not allow their partner to have any input whatsoever.  Whether it is the brands that are used, nursery color schemes, or even how long to breastfeed, husbands are completely left out of the process and are at the mercy of their wives’ dictates.  Melissa is not one of those women, and I could not be more grateful. She truly counsels with me on all of the decisions that will affect our child.  She brings me her opinions and asks that I do research and develop my own opinions.  In this, I can say that I often defer to her judgment in many things, but she doesn’t take it for granted and doesn’t believe that my input should be disregarded or brushed off.  Perhaps most men are uninterested in many of those decisions.  Perhaps their opinions are disregarded and they decide not to bother.  I am not one of those men, and I truly value Melissa asking my advice on things, sharing her thoughts and opinions and preferences, and seeking out my judgment.  We look online and go to stores and research what we need versus what we want.  She is truly a partner in every sense of the word and I am the luckiest man I know. 

This next bit will come as a shock to all of you…we disagree, plenty in fact.  Here is an example: we discussed color schemes for the nursery and being interested in keeping it neutral, we decided on grey with yellow accents.  We would lightly accent with blue or pink too depending on gender.  I found a grey crib and dresser that I thought was perfect, and Melissa had her mind set on a nice looking wood piece.  Upon seeing the grey set I showed her, she fell in love and we immediately agreed that we liked it.  I couldn’t stop myself though…I kept looking and searching, and I found another that I absolutely loved even a touch more than the other crib set we agreed upon.  It was more modern and perhaps a little more masculine.  Melissa wasn’t as sold on my preferred crib.  They were both grey and very high quality, but we weren’t quite seeing eye to eye on it.  We decided however, that because my preference was a little more “masculine” that if we were having a boy we would go with mine and if our baby were a girl, Melissa’s preferred crib (our formerly agreed upon one…I am such a pain) would be the one.  We all know how that decision turned out J and I am 100% ok with it.  Fortunately, we are in agreement on so much more, and especially on the important things.

Other interesting notes…hormones and moodiness: they are real and it cannot be helped, only navigated, like a ship near the shore on a foggy night: carefully, sending and receiving signals to see where everyone is.  Can I just say here that Melissa knows when she can’t help her moodiness and that it frustrates her?  She is so wonderful and apologizes for those times when she was a little sharper with me than she wanted to be; she doesn’t just blame pregnancy and say ‘deal with it’ which I see a lot of.  In other words, she doesn’t use her pregnancy as an excuse to behave poorly.  Pregnancy brain: its legit people!  Melissa is my backup memory on everything, kind of like The Cloud, and right now, it is very unreliable.  It does make for some very funny times though.  Cravings: meh…haven’t had to deal with many.  Pickles and lemonade during the first trimester, but that wasn’t a craving so much as a remedy for nausea.  Shrimp fajitas, cinnamon rolls, and the weirdest one just recently, Jack-in-the-Box eggrolls (which has not yet been indulged) with dipping sauce have been the only actual “cravings” she has had.  On food in general:  I was fully prepared to witness a complete loss of control around food and indeed looking forward to it, as it would mean my own reckless abandon could be overlooked.  Sadly, this has not been the case.  Melissa has done so well with staying and eating healthy that I look more pregnant than she does. 

What is probably most surprising is how time has flown by! We are almost halfway through this journey and looking forward to our 20 week ultrasound next week…I know! It is crazy!  Side note, they say that the most common mistake in gender determination is the doctor saying the baby is a girl when in fact you are having a boy, so look forward to the post from Melissa after our ultrasound, it could change everything, hahahaha.

This whole experience has been and continues to be priceless.  Nothing can prepare you for, and few things are more precious than, having a child.  I am so grateful and lucky to have Melissa as my wife and partner through this.

Flutters and Bumps

One of the greatest things about this blog is I feel like all those who read it are VIPs and learn things faster than everyone else.  I think I have had about 12 people ask me what her name is going to be… clearly they don’t read this.  Just in case you didn’t read the last post and don’t really want to, her name is Aria. J  I absolutely love the name and love the meaning.  Here is a cute little picture Christian has put together that will be going up in her room somewhere.

A few things have happened over the past week or so.  Not many are super eventful, but I will share them with you anyway.  Last week I had my doctor appointment and got to see her little heart again.  He said everything looks good so far.  Woohoo!  Getting reassurance from the doctor is always great.  I felt a few flutters and pokes a bit last week too.  This week, I am feeling her throughout the day, every day.  Probably because in a week’s time, she grew half an inch!  Isn’t that crazy!?  I just can’t get over the rapid development these babies go through in such a short amount of time.  Feeling her move, kick, dance or whatever she is doing when I feel the pokes and flutters is UH-Mazing!!  I’m a little sad that Christian and Axel can’t feel them yet, but I know that it’s just a matter of time.  For now, I will soak it up and enjoy this time her and I get to share privately.

Remember last week when I said one day you wake up looking like you swallowed a watermelon?  Well… I didn’t swallow one but there is an official bump!  My co-worker was nice enough to take a couple pics of me at work so I could show you.  Not huge, but it’s starting to round out helping me look pregnant.  Hooray! Another exciting pregnancy moment I can check off my list.  Come summer time, I may not be as excited about being bigger but maybe I can walk around with a portable AC unit blowing on me all day.  People around here know how hot it gets, they will understand.

 

We have decided to have a baby shower a littler earlier than usual so we have enough time to make sure we have everything covered.  The date has been set for August 1^st and my wonderful mom has taken on the task of getting it all organized all the way from Massachusetts.  If any of you living far away are planning on taking a vacation, Houston would be a great place in August or October. *hint hint* lol!

Besides the baby shower date, the other decision we have made is nursery décor!  How fun!  So I bet you are thinking one of two things… 1.  I want a Harry Potter nursery OR 2. It’s a girl so I want a pink room full of ruffles and bows.  Nope!  Although I am a Harry Potter fanatic and wish I could do my own bedroom in that theme, I am not going that route.  Why?  I get bored easily with decorations and love to change things up.  If I have a theme, I am more likely to get tired of it sooner.  As far as pink, ruffles and bows… I am staying away from that.  I am definitely a girly girl but I am surprisingly not a fan of pink.  Also, I feel like the more you girlify things, the more high maintenance they become.  Totally not based on any facts there… just a feeling I have. Lol.  We decided to go with a neutral color scheme of gray, yellow and white…. With small pink accents.  If you look back at the name picture, those are the colors.  Simple.  Just how I like things.  Now my mom is really pushing for a chandelier… but again… high maintenance.  Although it does look beautiful in pictures I have seen.  I guess we’ll see. Add that to the list of decisions to make. Ha!

This week I have been online ‘window’ shopping and researching all these cool new gadgets they have available.  Did you know they have a machine that is practically a Kuerig for baby formula?  Its nuts!  How lazy are we now that we prefer to spend $400 on a machine to add formula to water, mix it and heat it up!?  Guess we are getting closer and closer to living the Jetson’s life.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a cool invention and very handy but if I have to formula feed, I am totally ok mixing it myself.  Guess I am a little ‘old school’. 

Speaking of baby products, if you have kids, tell me the top 5 things that you would recommend and deem important.  Not the essentials like strollers and cribs… but things like bottle warmers that aren’t necessarily needed but help a lot and may be worth the buy.  Again, there is so much to choose from it gets a little overwhelming.  With your help, I can totally narrow some of it down.  

Alright, so the next appointments will be on May 22^nd and 27^th.  I will be having my 20 week ultrasound and getting all her measurements so I can tell you just how much she has grown by then.  Also, I will be getting another confirmation that Aria is indeed a girl and we don’t really have an… Ario? Oh dear… we need to get started on that boy name just in case. Lol! Of course it is highly unlikely we will need that, but you know how the good old internet is.  It’s scared me into thinking these crazy thoughts.  Before that next appointment, I will have Christian write a post so you can hear the dad’s point of view during these past 17 weeks.  I am sure he has some funny stories.