In or Out?

The other day I noticed that my belly button (an innie) was not looking quite as 'in' as it has in the past. Steve noticed too and it was even somewhat noticable from the shirt I was wearing. So if/when it pops out, will it go back? That's weird. I didn't really love the comparision to a turkey Steve made and doubt that my navel will determine when the baby is really to come out, I guess it's just one more way that the body changes during this process.

Humming bird heart and Fundal Fun!

We had another doctors appointment yesterday. Steve got to hear the heartbeat for the first time, which was still up in the 160s. Pretty speedy! Maybe he/she will be like his/her mom... Quick heartbeat, low blood pressure (100/50). I also had my first fundal measurement, which came in at 15 cm. You apparently should measure a cm per week +/- 3 cm. I came in 15 cm, so right on track. We also got orders for our 2nd "detailed" ultrasound that we're both pretty excited for! We get to do that in 3 weeks!

I tried taking a longer profile shot yesterday for Ellie, not sure it really captured it well, but here it is.



I also had a funny moment with a client at work last night... She's early 60s and when we were walking back downstairs after getting her reading glasses she called out "I can see your tummy!" It's starting to get a little more noticable...

Something's up

For sure at least my appetite. I have been CRAZY hungry so far today... It's ridiculous. I am finally full after having cereal for breakfast, a banana on the way to work, half an English muffin w/ pb & dried blueberries for snack with clients, a granola bar, crackers & dried mango for snack by myself, and then a frozen meal and some chips for lunch. This is all in the past, oh, 4 hours. Geeze.

The baby is the size of an avocado this week and must be working hard at something!!

For Ellie!

One of my best friends has been asking for a forward shot to get better perspective on the bump. :o) I'm curious how "obvious" people see it as... Post comments please!!

In other news, I think (am pretty sure) I felt the baby move a few times this week. The more I talk with other friends/moms, the more convinced I am. Pretty cool and makes me want more!! (Movement that is, not more kids at this point.) I'm excited for when it is strong enough for Steve to feel too, that'll be a new way of experiencing this whole process.

Transitioning past "it"

When we first found out we were pregnant (or rather I was pregnant, Steve dealing with me being pregnant. . . That expression has always seemed so funny to me and here I use it. I digress. . . ), he immediately began referring to "it" as "the baby" or "he or she". I, on the other hand, said "it" and when he would correct me, I would say we don't know what "it" is, so "it's it". No biggie. My mom corrected me, got the same response. Not a bad thing I don't think, I'm thrilled to be pregnant (most of the time) and absolutely thrilled with the idea of having a child, but initially "it" seemed like the correct pronoun.

That shifted a few weeks ago and a friend noticed that tonight - not the shift persay, but the "decision" to not refer to our baby as "it". And come to think of "it", I think the transition happened after hearing the heart beating for the first time a few weeks ago. We had gotten a picture of our baby at 9 w 4 d, which was amazing, but maybe there's something to actually hearing that little body inside of me working hard that did "it" for me. So now I have to use two pronouns "he or she"/"his or hers", etc. to refer to my baby. A few extra words a day, but it seems worth it.

**There was a day when I called the baby "she" and Steve cautioned me on this, so I am working at using both genders rather than settling in to the idea of one or the other since we are absolutely hoping for one or the other.**

Funny how these things happen along the way, without any conscious thought or decision.



15 w 4 d - and yes, it does look like I'm practicing mindfulness by roaming my house, taking pictures of my belly while brushing my teeth. Don't tell my clients!



15 w 5 d

New cousins, friends, and awarenesses

Baby Murray has had 2 cousins born in the past month. One, Peter Lane, is on the Murray side and joins big siblings Henry & Clare as well as oldest cousin Isaac. The other is on the Wilson side, Emerson August, who is the first child of my life long BFF.

I think it's pretty great that he or she will have cousins around his/her age. Wasn't that the best growing up? When you would go to your grandparents and get to play with your cousins? For us, since we never lived near family, it was always especially exciting to have those visits. Hopefully Baby Murray will get to see his/her cousins on a more regular basis. I can imagine though that Emerson will be a friend who is sadly not seen as often as we'd like. Right now his parents live in NY and I believe the intention is to return to WA at some point... But Lauren and I managed to see each other and maintain a close friendship in spite of the fact that we haven't lived by each other since 1994, so it is possible!

Baby Murray is also going to have quite the circle of friends born this year. We know of a baby in January, 2 in Feb, 1 in March, (April & May only through friends of friends), June, 2 in July, 3 in August, and he or she in September. It's quite the baby boom in our circle of friends and now I think all of Steve's friends will have kids. Time for mine to step it up! ;o)

A couple of other things that have been on my mind... Having a cold when you're pregnant stinks, especially if you are like me and believe Tylenol cold or other OTC meds are your friend. Steve avoids them like the plague, so he's handle this limitation better than me. I'm just glad I can still take some Tylenol. The other thing I learned last night is that reaching my arms way over my head hurts. It must have pulled at my stomach muscles when I was straining to put a pot back on top of the pot rack (I am way too short to do that and ended up pulling out a chair). I will try to remember not to do that again.

Please don't step on the baby!

I'm waiting for an email to find out what time I can pick up my (2nd?) Craigs List purchase. This one is a fantastic SUV dog gate for the steal price of $30. I'm thrilled. Best part it, it will allow the dogs to come along with me, not get dirty paw prints all over my (already dirty) car, and eventually, will prevent them from hopping around the car and stepping on the baby. Do you think they would actually do that? Probably not, but it seems like a good idea to not even give them the chance!

In other zoo news, a fantastic athlete of Steve's has ASKED us if she can come over to PLEASE walk our dogs THREE time a week! WHAT?! Woo hoo! This reminds me of when we lived in Germany and couldn't have a dog (so we had hamsters that I am now sort of scared of). I would go over to the guys a step or two down from the base commander and ask them if I could walk their dogs. Both of them had yards, which made it easier to have dogs on base. And both of them had at least one and I believe maybe two dogs. It was great for me to go over, play with the dogs - I think one pair was Muffy and Missy - and pretend I had my own. I am only now realizing how fantastic it had to have been to have an excited middle schooler request to get their dogs out on a walk. This girl is going to be my favorite, I just know it!!

It's a LEMMON!

Ok, so the baby's really the size of a lemon (yes, I do know how to spell. . . at least some words) this week according to "thebump.com". But that's not my point.

My point is that my grandma's maiden name was Lemmon. We had family reunions called Lemmon Squeezes where we'd get together with members of extended family and do great things like paint a giant lemon on a street in NE and slide down old fire escapes. It's a pretty fun last name to play with and I believe my grandma and great aunt Ruby once punched a boy for making fun it, so watch what you say!

I like the idea that this week the baby is the size of a lemon as it's size has brought with it great memories of time spent with family. Hopefully this baby will have a chance to learn lots about his/her family, Lemmons and all.

14 w 3 d BUMP

It may just be me, but I feel bigger today than I've felt so far. And no Patrick, I didn't just eat a giant meal! Today was a big day for me. I wore my first pair of maternity pants. Many of them that Melissa loaned me are still too big, but a pair of jeans felt like sweats today and that was awesome! Now to start tracking down other pants that fit so I don't end up pushing the casual work atmosphere by wearing these jeans e-v-e-r-y day. Because the way I felt today, I totally could!

Family values

This weekend Steve has trained 3 people, finished framing the bathroom in the basement, vacuumed the house (including the upstairs, which is a pain), done dishes, made multiple trips to Home Depot, gone to church, caught up on 3 weeks of Lost, and begun building a wall in the laundry room.

This weekend Katie has watched some trashy TV, rewatched Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde, ordered some maternity clothes (on sale of course), updated the blog, fostered relationships through phone calls, facebook, and thank you notes, washed dishes, baked banana bread, cleaned the bathroom, cleaned the kitchen, menu planned & bought groceries for the week, caught up on 3 weeks of Lost, took the dogs out to the park, forgot to make phone calls that I really need to get to, thought about studying (dang it), threw up several times, and prepared a meal.

I teach balance to my clients and Steve helps people improve their physical balance at work. Inspite of that, he has a hard time resting and I've been known to take full advantage of opportunities to rest, at the expense of any major productivity.

Although my list is longer than Steve's, the fruit of his labor is really far more impressive. I think we're doing a fine job of teaching the importance of balance.

Oh, and as I wrote this, two of our 4 legged kids were outside. One eating trash, the other eating snow that I fear may have been yellow. Hopefully we do a better job keeping an eye on the 2 legged kiddo!

Maternity clothes & reality check

Friday after work I went and spent some time with my friend Melissa and her adorable daughter Sonja (oh yeah, and the crazy Roco!). Melissa was nice enough to let me go through her maternity clothes to borrow what might work for me. Such a nice thing as clothes continue to get tighter. **Thursday at work I was crazy uncomfortable even with my band and my skirt unbuttoned, and eventually unzipped after lunch.** I feel like I am getting so big and yet I had a bit of a reality check when I came home and tried things on. This belly has a long way to go before it's done!

Right now I feel a bit stuck in between, but I doubt that'll last for too long. Any predictions on when the belly really 'pops'?

**Oh, and I really need to learn not to brag or get ahead of myself. Last night I got sick before bed. 1st time in a full week and almost 1 day, but I guess that is still a huge improvement and if it happens from time to time, I'm still grateful it's not every stinkin' day!**

We made it!

To the 2nd trimester that is! Today is the day. My doctor explained to me that the 5th of each month will mark the end of that month of pregnancy, and since my baby's due in the 9th month, it makes it really easy. So today, 3-5, is officially the end of the 3rd month and the start of the 2nd trimester. Welcome to it baby! Time to grow even more and stop making mommy sick! (Still going strong with that record although last night I thought I pushed the envelop a little too far. . .)

And here's a picture for this week. I think it looks smaller, but maybe not. I am still able to fasten my jeans and not need my band, although yesterday I wore it after I took the picture because a belt was uncomfortable and I didn't trust them to keep themselves up. :o)

Humming bird & pineapple juice

I heard the heart beat last night! It was amazing, fast, and strong and reminded me of a humming bird it was so fast! Still up there at 166 bpm. According to some people, that means it's a girl, according to others, that means it's a boy. According to my friend Nick, it means doctors can predict gender with 50% accuracy. Something tells me Nick is the one I should be listening to, but it is fun to guess. :o)

Later last night Steve and I were watching TV and I got the idea that pineapple juice sounded REALLY good and had a hard time letting it go. He was even willing to head out to pick some up when we realized we might have some canned pineapple in the fridge. Mmmm. So he poured the juice into a glass and I was one satisified lady. :o) (And now that I'm writing that, I'm definitely going to have some pineapple with breakfast. Yum.)

Other than that, I still haven't been sick since Friday night and Steve told me this morning he can tell I'm getting back to myself. Apparently I was dragging a bit and looking a little down. Can you blame a girl who threw up almost every day straight for 2 weeks? I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we're past that! Tomorrow marks the official end of the 1st trimester. . . I'm ready for the blissful 2nd!

A little bit of catch up and a NEW record!!

I am finally uploading pictures from the past few months... I've been a bit behind. So please enjoy initial confirmation, a short video with our 9 wk 4 day ultrasound, and "the bump" at 12 wk 4 days. (It looks bigger depending on what I'm wearing, but it is definitely there and growing!)

We had a great weekend in Appleton with wonderful friends and family. We had a chance to have a few reminders of how quickly kids grow up, from Eliana who is now working on walking and sharing all sorts of interesting news with those who will listen, to Isaac whose imagination and energy are endless! It was wonderful to connect with some of the people we hold most dear.

And now for the record... I have not been sick in TWO days!! Hooray! I hit 13 weeks yesterday and am hoping this trend continues as the second trimester is right around the corner.

I get to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time Tuesday night. Steve won't be able to come, so if I'm able, I'll take a video and hopefully get it up before too long.