Nursery Goodies!

Last week, Mike and I headed out to Cribs to College Beds in Naperville to find a crib for our little one.  We found a perfect white crib and I'm so excited for it! I don't have a picture, but it's very simple and white, with a drawer on the bottom (perfect for a little extra storage!)  It will take about 8 weeks for it to come in and then we'll store it for a bit, until we have a house with a nursery!

I also think I have found the perfect bedding!  I have gone back and forth with bedding for numerous reasons.  Since we are not finding out the gender, it's been very difficult.  The limited choices for gender neutral bedding often include animals and/or characters, which I knew I did not want.  I also didn't want to just settle on something.  I have great visions for our nursery and I want it to be calming and perfect for our little bundle.  In the beginning I wanted a yellow, white, and gray color scheme, but I still went a little back and forth.  My main issue was that the websites I found this color scheme on were super expensive.  We're talking $300-400 for a four piece bedding set! Um, nope, can't justify that!  So I thought maybe I'd find something on our girls trip.  No luck.

Although I've googled "gender neutral baby bedding" numerous times and have been on the same websites, yesterday, I found it!  My color scheme, my price range, additional goodies to match...my excitement couldn't be contained!  A nine piece set for $189.99 - O.M.G!!!  I have not actually purchased it yet, but certainly will this week!  Thank you, babysupermall.com for having exactly what I want!!

Week Thirteen

Week Thirteen

Due Date: November 27, 2012

How Big is Baby: He/she is the size of a medium shrimp

Total weight gain: +1 pound (I think ~ my scale at home is all outta whack!)

Morning Sickness: None!!

Cravings: Water, fruit, pizza bagels, veggies and dip

Sleep: Great, except for getting up for the bathroom

I can't live without: Sleep and water!

I miss: Being able to have a drink once in awhile ~ I'm so not a drinker so it's weird how when you can't have something, you want it.

I am looking forward to: My next doctor's appointment (not til June 12th) and our girls trip this weekend (maybe I'll find some bedding for our baby!)


Milestones: His/her fingerprints have formed on his/her tiny fingers!

Movement: Nothing yet, but I'm so excited for it to happen (although it's still about 5 weeks away!)

Gender: Still thinking a boy, but will be surprised!

Labor Signs: It’s far too soon for this!

My Baby, My Heart

There isn't a time of the day that I am not thinking about my baby...about his/her growth...about doing my best to take care of him/her...about his/her future. I'm constantly wondering if my baby is a boy or girl...what he/she will look like.

I'm making sure to soak in every moment of this pregnancy and enjoy it all.  I don't want to speed it up, but there are some things I just CANNOT wait for ~ first kicks, next ultrasound, next doctor's appointment, for my belly to "pop."  I am so excited for the next few weeks when our baby will be able to hear my voice and my heartbeat.  It will be the start of our lifelong bond and I cannot wait to tell him/her how much I love them, read to them, and sing.  I can't wait for Mike to talk/sing to our baby!

Everything about this pregnancy has been amazing and I'm so looking forward to all the moments that are still to come!

Week Twelve & Everybody Knows!

Week Twelve

Due Date: November 27, 2012

How Big is Baby: He/she is the size of a lime

Total weight gain: According to my scale at home, +2 lbs, but according to the Dr.'s scale today, I'm the same weight I was at my 8 week appointment!

Morning Sickness: None!!

Cravings: Strawberries, watermelon, pineapple, plums, and water ~ any other cravings are a daily occurance (for example, today I really wanted some Potbelly's)

Sleep: Great, except for getting up for the bathroom

I can't live without: Sleep and water!

I miss: My energy, although it's slowly coming back

I am looking forward to: Buying our crib! I know it's still early, but I have an amazing Groupon that expires on May 30th so we have to get one in the next few weeks!


Milestones: His/her reflexes are developing this week! Also, got to hear the heartbeat today!! 153 beats/minute!

Movement: According to babycenter.com, if I prod my abdomen, my baby will squirm in response, although I can't feel it yet.

Gender: I'm thinking a boy but we won't find out until delivery! Although, old wives tales suggest that heartbeats over 140 are a girl...who knows!

Labor Signs: It’s far too soon for this!

     




In other news, the secret is finally out!  On Thursday, I told my students as we talked about Mother's Day and they were quite excited.  However, they were a little bummed to find out the baby won't be here until they are in third grade.  On Friday, my principal announced the great news at our teacher appreciation breakfast and everyone was excited for us.


Saturday was Sean and Carly's Communion so sharing the news at the party was perfect!  Carly got to tell some people while I told others.  Needless to say, everyone was excited.  I handed out our announcement pictures (blog header) and then many of my cousins looked up this lil blog on their phones! 


Sunday was Mother's Day and a perfect way to tell more people!  A couple people would say, "Happy Mothers Day" to me and then say, "Oh no, not yet!"  All I had to say in reply was, "Well, actually..." and they immediately got it!  Mike's family had a little get together so we headed over there to share the news some more.  I told Mike he can make the announcement and he was taking forever!! I guess he was waiting for the perfect timing and he got it.  One of his aunts had asked about our house hunting and Mike said, "Yeah, we'll be looking in the next few months because in November we're having a baby!"  Then there was silence!! LOL!  His aunts just looked at him and then at me for reassurance!  It was so funny.  Mike is a joker and in the time we've been married, he has made a joke or two about us being pregnant.  I always warned him that he'd be like the boy who cried wolf and they wouldn't believe him.  Well, I was right!  Anyway, after they believed me, it was lots of congrats and excitement!  Later that night, it went up on Facebook and it's all out there!


My "first" Mother's Day was very nice - I got quite a few cards from friends and family and it felt great.  They all made me even more excited to be a mommy.  Mike got me a card that was from baby and brought tears to my eyes.


Overall, it was an exciting weekend and I'm so excited that the secret is out!  Although I don't know who is more excited it's out...me or my dad...he was dying to say something! :)

Week Eleven

Week Eleven

Due Date: November 27, 2012

How Big is Baby: He/she is the size of a fig

Total weight gain: Still +2 according to my scale at home...we'll see what the Dr. says next week!

Morning Sickness: None!!

Cravings: Strawberries, watermelon, pineapple, plums, water, and hot chips (BBQ or Flamin' Hots!)

Sleep: Great, except for getting up for the bathroom

I can't live without: Sleep and water!

I miss: Nothing major, but after a rough day at work, I wouldn't mind an adult beverage!

I am looking forward to: Telling all the rest of our family this weekend (Mother's Day weekend!)

Milestones: His/her hands are starting to open and close to form fists and some of his/her bones are starting to harden.

Movement: According to babycenter.com, the baby is kicking and stretching, like "water ballet," but again, nothing I can feel yet.

Gender: I'm thinking a boy but we won't find out until delivery!

Labor Signs: It’s far too soon for this!

Telling our niece and nephews

On the day of my graduation, we told Sean, Carly, and Ryan the big news!  The next day was Carly's 8th birthday so I got her some earrings and a birthday card from cousin to cousin.  We sat them down and I said there was an early birthday gift for Carly.  We had her read the card out loud and when she got to the "cousin" part, she stopped reading and looked at me with a confused look (it was too cute!)  I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Keep reading!"  She continued to read and once she got to "I can't wait to meet you! Love, Baby VerSchave" she stopped reading and smiled.  We asked her if she knew what that meant and she said "You're having a baby?!"  Sean and Carly were quite excited....Ryan, well he wanted to get back to his movie! :)

The rest of the night, Carly would rub/kiss my belly, talk to the baby, and ask all about the things she can help me with!  So cute...she wants to go shopping with me for stuff, will help feed the baby, play with the baby, but not change the diapers! Haha.

Looking forward to next weekend, when the rest of the family will find out!! The secret's killing me and I won't be able to hid it much longer either!

Dear Baby

Written the night of April 29, 2012 for my little one...

Dear Baby,
    Right now you are 9 weeks, 5 days into growing but you've already had my love for much longer!  I've wanted to be a mommy forever but had to wait to find the perfect daddy.  Luckily, I found him ~ wait til you meet him! You'll love him as much as I do!
    We are so excited to be your mommy and daddy! And we can't wait to meet you.  But for now, stay warm, cozy, and safe in my belly.  I'm so excited to take care of you and help you grow!  I already feel so protective of you and I know that feeling will only get stronger as you grow.  I'm making sure to take my vitamins, drink lots of water, and eat healthy food so you get everything you need.
     We got to see a picture of you last week and it was amazing!  Your daddy and I were in awe of how you looked and in seeing your heart beat so strong.
     Little baby, you are already so very loved!  And not just by Mommy and Daddy but by a whole bunch of people!  Wait until you meet all your family members ~ there are a ton of them and they'll have all kinds of love for you too! :)

Love you,
Mommy

First Trimester and Weeks 9 and 10

I really don't want to forget any fun or mundane details about this pregnancy so I'm beginning weekly posts!

Week Ten

Due Date: November 27, 2012

How Big is Baby: He/she is the size of a kumquat

Total weight gain: +2 pounds

Morning Sickness: Still nothing major!

Cravings: Strawberries, watermelon, pineapple, plums, and water.

Sleep: I’m pretty exhausted most days, especially towards the end of the school day, but get a little energy back in the evenings.

I can't live without: Sleep and water!

I miss: Having energy to do stuff!

I am looking forward to: Telling our nieces and nephews this weekend and all the rest of our family next weekend (Mother's Day weekend!)

Milestones: Our baby has tiny nails forming and peach-fuzz hair covering his/her body.  He/She is also kicking up a storm even though I can't feel it yet!

Diet: Still fruits, water, pizza, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches

Movement: Too early to feel any!

Gender: I'm thinking a boy but we won't find out until delivery!

Labor Signs: It’s far too soon for this!

Note to self ~ don't take pictures at 7:30 PM after teaching all day, not a good look.

Week Nine

Due Date: November 27, 2012

How Big is Baby: He/she is the size of a grape (nearly an inch long!)

Total weight gain: +1 pound

Morning Sickness: Knock on wood - nothing major!

Cravings: Loving pizza, all kinds of fruit, and water.

Sleep: I’m pretty exhausted most days, especially towards the end of the school day.

I can't live without: Sleep and water!

I miss: Having energy to do stuff! I have to take advantage of the few bursts of energy I get.

I am looking forward to: Our ultrasound tomorrow (April 25th) and seeing our little munchkin!

Milestones: Our baby is looking more like a human, with fully formed eyes, tiny earlobes, and more distinct  mouth, nose and nostrils.

Diet: Fruits, water, pizza, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches

Movement: Too early to feel any!

Gender: I'm thinking a boy but we won't find out until delivery!

Labor Signs: It’s far too soon for this!

**No picture for 9 weeks...starting to take them at 10 weeks!**

First Trimester
About a week prior to getting a positive test, I was experiencing a few symptoms that could have been related to pregnancy or my period, so I didn't pay them too much attention. My boobs were killing me, my back hurt, and I was pretty tired. My appetite was also a little wonky. But again, I didn't think too much about them, because I wasn't getting my hopes up!

Pictures from the day I found out ~ Becky took them in her room for me!

As the weeks went on, I continued to be very tired and drinking water like it was going out of style, which then led to numerous trips to the bathroom. I also had a few nights of some rough sleep. During my Spring Break, I relaxed a ton but also had a few days of feeling a bit nauseous. For a few days, 11 AM was the time to feel crummy! But since I was on break, I could just lay down and rest.

After those few days, everything went great!  No morning sickness (praise the Lord) just tiredness.  I feel so lucky to not have to deal with getting sick ~ thank you baby!!  Still have a little trouble sleeping at night.  I will either fall asleep right away but wake up at 4ish and toss and turn OR I'll toss and turn right away but once I finally fall asleep, I'm done for!

I called up my doctor the day I got a positive test to schedule an appointment. She likes to wait 8-10 weeks before seeing patients (ugh ~ I'd have to learn some patience) so my appointment was scheduled for April 17th, when I'd be 8 weeks along.

The doctor's appointment went great! Mike came along and got to meet my fantastic doctor.  She confirmed the pregnancy (yah!!) and gave me tons of information and goodies.  I'll go back every four weeks until 30 weeks when I see her more often.

We also scheduled our first ultrasound for April 25th and I cannot wait!!