The Finer Points of Life

How far along? 17w1d

How big is baby? size of an onion (or a turnip, depending on the app), approx 5.9oz!

Total weight gain/loss: I only gained 2lbs between my 12 and 16 week appointment, so I was feeling pretty pleased with myself. Naturally, I decided the only proper way to celebrate would be to consume a pizza, breadsticks, and root beer for dinner immediately after.

Workouts for the week: I’ve been struggling to get 3 workouts a week in, but they are stilllllll happening.

Maternity clothes? Oh yes. Still in search of a bathing suit though. I ordered one online and then realized it was $50 just for the top half. Pffffffftttt. I’m not spending like $75 on a maternity bathing suit that I will hate every second of wearing.

Sleep: Waking up like clockwork every night at 1 am and 5am to pee, but no real complaints.

Best moment this week: Not killing anyone. It’s been a hormonal few days, folks.

Movement: Kick, kick, kick! I’m so excited to start feeling real movement. Turns out this kid has inherited my sweet tooth. Guess I’ll have to keep eating those desserts…for the well-being of the child, of course.

Food cravings: This isn’t a food craving, but I have a deep, deep desire to be in a swimming pool. Does anybody deliver those to Dorchester?

Food Aversions: Nothing other than my usual neurosis.

Gender: GIRL. (Although, in typical Marie-fashion, I am extremely paranoid we’re going to find out it’s really a boy at our next ultrasound)

Labor Signs: Rude. No.

Pregnancy Symptoms: Oh man. Mannnnnnnn. The 2nd trimester is supposed to be your break between the hell months before and after, but I’m finding a whole crop of fun new things this week. Where should I start? How about the hideous, blue varicose veins I’m getting on my legs? Or the newly developed freckles and moles thanks to hormones? Let’s not leave out the Round Ligament Pain (RLP) that plagues me at the weirdest times or the fact that I feel like I have to pee every 20 minutes. Do I sound like a whiny wench? That’s because I am and poor Sean is getting the brunt of it. This morning I started to cry because my bangs made my forehead look too big. Ummmm, yup. I know I should add that I’m incredibly grateful to even experience this. And I am. Beyond words, in fact. But still…it can’t all be roses and rainbows and unicorn asses, right?

What I miss: Hard workouts. I’ve had serious runner envy lately. I miss being able to push myself and finish a tough run completely out of breath, sweaty and ready to puke.

What I am looking forward to: Our babymoon in September! Just booked everything today! Cannot wait to spend a long weekend down in Hilton Head and Savannah.

Upcoming appointments/events: Anatomy Scan on the 28th. This will be our last ultrasound (I think?), so I’m both excited and nervous.

Milestones: Feeling kicks for the first time and setting up our baby registry. This is becoming more real every day and we can’t wait to meet you, kiddo!

Obligatory bump shot: 

 

Dear Reader/Mother(not mine, just in general)/Cynical Internet Critic:

I need your help. I’ve fallen down the baby registry rabbit hole and it’s getting dark and scary down here.

As I mentioned in my nursery post, I’m a wee bit of a planner. This can be both a good and bad thing. It’s good to feel prepared when you’re facing such a huge, life-altering change in your life, but it’s probably bad when you’re in tears over the use of formaldehyde glue in baby products. Thanks a lot, Baby Bargains book. You simply had to include a 30 page chapter on cribs, didn’t you? Word to the wise, don’t read about them at 7 am as a “relaxing” start to your day. You’ll end up graph-charting the differences in New Zealand versus South American Pine wood while frantically calculating precisely how many ways your kid is going to lose a limb between the crib slats.

In any case, I decided to start my registries. Yes, I have more than one. Promise you won’t roll your eyes? I started…ummm…3. You’re judging. I can tell. Rude.

It all started with an Amazon one. I figured they had the lowest prices and who doesn’t love ordering online? (Amazon Prime for the mother-effing WIN) But then a frugal friend pointed out that Babies R Us actually had cheaper prices and not everyone has an unhealthy addiction to the Internet like I do. Fiiiiiiiiiine. The only major downside is that Babies R Us doesn’t carry our stroller de jour: the UppaBaby Vista. However, it seems that doesn’t really matter since I can’t find a discount for this darn thing anywhere.

You win, trendy must-have stroller. You always do.

So really – we have 2 registries. One at Babies R Us for practical things like nose aspirators and rectal thermometers (being a parent is kind of gross, huh?) and a second at Pottery Barn Kids for the ridiculousness that is a $149 lamb rocker.

I don’t really need anyone to rip apart my Pottery Barn Kids registry since I’m sure you’re all doing it mentally as we speak. It’s mostly filled with frivolous, fun things like a monogrammed changing pad cover and the most adorable freaking diaper cover and sun hat combination I’ve ever seen. You know, the important things. But I would love some input on the real things.

Few things to note:

•  I’m not registering for a lot of clothes since I’ve heard girl babies tend to get more outfits and less registry items…but what are newborn necessities? I just learned about wearing shirts and pants instead of onesies for the first few days until the cord falls off?
• I’d love to know quantities. Just how many swaddle blankets do I need before this kid starts to develop a complex?
• We’re hoping to cloth diaper. Do you have a favorite brand?
• How did you not go completely insane figuring all of this out?

I was originally going to include a link to my actual registry, because I’d love people to creep on it and tell me how stupid the wipe warmer is, but I worry that seems pandering and gift-grabby so I’ve omitted it. I’d really love your input and advice though. My husband would too…so I can stop crying hysterically in the car on the way home from baby stores.

So give it to me straight mamas,  I can take it. I’ve got chocolate nearby to self-soothe.

What’s worth it? What’s absurd? What will we omgImgoingtodieIneeditright now over? 

A day 16 weeks in the making.

I’ve been avoiding telling work our big news for a few reasons, the main one being that I’m a big fat chicken. I’ve only been in my current role since January, so spilling the beans after such a short time seemed irresponsible and slightly inappropriate. I wanted to get a few projects under my belt first and prove myself as a dedicated and motivated professional before dropping the baby-bomb on my boss (try saying that 5 times fast).

I recently had my evaluation though, which was smooth sailing. HOLLLAAAA. Nothing left to do now, but break the (already pretty obvious) news.

Of course, as these things tend to happen, my 9 am meeting with my boss was pushed back. LONGEST HALF HOUR OF MY LIFE. I basically hid in my cubicle and hyperventilated for the better part of thirty minutes.

When the time finally came, I blurted the big news out in the most eloquent fashion possible while simultaneously trying not to pee my pants. Thankfully, my boss was nothing but pleased and excited for me. She even referenced how flexible our office is with time off and doctor’s appointments.

HALLE-FREAKING-LUJAH. It’s done.

Time to break out those maternity clothes and stop sucking in my stomach every time I have to use the restroom (which is like 50 times a day).

Maybe now everyone will stop side-eyeing me so hard when I eat a king size Butterfinger at 11am. Geez.

Side note: As I proof-read this entry, I realize it may come across that I am pushing certain vendors, especially with my link backs to other blogs. Please rest assure: I am in no way, shape, or form compensated for anything I post on here. If you want to pay me to wax on poetically about stuff, I’m cheaply bought and have no ethics, so go ahead. However, everything in here is my own opinion and not affiliated with anyone or anything other than my own selfish desires and problematic shopping habits. 

I am a planner of the most annoying sorts. Once I get an idea, I need it executed immediately. Like yesterday. I will forsake showering, sleeping, and all other activities to ensure every detail is perfected within 3 seconds of my decision.

So it was no surprise that I already mentally mapped out the nursery of my dreams by the time we got home from our gender reveal last week. (We should all just be grateful Pottery Barn Kids was closed for the evening. THANK GOD Etsy is a site that never sleeps.) After (many, many) group texts with friends and a quick check-in with the husband (to which I got a very wise, “whatever you want, dear”), my Pinterest board was born.

My dear lovely friend, Rachel, saw my pins and directed me to designer, Sarah Jane ,with whom I promptly fell head over heals in love with. Sarah Jane, I have a teeny massive girl crush on you and your delightfully whimsical artwork. The majority of her designs are turned into fabric patterns that are then distributed through third-party vendors (i.e. Etsy). I was originally enamored with her “Out to Sea” collection, but something about a nautical themed room housed in the middle of an “urban environment” (i.e. our still very much up and coming neighborhood that still elicits shudders from some people) didn’t seem right. It was then that I stumbled upon her “Let’s Pretend” series, particularly this print:

OBSESSED. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s most certainly ours. Sean commented how much he liked it when spying over my shoulder as I browsed. Done and done. I immediately ordered a few yards. We’re using this pattern as the inspiration for the room so as soon as we had this, everything else quickly fell into place.

Word to the wise: I need to be chaperoned and physically restrained while shopping the Pottery Barn Kids Harper Collection. If left to my own devices, every.single.item. in that room will be monogrammed and detailed with those crisp, clean, beeeeauuuutiful classic lines. (You take away a woman’s God-given right to wine and ability to fit into normal pants and these are the things that excite her now.)

I wish I could be super-creative and design an entire mood board for you, but that’s beyond my capabilities.

Okay. That’s a lie.

It’s not beyond my ability. I’m just being lazy. Sorry (not sorry).

Other plans for the nursery:

• Our walls are currently the perfect shade of blue for this fabric, so we’re leaving them as is but doing the bottom half of the walls in white beadboard…like this inspiration photo, but without the sharp knives and kitchen appliances: 

• The “Let’s Pretend” fabric above is going to make appearances in our window dressings and a sham pillow. Luckily, my husband is crafty with wood (that’s what she said), so he’s going to craft some valance boxes that we’ll cover in batting and fabric. I’m undecided on curtains for safety/nuisance purposes. Any moms want to chime in? Should we just stick with shades?
• Beyond the normal nursery furniture (crib, dresser with changing pad, chair and ottoman), I need to find a pale pink patterned rug that doesn’t cost a million dollars.
• Hire an electrician to install ceiling light and switches. For some odd reason, none of our bedrooms came with ceiling lights. Annoying.
• I’m going to use my best efforts to be crafty and jump on the bunting bandwagon. I want to pull a few of the other patterns from Sarah Jane’s collection along with some basic stripes, polka dots, etc and hang the flags over the crib: 
• aaaand lastly, I want to design some fun wall art. One of my favorite books growing up was The Velveteen Rabbit, so I’m hoping to work a quote or two from the story in there along with some illustrations if possible. If you haven’t read this book, drop everything and go find it right now. It made this hormonal beast tear up just thinking about it. Plus I think it ties in perfectly with the “Let’s Pretend” theme of the fabric. Except the Velveteen Rabbit was not pretend. He was real, damnit. REAL. (Seriously, read the book. NOW.)

We’ve got our work cut out for us. Good thing I’m completely ridiculous and this baby is still 168 days away (but whose counting). Rationally, I know we have plenty of time to get it all done. Realistically, I want to quit my job and devote my time to sewing tiny bunting flags and gently caressing the Harper crib bumper bows. Sigh. Life is hard.

BABY! (you didn’t really think I’d give it up that easily did you?)

I promise I’ll tell you by the end of the post, only if you promise not to scroll down to the bottom and ruin the surprise for yourself. (I’ll know if you do and be SO mad at you)

From the moment we got pregnant, we knew waiting to find out the sex would drive us bananas. Patient people we are not. Since we had time to kill, we spent the past several weeks conducting a series of bizarre and silly old wives tales tests. None of them are proven, but some have a better reputation of predicting than others, so we figured, “hey – we’ve got nothing better to do, I can’t drink…might as well pee on some baking soda and see what happens” (uh huh, I actually did that).

Here our are “test” results:

• Chinese Gender Prediction Chart (rumored to have a 75% accuracy rate, you combine the month you conceived with the year you were born): BOY 
• Mayan Prediction Chart (similar to Chinese Chart) : BOY 
• Baking Soda Test (you pee on baking soda. If it starts to fizz, it’s a boy but if it stays flat, it’s a girl): GIRL 
• Fetal Heart Rate (above 140 bpm = girl, below = boy): GIRL
• Heart Rate Sound (if it sounds like a choo-choo train = boy, sounds like horses galloping = girl): BOY
• Cravings (sweets = girl, salty = boy): BOY
• Symptoms (extreme morning sickness = girl, acne = girl, dry skin = boy): BOY
• Mother’s intuition (studies have shown this to be the most accurate way to tell IF the mother doesn’t have a gender preference already determined): BOY

The idea of finding out something so major in such a clinical office just didn’t sit right with me. I was also really concerned about having a Miranda-like reaction in front of the ultrasound tech (I hope you’ve seen enough Sex and the City to know the episode I’m talking about), so Sean and I decided to have them put the results in an envelope and open it privately.

When we got to the office, there must’ve been SHOPAHOLIC SUCKER written in giant bold letters across my forehead. I told the secretary our plan and she responded, “Welllll, we can just put it in a plain envelope for you OR you can pick out a pair of these adorable baby socks and we’ll wrap the appropriate pair in this special gift box along with your ultrasound photos” Uhhhh, hello…DONE.

We picked out a pair of girl and boy socks and left them at the front desk with her to await our results. Going into the appointment, I was worried the ultrasound tech would say it’s too soon or that the baby wouldn’t cooperate. To guarantee Baby G was ready to rock, I loaded up on Nutella and lemonade en route to the appointment. Healthy, I know. It worked though – that kid was shaking his/her groove thing the entire time. At one point, the baby even had it’s arms swinging over it’s head. (editor’s note: God it’s hard not to slip into gender pronouns at this point!)

The ultrasound tech had us close our eyes while she determined the sex. Sean quizzed her on her “batting average” for accuracy and she assured us she never guessed. She also said there was no doubting ours, it was immediately obvious. Way to be an overachiever already, little one.

After they gift-wrapped the all-revealing, teeny-tiny pair of socks, we hightailed it out of there and headed to our special spot in the city. Tucked away between the waterfront and the financial district is a small patch of park that holds a big spot in our hearts.

It was under those arches that we had our first date so many years ago…

Seven months after that, a very nervous Sean asked a very excited Marie a very important question…

And now, almost three years after the night of our engagement, we returned to “our” archway to find out that we’re having a….

Sweet, sweet baby GIRL!

Sean and I were both completely convinced it was a boy. The possibility of a girl wasn’t even an option in our minds. I would’ve bet my entire life savings, the deed to our house and my love for Bravo TV that a gentleman Jack would be joining our family in the fall.

So dear baby girl,  thank you for completely surprising us. This is just the first of many times you’re going to teach us a thing or two, I’m sure. Also, you’re going to have one seriously amazing wardrobe. Little Lilly Pulitzer shifts? Baby bows? Gingham and seersucker and monograms galore!

Charlotte Colleen Griffin, we can not wait to meet you! 

(You know… in November though. You just stay put for another several months)

 

How far along? 15w1d

How big is baby? size of an avocado! 4 to 5 inches

Total weight gain/loss: I should just delete this because let’s face it, I’m never going to tell.

Workouts for the week: the running continues!

Maternity clothes? I’ve developed a bit of an online shopping problem – our local UPS carrier knows me personally now and I think he may be starting to judge me for it.

Sleep: The stressful and scarily vivid dreams continue all. night. long. As I result, I’m waking up a reallllll peach.

Best moment this week: Finding out the sex of our kiddo yesterday! WAHOO!!! Details to come tomorrow

Movement: I think I felt flutters this week. It was fleeting, but felt like champagne bubbles popping in my stomach.

Food cravings: Pass the breath mints please…this homegirl cannot get enough garlic bread. Twice this week, I was salivating for it by breakfast.

Food Aversions: I’d say none but then I remember Sean compared watermelon to salmon and I instantly started dry-heaving…soooooooo, there’s that.

Gender: We’re anxious, first time parents (aka grade A-SUCKERS) and paid for an early elective ultrasound to find out the sex this week. I’ll spill the beans tomorrow and let me tell you, it was a SHOCK. Try not to stay up all night thinking about it. I know how important and relevant it is to your life.

Labor Signs: no way, jose!

Pregnancy Symptoms:  If funneling garlic bread by the loaf in between pints of ice cream counts as a symptom, then all systems go.

What I miss: Is it cliche to say alcohol again? Probably. Is it true? Definitely

What I am looking forward to: Decorating the nursery! Bring it on, baby.

Upcoming appointments/events:  16 week update on Friday, June 7th and then hopefully scheduling Anatomy Scan sometime between Weeks 18 and 20!

Milestones: Sean and I both had our first “holy shit, this is really real” moments this week. This whole being knocked up thing sure is a surreal, terrifying and exciting experience all at once.

Obligatory bump shot: 

Sean likes to pretend this super-awkward photo sessions are like a casting call for America’s Next Top Model and just keeps snapping away to capture multiple shots. We usually end up with a few good ones to choose from at the end. We also end up with these gems:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think it’s payback for all the cranky mornings. Thanks a lot, dear.

 

I should probably kick this post off with a nice, bolded disclaimer:

I am not a medical professional, an expert in pregnancy, or a hardcore runner. I’ve run a marathon and a handful of other 5- 10ks and half marathons, but the majority of my exercise stems from deep-rooted vanity and violent opposition to dieting. I hate depriving myself of delicious food, so running and french fries have equal places in my heart.

There we go. Moving on…

I always wanted to run while pregnant. Unfortunately, I entered into this pregnancy already 15lbs over my “ideal” weight and hadn’t worked out in awhile, which meant I had to essentially start from scratch. Most doctors do not recommend starting a new exercise routine while pregnant, however after speaking with my midwife, she said because I was a regular runner for years prior that it shouldn’t be a problem. Her advice was to start slowly to build my stamina back up and keep my breath under control.

There is a lot of banter on an appropriate heart rate while exercising for pregnant women. The old rule was to keep it below 140, but many places give some leeway as your max heart rate can vary depending on your general health and exercise capabilities. (Repeat: I am not a medical professional, an expert in pregnancy, or a hardcore runner. This is the advice that I’ve been given from my midwife at my hospital about my own body) The general rule of thumb I’ve read and adhere to is to keep your breath conversational. If you’re so winded you can’t speak, you’re working too hard and depriving that little bugger of necessary oxygen.

Toward the end of first trimester, I hit the pavement again. I started out doing 1 mile walk/run and at 15 weeks, the longest I’ve gone is 5 miles. My typical run is between 3 and 4 miles, which is the perfect “maintenance” run for me at the moment. I’ve changed a few things about my typical routine though:

1. I always wear my Garmin now to watch my pace. I have a habit of pushing myself, so at first it was hard to see those numbers creep higher and slower instead of lower and faster, but it provides a good reminder to stay within my safety-zone (usually between a 9:15 and 10:30 pace).

2. I bring my cell phone with me everywhere. I used to run with my iPod, but I’ve switched to using Pandora on my phone. It’s bulkier and more annoying to carry, but it makes me feel better in case there is an emergency.

3. I take more walk and water breaks. I’m not ashamed of walking. Especially in the beginning when I was just starting out again. I did a run on Saturday where it was 83 degrees at 8 am. To ensure I didn’t overheat on my 3 mile loop, I’d take a walk break every mile. I also stopped to dump water on my head and drink at walk break.

4. I like making it ridiculously obvious I’m pregnant. There’s a “trend” in the blogging community, to humble brag about what an awesome #motherrunner you are and how much of a badass #pregnantrunning makes you. I don’t do it for those reasons. There are pregnant women out there running 10 miles/day pushing jogging strollers after a full-day of work who can earn that badge. Would it be fantastic if someone called me a badass? Um, heck yes. Will anyone do that as I’m shuffling along red-faced, panting, and muttering to myself about cheeseburgers? Probably not.

I want it to be obvious I’m pregnant while I’m running for two very simple reasons: 1) safety. If I were to fall or pass out, I’d want any passerby or medical staff to immediately know I’m pregnant and to make the baby the first priority. 2) I’m incredibly vain and don’t want people assuming I’m just slow and carting around a beer gut. Yep. I just said that. Judge away.

5. I’m learning to run for *gasp* FUN. I paced my mom on a 5 mile race recently. Since I wasn’t running for a PR, I could just sit back and enjoy the course, the crowd, and cheering on my mom. It was nice to not run solo for once.

Continuing things up this summer will be challenging. I’d like to sign up for a few 5ks to keep things interesting, but the heat makes me nervous. Also, spending $45 on a 30 minute truffle shuffle at the back of the pack doesn’t really appeal to me. I’ll be interested to see how long I can carry this little running charade on for.

For now, I’m happy with three running days per week (5 mile/run max) and a few cross-training sessions. Weight-training and I have never been friends, but my irrational hormone-induced fears of arm fat flapping in the breeze has made me change my tune. Now I lift 6 lb hand weights in my living room while watching Real Housewives. It’s super productive, I can assure you.

Be back later this week with a 15 week update!