Last Post

Hello-
It's been a week since Harris' arrival, and time for this post to come to an end, seeing as the countdown is over. But don't worry, a new blog has taken its place:

http://harrisviewofworld.blogspot.com/

Come check it out for Harris' thoughts on how things are coming along, with pictures, of course. Hope you join us there!

Love,
Becky

Harris is here!!!

Hut and I are so happy to share the news that Harris is here and is a great baby. He arrived Tuesday just before noon, after a relatively easy delivery (well, pain less delivery at the time). (I thought he would come early, and so he did, on the 6th anniversary of my move to Dallas). We went to the hospital about 11:10 on Monday night, after my water broke. We were checked into our room within an hour. I dilated fairly quickly and was ready to push by 8. The doctors (on-call and then my doctor) weren't sure he was going to come that way, but my doctor let me try. After about 2 and 1/2 hours of pushing, it became obvious to myself and Hut that we weren't making progress. So at 11, we agreed to a c-section. I was pretty disappointed, but there wasn't much I could do. So by 11:53, he had joined the real world. Turns out he was 9 lbs, 12 ozs, and was stuck behind a pelvic bone. I thought he was big, but not that big! He has golden blond hair and beautiful blue eyes. He's very cuddly and sweet. We were released from the hospital today, and adjusting to a new scenery. After being in the hospital for 4 days, I forgot what city I was in. He's been adjusting well to being home. He's been in his swing, bouncy chair, Moses basket and crib so far. Later he'll be in the bassinet, when it's time for us to go to bed. Dash, Tasha and Laney came over to greet him, but so far Boris has kept his distance. He's had some visitors, with Hut's brother and sister-in-law coming to the hospital, and my mother and Paul driving in from Atlanta to help us out and see Harris. More relatives are coming soon! Thanks to everyone who called to congratulate us. We'll be in touch soon.

10 month picture

Yes, I am moving into elephant pregnancy counting. I thought it would be cool if he was born today, so his birthdate would be 10-09-08- I'd be willing to give up the even number for that. But he's not listening to my suggestions thus far. The next picture is not for the faint of heart. Consider yourself warned. By proceeding, you are doing so at your own risk.

Okay, I warned you!

Yes, I think it looks like my belly button is drooling too. That was an interesting development.

10 days.... or so

So we're into October, finally. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and she said he's never coming out. Or at least that's my interpretation of what she said. I had been asking around about a third birthing option, as I'm not that keen on the two currently being offered (surely after so many years of Star Trek, someone has come up with beaming technology!). I think Harris is going to create his own- instead of "birth", it will be "burst". He feels like he weighs a ton, and that opinion seems to be carried by anyone who sees my belly. I'll post a picture later today (if it will fit on the screen). At least my belly button hasn't popped out- it's just completely flattened.

The one benefit is it's getting cooler at night, which I love. It makes it so much easier to sleep. Poor Hut is all bundled up with all the covers in a cocoon. Now Dashie wants to cuddle with me at night, but he's not subtle about it like the other kids. He needs to make a nest first, which then wakes me up, which then sends me to the bathroom, upsetting his newly made nest. Silly kitty!

We've spent the last few weekend trying to tie up loose ends. Like this past weekend, I made several meals to freeze, and Hut spent the whole day getting the yard done (which was promptly undone by a rain shower and gusty winds yesterday, but it looked really good while it lasted). The car is all packed and ready to go, the nursery has been ready for weeks, so all that's needed is for Harris to make his trip!

Last Haircut!

Ever! I know, I'm exaggerating. But it will be a while till my next one. Here I am with the cut at full term, 37 weeks.

So even though he could come at any point and be fine, we'd like him to stay in a bit longer. We've had a few predictions on his arrival date, weight and height. Feel free to post your own!

Gigantor!

I had my 36/37 week appointment today, and things are going well. I had an ultrasound done, so I got a sneak peek of the little guy. Well, he's still a guy, but not so little! They estimate he's about 7 lbs now. Considering I have about 3 weeks left, and they gain about 1/2 pound a week, he's going to be a big baby! Of course he could come earlier than estimated, as at the end of this week, we're considered full term.

We had a nice weekend with the in-laws. They came in for the birth of Hugh and Cassie's 2nd baby. Harris' cousin arrived on Thursday, coming in at 8 lbs, 12 ozs and 19 inches. I've told Harris that there is no need to compete with her on size.

This weekend we'll have to finish up the small items on our to-do list, just in case. Not too much left. We have our last pediatrician consult this Friday, so by the weekend we should have Harris' doctor. Hard to believe it's towards the end of September and almost October already.

9th Month picture

The mole is really becoming a mountain! While the doctor says I'm on schedule, I feel like Harris really grew over the past two weeks. At my appointment today, the doctor said it looks like he's staying put for right now. We're now on weekly appointments.

Nursery is done!

This weekend we hung up the curtains, and now the nursery is done! It looks great, we are so happy with how it turned out. Thanks to everyone who helped us make it as it is. Here are some pictures.

Counting down...

Things are going well, and Hut and I are trying to finish some final steps. Here is he putting the swing together.

The swing looks great in the den, and the teddy bear is enjoying it thoroughly. Hut wishes he was small enough to use it. We have the car seat bases installed, the diaper bag packed, the clothes, bibs, towels, etc. washed and put away, the monitor installed, the swing and high chair assembled, and guards put on the edges of the coffee table and fireplace. This week we are interviews for baby doctors and having our car seat installations certified by the fire department. This weekend we will hang our new curtains (thanks, Deborah!) and the cousins' pictures, then the nursery will be complete!

Finally here!

Not Harris, but the furniture. It was delivered on Friday, so we had the long weekend to be able to put our stuff away. So far have done two loads of laundry with Harris' stuff and it's nice to have a place to put them. We love the furniture, and just have a few more finishing touches, and then the room will be done!! Hugh, Hut's brother, came over to help him install the video monitor and car seat base today. Here are some pictures, with the kids helping out by modeling:

That's Laney and Tasha in the first picture, showing the armoire, then Dash and Boris sharing the changing pad on the dresser, with Laney hanging out on the crib and finally Dash relaxing in the crib with Humpty. Boris' favorite new napping place is the changing pad.

It was a busy weekend, as on Saturday we also had our childbirth class at the hospital. Somehow they managed to squeeze into one class childbirth, child care after the hospital, a hospital tour and CPR for infants. Hut got a chance to change and swaddle a baby (doll) again and we both practiced CPR options. I have some questions to ask my doctor about at my appointment tomorrow. Then it's on to selecting a pediatrician!

Funny website

Oh, I forgot to mention the website I learned about today. Co-workers couldn't tell if I was upset crying or laughing crying. My favorites are Robert's Hunting Cake, and the Nake Mohawk Baby/Carrot Jockey (believe me, you have to see the picture too). Some are really weird, some are really gross. But the subtitle is called When Professional Cakes Go Horribly, Hilariously Wrong:
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com

It looks like it's updated frequently, so check back for new additions!

Daddy Boot Camp

Hut had his Daddy Boot Camp class last Saturday. He had a good time and hopefully learned a lot. Apparently the other guys were familiar with diaper changing, so he only got to change one, but that's just the beginning for him, and I'm sure he'll pick it up quickly. Here is a picture of him and the shirt he got:

It says "My Daddy Survived Daddy Boot Camp". Too bad it's sized for a one year old, so Harris won't be able to wear it anytime soon. Unless he's like that 17 pound baby that woman in Russia had- I certainly hope not!!!!

8th Month Picture

Sorry for the delay! Here is the Buddha belly picture at 8th months. Have about 8 weeks left. I think Harris will be glad to get out and have more room.

We've gotten some nice things for Harris from family and friends. One thing that is really special is that Harris now has his own "Humpty". When my siblings and I were born, my mother made a Humpty Dumpty for each of us that became our special friend. I asked my mother if she would make one for Harris, to care on the great tradition. She agreed, even though she hadn't sewed in 25 years. So with assistance from my step-mother and others, Humpy was finished and is now waiting for Harris in the glider chair:

Nursery additions

Hut is back from Alaska, and everyone is excited. He had a great visit, but I'm glad he's back in town. We worked on some additions to the nursery, which are posted below. Unfortunately, it's not our furniture (still!). We have word that it will be delivered the week of August 26th (grrr). I'm fine with waiting 8 more weeks for Harris to come, but I'm having trouble waiting on the furniture! Once that's in, we can wash everything we've gotten so far and put it away (and put the crib together).

Here are the pictures from my nursery inspirations I had months ago. I wanted a way to display pictures of the family, so Harris can always see his family surrounding him. So there is one board for the grandparents, one board for the aunts and one board for the uncles. I'm working on getting pictures of the cousins for different frames, so he knows his peers.

Olympics!

Hut is out of town this week in Alaska, so it's the perfect time for the Olympics to be on. Harris and I enjoy watching the variety of the sports. Based on his reactions, I'm not sure which ones are his favorites, as he's pretty active during most of them. I think he's practicing for swimming, boxing, soccer, and judo. We've seen some great events so far. It's even inspired us to get off the couch and swim some laps and go for a walk tonight, as we got some rain today which cooled things down. So we've been staying busy till Hut gets back.

Poor Dash is taking Hut's absence hard. He's such a Daddy's boy. He was upset when I got back from dropping Hut off at the airport and sat by the door waiting for Hut to walk through, meowing pitifully when he didn't. He even come back to sleeping with me, which he hasn't done since he was younger. I invited Hugh, Cassie and Shapleigh over for swimming on Sunday to try to cheer Dash up, as he likes playing with Shapleigh. They are very cute together- I would give Shapleigh something to play with and she would go show it to Dash. Ben is coming in town for work on Wednesday, so Dash will perk up with some male attention.

So we got word that our furniture is finally in. Now I'm just waiting on a call from the movers to deliver it. Supposed to get that call on Wednesday. It would be nice to have the pieces in place for when Hut gets back. Then we can start washing the cute clothes and blankets we've received and put the room in order! So things are starting to happen again.

Harris is going great so far, staying on schedule. I had a doctor's appointment last week, which went well. My sugar was a little high, but not enough to be a worry, just probably residual from the strawberries I had in my cereal for breakfast. So after next week's appointment, it's time for the 8th month picture!

Passed our first test!

We passed our glucose test (well, it was negative, but that's a good thing)! He's getting more and more active. We had a good trip to Atlanta (loved the cooler temps). Plane ride out there was a bit of an adventure, as something threw me off- whether it be the early morning flight, not getting enough sleep, not getting enough water before the trip, adjusting to altitude change, exhaust smell in the plane, or something else, but I had a bit of a panic attack while we were climbing. The trip back home was fine, which was quite a relief. We loved seeing family and friends, and got lots of loving rubs on the Buddha belly. Here is a picture from the weekend:

You can barely see Hut behind the Buddha.

7 month picture

Third trimester!

Sorry for the delay in posting! I had a check-up yesterday, and the doctor said Harris is doing great. We also had the glucose test, which I'll find out the results on Friday. We are now in our 28th week, which means last trimester. I'll now start going for appointments every two weeks instead of once a month. I meant to post a picture last night, but we had a work dinner for Hut, and the power was off when we returned home. Luckily, not for long, as the temps yesterday were over 100. So I'll work to remember to do so tonight.

Harris and I have been busy the past few weekends cheering our USTA team on in the play-offs. First we made it through the qualifying tournament, then had Citys this past weekend. The team did great, though we came in second in our division and won't be going forward this year. I was tempted to play, having not been in Citys before, but decided against it with the heat and not having played for two weeks. So the 4th of July weekend matches may have been our last matches for a while. :-(

Hut, Harris and I are excited to be heading to Atlanta this weekend to see family and friends. My only trip of the year thus far. The temps will be lower than 100, but with the humidity there, we'll see which is worse.

Still waiting on the baby furniture to come in. Should be all in the first week of August, so not too far off! Can't wait to see the room all put together. The cats are enjoying all the extra space right now, and Laney really has taken to the glider.

I visited my friend Natalie's new baby (6 weeks) on Sunday. She let me feed and burp him, which is good practice. He's very sweet and cuddly. He was getting a little fussy, so I gave him back, and it hit me that soon everyone will be giving the fussy baby back to me! Uh oh! So I'm panicking a little about the baby at home time. I'm reading up on after birth activities, like bathing and breastfeeding, and hopefully will be more reassured after our class at the end of August. I rather like to keep Harris where he is now- he's fed, can sleep whenever, and is safe. And I'm feeling great and mostly sleeping through the night, so it's a good time right now. But the doctor didn't really take to that idea, so I guess we'll just have to progress. Hut is now talking to the baby more, even telling him stories last night. I think Harris liked it, as he pushed to the front, and when Hut was done, he moved back. He still calms down when Hut puts his hand on my belly, so Hut doesn't quite get the full effect of his movements now. The other night I swear Harris was practicing for a tap or drum recital! And the other day at work, he was pushing on my right side, like he was trying to get to my back. I reminded him that it was a dead end, and he'll just have to stay in his little swimming pool as it is right now (I still kind of think of him as a little tadpole doing laps). That's about it for now.

New Belly Picture

New belly picture. Things are going well. Feeling Specken move around more and stronger. We had a low key 4th, doing some errands and putting new stuff in the nursery. Here are some pictures from that. First up is the bookcase we refinished and stained:

Now the crew comes in to check it out and give their seal of approval:

Then we put up the letters we painted the previous weekend, which will be above the crib (and yes, they are supposed to be crooked):

Harris and I have been trying to stay active. Our USTA team made the play-offs, which start this weekend. We will be going as spectators, as the matches are at 1:00, and it's getting hot. Plus it wouldn't be fair to the other team to have three against two, as Harris is getting quite good at tennis. We were able to go back to our prenatal yoga class on Saturday- it felt good to stretch out, but boy, those classes are tough! I was a bit sore afterwards. Then we went swimming on Sunday and earlier tonight. That's something we definitely want to keep up!

Weekend Update

It's finally July already! Yay! Not that I am looking forward to the heat, but at least that is one more month closer to meeting Harris. Plus we're going to Atlanta this month to see family and friends, and that's always a treat.

We had Peggy and Dr Hut in town this past weekend so they could see the nursery and belly progress. It was a good weekend. We had a BBQ on Saturday night with family, then Hugh and Shapleigh came over Sunday morning for more play time. Dash had a great time playing with his cousin Shapleigh. He was very good about sharing his toys and was excited to encounter someone close to his size and energy level. Laney came out to observe when she knew it was safe from being chased. Boris was chased right away, so he stayed away, and Tasha didn't come out at all. Here's a picture of Dash and Shapleigh playing together.

Here's a picture of Laney chilling out later in the glider chair. She's just making sure the teddy has company and the chair is good enough for her little brother Harris.

Six Month Picture

Harris and I had our 6 months check-up today. He is doing well, staying on course. He's about 12 inches, and 1 pound, 9 ounces. His heartbeat is about 148 beats per minute, which is good. I had an ultrasound done, as I was a bit worried about his lack of movements over the weekend, but he's now flipping and flopping around again. The doctor said he probably was just in a position where his movements weren't felt as much by me. During the ultrasound, the tech turned on the 3-D vision, but I wasn't that crazy about that view- the shot of his face made him look like he had a Charlie Brown mouth (just a slash). I had them confirm again that he's still a boy. So we have about 16 more weeks before we get to see him in person.

Here is my six month picture:

The New Arrival!

No, not Harris yet. The glider and ottoman are here! Hut's boss was kind enough to go help Hut pick them up at the store today, and after some minor assembly, the first pieces of furniture are in. The chair is sooooo comfy and soft. All of the kids gave it their seal of approval. Here is Daddy in action, with the chair assembly:

All that work made him tired:

Now here I am with Tashie, testing it out:

Harris piped up with hs approval, making my belly jump, so Hut could see.

Congratulations to my friend Natalie, who had her baby on Tuesday. He came a few weeks early, but only to keep with the family tradition (both his brother and cousin were early as well). Liam is doing well, and Harris looks forward to meeting him.

Oh, here's a picture of the new window shades we put up this past weekend:

Heartburn and Leg Cramps and Sleeplessness, oh my!

Yes, starting to get some of the lovely pregnancy symptoms to further interrupt my sleep- heartburn and leg (and foot) cramps. So my plan to stock up on sleep now isn't going so well, but I guess it's just another lesson to learn about plans going awry. I do feel Specken move around more, and even see some movements, so that's a bonus. Other than that, we've been feeling good, and still playing tennis.

We're making some progress on the nursery. The fabric we ordered came in, so we picked it up this weekend. Part of it is for my nursery inspiration idea, and the other part is for the curtains, which Deborah has graciously agreed to sew for Harris! The honeycomb shades also came in, so Hut and I had struggled through putting them up (the instructions say easy installation, but also have 2 sets to follow! And it would be easy if they labeled which said goes out. Silly me thought "marshmallow" would be the white side, but apparently they are stale marshmallows.) I'll post a picture later of them up. I would have posted last night, but I became distracted by a website I found- more on that below. So glad they are up, and hopefully helping to keep out some of the heat. We left them open enough for the cats to still use the windows, so they approve as well. And we just got word that the glider and ottoman are in! Yay! Now we just have to figure out how to get them to magically appear in the nursery from the store. Crib, changing table and armoire to follow, hopefully not much longer.

The website that so captured my attention is called Not Always Right, about how the customer is not always right, and in some situations, is very, very wrong. Service people from all industries write in with their stories, and some are hilarious! Couple of my favorit excerpts (sometimes it's the title that does it to me):

Virgin Galactic, Eat Your Heart Out
Airline Orlando, FL, USA
(I’m a flight attendant, and was doing my pre-takeoff check in the cabin. A man stops me and gestures to the small digital camera sitting in the seat next to him.)
Passenger: “Is it ok if my camera is here for the flight?”
Me: “Sure, sir. That will be fine.”
Passenger: “But shouldn’t I put it in the overhead bin?”
Me: “It should be fine there, but if you’re worried about it falling on the floor during landing you could put it in the overhead bin.”
Passenger: “But after takeoff, won’t it start floating around the cabin?”
Me: “Well, sir, just hold on to it. Once we slingshot around the moon, it will be fine.”

Time To Move The Bodies In The Backyard
Dog Trainer Northern California, USA
Dog Owner: “Yeah, my Golden Retriever keeps bringing things back to me. Do you know why?”
Trainer: “Well, ma’am, what’s the second word in the breed’s name?”
Owner: “Uh…retriever?”
Trainer: “That would be why.”

To check out more, go to http://notalwaysright.com

Registering

We started our registries recently, and that's intimidating! So many different brands and things to register for. Babies R Us recommends registering for 200 items- that seems crazy! Good thing for friends and their recommendations, plus people who wrote into the BRU website with their experiences. For the most part Hut and I have agreed on what we want to sign up for, which is a good thing.

We received a lot of nice feedback from the announcement that it's Harris on the way last week. Always great to hear from friends and family. So I've been thinking of all the nice things about having a boy. Hut is in charge of potty training, giving the birds and the bees talk, etc. Plus, everyone says Moms and sons have a special bond. So far Harris has given me a nice and easy pregnancy. It's nice to feel him moving around more.

We had a nice weekend. Specken is doing well at our tennis matches and we are starting to swim in the pool. Still waiting for the beginning of our deliveries to put the nursery together, but we did donate more stuff to Goodwill to clear out the closets more. We saw the new Indiana Jones movie, but Specken wasn't impressed with it. We won't be able to go to movies much longer with him, as we won't be one of those couples who brings their kids to movies with them. I'm sure he'll be okay at home with the cats watching him. ;-) Tasha and Specken had a nice nap together yesterday.

It's a.....

Mixed Doubles partner for me!! Yes, Specken is a boy. Eventually he will go by Harold Hutson the IV, or Harris, but right now he's still Specken. We will have to keep Anna Adare in reserve for the next baby. We braved the heavy storms and crazy drivers, but made it to the appointment on time. We were able to see lots of views of various body parts before the goods were finally shown. Of course, we had to take the tech's word for it, as it's hard to tell what's what! Specken is doing well, growing as he should. It was fun to see him jumping around on the screen and feeling him move at the same time (though sometimes I could only see and not feel). He's about 12 ozs and 9 inches right now, just a little baby! :-)

Here is a picture of me about 5 months done:

Halfway through! So we had a nice weekend. We ordered the last two pieces for the nursery, and some fabric for the curtains (now just have to figure out how to make curtains!!!) All the pieces should be in place around mid-August. Very exciting to look forward to that!

Nursery Inspiration!

On the eve of the 20 week doctor's appointment, (well, sort of eve- it's on Tuesday), I had a horrible dream last night about running late for the appointment- cause my mom and I had to pick up my brother and drop him somewhere, then I was constantly mis-dialing the doctor's phone number (kept hitting "8" by accident) when trying to see if they would still fit me in, and having my sister not help out in the dialing in my extreme frustration, as I was now 2 hours late for the appointment, and I just knew that I had to find out that day or not at all the baby's gender. Sorry for the run-on sentence, but that was how my dream felt. Glad to wake up from that one!

I did have a positive experience last night- I had a stroke of inspiration on how to decorate the nursery! I was troubled over that for a while, as I didn't have a vision, and felt I was fumbling along. Having an image helped out a lot in our master bedroom make-over a few months ago. So while I liked the nursery paint color, I couldn't figure out how to use it in the room. While watching "Myles of Style" (thanks, Kim Myles!), I saw the perfect solution!! I put it to paper so I would remember (not something I can count on these days) and shared it with Hut when he got home. He's on board, so I'm raring to go! I think I will hold off on sharing until we have pictures to show. Have to leave something as a surprise! :-)

So my next post should be on Tuesday, after the appointment, with the baby's gender!

New Carpet!!

The carpet was installed today in all the bedrooms, and it looks great! We are so excited with how it turned out, and the installation process sure was a lot easier (and quieter) than the tile. First picture is the nursery, which the new paint color (doesn't look like it in real life- it's hard to get a good picture of the color).

Laney loves the nursery. Now to get some furniture in there!!

Busy weekend!

We had a busy weekend last weekend! We painted the nursery and got the bedrooms ready for the carpets to be replaced tomorrow. Here is a picture of the before color and the primer coat (we had it tinted). I'll post the nursery color up after the carpet is replaced.

Hut was able to feel a little of the baby movement last night. We were watching TV and I could feel Specken moving around, so I had Hut place his hand on the belly bump and sure enough, by pressing down, he could feel the movements! It freaked him out a little, but it was a nice moment.

Specken did a great job at tennis this weekend, but it's getting hot now! Today's high was 99!!! It will go down a bit by this weekend. It's too early to be getting this hot. :-(

Bella Bands Rule!!

My friend Natalie lent me her Bella Bands, which I used for the first time this week. I love them! I think everyone (pregnant or not) should use them. They are stretchy fabric bands you wear around your belt to help hold up your pants. So far I'm still wearing my regular pants, but I didn't like wearing a belt with them, to help keep them up. The Bella Band works great instead! They are designed to hold up your old pants that are unbuttoned when you outgrow them, or help hold in maternity pants when the belly isn't bit enough to fill them out. Then help after the baby with the same problems- pants being too big or too small. Anyway, I think they are a great invention and many thanks to Natalie for sharing them with me.

Nursery Transformation, step one

This weekend we start the first step of the nursery transformation- painting! We've run out of time, and now have to decide on a color by tomorrow, as step two, carpet replacement, is happening on Tuesday. So it will hopefully be a busy but productive weekend for us.

Not too much on the Specken front. Getting back into my walking, which will hopefully benefit Specken. We've had some nice weather this week, but the heat is coming. We'll see how Specken does at the USTA match tomorrow- maybe having it three against two will help us win!

Starting the Nursery

The guest room furniture was cleared out on Saturday, so now we can start working on turning it into a nursery! We ordered our crib and glider chair on Saturday, and will be painting this weekend (still debating on the color). Carpet is going to be replaced on Tuesday, so it will be a busy weekend getting ready for that. Two more weeks from today till we (hopefully) find out what Specken is- boy or girl! Can't wait!!

Mother's Day 2008

Here is a picture of me and Hut on Mother's Day (our new kitchen floor is done, too!).

Baby Burps?

I was sitting watching TV last night with Tasha on my stomach, purring, when I felt what I can only describe as burps and bubbles coming from the left side of my stomach. It could be a) protests from having dinner at Taco Bell (yes, I know better) b) echoes of Tasha's purring, or c) the baby moving! I'd like to think it was c), and Specken and Tasha were talking to each other. Haven't really felt them since, so we'll see. Had some strange dreams last night, so everything could have been the effect of a). Three more weeks till the 20 week ultrasound!! I really don't know how people can wait till the baby is born to till out the gender. I can hardly wait three more weeks, much less 5 more months!

Big Brother Boris and stroller

Big brother Boris checking out Specken's stroller.

4 month picture

Here is a picture of Specken at 4 months.

Blogging for baby

Hello, everyone-
Welcome to the Countdown till Specken blog. If you are here, it's because you want the boring, mundane details of the progression of my pregnancy till the Big Day! Or cause you want to see the pictures. Or just cause you're bored. Any reason is okay with me. So right now I'm starting my 17th week- yes, a bit slow to start the countdown. So far the pg has been going very well. Not much morning sickness, haven't lost that much energy, still excited about getting bigger. We've shared the news with pretty much everyone, and the response was really great. It was nice to re-connect with some family members I don't talk to that often. I have two friends who are at different stages of pg (one is 4 months ahead of me and one is one month), so I have a nice preview of what to expect. Pretty much right now is a waiting game... waiting till the 20 week appointment, when we find out if Specken is a boy or girl, waiting to purchase baby furniture (though we do already have the stroller and car seat, and enjoy getting used to them), and waiting for the first time I feel Specken move. Just starting wearing some maternity pieces, though I don't think my belly is bump-ish as much as mound-ish. Took some yoga classes with my friend Natalie, which I enjoyed, though with USTA starting up again, I won't be able to go again till later on this summer. I hope to continue playing tennis for a few more months, but we'll see how it goes with the Texas heat. We're close to picking out our nursery paint color, and carpet is on the way. Excited for progress!! I guess that's it for now...