Getting Closer...

Our good friend and photographer, Erica recently took some maternity shots of me. This was a whole new thing for me, and ONLY with Erica (whom I've known for nearly 15 years) would I have exposed myself as much as I did. The pictures turned out really well, and I am really glad that I will always have them to look back and remember when my body did this miraculous thing of growing, feeding and fostering a child for 40 weeks.

I am feeling well. My doctor appointments are every week now. That is the point when you know you are really getting close. The baby was breech for a while, but an ultrasound this morning revealed the the baby has flipped to the proper head down position- HOOOOOORAY!! The baby is following directions already. :) My doctor said we will need to continue to monitor it each week, but the chances of it flipping back to breech now are less than 3%. All signs point to no c-section or manual flipping for me.

This weekend is go time with getting ready for the baby. We have done very little up to this point, and I'm really anxious to get everything in order- the car seat in the car, the crib mattress up, the swing set up, the bottles washed, the baby clothes cleaned and in the dresser... and you know, everything else that we need to be ready to bring that baby home!

33 Weeks at Christmas

Despite what it may look like, that is not the Christmas ham stuffed under my shirt; it is the baby continuing to grow exponentially.

Jason and I had a very Merry Christmas and enjoyed spending time with both sides of our families. We are taking some time off now to get the baby's room in order, and enjoy a little peace and quiet together before the storm hits, so to speak.

It's hard to believe that the baby will be here in just a matter of weeks, but we can't wait!! I can't wait to find out if it is a boy or a girl, first and foremost, and then learn all about its little personality.

I'll be sure to post more about setting up the nursery this week as it progresses.

Hope you all had a great holiday and enjoyed time off to celebrate the most important things in your lives.

30 weeks

Today I am 30 weeks pregnant. Where did the time go? That means that I have 10 weeks left (give or take) until we get to meet the baby. That seems ridiculously hard to believe. And the next 4 or 5 weeks are so busy that I have a feeling they are just going to fly by.

Jason and I were talking about the baby coming the other night and we started making guesses about the baby's gender, its arrival date, and it height and weight. It was fun! Wanna play along? Post a comment below and tell me what you think! (to comment you just click on comment, put in your name then type your text and hit post. You don't need to sign up for anything to comment)

Here are some facts to help you in your guess:

-Official due date (as determined by ultrasound): February 12th

-Original due date: February 4th

-At our last ultrasound appointment we were told that it looked like the baby would be ready anytime between February 2nd and February 12th, but that they were going to leave my official date as the 12th because of the fact that first time pregnancies can go late.

- Jason was 6lbs. 15 oz. when he was born (but he was a few weeks early)

- I was 7lbs 3 oz. when I was born

26 1/2 Weeks!

26 1/2 weeks and counting..... and to think, it gets bigger?! Only 3 moths left!

For those of you keeping score....

The belly takes the lead!

22 weeks pregnant (woops, this post is a little late).

19 1/2 weeks with a view!

Jason and I love the Golden Gate Bridge. We got engaged at a picnic spot overlooking the bridge 5 years ago. It is for this reason that it was so fun to be back this weekend, pregnant!

My friend Hannah got married in Sonoma last Saturday, and Jason and I took a few extra days to enjoy Sonoma, Sausalito and the bridge! On Monday, we went back to the spot where we had our picnic and snapped this belly shot for the 19 1/2 week mark. We can't wait to be back with the baby someday!

When we returned, we had another doctor's appointment. We were glad to learn that the baby and I are still growing just as we should be.

Another really exciting thing, is that I have begun to feel the baby move! It feels really strange, actually. I have been telling people that it feels just like a heart murmur, but in your stomach, but apparently not too many people have had heart murmurs, because when I say that I get a lot of blank stares. :) My sister-in-law Holly, said that it feels like a goldfish swimming around in there. That's a good way to describe it, and one that more people can visualize than a heart murmur, apparently. :) I think it's going to be a swimmer, because it is doing a lot of flutter kicking in there. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part. :)

I'm excited for the moving that Jason can feel. I think that will be the neatest part. Of course, that is also the part that they say keeps you up at night, so maybe I'll change my tune on that one near the end.

I'm 20 weeks tomorrow, so I'm officially half way there. It's hard to believe that this little flutter kicker will be here in about 4 months and a few weeks! Where is the time going? I definitely should probably already have more done! Looks like I'm in for busy winter.

17 1/2 Weeks!

Baby is growing and so am I! Here is a recent picture from 17 1/2 weeks. I'm looking more and more pregnant now, and it is pretty strange, but fun. As I get bigger it becomes more and more "real" that the baby is coming, and my bond with the little guy (or girl) becomes deeper.

I am feeling so much better! Don't ever underestimate your energy. :) I think Jason secretly misses lazy Johanna, but she's for the birds! She was so terribly boring! I get sick very infrequently now, and when I do, I'm so used to it that I just do it and move on. Bizarre, yes. Uncommon, probably not.

I've been swimming a lot and riding my bike. I guess I'm not really supposed to ride my bike, but I feel totally comfortable on it still, and my doctor didn't tell me I couldn't, so I'm going with it. Soon, I probably won't be able to ride at all since I'm only going to get bigger! Swimming I can do until literally the day I deliver, since it is low impact (although I better get a bigger suit!). I am going to sign up for Prenatal yoga soon. Deep cleansing breath in.....

I'm still craving fruits and vegetables by the fist full. And hot wings, of all strange things. I have never been a wing girl, so this must be Jason's influence on the baby. ;) I had a tuna melt the other day and it tasted so good you would have thought I was eating a lobster that I caught with my own hands 2 hours ago. It seemed like the best sandwich I ever had! I know what you're saying; A tuna melt? Yep. That's all it was. And I probably can count on half of a hand the number of times I've ordered that before in my whole life.

What can I say? Pregnancy is definitely a strange thing, but with (hopefully) a wonderful outcome! I'm just taking it all in.

12 1/2 Week Belly

Well, time is flying by. Tomorrow is the start of my 13th week and I guess that means the end of my first trimester. Bring on the energy. Bring on the settled stomach. Please. Everyone says that should come by the end of the 14th week. Hallelujah!

Although I am not gaining weight very quickly due to the extent of my "morning" sickness, the baby is growing well. I will have to make up for those pounds in the second trimester, and with the return of my appetite and the addition of cravings, I'm not anticipating that being a problem. :) Here is a belly pic taken at about 12 1/2 weeks.

The biggest news for the baby at 12 1/2 weeks was that it survived it's first tornado! We had a crazy storm here a few nights ago that left 200,000 people without power ,(luckily we were not one of them), and sent us seeking shelter after the sirens went off and the emergency broadcast system warned that the tornado would be in our neighborhood in 10 minutes! Since we live in a condo, and don't have a basement, we go to the bathroom where there are inside walls and no windows. Our neighbors were over and we had to laugh at ourselves-the bathroom is not exactly the most conventional place to congregate with your neighbors. But, we brought in some grapes, and beers, (iced tea for me), and we had a tornado party! 4 adults and 1 dog in the master bath- sounds like a party to me! I quickly grabbed a stack of some reading materials, including my "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book. Although, what to expect when you're expecting in a tornado?- it's not in the book! :)

One thing is for sure, pregnancy is a journey!

Our First Doctor's Appointment

At this point it is probably mostly bloat, and whatever I was able to hold down from dinner, but it is our starting point none the less. Meet Baby Patterson. :)

Last Friday we had our very first doctor's appointment. We were thrilled that everything is growing as it should and is just the right size. We learned all of the rules and the drills and our doctor, Dr. Miller, shared in our excitement. It's amazing to me how much love you can have for something that is only the size of a kidney bean. I'll never eat chili the same way again. :)

On Wednesday, July 2nd, we go back to the doctor to hear the heartbeat for the very first time. We can't wait for that milestone!

I'm feeling pretty icky. It's not exactly a pretty journey to this point, but it sure is worth it. The baby must like fruit, because I can't seem to get enough. Green apples especially. Every time I see a green apple I can picture my teeth digging into it and practically taste the juice on my tongue. Mmmmm.

Jason has been so darling by helping out with pretty much everything around the house because I am dog tired and ready for bed WAY early. Because I normally have such a high energy level he jokes with me that now I am "normal". Come on, we all know that I'll never be quite normal. :)