First Baby Buys

This week, I just wanted to share some of the very few and very first items that Greg and I have purchased for the baby, or have been gifted for the baby throughout this first trimester. It's kind of hard during this time, because as tempting as it is to go baby buying crazy...we knew we should really wait. We were almost superstitious about buying stuff too early that we would jinx ourselves and something would happen. Also, we were torn because we know we plan to find out the gender, and want to wait to get a lot of items that are gender specific. Still, it was impossible for me to resist picking up a few things here and there. We are just too excited, and so are our family members! So here are a few of the gender neutral things we've gotten for baby so far!

This was the very first item Greg and I picked out for the baby. One day, I insisted on us going to peruse Buy Buy Baby, just to see what they had, and to buy just one thing for the baby. We ended up finding this cloud b. Nighty Night Owl and decided it was the perfect pick. Look at that sweet face! It's just too cute, and will look perfect with the co-sleeper we have picked out for our room. It makes a variety of sounds to soothe baby to sleep. Greg and I also really believe that this baby is somehow connected to the passing of my grandfather. We believe when one life is lost, one is gained...and we know if he could have any pull up there, this would be what he wanted. And there is a story behind why owls remind me of my grandpa.

Next, while my mom, sister, and I were out having a girls day, we were looking around Barnes & Nobel and I found this My Pregnancy Journal with Sophie la Giraffe (and died a little inside of cuteness overload.) I just love Sophie the Giraffe and I knew she would be a must-have item on my baby registry. This is honestly the nicest pregnancy journal I have come across. I love how it's organized. I would have purchased it myself, but my mom decided she wanted to get it for me (my parents are always beyond generous to us!) I've been afraid to write in it because I don't want to ruin a page! It's just so adorable! But I am looking forward to filling up the pages for all of us to look back on in the years to come. If you are pregnant and interested in keeping a pregnancy journal...I highly recommend this one!

Next, I bought this Koala Baby Organic Knit Blanket from Babies R Us. My mom actually found it while she was digging through the clearance section, and I decided I had to have it. It's just a really beautifully done blanket, and looks like it could be handmade. It's very soft and cozy, and I thought the ecru/tan color was really pretty as well, (and matched with that cloud b. owl we had already purchased.) I will probably use this as a stroller blanket. If you are looking to buy for baby, don't miss the clearance section at your local Babies R Us. And make sure you dig in there! My mom and I have found so many gems in that section!

Greg and I saw this JJ Cole Bundle Me Hat on that very first shopping trip to Buy Buy Baby, and almost bought it then. We decided on the Nighty Night Owl instead that day, but we both still liked this cute little hat. We ended up randomly finding it at Marshall's one day on a rack with a clearance sticker on it for $4 (it is originally $10 at Buy Buy Baby.) So of course, we picked it up that day! We got the newborn to 6 month size, because that's what they had...but baby will be about 3-6 months next winter, so that should work out perfectly! We will likely be registering for one of those JJ Cole Bundle Me Car Seat covers too, so that will match nicely!

On Valentine's Day, my Aunt Cheryl asked if she could swing by with a little Valentine's gift she and my uncle had picked out for us. I figured it was going to be something cute for the baby, but I was of course beyond THRILLED when I opened it up to find that she had gotten us the Vulli Sophie the Giraffe Teether. I mean, I know everyone has seen this thing by now, but is it not the cutest thing you have ever seen!! Not only that, but I have heard wonderful things about this product. I'm so excited that we now have her! I can't get enough Sophie...I'm going to register for one of her little friends too! Lazare the Cat anyone?!

  

She also paired the gift with this Sophie Peekaboo ABC hardback book. She and my uncle could not have done better choosing a first gift for baby. It was like they knew the obsession had already begun! We so appreciated their generosity and thoughtfulness of our new little Valentine this year. I'm sure we will end up with quite the collection of Sophie books too! 

My mom also got a little Valentine's present for us. She gifted us the My Baby Album with Sophie la Giraffe. It is just like the pregnancy journal, but this one is for baby's first year and more. And of course, it's just as cute! And my mom is too kind. I love that we now have the matching set. We will cherish these sweet little books forever.

That's everything we've gotten so far! Lots of Sophie and lots of sweetness!

12 Weeks

How far along? 12 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain/loss:  up 3 pounds

Maternity clothes? I'm still in all my regular clothes, but I feel them getting a little tighter around the tummy and more uncomfortable. Maybe that's because of my crazy eating habits this week! But I can also feel my stomach changing. I can tell it's starting to stick out a bit and feels hard, (not like the flabby bloat I had before.) I did go shopping on Saturday at Target and picked up some maternity tops, a maternity dress, and a non-maternity cardigan, jean jacket, and accessories that will fit throughout my pregnancy. Everything I picked up fits me now, with plenty of room to grow. I am SO ready for Spring to come so I can bust out these new clothes!

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: is good

Best moment this week: Creating my registries online! Because I've been shopping around a lot, I had a lot of items I knew I wanted to put down that I was trying to keep in mind. I decided to just create the registries and put down the version for both genders if applicable. I'll just go back later and delete the ones we don't need once we know the gender. But at least now I know they won't be forgotten about! 

Miss Anything? eating tuna whenever I want 

Movement: Not yet

Food cravings: Sweets, sweets, sweets. It's a problem. The other day I made a yellow boxed cake with chocolate frosting so I could then mash a big piece of it up in chocolate and vanilla ice cream and down it. (Did I mention my eating habits have been absolutely horrendous this week?!) 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope! No nausea this week, woohoo!

Gender: Still feeling girl, but would be so excited for either. I can't decide if I'm hoping for a boy or a girl...I just can't wait to know!

Labor Signs: No                                                                

Symptoms: Crazy increased appetite and acne on my face.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy most days, but I did have a few little meltdown moments this week. Emotions are running high!

Looking forward to: the official end of the 1st trimester. It seems like some consider it to be the beginning of week 13, and some, the beginning of week 14. So I've decided to go halfsies with 13 weeks, 3 days (40 weeks divided by 3) So only 6 more days!

11 Weeks

How far along? 11 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain/loss: up about 1 pound 

Maternity clothes? Regular clothes are still fitting fine  

Stretch marks? I did start noticing a few stretch marks this week. However, I am almost positive that these are preexisting stretch marks that I've had for several years that are just becoming more visible again due to my stretching/bloated (and super pale) belly. But it freaked me out enough that I started using the Burt’s Bee’s Mama Bee Belly Butter religiously this past week.

Sleep: Still sleeping well…and I’m making it to 11pm if I really want to now! Waking up about 7:30am.

Best moment this week: Posting our announcement on Facebook on Valentine’s Day!

Miss Anything? Not really this week.

Movement: Not yet

Food cravings: a 6in. Subway tuna sub! I’ve been wanting this so, so bad.

Anything making you queasy or sick: No! I’ve been feeling good this week…no nausea at all!  

Gender: Still thinking girl.

Symptoms: Increased appetite during the day. Fatigue at night. Otherwise, I’ve been feeling pretty great!

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: STILL hearing the baby's heartbeat because we couldn't hear it just yet at our last appointment. Also looking forward to the end of the first trimester.

Old Wives Tales & Gender Predictions

Gender Predicting!

(just for fun)

Old Wives Tale #1: Baby’s Heartbeat

If the baby’s heartbeat is 140 or under, it is said to be a boy. If the heartbeat is over 140, it is likely a girl.

Prediction Outcome: Girl

Old Wives Tale #2: the Ramzi Theory

If the baby implanted on the left = girl! 97.5% of females implant on the left. If the baby implanted on the right = boy! 97.2% of males implant on the right side.

Prediction Outcome: Girl

Old Wives Tale #3: Chinese Birth Chart

Chinese birth charts determine your baby’s gender based on an ancient Chinese gender chart and the Chinese lunar calendar, using your age and when you got pregnant.

Prediction Outcome: Boy

Old Wives Tale #4: The Ring Test

Tie a ring on a string, lay back and hold it above your belly. If the ring moves in circles, it’s a boy. If it swings back and forth, it’s a girl

Prediction Outcome: The ring swung back and forth for quite a while and then changed to doing circles. I tried this test 3 times, all with the same result. Maybe this means my first will be a girl, and second will be a boy?! 

Old Wives Tale #5: Cravings

If you’re craving salty or savory foods, you might be carrying a boy. If you’re craving sweets, it’s likely you’ll have a girl.

Prediction Outcome: Girl

Old Wives Tale #6: Morning Sickness

If you seem to be sailing through the first trimester nausea free, you might be having a boy. If you’re plagued by morning sickness, it’s likely a girl.

Prediction Outcome: Boy

Old Wives Tale #7: Mother’s Beauty

If you are experiencing symptoms such as acne, and noticing that your hair is looking limp, dull and lifeless, it might be because you baby girl is stealing your beauty.  

Prediction Outcome: Girl 

 

Old Wives Tale #8: Dry Hands, Cold Feet

Dry hands and cold feet are signs of a boy. So, if you've got these ailments, break out the baby blue.

Prediction Outcome: Girl 

Update (4/20/2015): My hands have been EXTREMELY dry for the past couple weeks now. So 2nd Trimester Prediction Outcome would be boy!

Old Wives Tale #9: Headaches

If you are experiencing headaches more often, you might be carrying a boy.

Prediction Outcome: Girl

Old Wives Tale #10: Mother's Intuition

71% of the time, the mom-to-be knows what she is having

Prediction Outcome: Girl

Final Tally: 8 say girl, 2 say boy. Looks like MOST signs are pointing towards girl. At this point, I basically have everyone convinced that I am having a girl. I will laugh so hard when the test comes back telling me it’s a boy! Of course, I would honestly be thrilled either way. 10 fingers, 10 toes and a healthy baby is our main concern.

10 Weeks

How far along? 10 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain/loss: None yet!
Maternity clothes? Regular clothes are still fitting fine  
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Still sleeping well! I’m clunking out by 10pm still but I’m starting to wake up earlier and earlier. This week it’s been about 7:30am.                                                                            

Best moment this week: Hearing from all of our family and friends after they received our announcement card. We got so many sweet congratulations and well wishes. It made me feel so blessed…this baby is going to be so well loved.  
Miss Anything? 11pm…haven’t seen it in a while. I’m typically such a night-owl! I never went to sleep before 11:30pm before I was pregnant. Now, I can just barely make it to 10pm (but waking up earlier has been a nice perk!)
Movement: Not yet
Food cravings: I’ve been wanting a slice of cookie cake for a good week or so now. I finally gave in to the craving yesterday and got a slice at the mall. It was divine. Any sweets will make me happy at this point. It's strange because pre-pregnancy, I've always been a salty snack kinda girl.
Anything making you queasy or sick: My slowing digestive system! I have been feeling so bloated and full all the time, and it’s been so uncomfortable this week. I feel like I just got done eating a huge meal, all the time. You know that feeling when you're so full you could just puke? That.
Gender: All signs point towards girl, but we shall see!
Labor Signs: No                                                                

Symptoms: Fatigue, although it slowly seems to be easing. Nausea/bloating/indigestion has been worse this week than any other week. Cramping feeling if I stand up too fast…it’s actually round ligament pain, which is normal during pregnancy. Some acne on my chest and face.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Hearing our baby’s heartbeat!

Sharing the News

 As our family and friends receive their mail today, our exciting news will officially be spreading! By tomorrow's end, all of our family and friends should have received our announcement and all of our loved ones will know there is someone new to love on the way! So I thought I would share with all of you how we decided to share our news. 

Now, I know many of you are probably already thinking to yourself..."You are only 9 weeks along....you didn't wait until 13 weeks to tell!?" And that is something I definitely wanted to address/explain...that first trimester 'veil of secrecy' that nowadays is so widely accepted, and even expected. We decided not to wait the entire first trimester to start sharing our news. But we did make this decision with careful thought and planning, and in a gradual way that seemed right to us.

Of course, we knew that our parents and siblings would be the first to know. We decided we would wait until after our first appointment with my OB/GYN to tell them. This way, the pregnancy was confirmed, and after a pelvic exam, we knew everything was looking good so far. That appointment was on Friday, January 9 at 6 weeks and 1 day. So we went ahead with a plan to tell my parents and sister that Sunday evening, and Greg's mom and brother, and his long-term girlfriend, that Wednesday evening, (the next night Greg would have off work.) For us, this timing just seemed right. I knew the 6 week mark was when any symptoms would start becoming more prevalent, and with as much as I visit my parent's, it would be too hard (and not to mention frustrating) to have to hide. My sister was also home from college for winter break at this time, so we would be able to share the news with her in person. And of course, we also knew that if anything were to happen with this pregnancy, these would be the people we would want to know, and receive support from. The ones who we love and trust the most...the grandparents and aunts and uncle-to-be!

The planner in me searched YouTube for ideas on announcing pregnancy to parents months before we were even trying to conceive. In my search I found one idea that stuck with me, which was to gift them the Grandmother and Grandfather Figurines from Willow Tree . The couple in the video wrapped the gifts and let their parents open them, waiting for them to figure out why they would be receiving that gift. When Greg and I got engaged, the first gift we received was from my parents and it was the 'Promise' Willow Tree figurine. My mom has a collection of this series displayed in her house, so I thought there would be no better, full circle way to tell them that now, they were going to be grandparents.

That left my sister and Greg's brother to decide upon. We wanted to find a gift for each of them to open along with our parents. For my sister, we decided on the Alex and Ani 'Aunt' Bangle Bracelet . If you aren't familiar with Alex and Ani, is it a new charm bracelet concept that is growing in popularity. Each bangle has a charm, and you stack the bangles on your arm. My sister has gifted these bracelets to me for my birthday and Christmas, and I thought this was a great way for her to start her own collection. For Greg's brother, we got this shirt that says 'This Guy Is Going To Be An Uncle" (This is going to come in handy for him later on as well, as I am getting Greg and my dad matching ones that say 'Daddy' and 'Grandpa' for Greg's beer and diaper party.)

Next to find out would be the rest of our family members (grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins) and our closest friends. 'Close friends' to us is basically code for anyone that was in our wedding party and their spouse/significant other, plus about 5 other couples. It's a system we have that we use for sending out Christmas cards, party invites, etc. We don't have to discuss with each other who falls into this category...we just know. We decided very early on that we wanted to send out a photo card for this announcement. As I often make chalkboards in my free time, we knew we would include the chalkboard with a fun saying and have ourselves in the photo as well. With Valentine's Day being so close to the end of my 1st trimester (at 11 weeks, 2 days, we decided a Valentine's Day announcement would be perfect.

The original plan was to send the cards out just a day or two before Valentine's Day. However, life doesn't always go as planned, and the two beloved men in my life (ahem...husband...father....) were a little overly excited and let our news slip early to a few people. Now a good rule of thumb that my mom has always told me (and I think is safe to assume to be very true) is to figure that for every one person you told something to, they will tell two more. With that in mind, I figured that we had better spring into action a little sooner, before the news started spreading further by others' word of mouth. It has been more stressful lately trying to make sure people don't know or find out, than to just tell them. And so, we settled on sending them out after I hit the 9 week mark. At 9 weeks, the baby graduates from embryo to fetus and the possibility of miscarriage flat-lines to 2% through the rest of the trimester. At this point, we've beaten a lot of the odds, and had a successful first ultrasound. We know the baby is measuring on-point and have been told that everything looks perfect. So, we feel comfortable sharing our news with all those closest to us.

This past week has been a mad rush to make the chalkboard, take the picture, order the prints and get them sent out. But we made it! We decided on this design from Shutterfly, and the saying "There's more to love this Valentine's Day...baby Kazak is on the way!" for the chalkboard sign. (I also want to make a quick side note that while our grandparents will be receiving this announcement, we did decide to let them know beforehand. Greg's mom told her parents, and I recently called my grandma to tell her personally. We didn't feel right letting these very special people find out at the same time as everyone else.) Everyone else should be receiving them today, or tomorrow for any out-of-towners!

Finally, there is the social media world to consider. We decided they will definitely wait until Valentine's Day, on which we will post the same picture we used on the photo card. Until then, Greg and I have both changed our settings so any posts to our timelines are seen only by us. (just in case a family member or friend decides to congratulate us through social media.) We aren't ready for EVERYONE we know, to know just yet.

9 Weeks

How far along? 9 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain/loss: 0 baby weight

Maternity clothes? None yet! Everything is still fitting fine

Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Still sleeping well. About 10-11pm to 8am. I honestly don't think I would function period if I didn't get at least 9 hours of sleep a night.

Best moment this week: Having a burst of sunshine and energy on Friday. I have felt extremely exhausted/drained the rest of this week, so a sunshiny day and the increase in energy was much appreciated.
Miss Anything? Caffeine (and energy in general). I miss my daily coffee or tea. And my normal decaf kcup that I love just isn't tasting right to me. I really just wanted to avoid caffeine (at least through the first trimester.) But my doctor has assured me that a cup a day is perfectly fine. So, on Fridays, I have been treating myself to one small iced coffee. It's honestly a small highlight in my week!
Movement: Not yet. Baby has started to move around in there, but is still too small to feel anything

Food cravings: Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream...yum! Waffles with peanut butter. Note to self: must buy today.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No! I've felt pretty good this week nausea-wise. Those touches of queasiness I was experiencing before seem to be on their way out.
Gender: Gut feeling says it's a girl, along with several old wives' tales and theories. I pretty much have Greg and my parents convinced! But who knows...we could all be surprised and find out it's a boy! We found out this week that our insurance will actually cover me getting the panorama genetic testing done (even though I am not over 35 or considered a high risk pregnancy) We feel very lucky because this test can be done at any time and will tell us the gender with just about 100% accuracy!

Labor signs:  No

Symptoms: Extreme fatigue this week. And some mild cramping. Bloating on some days, but that's just a norm at this point, I think I've stopped noticing.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Hearing the baby's heartbeat!