Ta Da!!

Here are the first pictures of Baby Breeden's nursery! We still have a few things left to do, like hang pictures and the bookshelf on the wall, and the curtains are backorder until October (ugh), but this should give you a pretty good idea of what the room looks like. We did a vintage nursery rhyme theme in the room and even have vintage Mary Had a Little Lamb bookends to put on the bookshelf when it's up. We can't wait to see what it looks like when it's all finished!

Meet Benjamin Alan Rome!

On Sunday, August 8th, Dori and Scott welcomed Baby Rome into the world. Benjamin Alan Rome burst onto the scene at a healthy 8 lbs 6 oz and just as cute as can be. The following Wednesday, Ryan and I ventured out to meet the newest Rome and visit his very tired but very happy parents. :) I wish I'd taken more pictures, but here are a couple.

Last Baby Shower

This past Saturday, Ryan's parents threw us our third and final baby shower. This time it was a coed shower, so Ryan got to partake in the festivities. :) There was lots of food, family and fun, and Baby Breeden was again showered with lots of love and happy wishes. It's hard to believe that the next time the family is all together like that, she'll be here!! Here are some pictures from the day:

Good News!

As some of you already know, I am already dilated 1 cm and am 50% effaced. When the doctor discovered this at our appointment last Friday the 6th, there was some cause for concern since I still had 7 weeks to go before my due date. So we went to the radiology lab on Tuesday this week for an ultrasound and then back to the doctor yesterday for the verdict. The good news is that there hasn't been any change since last week, so if labor is progressing at all, it's moving slowly enough to not be a huge issue. The GREAT news is that I don't have to have steroid shots or go on bed rest or anything- I just have to take it easy and count my contractions to make sure they don't become more frequent. I can definitely handle that! So for now, Baby Breeden is staying cozy in her little home and, hopefully, won't feel the need to make an early debut.

Where's Tater when I need her?

It's becoming increasingly more difficult to bend over and pick things up off of the floor. That's why it's so great to have a dog in the house. Whenever I drop food, she cleans it up for me. However, I spend most of my time in the office, and I can't easily bring her here with me (and I doubt she'd be as eager to pick up paper anyway).

I am constantly dropping stuff at my desk. The other day, I leaned over to grab something and knocked it on the floor accidentally. As I watched the paper float to the ground, I actually started weighing exactly how important that task was to complete. After all, the night crew would throw it away for me so I wouldn't have to pick it up. Alas, I got on all fours to crawl under my desk and pick it up.

But I have discovered another way. . . my monkey toes. I have managed to pick up all sorts of things off the floor with my feet. Why did I not think of this sooner?! Candy wrapper on the floor? No sweat! Pen knocked off the desk? Piece of cake! Granted, this doesn't always work out. Ryan walked in the kitchen the other day to find me staring at the floor and working feverishly to pick up something I had dropped (obviously not food or Tater would have vacuumed it up for me). I had been working at it for a good 5 minutes without any luck, but there was no way I was bending over. He walked over to me, picked it up (while chuckling) and handed it to me. Show off. . .

Baby Shower #2!

This past weekend, Ryan and I drove back to my hometown for our second baby shower, thrown by my family. It was so great to see everyone! I hadn't seen my grandma since I was around 20 weeks, and I've definitely grown since then. We got so many wonderful gifts at the shower- Baby Breeden is feeling the love! I think Ryan's favorite gift was a tiny little pair of Sperry Topsiders that his parents gave to us-I mean, how cute are these?!

The shower was themed "Baby Breeden Bliss" to match our blog, and everything was absolutely amazing! Here are some more pictures from the day:

The Not-So-Perky Things About Pregnancy

As I'm about to start my 8th month and the final countdown begins, I'm feeling slightly less enamoured by this whole pregnancy thing. Don't get me wrong- I love feeling my baby girl move and I will certainly miss her when she's no longer with me all of the time. But I am starting to understand why, near the end of their pregnancies, so many women exclaim how they are so ready for their pregnancies to be over. I never thought I would feel that way, but alas. . . here are some things I will NOT miss about carrying around our little bundle of joy:

10. A sneeze is no longer just a sneeze. It now involves a mad dash to the bathroom and a quick prayer that you haven't horrifically embarrassed yourself in front of all of your coworkers (or the other customers at the grocery store, or the people trying to eat at the table next to you. . .)
9. One word: HEARTBURN. I had never experienced this before my pregnancy, and I now fully understand why people complain about it so much.
8. Having nothing to wear. Oh, I have maternity clothes. But now half of those pants don't even fit. It's a humbling experience when your MATERNITY jeans are too small.
7. Body parts sticking out of my abdomen. I always heard people say "You can even see an actual foot poking out, it's so cool!" However, "cool" is not the word I would have chosen. I think "painful" is a more apt description. I think this little gal thinks she's going to make her appearance through my belly button.
6. And that's another thing- my innie is now an outie (and has been since about month 5). It shows through my shirts! People have said to me "Oh look at your belly button, it's so cute!" Again, not the adjective I would have chosen.
5. Sciatica, bruised tailbone (see previous post about falling down stairs), muscle pain, OH MY! There isn't a massage long enough to cure all of my back ailments.
4. Bathroom (ahem) issues. . . too much, too little, bad timing, you name it. . . I just can't wait until everything works properly again!
3. Can't. Breathe. I get winded walking from the mailbox to the house, let alone trying to walk a crazy beagle for 30 minutes in 95 degree heat and 100% humidity. Thankfully, Ryan has taken pity and relieved me of my dog walking duties.
2. Medium rare steak, cold deli sandwiches, sushi, ice cold Pacifico. . .all the lovely things that are currently off limits. Forget yucky hospital food. When this baby girl is born, I want a cold turkey sub, Diet Dr. Pepper, and a side of spicy tuna rolls!
1. No sleep. What with the aching hips, copious bathroom breaks and constant tossing and turning, I'm averaging 2 hour stretches between interruptions. I think it's God's way of preparing new mothers because, unlike everything else on this list, this ailment will not go away along with the pregnancy. But at least then I'll be getting up for a much better and cuter reason than having to pee.

DC Baby Shower

I seriously have the best friends a girl could ever ask for. A couple of weeks ago, they threw me a baby shower up here for all of my friends in the area and even hired a professional photographer to capture the memories! Here are some of my favorite shots from the day. All photos are courtesy of Brooke Bready Photography (she did an amazing job!). The shower was book-themed, which was so perfect considering we're doing Baby Breeden's nursery in a vintage nursery rhyme theme.

Casualty of Laundry

We had our first casualty of the front loading washing machine. When we first bought it, I remember reading that small articles of clothing could get stuck in the rubber lining. Well when a tiny sock went mysteriously missing from the clean laundry basket, Ryan solved the mystery. After some hand washing and scrubbing (it must be DIRTY under that rubber lining!), we hung it up to dry. How sad does said tiny sock look all alone on the drying rack?!

Pregnant = Clumsy

Ryan and I took yesterday off work to take care of some baby-related stuff. In the morning, we met with the Infant Toddler Network about our childcare options. After that info session, we had a meeting with a pediatrician. The Children's Medical Associates practice was recommended by several Burke moms on the DC Metro Mommies message board, and I have to say, we were sufficiently impressed. I think we've found a pediatrician!

Next, we had a doctor's appointment, where we learned that our baby girl finally flipped! YAY! We also found out that INOVA Fairfax Hospital is one of only 10 hospitals in the country that does free cord blood collection and donation, so we're definitely going to do that. All in all, it was a productive day!

I had grand plans for today as well, doing baby laundry, going to Buy Buy Baby, etc. That was, until I fell down the stairs carrying a full basket of laundry about 2 hours ago. The baby is ok, she's been moving and kicking like crazy, but I have to admit, it was pretty terrifying. Unfortunately, my butt and back took the brunt of the fall, so now I'm laid up on the couch with ice packs. Ouch. As if I wasn't dealing with enough back pain already. And I am now under strict orders from Ryan to not carry anything else on the stairs and hold onto the railing at all times. Stupid clumsiness. I don't think I've ever seen him move as fast as he did when he heard me go down. Scary morning, but all is well!

10 Weeks and Counting!

From Babycenter.com:
"Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)"

So, it looks like, at least at first, she'll have my eyes! Only 10 more weeks to go. . .and from what I hear, these are going to be 10 long weeks. I've started to notice my energy levels going down, my back pain going up and my sleep getting worse. On the plus side, the nursery is almost done (pics to come)- yay! And I'm keeping busy washing all of the adorable clothes we've gotten. I had enough pink clothes for an entire load of laundry!

28 Weeks

Babies and Baseball

This past weekend, we went to the Nats v. Mets game. As the little one and I both enjoyed the 7th inning stretch, it occured to me that pregnancy is JUST LIKE baseball! Ryan is laughing as he reads this over my shoulder, but hear me out. There are nine innings in baseball, nine months in pregnancy. Both involve falling and running into things- if you don't understand this part, you've either not been around a clumsy pregnant woman or you haven't seen the Nats play recently. Baseball and pregnancy both have a 7th inning stretch. (Seriously, I think my belly has grown exponentially in the past week.) In both pregnancy and in baseball you'll hear people yell "He's out!" A baseball game and pregnancy alike can seem to go on forever. And both rely on the skills of the catcher (thanks Doc!). So, as you can see, with my own little American pastime, it's 1-2-3 months she's out at the old ball game!

Welcome to the world. . .

Edward Thomas Harn! Jessie delivered her beautiful baby boy a bit after midnight on Friday, June 25th. He was only 34 weeks and weighed just under 5 lbs. He'll be spending a few weeks in the NICU but his prognosis looks good. Jessie is doing AMAZINGLY well! I was blown away when I went to visit her at the hospital yesterday- not 36 hours after having a c-section, she was up walking around, feeling good. I pray I have that kind of strength if this little one requires a c-section as well. Edward is absolutely beautiful and he's so lucky to be joining such a fantastic family! Congratulations to Jessie, Ryan and (new big sissy) Sadie!!

Top 10 Perks of Pregnancy

10. You will probably never be healthier in your whole life- no alcohol, plenty of sleep, healthy eating (minus the occassional donut), etc.
9. You get to snuggle your baby whenever you want because she's always there- granted, if she's like mine, she's usually snuggling up against your bladder, but hey- I'll take it!
8. You get a pass for not dressing up at work, ever.
7. Along those same lines, people don't think it's rude if you eat during meetings- a plus for me given that I'm averaging about 6 meetings a day lately!
6. Random strangers tell you congratulations on the street- this might weird some people out, but it makes me smile.
5. You get to take up as much room in the bed as you want because, between the dog, your body pillow and your belly, it's just a losing battle for your husband.
4. Frequent pedicures, mostly because you can't reach your toes but that's just a small detail.
3. You don't have to paint the nursery. :) hehe
2. Watching your husband turn more into a daddy every time he feels the baby kick or talks to her or picks up a parenting magazine- I melt every time.
1. There are special bathrooms at the theatre just for pregnant ladies- YEEEESSSSSS!!!

New Ultrasound Pictures

We went back to the radiologist today for another ultrasound. Everything looked great with me and with the little girl. She's measuring right on track. But the best news is that the choriod plexus cyst in her brain is now gone! YAY!! We also got unequivocal proof that she is, indeed, a girl, which is good news since Ryan is in the process of painting the nursery walls pink as I type.

A nice profile shot:


Her face:


And, finally, her very first embarrassing picture:

And the winner is. . .

So after much back and forth, we've decided to go with the Nursery Rhyme Toile bedding! We were originally leaning toward the pink damask, but after looking at paint samples for the walls, we decided we liked the overall look of the room with the other bedding better. And, despite my protestations all along, we're going with pink walls. There's very little pink in the bedding, so we'll do a light pink on the walls with a high ledge molding in white with white above it and on the ceiling to help open the room up. Curtain, lamp and other accessories will bring in the blues, greens and other colors in the bedding. Here's an up close look at the fabric and some of the paint we're looking at.

Mmmmm Donuts

I think this baby girl has my sweet tooth because everytime I eat something sweet, she gets VERY active. Either that, or I'm giving her an outrageous sugar high and she's kicking me for it, haha! I just came back from lunch with Jessie (where we both ate sensible salads, thank you very much) and discovered a bevy of sugary delights in the cafe at work. Well, of course I couldn't pass up the custard-filled powdered sugar donut- that would just be. . . wrong.

So I scarfed it down and sat back at my desk waiting for the acrobatics to begin. She didn't disappoint. Sometimes I think I might subconsciously eat sugar JUST to feel her move and kick because I love it so much. Feeling her summersaults is a reminder that there are things far, far more important than work politics, deadlines and the constant (losing) battle to make everyone happy. I've always heard that having a baby gives you a new perspective on things, and it's already ringing true for me.

Baby bedding options

We originally chose some baby bedding from Pottery Barn Kids, but after reading some negative reviews and ratings about the quality and safety concerns, we decided to start our search over. This was disappointing, considering many of the bedding options for girls involve ladybugs, dragonflies, butterflies or flowers- none of which are really our thing. Also, we wanted to do green or blue walls, so that limited our choices even further. So after exhausting all the stores and the internet, we've narrowed down our options to the three collections below. Which do you like the best?

Love birds/colorful damask:


Nursery rhyme toile:


Pink and green damask:

Nursery Furniture

Ryan and I ventured to Manassas to check out the Baby 2 Teen store on Saturday. We had heard this store had a HUGE selection and we were not disappointed. When we walked in the door, the lady behind the front desk took one look at us and asked "First time here?" I guess the glazed deer-in-the-headlights look gave us away.

This store was amazing! There were so many options and the owner of the store herself personally walked us around to suggest furniture collections. She even talked us out of a more expensive crib because she didn't feel like you could attach the bumper properly (i.e. safely) and said she would be replacing the crib in the showroom with the new model.

By the end, we ordered the Munire Essex collection in white. We got the convertible crib, double 6-drawer low dresser (which will double as a changing table) and nightstand. The image below has the other dresser, but you get the picture.



This brand got a really good rating in the Baby Bargains book and we spent as much as we would have on the other set from Babies R Us, so I think we made the right choice. Now we just have to decide on bedding. . .

Bring on the PINK!

My and Josh's friend from work, Amanda, bought the baby an adorable little outfit- her first pink outfit actually! It will be perfect for those chilly fall evenings. When I saw the shoes at Target, I just couldn't pass them up. I can't wait to see her in this!

The good, the bad and the ugly

So, the good news is that we get to see our girl again in 4 short weeks! I'm really excited because I didn't think we'd have another ultrasound. So now the bad news (don't panic Mom, it's not that bad): the reason we're having another ultrasound is that they found a choroid plexus cyst in her brain during our last ultrasound and they want to monitor it. In addition, I'm at risk, albeit slight, for incompetent cervix, so they want to keep an eye on that as well. They're not very concerned about the cyst because they haven't found any other abnormalities and believe it's just part of her brain developing, but it's best to keep close watch.

And now for the ugly. It's official, I have sciatica. You might wonder why this is "ugly" but just ask Ryan. The positions I contort into and the expression on my face when that nerve gets compressed are certainly NOT prety. The excruciating shooting pain in my lower back was diagnosed this morning. Luckily, the stretches and yoga I've been doing have really helped and it's much better this week. It could hold off like this or it could come back with a vengence. Unfortunately, if it comes back, there's not much I can do but deal with the pain. So definitely no more heavy lifting or physical exertion for me. . . darn. ;o)

Halfway There!

We spent our Saturday registering at Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us. We didn't really mean to. We were actually going to look at furniture, but when we didn't find what we were looking for, we figured "What the heck, we're here." I'm sure we missed some things, but at least it's a start. We still need to find furniture we like, so we'll be going out this week to see what's out there. We've pretty much decided we want to do white furniture and, after going back and forth, I don't think we're going to do convertible furniture. It's certainly nice to be able to go from a crib to a toddler bed to a full bed all in one piece of furniture, but I'm afraid a full size bed would take up so much space in the room, there won't be any room for toys. And that's just not a kids room. In the meantime, here are some updated bump pictures:

Blog Makeover

You might have noticed that things look a bit different on the blog. I gave it a girly makeover in honor of our little lady! Thanks to my stepmom for the great suggestion. This is definitely more fitting. :)

"Knock Knock Mommy, I'm Here!"

That's basically the message our little lady sent me this afternoon when I started to feel a strange knocking-like spasmy feeling coming from inside my belly. I've never felt anything quite like this before, so I'm pretty sure it's not your everyday run-of-mill stomach gurgles. It's the craziest feeling- pretty awesome, but also really weird. I mean, there's something moving in my abdomen. I had felt this little knocking before, but it was so quick and intermittent that I was never really sure of what I was feeling. Well I don't think there's much doubt after today. She was pretty riled up after lunchtime, and she let me know it.

So, I hear you baby girl and you just made my day! I mean, it's the least you can do for taking up residence on the nerve in my lower back, right? :)

It's a. . . .

GIRL!!! We're having a little baby girl! The ultrasound technician seemed pretty confident when she saw the 4 little dots (that and there was a distinct LACK of boy parts). One of the first things Ryan said was that she wouldn't be allowed to date- HA! He's already a protective daddy and she's not even here yet. We're both absolutely thrilled with this news, and we can't wait to welcome this little lady into our family!

Time to Prepare

"A winning effort begins with preparation."
- Joe Gibbs

The marketer in me decided that the best way to tackle (no pun intended based on the quote above) this whole baby registry business (i.e. figuring out exactly WHAT to register for) was to conduct a survey of new moms with children ages 2 and under and analyze the data to determine the optimal products based on user feedback. In other words, I asked a bunch (probably 10-12) of my friends with kids what specific brands they use, what was worth getting, what wasn't, etc.

What I learned was pretty interesting. Every single person recommended Pampers Swaddlers diapers—some even tried other brands and went back to these because they were the best (softest, no leaks, etc.) Most respondants who use a pump at work recommended the Medela Pump In Style. Nearly everyone said activity mats and jumperoos/exersaucers were worth getting but bouncers and swings weren't. (Incidentally, I scored a free bouncer from a friend during this process and will be borrowing a swing from another—a much better deal than paying $50 and $150 respectively for something the baby might not like.) One person recommended a monitor that another person had and said they would not recommend. Some people's children loved the Swaddle Me blankets and others hated them.

I was able to compile all of this information into a handy spreadsheet, including pricing and additional notes, that we can take with us when we go to register. Hopefully all this prep work will mean that I won't find myself crouched in the corner of Babies R Us breathing into a paper bag (you may laugh, but I've heard this is a real possibility)!

Baby Gear Heaven

This past Saturday, we ventured up to Great Beginnings in Gaithersburg to test out some strollers, car seats, etc. Most baby stores have, at most, 10 models out on the floor for you to mess with. This place probably had 50 different stroller models out- it was awesome! And we definitely learned just how important it really is to play with them before you decide. We went in with three models in mind and left having chosen something completely different. It's so helpful to see how heavy they are, how easily they fold, what the canopies are like, etc. It made all the difference.

We ended up choosing the Baby Jogger City Mini, the same stroller our friends Dori and Scott are getting (we'll get a different color). It's only 16 lbs, super easy to manuever, has a large canopy to protect baby from the sun, has a really easy standing fold (no laying on the ground), and a car seat adapter.

Between our scouting trip and all the research I've been doing, I think we're much more prepared to register now than we were a couple of weeks ago, which is a good thing since we'll be doing that in the next few weeks!

Cherry Blossoms and Easter

This past weekend, my mom came up to visit and we went downtown to see the Cherry Blossoms on Saturday. The day started out pretty chilly and I was cursing the weather man since I was wearing shorts, but it actually turned out to be a beautiful warm, sunny day. Then on Sunday, Ryan's parents also came up for Easter brunch. Josh claims he single-handedly put king crabs on the endangered species list that day, haha. Here are a few shots from the weekend:

Movin' on up!

Well hello there second trimester, so nice to meet you! Seriously. It's a huge relief to have made it safely to this milestone and finally (FINALLY!) have the big news out in the open. When we e-mailed our friends with the news, we got no less than 52 enthusiastic responses. . . right before they all started placing bets on which football team this kid is going to root for, haha. By the way, it's going to be the Redskins! :)

We know one thing for sure: this little guy or gal is already fitted out as a Future Duke (J-M-U DUUUUUKKKEEESSS!!!) thanks to Uncle Josh. He went to JMU for the day and brought back a tiny JMU onesie and the cutest little JMU socks I've ever seen (along with Chicken Souvlaki from Dave's Taverna for yours truly- does he know me or what?!). Now we just need something ODU for a fair and balanced household.

We have also kicked the baby research into high gear. The amount of stuff we're going to have to buy/register for is a bit overwhelming. And it's not like registering for your wedding where you just pick out the pretty place setting you like. You're choosing contraptions you are going to strap your tiny little fragile baby into, among other things. So the Baby Bargains book has been my nightly reading lately (thanks, Erin, for the recommendation!). This book has been a lifesaver.

14 weeks down, 26 to go!

Extra Extra!

Get your bump shots here! Yep, I have officially popped. The bump isn't big, but it's definitely there. The first picture was first thing this morning. The second picture was after our dinner at McCormick & Schmick's tonight (so it's part bump, part crab cakes, fried mac and cheese and raspberry cake).

It's an alien baby!

We went in for our 12 week appointment today and finally got to see our little guy/gal again! The pictures were amazing. I can't believe how much this baby has grown in just a few short weeks- it's incredible. Baby Breeden was showing off his/her acrobatic skills for the camera, so we got a lot of great shots. Here are a few of our favorites:

Mojitos anyone?

No, I'm not craving alcohol. Baby Breeden has now been upgraded to a lime (a little over 2 inches long from crown to rump)! So since I can't, please have a mojito (or a margarita if you prefer) in honor of this latest milestone.

Yesterday, I ventured out in the rain with Dori and Jessie to the Junior League of Washington's Children's Trunk Show in Crystal City. For $10, we gained entry to a secondhand sale of nothing but children and baby stuff, a raffle ticket and a free cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake (YUM)! Jessie definitely made out with the most stuff (but she already has a little girl, and she knows she's having a boy). Dori and I had a bit of a harder time finding gender-neutral things that we thought we'd be able to use. But for $5.50, I managed to get 4 onesies, a little hat (brand new with the tag still on) and a dishwasher basket for bottle parts. I also won one of the raffle prizes- a bag filled with Born Free baby bottles, a Lamaze toy and Lamaze baby clothes!! The bottles alone retail for $19, so I'd say I did pretty well! The clothes I won are for a boy, so if we end up with a girl, Jessie may be getting them as a gift, haha. Here's a look at my loot:

Started off the week right!

In my office, the only thing I can drink is water. I know this is what I should be drinking because it's healthy, blah blah blah. But water gets boring REALLY fast. We have soda, but the only kind I can have is Sprite and it's usually all out by 10 a.m. (on a good day). So imagine my elation today when I discovered that grape soda is caffeine-free! I walked out of the cafe cradling my wonderful can of soda with a big goofy grin on my face and nearly walked right into our CRO. Good job Amber. It's the little things in life, I tell ya. . .

Speaking of little things, Baby Kumquat has now officially been upgraded to Baby Fig. He or she is measuring roughly 1.5 to 2 inches long and no longer has a tail or webbed hands and feet. Yay, I'm not giving birth to Aquaman (or Aquawoman- that was for you Dad)!!

We go back to the doctor next Monday for another ultrasound, and we should be able to find out the gender the beginning of May. Until then, feel free to place your bets on pink or blue!