La Petite Chic

Little Nittany Lion

Jon has been getting pretty bummed out about the inordinate amount of Baltimore Ravens and Orioles gear that my mom and I have been picking up for baby girl, but he really can't complain because we've been buying it all on the cheap at yard sales. I tell you, those little baby uniforms and jersey onesies are expensive when you pay retail and they only get to wear them for one season!

We did pick up a Phillies onesie the last time we were in Pennsylvania, but we didn't have anything Eagles or Penn State and Jon was beginning to pout! As I've mentioned on here before, we fully support each other's sports alliances up until the point when they play each other (which is rare since they're in different divisions) and it does make it kind of fun to have double the teams to root for.

Well, I decided to surprise Jon with a package all the way from Penn State. Behold, the cutest little Nittany Lion ever:

You should have seen his face when he opened the package! I ordered it in a size 18 months so it should fit La Petite Bebe (albeit big) for next football season and probably the one after. He adores it!

Bump Day - Week 28

How Far Along:  28 weeks and 4 days

Weekly Fruit Comparison: An eggplant

 

At this point, she's about 17 inches tall, nearly as tall as she'll be when she's born. Crazy, isn't it? Want to see what baby really looks like in my belly at this point? Check out the countdown widget I added to the right there. It's so cool! (And I am such an excited dork!)

The Good:  Time is flying by, though I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing! She's still as active as can be and already has us both wrapped around her finger.

The Bad:  I'm getting uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. As much as I thought I had popped before, I feel like now I'm just getting wider! My feet have been swollen for the last two days and I don't know whether to blame the 95+ degree weather or the third trimester. Likely, it's a combination of both.

Tonight while we were walking Lola, Jon commented that I was beginning to walk like a pregnant woman. You know, the arched back, the slightly pointed outward feet. As much as I try not to walk abnormally, it kind of just happens! Oh well...it's for an awesome cause!

The Weird: You know what's weird? Not being able to see anything below your belly button!  

Best Pregnancy Moment: I'm so lucky in that I'm being thrown two baby showers: one in Maryland for my family and one in Pennsylvania for Jon's family. The invitations for both went out this week and they are both absolutely gorgeous! Our baby girl is so loved already and I can't wait for everyone to meet her.

The Weekly Belly Bump: My goodness, it's getting out of control! And to think I still have 11 1/2 weeks to go!

Bump Day - Week 27

How Far Along:  27 weeks and 4 days

Weekly Fruit Comparison: An eggplant (One more week of eggplant then I move on to a bigger--and scarier!--vegetable.)

 

The Good:  We're on vacation at the beach with Jon's family this week so I've been able to catch up on some much needed sleep. It's nice to take a break from our house because even though we're done with most of the big stuff, there are still two rooms to paint (including the nursery which we haven't gotten around to yet) and finishing touches to add. I refuse to rest until it's done because I know it will be much harder once the baby girl arrives.

The Bad:  Hanging out in the deep end of the pool without a swim noodle kind of hurts. I think la petite bebe floats up under my ribs when my feet can't touch the bottom and that's not comfortable. At all.

The Weird: The stupid heartburn has been coming back every now and then as soon as I go to bed. I don't feel it until I actually lay down and really, I fall asleep so quickly that it's not that big of an inconvience.

Best Pregnancy Moment: I bought my diaper bag! I'm totally in love with it; it's neutral (navy), not too big and not too small and best of all, it doesn't look like a diaper bag. And true to my nature, I got a fantastic deal, especially for a Kate Spade! I can't wait to get it packed.

The Weekly Belly Bump: The bump has been getting a little itchy, but nothing a little cocoa butter oil can't soothe!

 

Bump Day - Week 26

How Far Along:  26 weeks and 6 days (a little late on the week 26 post!)

Weekly Fruit Comparison: An eggplant (Still...but hey, I love eggplants!)

 

The Good:  Baby girl likes to move it, move it! She has been so active this past week, kicking and stretching and rolling. I like to play with her by pushing back on her tiny feet and she responds by pushing back on my fingers. I know it's probably just reflex, but it's still very cool. Also, let's not forget that this is the last week of my second trimester! Woo-hoo!

The Bad:  All that kicking and stretching and rolling can be a bit uncomfortable sometimes now that she is running out of room! Also, it's been a very hectic week (hence the late baby bump post) so I'm quite exhausted.

The Weird: I keep getting congratulated by random strangers. It's nice, yes, and thankfully none of them have tried to touch my bump so that's good, but what's even weirder is that most of them are men! A pregnant woman must bring out some primal instinct in them or something.

Best Pregnancy Moment: My mom finally got to feel a good kick tonight! Whenever she's around and Baby D starts moving, she inevitably stops as soon as I call my mom over. She's a stubborn child already!

The Weekly Belly Bump: I think my bump grew a lot in this past week. Bending over kind of hurts and my pants are getting tighter. OY. All that aside, I really can't wait to meet this baby girl. She is so awesome already.

 

Bump Day - Week 25

How Far Along:  25 weeks and 4 days

Weekly Fruit Comparison: An eggplant (Finally, a new vegetable! And a very large one at that!)

 

The Good:  I got to hear La Petite Bébé's heartbeat at my appointment yesterday. That never gets old, especially for this nervous mama-to-be. She's measuring right on schedule and my doctor said she sounds very comfortable in there! From this point on, I'll be going to the doctor every two weeks until my last month, when I'll be going every week. It's all flying by so fast!

The Bad:  She gave me a good scare late last week when I hadn't felt her move in a few hours. She's usually very active and she didn't even move for me after I had a slice of chocolate cake! So I did what any overly anxious mom would do: I drank some OJ, the surefire way to wake her up. And sure enough, she did. I guess she was just taking a good, long nap!

The Weird: Nothing too crazy this week. So I'll talk about all the things I accomplished. We finally picked a hospital, scheduled our childbirth classes, signed up for an Open House for a highly recommended pediatric practice, got our stroller (thanks Mom and Dad D!) and picked a photographer/scheduled my maternity photo shoot. Whew! We're going to paint the nursery on this long holiday weekend as we don't have any plans. So nice! I feel like we're finally getting things checked off our list.

Best Pregnancy Moment: I'm pretty sure our baby girl had the hiccups yesterday. It felt almost like a heartbeat and lasted about a minute or two. It was so very cool! 

The Weekly Belly Bump: Still growing by leaps and bounds! (I really need to start using my nice camera for these shots!)

Ooh, and check out my latest post over at Style Lush where I talk about the Most Perfect Nursery Sign Ever. I love it!

Bump Day - Week 24

How Far Along:  24 weeks and 4 days

Weekly Fruit Comparison: A papaya (So I saw a papaya at the market last Sunday. Umm, those things can be huge!)

 

The Good:  I'm not trying to jinx myself, but this has been such an easy pregnancy. I feel so very lucky.   

The Bad:  It's hot. Let me repeat: IT'S HOT!! 90 degree+ hot. And lo, it's not even July or August yet.

The Weird: I thought I had managed to avoid the all-encompassing hunger that pregnant women talk about. Nope; it hit me full force this week. It's absolutely crazy. I can eat a full meal and feel absolutely ravished an hour later.

Best Pregnancy Moment: I felt a foot! Never mind that it was dangerously close to slipping under my ribcage and trying to push through my skin, but a foot! A tiny, precious foot that belongs to my baby girl...so cool!  

The Weekly Belly Bump: I finally did it. I took out my belly ring this week. It was getting a little uncomfortable the bigger I was growing, and to be perfectly honest, I was feeling a little too "Sixteen & Pregnant" with it in. I vow to put it back in once my abs are back though!

P.S. Notice anything different about the knee wall behind me? We finally painted it this weekend! Now we just have to install the trim and we'll be good to go!

Babymoon Photos

As promised, here are a few photos from our babymoon:

Our gorgeous resort (The Grand Palladium in Lucea, Jamaica)

 

Right after a gorgeous sunset

 

Of course we visited the Margaritaville in Negril! (For what it's worth, I had a frozen lemonade. Sniff sniff.)

 

A bump on the high seas!

 

View from lunch at Margaritaville

 

I'm a firm believer that pregancy can be sexy! Work it!

 

Our last night in paradise

 

Have I ever mentioned that Jamaica is my favorite Caribbean locale? This was my third trip there and I love it more every time. Le sigh.

Bump Day - Week 23

How Far Along:  23 weeks and 4 days

Weekly Fruit Comparison: A papaya (Since the fruit won't change for another week, here are the approximate measurements: Just over a pound and around 11.5 inches)

 
  

The Good:  I'm feeling really, really great. I have lots of energy and am taking advantage of that while I can.  

The Bad:  I've had a tiny bit of lower back pain, which usually occurs after I've been on my feet for a long time. It's a good reminder to slow down after my energy bursts!

The Weird: A pregnant belly attracts a lot of attention. I catch random strangers staring and smiling and it's almost like we're all sharing this big secret. Luckily I haven't had any of those strangers touch my belly because that will freak me out. I don't mind people I know doing it, but strangers are another story. Personal space, people! 

Best Pregnancy Moment: I finally got to show off the baby bump to my in-laws this weekend. We haven't seen them since Easter when I could still fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans so I looked quite different! They do follow along on my blog but it's totally different when you see the bump in person. Everyone got to feel baby girl kick too. Hooray :)

The Weekly Belly Bump: It doesn't seem to have changed much which is okay by me after that huge pop last week! It's still so cool to me to feel her move. She was really kicking on Monday and all my girlfriends at work got to feel her. She's guaranteed to move after I eat or if I lay on my side. I guess she likes to eat and likes when Mama sleeps!

Bump Day - Week 22

How Far Along:  22 weeks and 4 days

Weekly Fruit Comparison: A papaya (I'm now far enough along where the fruit comparisons are done monthly so I only have 4 more fruits to go!)

 
  

The Good:  I forgot to mention that we were going to Jamaica for our babymoon last week so that's why I didn't post a Week 21 update. We had such a wonderful and relaxing time! It was so nice to not have to worry about home renovations for a change. Of course, being in Jamaica without drinking Red Stripe or rum punch was a bit different than what I'm used to, but it was just so awesome to get away and spend some quality time with Jon.

I love that man so much and I know I couldn't have picked a better man for a husband and the father of my kid. I already see how great he is with Lola (and how wrapped around her little paw he is!) and can hardly imagine how he'll be with our little girl. I'll hopefully get around to posting babymoon pictures soon!

The Bad:  I had my first case of swollen feet right before we left for vacation. It was really hot and humid here in Maryland and I was in heels all day and all of that combined just wasn't good for my tootsies. Luckily, it hasn't happened since and I really hope to avoid it if I can.

The Weird: Baby girl is moving around so much now and sometimes it feels like she is poking and kicking right into my lady bits. Or maybe it's her head? She was head down at my last appointment so that must be it!

Best Pregnancy Moment: Hearing people say "you are just the cutest pregnant woman ever!" never gets old. I used to hate the "cute" word, but at this point, I'll take what I can get! Who knows how much longer this belly will be cute and not entirely massive?

The Weekly Belly Bump: When I returned to my office after our babymoon, everyone agreed I had totally popped. It's kind of hard to tell from this photo, but I think my mom summed it up best when she said, "Your belly sticks out farther than your boobs now!" (Only moms can get away with saying that! Especially moms who have bought you the majority of your maternity wardrobe!)

Bump Day - Week 20

How Far Along:  20 weeks and 4 days

Weekly Fruit Comparison: A cantaloupe (Holy crap!)

 
  

The Good:  Wow! The first half of my pregnancy is officially over! I can't believe it. At my appointment on Monday, the medical assistant asked me, "Have you picked out a pediatrician yet?" Umm, no! I don't even know which hospital I'll deliver at yet! For what it's worth, I have tours set up at both of my hospital options, but I haven't even thought about a pediatrician yet. I better get on that.

The Bad:  Nothing bad at all this week! Although I am having a really hard time keeping the name a secret because Jon and I refer to her as her real name when it's just the two of us. I've caught myself almost slip several times now when talking to other people about her. We've never really had a nickname for her though Jon has taken to calling her McMuffin. What can I say? The boy loves McDonalds!

The Weird:  Ever had a work acquaintance say to you, "You look really good; how much weight have you gained?" No? Get pregnant and I guarantee someone will ask you that question! It's as if people lose all boundaries when around a pregnant woman.

Best Pregnancy Moment:  Our baby girl is definitely moving now! The coolest thing was having Jon feel her kicking and moving last week. I drank a glass of orange juice before my appointment on Monday and when the doctor listened for her heartbeat, she was moving around so much and just wouldn't keep still.

The Weekly Belly Bump: There's no mistaking it; I have an obvious baby bump now and I love it!