picture pages

so- i know i promised pictures & then got completely sidelined for a few days. the good news is we have our internet back. then i went a little crazy at the awesome goodwill by me. i now have a quite respectable wardrobe started! tons of onesies, little pants, hats, nightgowns, sleep blankets, receiving blankets & a number of cute little outfits. even a winter coat- just in case it's still freezing in april. i am really good on 0-3, pretty good at 3-6 & even have some 6-9 & 12 month stuff. the more i buy the more excited i get & the more i can't wait to meet her. (but i really can wait so i want no free spirited 'let's break out of this prison-womb' thoughts from miss caiden!)
i have been feeling really good & the belly is definitely undeniably there now. with clothes. with my winter coat- i really look pregnant. it blows my mind. i must look incredibly vain because everywhere i go if i pass a reflective surface i have to look at myself. i am just blown away daily that the woman in the mirror is me. a year ago i was facing a miserable christmas just hoping i'd have a chance at having a baby the next christmas. and here i am. i will be spending christmas at home with my wonderful hub, my baby belly, the pups & our tree we just got to put up last night. i get to look forward & dream about next christmas & having a crawling little girl zooming around the house getting into everything. i am amazed & overjoyed & overwhelmed. a lot of this has been brewing for a while, but in reading nancy's post tonight, i am compelled to get it all out. despite some family drama, despite not getting a raise this year & being worried about finances, despite not being able to spend christmas with my family (or the hub's), despite still having no clue what is going on for maternity leave & daycare, i have the best life. all of this can & will be worked out. what i do have is so important & so wonderful that the rest just doesn't matter. the hub, the babe, my wonderful friends & sweet bloggy buddies, my family that loves & understands me, even my family that doesn't. the pups, a nice house with plenty of room for a nursery, an office & a guest room. a job that will be here for me through the next year. i really do have a lot to be happy about this year. who needs a present under the tree- i honestly couldn't think of anything to ask for this year anyway.

so- i was really late this time but here are 2 pics for you:

24 weeks 5 days- about to leave the house- hence the lovely hat:

and 25 weeks exactly- not to sound vain again- but i freaking love this picture- my ass looks fantastic in it!!! and it illustrates perfectly how different the belly looks day to day- these two pics are 2 days apart & i swear i look so much bigger in the first one!

new pic- now with clothes!

since nancy asked about not seeing my face still- i took a quick crappy cell phone pic that actually includes the face! still not the greatest pic- but you can pretty much see the bump & the face in one shot as the world sees them!

It was a surprisingly good hair day yesterday too...

freaky skeleton monkey baby

as promised- pictures! she absolutely refused to turn profile, definitely a little diva already! And the full on face shots really do look a little freaky. we didn't get the gender shot because we had to ask the tech when she was practically done to even check for it. oh well- i am positive in what i saw!

so here's my little monkey... er- girl!

looking with the top of the head to the left- relatively normal & cute. see the little fingers peeking out to the right?:

here's the little right (?) foot- heel to the left, toes to the right:

here's the one i think illustrates that we are in fact having a skeleton monkey baby. (i kid- she's perfect, but this shot is totally freaky!):

14 weeks

i know i am a day late, but we are actually up visiting friends in northernmost jersey this weekend. it's been really great since he & the hub have been really good friends forever, and i get along with her really well. they are also expecting next month- so there's that bond too.

i have to admit i was nervous at first- their pregnancy was a little hard to hear about a few months before mine- we were facing down saving up for iui #1 & only & so scared about things not working. i am honestly feeling more blessed that i am pregnant now & we can share this together. since she's got 20 weeks or so on me i can see & hear all that i have to look forward to. (not that i don't through the lovely ladies of blogland, it's just nice to be physically there with someone)

we were walking around & exploring & just enjoying being together yesterday. we had a wonderful dinner at this little thai place with the most amazing dessert- banana spring rolls with honey sesame sauce. oh. my. god. i haven't had enough appetite for dinner & dessert in about 3 months, so last night was such a treat! the boys got to enjoy beers together without feeling like they were drinking alone, even though they started out the night with a delicious smelling oktoberfest... ah- i miss beer! (really good, dark, rich beer!) today we are hanging out for a little bit, but then we have to get back home so the hub can put my car back together. long story- the short version is all the seats were out of the car by 9 am with the covers off to get washed, and they didn't end up back on the car when we had to leave at 1... i'll be taking his car tomorrow if i have to!

in the most exciting news- the belly has occurred! it is tiny & mainly just looks fat in most clothes, but i got a few super cute tight long shirts & one green sweater to show it off. the hub seems to like it & i am thrilled that i finally have something to proudly stick out! it does make next week more challenging as there are only 2 reviews to get through at work- mine being one of them. i really want to be able to get through my review & then tell them (even i say it as the review is over which is my plan!) but if i get pushed to the week after i will not be able to hide the belly any more. nor do i want to. i want to show this off proudly! i worked hard for it dammit & even though i do truly believe that we had our own little miracle happen to get here- i am here & i want the world to know how happy i am!

so- here's the 14 week belly, i do need to work with the hub on his picture taking skills, but in his defense we were rushing to get out of the house:



(apparently blogger doesn't like the crappy wireless signal- this may have to wait until we get home!)

so- back home- picture uploaded just fine. trip was really nice- only an hour & half or so. the hub & i got to chat the whole way down. i hope we get to have a little weekend getaway like this again soon.

introductions please

well this morning was almost as perfect as it could be. i got there early & got in with a lovely sweet tech who immediately got to the good stuff. the basics- everything looks perfect, heart rate is 153, the NT measurement was 1.9- i guess anything up to 2.8 is normal, so we are good there.

spring roll was such a good little baby at first, kept turning the exact way the tech wanted. then i guess the jig was up because all of a sudden he (i am just using he to be simpler i refuse to say it & i kind of feel boy) threw his hands in front of his face & hid! then he started bouncing & dancing & wiggling all over the place! the tech was able to get some really cute pictures finally, it was just so surreal to see such an active little baby bouncing around when not only can't i feel anything, but my jeans still fit! i really wish the hub could have been there, but i sent him the pictures tonight & his grandfather just got there for a visit- so 3 generations can look at the fourth together. which is pretty cool too.

the only negative to my appointment was having to wait over 40 minutes in the lab across the hall to get one stinking vial of blood drawn that took 20 seconds. i was late to work because of the stupid lab procedures checking in one person, then waiting, then seeing that person, then checking in the next, etc. especially when i didn't need to get checked in at all- it was frustrating!

oh well, it could have been much worse! - without further delay i give you the reason i am on cloud nine today:

waving hello

our little thinker


i think that's daddy's nose:

this one's just kind of freaky with the jaw, but so cool!: