Looking Back

I'm at 23 weeks in my pregnancy and I am feeling wonderful. So wonderful in fact that I have started to enjoy looking back. I have gone over the posts I made while waiting to try and have looked at my chart from the cycle that led to little Theodor. I have looked back at the first pregnancy test pictures, and the ultrasounds, and the (lets be honest non-existent belly) belly shots, and it is still a bit unbelievable for me.

I mean I feel Theodor kicking away constantly and my stomach definitely looks pregnant now but I still sometimes have trouble believing that in a few months my husband and I will really be a family of three.

It has been a lot of fun to remember the feelings of excitement when I got my first positive test and to reminisce on the weeks which have gone by. The morning sickness is now a vague memory for me which I of course didn't think would be possible, and I am really starting to realize that there isn't all that much time left before we meet our son.

Wow. Our son. I don't think I could say that aloud yet. We'll see how I feel in a few months.

22 Weeks

Wow, more then halfway through:)

So much love

I grew up with a mom who always, always told me she loved me. So it is still normal for me to say I love you all the time to the people whom I love- mainly my husband and my mom, and most recently Theodor.

It is crazy how much I already love him. It is almost as if I can feel my heart expanding just for him. He already means so much to me and makes me happy just by squirming around and sleeping. To feel such strong emotions towards someone who I have never met and really know nothing about was a bit of a surprise. But really there is absolutely no way that he could not exceed all of my expectations and hopes, as he already is absolutely perfect.

This is turning out to be such a wonderful journey filled with so many great emotions. I can't imagine how it will be when he actually arrives and becomes a more active member of our family.
I can't wait.

Pregnancy Crack

I recently received my BabyWalz catalog in the mail. It is filled with 450 pages of baby gear, or as I lovingly refer to it "pregnancy crack". It contains everything that you could possibly need for baby from many different brands and I think I am in love.

Since we can't get started on the nursery until renovations are completed- and started, I have only been able to highlight the things I love and will have to wait to purchase them until the new year.

However there are a few products which I will be buying from the States. These items all have to be purchased before Christmas so that my sweet sister in law and her husband can bring them back for me when they visit family in December.

One product which I have purchased and can't wait to receive is my diaper bag.

I have a large bag right now and have a ton in it so I knew my diaper bag needed to be as least as large as my normal purse. I also am one of those people who does try to look good and cute everyday, although I will admit to getting more lax about this as I have aged and gotten really sick of feeling cold in the winter. Unfortunately my favorite items in terms of looking good and being easy- summer dresses, nice tank and skinny jeans- just do not cut it when it gets cold here. Plus I have been a bit dismayed to find out that even my tights are too tight now due to the lovely little Theodor causing my stomach to expand! I have actually cut the waistbands on some so that they don't pinch. Thankfully my dresses still cover the bump as I still feel like 5 months is just so early to start having to wear maternity tops! I don't want to buy a whole new wardrobe yet!

But I am getting off track. Mainly I just am trying to say that while it was important that my diaper bag be highly functional it was also pretty darn important that it be cute. So this is what I chose.

The skip hop studio tote in champagne.


The reviews I have heard from other mothers and on Amazon were great and I can't wait to finally be able to use it!

Here are the product details in case anyone wants to know more besides the fact that it is cute;)

• 14 pockets & zip-top closure (big enough for most laptops)
• Zip pocket protected by Agion®
• Two roomy insulated side bottle pockets
• Quilted cushioned changing pad
• Water-resistant inside & out
• PVC-free, eco-friendly materials
• Snap-down front pocket lets you stash a blanket/bib underneath
• Nickel feet keep STUDIO off the ground & scuff-free
• Hangs neatly on a stroller & can be worn over the shoulder

20 weeks!

Wow! We are halfway there. I think both my husband and I are still in awe and shock when it comes down to it.I mean in just a few months we are going to have a baby boy with us. It is so incredible and exciting and I am so so thankful that so far this has been such a pleasant ride for us. See how easy it is to forget terrible morning sickness? Mother nature is a very strong thing indeed. Here are some pics of me at the halfway mark.

Family distance

Time has started to fly and sometimes I find it overwhelming and sometimes I find it exciting. One of the hardest things for me to deal with is just the fact that my mom is thousands of miles away.

I try to remind myself that even if I lived in the U.S. I would not see her very often unless I had stayed in the same city as her after high school which I doubt, but it can still be frustrating to think about having to spend half a grand just to see her for a few weeks.

However I have been talking to my husband about my "ideal plan" for when the baby comes and that includes two visits a year to my mom in the States some visits with my husband and some visits without- mainly due to the big money factor and the fact that he needs to work, and her visiting us once a year here. This will end up to about 9 weeks give or take of great quality time for us with grandma and in the end I have to think that that is more then many kids get.

I also hope to be able to send kids to "grandma" for summer breaks when they get older. Summer break is only 6 weeks here so not the three months that people are used to in the States but I don't think I could handle more then 6 weeks without my (future tee hee) children anyway.

So what do you think of my solution? Would you do something different? Moving isn't an option.

Theodore

So I think that finding out the sex and seeing our healthy baby really helped make Theodore even more "real" for us.

We purchased our first outfit specially for -him-. It is incredible to think that our little baby boy will actually be wearing it in the near future.

It is also wonderful to watch my husband get excited for the child who will be entering our lives. He asked yesterday if the baby could sleep with us. Not all the time but for naps and on the weekend as he thought it would be pretty awesome. Of course I said yes. I have trouble sleeping when people are touching me though so I think we will probably end up getting one of those bassinets that goes next to the side of the bed and is like a half circle. They normally have railing on one side and since the baby still has it's own space I think I would feel better about it, and hopefully still be able to sleep.

Although who are we kidding I am sure hours of my life will be taken up with just staring at Theodore while he is sleeping. I can't wait.