It's a BOY!

Well, the results are in and we couldn't be happier!

We had a fun ultrasound this morning where we got to see our snoozing baby boy stubbornly ignore the ultrasound technician's needs to do measurements.  He basically just wanted to sleep and keep his arms wrapped over his belly, occasionally rolling around and flexing his limbs briefly enough so that the technician couldn't get her shots quick enough.  Then he'd roll back to the position he started in, which was not the one she wanted.  It was pretty entertaining.  :)

So here's the first look at Baby Boy Gaddis.  He sure looks like a strapping little fellow from what we saw during the ultrasound.  Now we play the name game.  Any suggestions?  I say "no" to Thor, Frodo, and Napolean.

QUESTION
When did you first feel your baby move?  I haven't felt anything yet, but can honestly say that I don't know what I'm supposed to be feeling for. Supposedly, I won't feel anything until 20 weeks or so. That'll be pretty exciting!

~ Tam

Baby Belly

This is what a pregnant Tam looks like today.  For some reason, I didn't think I was showing as much as I should be these last few weeks.  But taking belly photos sure proved me wrong!

Check back on Thursday when we find out if this baby is a boy or a girl! If you haven't voted on the Blueberry's gender yet, you better get to it!

~ Tam

17 Weeks

Dear Blueberry,

Today you are 17 weeks old. Supposedly, you are the size of a turnip already! All the baby books seem to compare your growth size to a fruit or a vegetable of some kind and it's the primary reason we've been calling you The Blueberry for the last 11 weeks. When we first discovered that I was pregnant, we immediately ordered  baby and pregnancy books. We were so excited! And we wanted to make sure we knew what we were supposed to be doing to make sure you were taken care of while you hang out in my belly. We discovered that we were 6 weeks along and the first book we read said that you were the size of a blueberry. Everyday, your daddy would come home from work and ask me, "How's the Blueberry?" The nickname stuck.  :)

So even though you are now the size of a turnip, we still like to refer to you fondly as The Blueberry. You're growing like you're supposed to and Dr. Callen (our OBGYN) referred to you as a "textbook pregnancy" yesterday. It's been smooth sailing so far and I've enjoyed eating like a horse. Thank you for that! We just can't wait for you to get here!  :)

Love,
Mommy

16 Weeks, 10 lbs, and Mother's Day!

I received a lot of "Happy Mother's Day!" wishes over the weekend and that was fun.  I hardly consider myself a mother just yet...  merely a vessel for the last 16 weeks.  But it was sweet of friends and family to consider me worthy of such well wishes.  Thank you!  :)

We spent Mother's Day weekend in Ft. Collins with Matt's mom, Debbie (very happy grandmother-to-be), which has become an annual tradition.  Matt has been traveling to Ft. Collins from wherever he currently lives -- whether near or far -- for many years now.  This was my third year.  Next year will be baby's first.  Usually, we re-plant her flower beds and do a lot of other yard work.  This year, Matt mainly tackled household maintenance (installed a new garbage disposal, cleaned the gutters, cleaned the garage, installed the window A/C unit, fixed up the computer, etc.) and got the house in tip-top condition for his mother.  I was able to install a new sprinkler timer since it involved no heavy lifting or huge amount of energy and then I did a lot of supervising.  :)  Amidst all the work on the list, we also were able to fit in a family dinner in and a Mother's Day brunch out.  It was a great weekend!

I've always admired and loved Matt for his annual Mother's Day tradition.  It is an incredibly sweet thing to do for Debbie every year and I cannot think of a better Mother's Day gift a mother could receive from her child.  He does it not because he is asked, but because he wants to and looks forward to it every year.  I hope The Blueberry (baby's nickname that I'll explain in a later post for those who don't know) turns out like my husband.  I hope he/she is a good kid who loves his/her mother.  It sure will make all this weight gain (almost 10 lbs so far!), gas, & discomfort worth it!  :)

QUESTION
Did you have a good Mother's Day?  What did you do?  What did your kids do for you?  I hope all you mothers out there had a good Mother's Day!

~ Tam

Maternity Clothes

Aaahhhhh!!

Over the weekend I finally caved.  It was getting far too difficult to get into my favorite jeans (really, the only ones that would fit my ever-expanding midsection) and I was finally coming to terms with the fact that I may never fit into anything in my closet again for a long while.

So I dragged Matt with me to Target to pick up a few staple maternity items.  After an hour or so of him standing awkwardly in the aisle by the maternity section with a shopping cart containing cat litter, light bulbs, and chewing gum, I tossed in a couple maternity shirts, a pair of maternity jeans, leggings, and a maxi dress.  I'll admit that I didn't completely enjoy my shopping experience (the dressing room was so hot I wanted to die and everything that fit was 1 or 2 sizes larger than I am used to wearing which was a little depressing) but I'll also admit that maternity clothes are SO much more comfortable than I thought!  Yeah, so you have to get over the fact that the giant elastic band at the top of the pants makes you feel a little like your jolly old grandfather who liked to pull his polyesters all the way up to his armpits.  But the wonderful thing is that it allows full relaxation and expansion of your belly -- which I fully intend to take advantage of.  No more sucking in and buttoning!

I am starting to get a little round.  I will be getting rounder.  I am so thankful for elastic.

QUESTION
I was eyeing the belly bands at the store and wonder if they are comfortable?  It would be great if they work because I would love to still wear some of my favorite jeans.  Have any of you tried them?

~ Tam