23 Weeks!

How far along? 23 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: No idea!
Sleep: It's definitely still on and off. I think I've finally met up with the dreaded 2nd Tri Insomnia!
Best moment this week: Putting up our Christmas Tree and decorating the house!
Movement: Lots! And Gez finally got to feel the baby moving from the outside, which was a pretty special moment. Last night I even saw my belly moving when the baby gave some especially big kicks!
Gender: Boy!!
Labor Signs: I'm pretty sure I felt my first Braxton Hicks contraction, but that is common at this stage, so not really a labor sign per se.
Belly Button in or out? Still an innie
Food cravings/aversions: This week I've developed a renewed (and unfortunate) appreciation for Snickers Bars.
What I miss: I've got nothing this week. Although I am starting to feel a bit more cumbersome and limited physically- so I'm sure that will begin to prove frustrating
What I am looking forward to: My visit with the midwife next Friday, I think we'll begin discussing a preliminary birth plan.
Weekly Wisdom: As exciting as it is to think about the holidays next year with a baby, I'm trying to take the time to appreciate these last few months as a couple.
Milestones: Our little boy can now hear things going on on the outside!

Today I completed my first real parental act: I booked daycare for my child. This is something that has been weighing on my mind since we first found out that I'm pregnant. You see, I'm a bit of an overplanner, I hate the feeling of not having all of my proverbial ducks in a row. Year-long waiting lists scare me! I couldn't escape the scary image that we would totally fail to be prompt about finding quality care, and our baby would be stuck watching Blues Clues reruns and drinking Pepsi out of his bottle, while his "daycare provider" chain-smoked in the next room. So as soon as we hit the 12 week mark of this pregnancy Gez and I started doing our research. We had a conversation about what type of care we were both comfortable with, and decided that we wanted a center, rather than any type of in-home carers. Now, I'm sure that there are some really really great in-home daycares out there, but for me it just wasn't something I wanted to consider. I personally feel that centers are a bit more regulated, tend to have a stronger educational base, and are better able to provide fun and enriching experiences (field trips, outings , etc). We did have to make some compromises, though. For example, we were really hoping to find a Welsh-Language nursery, but out of the acceptable ones that we found one was wayyy outside the city and the other never returned my calls, which totally turned me off.

But we're so happy with our final choice. Upon our initial visit we were greeted warmly by the staff, the babies seemed to be either playing or sleeping happily. We were pleased with the level of interaction, as well as the quality of the facilities. I was duly impressed when they showed us the food-prep area (I was going to ask to see it anyway, but was pleased that I didn't have to reveal the level of my paranoia), which was clean and sanitary. It's a bright, colorful, cheerful place, and I know that our son will really enjoy it there.

None of this, however, makes it any easier to think about. Although I'm lucky that I'll have 5 months at home with my baby before he starts at the nursery, I don't like thinking about having to leave him. And yes, I know it'll be harder on me than it will be for the little guy- he'll be having tons of fun playing with all of his new buddies, singing songs, and fingerpainting while I have to leave my baby and go to dumb ol' work! I just keep reminding myself how much harder it would be if I wasn't 100% comfortable with the care he was receiving. And anyway, now that it's taken care of, I don't need to think beyond those wonderful first 5 months, for now anyway!

Yesterday I started crying during a Coca-Cola commercial. Not even one of the ones with the polar bear and baby seal. Nope. The one with the big Coca-Cola trucks rolling into the snowy town under the Christmas lights. WTF?

I also cried while watching Elf last weekend. Awesome. Thanks, hormones!

Ooh la la!

Do you like our new look? I've had a bunch of fun this afternoon playing around with new formats and color schemes, and I think this pretty green and blue style works best. I happen to love it, and I hope you do too!

At any rate, we had a pretty fun and lowkey weekend. Poor Gez seems to have contracted a stomach bug, and so was off both Thursday and Friday. He wasn't 100% over the weekend either, but gamely went forth on Saturday for some holiday cheer. We were able to get some Christmas shopping under our belts, had a lovely lunch in our old neighborhood, picked out our Christmas tree, and managed to decorate it once we got home. So all in all, not a bad start to the holiday season. The house is decorated, the shopping is done for all the American relatives (and will hopefully be mailed this week!), all we need to do is write out our Christmas cards and do some baking.

I do love the whole Christmas season, but it's difficult not to feel a little homesick around this time of year. And living in the city, with rain falling for the past month, makes me wistful for the woods and snow, and the Christmas tree in my parents' living room. Anyone who has ever gone for a walk in the Vermont woods while snow is falling knows the particular sort of silence that it holds. I miss that. I am so looking forward to next year when we can share that experience with our little boy. In the meantime though, it's also nice to make new traditions with my husband and family over here. Having already spent a Christmas in Wales (how very Dylan Thomas of me), there are now different things I'm looking forward to, like mince pie and Christmas pudding, the Doctor Who Christmas Special, and of course Christmas morning with my husband and in-laws.

However, when it comes to my side of the family I think everyone is already looking forward to next Christmas, as crazy as it sounds! Not only will we be over with the little one, but it will also be my brother and SIL's year to have Christmas in Vermont, which means that we'll all be under one roof. I think my mother will implode with excitement! All 3 grandchildren together! While our baby will only be about 8 1/2 months, my nephews will be 4 and 2 1/2, so they'll be all excited for Santa. It'll be a family Christmas of Griswold-ian proportions. We're all excited. No joke, my brother was talking about it to the girl cutting his hair the other day...

21 week 4 days

Here it is! The long awaited for bump-pic. Please excuse the frizzy, crazy hair! I'm starting to look a bit more pregnant- although, from my view the change is much more dramatic!

I haven't done one of these surveys in awhile- so here we go:


How far along? 21 weeks 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: No idea!
Sleep: It's touch and go right now. It's getting more and more difficult to get comfortable.
Best moment this week: Thanksgiving- and realizing that next year we'll have our little guy to celebrate with!
Movement: Tons- especially after I eat or drink some juice or (gasp!) a little soda.
Gender: Boy!!
Labor Signs: Nope, thank goodness!
Belly Button in or out? In, but it's gotten the teensy bit shallower, and I'm finding it really interesting. Is that weird?
Food cravings/aversions: Not really- I'm pretty much back to normal as far as what I enjoy eating.
What I miss: Being able to stay awake past 10 pm.
What I am looking forward to: Getting our Christmas tree- painting Little Boy's nursery!
Weekly Wisdom: There's seriously so much crap you can buy for a baby- try to set a budget and stick to it- not always easy!
Milestones: Our little boy now has a crib of his very own! All cute and set up in his room! And his Nana is making him a matching crib skirt and window valance- what more could a guy want?!

A Little Boy

That's who is coming our way in April. We're beyond thrilled and have been making plans and looking at gorgeous boy-baby clothes since finding out yesterday. We also got some pretty rad ultrasound pics, which I'll scan and share once we unpack the proper equipment to do so. I know it's sort of the done thing to post a pic that clearly shows, in all of its leg-parting glory, that the baby is a boy or a girl. No offense to those that choose to do this, but I'm gonna pass on this tradition. If my son wants to publicly reveal himself, then that should be his decision- preferably made while on Spring Break in Daytona Beach, while helping an 80-year-old Jerry Springer judge a wet tee-shirt contest, and under the influence of several kamikaze shots. But for now, as his mama, I'm not going to post pictures of his boy-parts for all to oggle.
Anyway, back to the ultrasound. It went great! The little one looked healthy, and still measuring 4 days ahead, so right on target! He's still very relaxed and mellow, some might say lazy, but we prefer "laid back." When the scan began he was curled up and looked so comfy, with his head tucked down on his little chest and his legs curled up. The tech thought I might have to take a break and drink something to get him moving, but it worked out fine- she was able to get some initial measurements and then he started moving around a little bit more. I think the pressure from the little scanner-thingy (and yes, that is the technical term for the device) started to piss him off, which is why he started moving more.
The only thing that they found that gave any cause for concern was what they believe is a cyst on one of my ovaries. The only thing is that it's not the usual shape of a cyst. So a doctor was called in to have a look, but she didn't seem too concerned, she said the reason for the shape might be because it's collapsing and degrading. Some other doctors will take a look and if they feel the need to follow-up then they'll contact me, which would just probably mean another ultrasound. At any rate, it doesn't present any risk to the baby or to me, so nothing to be worried about!
Now a word on names, because people have been asking- yes we do have a name chosen for this child. We will not be revealing this name until the baby is born (cue "pregnant women are smug" video). I will tell you that the last name is Jones.

Living without internet is no fun...

How did we used to do it? Richard Branson sure took his sweet-ass time sending his pawns out here to hook us up...
Anyway, all is well and here we are settled into the new house. Well, by "settled" I mean we know where the kettle, peanut butter, and TV are, and have made a pretty valiant effort at unpacking the mountains of boxes (either that, or stuffing them into the spare-room wardrobe...). At any rate, we're comfortable and thrilled to be here, and proud as punch to be in an actual house rather than a flat.
I love that the baby also has an actual room- not that we've done much beyond placing inside of it a bag consisting of a stuffed lamb, 5 receiving blankets, and 3 items of unisex clothing- but stay tuned because it's our next project!
Speaking of the bambino, tomorrow we get to find out if it's a boy or a girl, barring any tragedies of the modest leg-crossing kind, which would result in perhaps the world's first in-utero time out (still figuring out the logistics of an in-utero time out, but trust me, I'm creative). But in all reality I'm much more excited then I'm letting on, because I fear that if I fully let the excitement wash over me then I will basically be paralyzed with it. No matter what, for the rest of our lives we will have either a son or a daughter, there's nothing that can or will change that fact- and the magnitude of that is immense. This is the last night of our lives that we won't have that knowledge, the last night that we'll have to say "him or her", the last night that we'll be without this tiny little window into the person our child will become. From tomorrow we'll be asking ourselves if she'll be a tomboy or a girly-girl, if he'll cheer for Wrexham like his Daddy or if he'll be Cardiff City boy?
I never completely believed people when they said they don't mind if their baby is a boy or a girl, but I totally get it now. I would love to have a daughter and have the experience of that bond, to read "Anne of Green Gables" and "Little House on the Prairie" with her, to plan sleepovers, and do arts and crafts projects involving lots and lots of glitter! But equally, I'd love to have a son. To see my husband racing around with our little boy, getting all excited over the dinosaurs in the museum, and to watch him grow into a smart, polite, and good man. Both dreams fill me with joy, I think because they are centred around a happy and healthy child, which in the end is all that we want.
To that end, I'm trying to remind myself that the reason for the ultrasound scan tomorrow is not so we can see our adorable baby and find out the sex, it's an actual medical procedure to check on the baby's general health and well-being, everything else is secondary, albeit exciting.
Look for an update some time tomorrow!

Holy October, Batman!

I didn't really expect so much to be going on this month. I had no idea how busy this month would be (hence the lack of updates, for which I apologize). But October has come along and hit me upside the head with a great big reality check!
For starters, I have gone back to work at a new job. The work itself is nothing completely exciting, mostly general admin stuff. But it pays well, and the people in my office are great and very friendly. My hope is to be able to work there until the baby is born in April (or until I get too uncomfortable to contemplate working), take the spring and summer off to be with the bambino, and then go back to teaching next fall. And being the planner that I am, you can bet I already have feelers out to accomplish this plan, not only the teaching aspect, but a place to keep the little nugget while Gez and I are at work. Yup, I've already been in touch with several daycares. Ideally we would've liked to put the baby in a Welsh-language nursery, but there just don't seem to be any that are located conveniently for us. We did discuss the option of driving out of the way, but I really think I'd be uncomfortable if the baby wasn't near to either home or one of our jobs in the event of an emergency. Luckily though, there seems to be a great one just literally around the corner from our new house, so we have an appointment for a tour in a few weeks on the same day as our big ultrasound! Cross your fingers that the children in this daycare look happy and well-adjusted, and a good proximity away from knives, lead paint, campain posters for the British National Party, hard core porn, and the Teletubbies. If everything looks good, safe, nurturing, and reasonably educational then it sure would make things much easier!
Speaking of the new house, that's another large October project. It's really great to watch it come together. The new carpet was put in a couple of weeks ago and made a huge difference, we were able to get in and paint the living room last weekend, so now all we have to do is paint the accent walls in our bedroom and the dining room. Oh yeah, and pack up our flat and move all of our crap. Crap. We should be packing this weekend, but I'm not sure how much is going to get done, considering as I write this I've been laid up with a nasty bug for the past few days. I'm hoping that I'm feeling well enough to get a little bit done this weekend, but most likely it'll turn into a last-minute job where things are thrown into boxes willy-nilly (I always sort of have this fantasy where all the boxes are beautiful labelled and marked for the right room, while their contents are cross referenced in organizational perfection). Ah well, I suppose as long as it gets there, right?

14 weeks 3 days

How far along? 14 weeks, 3 days
Total weight gain: No earthly idea, and I sort of like it that way!
Maternity clothes? I'm still mostly squeezing into my regular clothes, but beginning to add in more and more maternity pieces
Sleep: Much better lately! I wake up fewer times in the night, I sleep more deeply. I think this probably has to do with the fact that I started working full-time again this week!
Best moment this week: My cousin Clay was visiting from America this week, it was great having family around!
Movement: I'm pretty positive I felt the baby for the first time last night!
Gender: I'm still thinking boy, but we shall see!
Labor Signs: No, thank goodness
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: You know, not too much this week.
What I am looking forward to: Moving into our new house in a few weeks, hopefully continuing to feel movement.
Weekly Wisdom: Know your limits. I just don't have the energy to do everything my pre-PG self did, sometimes it's frustrating, but I've found that pushing myself physically just doesn't work these days.

Thankful Thursday- one day late

Okay, okay, but "Thankful Friday" just doesn't have quite the same ring to it! I've been the beneficiary of the some amazing generosity as of late, so I just wanted to properly give thanks where it's due and AW the awesome gifts a bit. Last week I wrote about the awesome morning I had shopping with my friend, Celyn. Above are her first official baby gifts, two articles of clothing that reduced us, highly educated women, to 11-year-old girls at a Hannah Montana concert. I wish you could tell from the picture how soft they are!

I am fortunate to be the member of an amazing online community of pregnant women and new mommies. We've developed into quite the tight-knit group, and just that in itself is enough, but I have to give a shout out to the wonderful Mrs.Bro for this cute little Welsh Dragon sleeper and hat! Gez, of course, loved this but commented that the white might show where the baby spills his Guinness on international match day, to which I gave him a very cutting side eye.

The last is that little treasure trove pictured above. A boxful of American treats sent by lovely Mama, which will satisfy many a craving! Yep, that's Mac & Cheese, a variety of Jell-O flavors, homemade bread & butter pickles, Country Time Lemonade, two (yep, count 'em, two!) jars of Skippy crunchy peanut butter, and a few cute maternity shirts thrown in for good measure! I literally squealed out loud when I opened the box.

Let this be a lesson to all of you- send me awesome presents and get mad props!

Thank you!!!

What Do We Give Up?

Honestly, I don't only want to write about stroller reviews and mucus plugs (yep, I said it). There are lots of things (besides my bladder) that keep me up at night thinking. Not because I'm scared, guilty, or worried, but simply because I can't wrap my head around it and come to any sort of satisfying conclusion. One thing I've been pondering as of late is how much we, as women choosing to have children, give up. Like most little girls raised in the 80's I am a product of "you can be anything you want to be," and revisited fairy tales in which Cinderella found her own damn shoe, decided she wasn't a big fan of dancing or princes, and moved to Berkeley where she shacks up with a shorn-headed Rapunzel.

I know the debate about whether or not it's possible to "have it all" has been argued to the point where it's beyond cliche, and I'm not trying to revive it here. I'm sure the journey is different for each woman, but I do think every woman is forced to make some pretty important choices on the road to motherhood, and do these choices speak to any sort of a larger picture? For my part, I've certainly put my career on hold- not simply to have this baby but also to move to the UK, and I'm ok with that. But part of me (probably the part of me that came of age watching a young Diane Keaton single handedly raise her adopted daughter, tough out a New England winter, and build an organic baby food company in Baby Boom) feels guilty for not feeling guilty.

It's not only physical aspects of having a child that cause other important life events to take a back seat. For many women, work doesn't fade into the background just because you have to take time off. It's psychological as well. This is something I never really understood before, but pregnancy really is all-consuming. I am always, always, always thinking of this baby- even when I'm talking about something else. Hell, I've devoted a whole blog to it. Emails to friends are basically just disjointed ramblings about baby and pregnancy (sorry guys), and it's something over which I have very, very little control. Other pregnant women I talk to report the same thing, even those who have devoted themselves for years to building a career, always making it the priority, find their minds wandering to Babies 'R Us during important meetings. It's nature, it's natural, so then why do I sometimes feel the Ghosts of Feminists Past breathing down my neck? Is it all those gender theory and history classes (curse you, Laura Lee Downs!!)? I'm not sure, although I suspect it's the deep, deep appreciation I have for the fact that I can make these choices, and a desire to honor the hard work of others that made having both a career and a baby (or just a baby, or just a career) a possibility.

Thoughts on Home Birth

I had never actually considered having a home birth until relatively recently. But as I've been thinking about labor and our birth plan (thankfully we have a looooong time until any of this needs to be set in stone), I'm beginning to think that this might be the best option for us. I know it's not for everybody, I fully expect to come up against several pairs of arched eyebrows, but I think that being a parent is recognizing what works best for your family, even if others wouldn't necessarily go in the same direction.

So how have Gez and I come to this decision? Well, first of all, I use the term "decision" here pretty lightly, as there are so many variables that could come into play within the next 28-ish weeks. At any rate, I know me- the things I tend to stress over and fear are the things I am unfamiliar with or unable to control. I know that if I were to plan a hospital or birth center birth, once I actually did go into labor I would be so worried about the timing of everything- making sure I got to the hospital/birth center early enough, but not so early that I'd be sent home (something I know that would be really discouraging for me). I'd worry about the drive there, the traffic, the parking. I'd stress about the way things are done in the hospital, and whether or not they'd be sympathetic to our birth plan and wishes- I know we'd definitely be briefed on all of this, as well as given a thorough tour, but I also know I'd still worry about it despite that.

If I plan on giving birth in my own home I know I will cut out these stresses and worries. One of the best ways to naturally reduce pain during childbirth is to remain calm and relaxed, and I know I will feel much more calm and relaxed at home, although I know many women would feel much more relaxed in a hospital with lots of doctors close at hand. When making these decisions, I think it all comes down knowing yourself, and knowing what's going to freak you out (besides having to squeeze a watermelon through a coke can- we all have to face that little chestnut no matter where we decide to give birth). At this point (and this may change) I am less freaked out by the pain of having a baby than the actually logistics of going somewhere else to do it.

It's also quite important to me to have a med-free birth to the extent that it's possible. Obviously, the most important thing is the health of a baby, and if that requires an inducement, a cesarean, or an epidural then of course everything else goes out the window. I'm fully cognizant of the fact that about 1/3 of all planned home births result in a hospital transfer, and I'm going to be as realistic and flexible as possible. I also think that here in the UK home birth is far more accepted than in the US, and many midwives actually encourage it where the baby and mother are healthy and willing; and it's law that 2 midwives be present at each home birth, which means that you usually get more attention and targeted care than you would in a hospital.

So if everything goes as planned and we have no complications, little Baby Jones will be born at home in early April 2010!

12 weeks 2 days

How far along? 12 weeks 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: No idea :)
Sleep: Much better this week!
Best moment this week: Lovely dinner at Prezzo on Friday- also a wonderful day with Celyn on Tuesday!
Labor Signs: No, thank goodness
Belly Button in or out? In
Food cravings/aversions: Still generally craving salty-ish, tart, or sour things. I'm loving Greek Yogurt, and would really like a nice gyro with lots and lots of tzadziki sauce.
What I miss: A glass of red wine with dinner on Friday would've been really nice.
What I am looking forward to: My cousin, Clay, is coming to visit from America next Saturday- should be lots of fun! Also, I got a letter from the hospital this week saying that our big ultrasound (where we get to find out the sex of the baby) is schedules for November 19th- so mark your calendars!
Weekly Wisdom: I'm really so lucky and blessed to have parents that are so supportive in so many different ways!
Milestones: As we head into October we head into the last month in our flat- can't wait to move into our house in a month!

Through Rain, Through Sleet, Through Dark of Night...

This is most certainly not the motto of Her Majesty's Royal Mail Service. As it turns out, many British postal workers have decided to go on strike. Now for me, this basically only means that the delivery of my "Love Film" (British version of Netflix) DVDs are delayed, no big deal really. Except that my lovely mama sent me a package almost 2 weeks ago and I still haven't gotten it ::pouts::. Do you know what this package contains? Edible Gold: None other than boxes of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, which I have been craving for weeks and which you cannot buy anywhere on this island. Just the thought of that neon-orange cheese powder sets my heart a-beating with longing. I bet if the postal workers new how I was suffering they'd forget their contract demands, rush off the picket line, and start sorting mail...

Ah well, aside from the trauma of waiting for my Mac & Cheese it's been a pretty uneventful week so far. A big highlight was Tuesday, when I spent the morning shopping with Celyn. Of course, as I was walking to meet her I managed to spill coffee all over my white shirt (I guarantee it wouldn't have happened if I was wearing black)- so the first order of business was a visit to H&M to buy a new shirt- my first officially item of maternity clothing (even though I don't really need mat clothes yet, it seemed practical to buy something that I'll actually be able to use in a few months). "Auntie" Celyn was very excited to buy some baby items, so went to the department store, Debenhams, where the selection of unisex clothing is admittedly sparse. We found a soft little blue and white striped sleeper though, and couldn't resist it. I suppose it is more boy-oriented, but it would totally work for a little girl too. Another Auntie Celyn purchase was a teeny-tiny little panda sweater from Topshop, which we both couldn't help going all squidgy and slushy over- I'll post pictures at some point!

Because I had been craving Japanese noodles for awhile, we opted for lunch at the delicious Wagamama. It was gooooo-oood! It was one of the best days I've had in awhile, and after lunch I walked Celyn back onto the university campus- we both went into the library, Celyn to work on dissertation research, me to use the bathroom (if that doesn't sum up the difference in our lives right now, I don't know what does!). I was surprised with the little tinge of sadness I felt when I realized that it was the last day my student card would admit me into the Arts & Humanities Library. I don't think it had anything to do with nostalgia about time spent hunched over piles of articles copied from the Austrian History Yearbook, but more about the ending of what was probably the most dynamic year of my life. The idea that everything is about to change.

Here's Baby Jones!!

Here's our sweet little relaxi-baby! We have 3 other pics, but they are all basically a variation on the same theme. Little Jones was very happy just hanging out on his/her back and kicking those little feet. If you look closely you can see one little leg in mid-kick, with the other (foreground) folded down by his/her bum! And you can see Baby's little arm up against its side as well. We did manage to get to see a little roll and a couple of little waves, but none were captured on film. All-in-all it was so amazing to see our child, and I could've watched him in there all day! What a cutie pie!! Also, Baby is measuring 4 days ahead, so it's still up in the air as to whether or not my due date will be changed, so for now I'm still going with the original date.

With that being said, here's this week's update:

How far along? 11 weeks 2 days (Baby is measuring 11 weeks 6 days)

Total weight gain/loss: still up about a pound so far.

Sleep: Meh, it's touch and go- I get really tired but seem to have trouble falling asleep lately. Plus I have to get up and pee sooo many times a night!

Best moment this week: Seeing little Bebe on the big screen of course! Also, Gez and I had a great weekend- nothing special, it was just fun and nice to have a weekend at home together.

Gender: We both got a a definite boy vibe from the ultrasound pics, but who knows.

Labor Signs: Definitely not, and it better stay that way for awhile!

Belly Button in or out? In

Food cravings/aversions: The thought of spinach still makes my skin crawl, but I seem to be less nauseated this week. I could still eat fruit all day long- particularly apples!

What I miss: American apple cider, but it has nothing to do with being pregnant, just because they don't have it over here!

What I am looking forward to: Seeing what this week will bring! Hopefully feeling movement within the next 4-6 weeks.

Weekly Wisdom: Not really baby related, but I've noticed that when I don't have extra money to spend and go into a shop I see a ton of things I want, but when I do have money to burn I find many fewer things that I want, what's up with that?

Milestones: Only 2 more weeks in the first trimester! Baby is now the size of a lime (I gave this statistic the side-eye though, going from a prune to a lime in a week seems rather dramatic... so let's take this one with a grain of salt, hmmm?)

Ye Olde Pregnancy

My thoughts have a tendancy to veer off into strange directions, especially now that I'm pregnant. Last night, as I was drifting off to "sleep" (what I like to call the short nightime intervals between bathroom visits), I was thinking how sucky it would've been to be pregnant in the Olden Days. For example, yesterday I was cleaning the house and got tired about halfway through, thought "eff it", and sat down to watch Gilmore Girls reruns on E4. I don't think your average pregnant pioneer woman would stop in the middle of preparing salt pork and think "meh, we probably have enough to get through the sub-arctic Dakota winter. I think I'll just take a load off and have a look through Godey's Ladies Book." Call me skeptical, I just don't think it happened that way. Also, my husband has been a saint, preparing meals, picking up the slack on the housework, and just generally being supportive. I don't think Lady Piffington of Elizabethan times would have been quite as lucky. I can't imagine Lord Piffington stepping in with "No, milady, allow me! Let's swap historically appropriate gender roles, and I will finish embroidering that tapestry..."
Most importantly though, I can't imagine living in a time where it was generally taboo to refer to your pregnancy at all ("No, no, I'm not ill, I have my head over the chamber pot every morning just to check the new maid's thoroughness..."). I'm sure women did discuss things in private, but probably not with the same "TMI" thoroughness you get these days, and for which I'm sure many a pregnant woman is grateful (Ever wonder what to expect from your first post-partum shower? Well I did, and even though the answer made me recoil in horror a bit, I'm happy I know). Anyway, for all the moaning we pregnant ladies tend to do, I have to admit that we have it pretty good compared to our forbears.

10 weeks 2 days

Well, today I am actually 10 weeks 5 days, but I sent this out to my family last Sunday, and so have decided to re post here, since this will be the forum for all babeh-related info:

How far along? 10 weeks 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: up about a pound so far.
Sleep: I just can't get enough! I think I've finally mastered sleeping on my side, this is a big deal for a confirmed stomach sleeper such as myself!
Best moment this week: Playing with Osian, our little nephew (Gez's sister's 8-month-old son)Movement: Just my tummy rumbling because I'm constantly hungry!
Gender: No idea- I fail so far at maternal instincts
Labor Signs: that would be no bueno
Belly Button in or out? In
Food cravings/aversions: Craving lots and lots of fruit this week, which is good considering last week when I ate my weight in potato salad (seriously, why is it soooo delicious?). Aversions continue, including anything green and leafy, fish, and weirdly enough, chicken (all things I love normally). This is new for me because I have never ever been a picky eater.
What I miss: A size eight buttoning under its own engineering..
What I am looking forward to: First ultrasound on Friday!!
Weekly Wisdom: Be grateful and appreciative of your family.
Milestones: As of last week we oficially reached fetus-hood!! Baby is now the size of a prune ( continuing the weird classifications of measurement that enjoy comparing your offspring to things that grow on trees). Baby's little arms and legs are waving away!

Strollers or "You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?"

I find it somewhat fitting that my very first blog post has to do with something that has been on my mind since before I was pregnant. Strollers. Prams. Pushchairs. I mean, I admire a Quinny or a Bugaboo as much as the next guy, but there has got to be some sort of mommy-etiquette training, or some sort of lesson on how to properly push one down the street without being a total d-bag.

Living in the city, I walk mostly everywhere- unfortunately, so do the bajillions of ladies taking advantage of the awesome maternity laws over here. There are just a few points I'd like to make regarding proper stroller/pushchair/pram policy:

1. Ok, so you chose the massive Silver Cross Chav-ster 3000. I'm not here to judge the fact that you apparently enjoy pushing your child around in something that resembles nothing less than a coffin on wheels. Morticia Addams would be proud. Seriously though, in our fair city there are a number of lovely parks that would be simply divine for wheeling around little Pugsley in the morbid-mobile. But I'm guessing this would take up your time which is more usefully spent buying neon orange things at Primark.

2. It's wonderful that you've made other mommy friends. I can imagine it being quite isolating sitting home alone with your new baby. I really get it. But do the 4 of you really need to walk abreast along the sidewalk as if you're rolling into Kabul or something? We all know you're going to Starbucks, the conversation about nipple flow can surely wait until then.

3. It is beyond gratifying to see that you wish to expand your child's mind, as well as support the local economy, by shopping at the local bookstore. But when your pram takes up roughly 82% of the 150-year-old shop, you might want to consider popping that kid in a Moby or something. Otherwise, I hear Borders has wide aisles, and an elevator, and a Starbucks....

I'm 95% sure this post is going to bite me in the ass in approximately 6 1/2 months, and at that point you all have permission to laugh in my face. Until then though, Get out the way!!