You just can't fight 200,000 years of human evolution.

I admit, it was a little ambitious of me to start this blog with the intention of updating it regularly. In the beginning it wasn't so bad, but then the house-hunting got serious. Then there was the move. Followed by the home renovation projects.

For the record, pregnancy hormones + home renovation projects =

It wasn't until the past month or so that we were finally able to get settled into the new place and its been a sprint ever since. And damn if those tales of nesting aren't true, because that whole thing hit me hard. All of a sudden there were never-ending lists of things that needed to purchased, cleaned or organized prior to Baby A's arrival. Rationally, I know that 85% of the things on said list are not necessary, but they were still keeping me up at night . Dr. R. has been a champ putting up with the insanity. As he told my OB/Gyn when she asked him how he is dealing with my random nesting urges, "You just can't fight 200,000 years of human evolution." Damn straight.

(Also, have I mentioned that Austin has had 23 days and counting over 100 degrees F? That is double the normal number for an entire year. When do I get my pregnancy merit badge for surviving this?)

All that being said, my apologies for not posting regularly. At this point, I'm two weeks away from the due date. Baby A is still riding high, but at least s/he is head down. My cervix is still closed so I probably have a while. I've made my last planned trip to Babies 'R Us. We now own a couch. I've promised Dr. R. to stop making lists. Oh, and the baby's room is complete. Have a look!

Welcome to Baby A's nursery. We chose an owl/forest theme for the room. Funny story about the glider. I came home to a quiet house and searched around for Richard. After checking all the other rooms, I found him snoozing in the chair. He approves.
Another view of the room. Note the newly painted walls and carpet:
The area where the stinky stuff happens:
The gorgeous quilt made by my mom. It was the inspiration for the entire nursery:
Nature-inspired number cards found on Zulily:

The bookshelf showing some owl-themed books from Auntie J and fuzzy penguin booties knitted by a long-time friend:

The only thing missing is Baby A!

The Nub

16 Dec 2010 (8 weeks)

The day of my first OB appointment. I was prepared for all the questions, the urine test, the blood tests, the epic list of stuff you can and can't eat. I anxiously waded through it all, not really thinking anything was real, until the doctor rolled in the ultrasound to check the age of the baby.

In the dark, with 'the wand.'

Dr. G: "There is your baby!

Dr. C: "Oh my gosh, really?"

It was, perhaps the highest high. To see the little kidney shaped nub, its little heart beating away inside of me, was simply the best. The weeks of worry finally melted away and I felt pregnant, I felt like a mom. I can't tell you how many times Dr. R and I looked at this blurry, back and white photo and felt like Christmas came a little early.

It's in my DNA

27 Nov 2010 - 15 Dec 2010 (weeks 5 through 8):

Has time ever moved slower? Perhaps not since Christmas eve, 1988. The days crawled by as I anxiously waiting for my doctor first appointment as well as any sign of pregnancy, other than those two pink lines. On a daily basis I scanned my body for any hint of the textbook pregnancy symptoms. I woke-up hopeful that this would be the day, the day the horrible pregnancy symptoms hit! Did I feel nauseous? Nope, not even if I hung out near the butcher at the grocery store? Have my tastes changed? I'm still craving olives. Am I more tired than normal? Well I gave up caffeine, so yes, but I never had a caffeine-free baseline so that was inconclusive. Am I peeing more frequently? Sensitivity to smells? Feeling dizzy? Food cravings or aversions? No. No. No. No. The internet searches only made it worse.

I (shockingly) worried.

Baby A: The early days

The beginning: 26 Nov 2010, A studio in Austin, TX, 5 weeks

Dr. R: "I'm really looking forward to making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight."

Dr. C: "Me too. Oh, by the way, I think I might be pregnant."

Dr. R. "Well, I guess you should take a pregnancy test."

A quick trip to the grocery store followed. Did anyone sense our irritation in check-out line as we not-so-patiently waited while the woman in front of us in the checkout line insisted on going back into the store to retrieve a forgotten gallon of milk? Perhaps. Did I feel as embarrassed about buying a home pregnancy test as a pre-teen buying tampons? Absolutely.

We couldn't get out of the store fast enough. Back to the studio, me into the studio bathroom. I knew I had to pee, but why couldn't I at that moment? Finally. And then, the wait. Looking for two pink lines, I only see one. Oh, that's the control (every good experiment has a control). I burst out of the bathroom.

Dr. C: "Well, there is only one line so I guess I'm not pregnant."

Dr. R: "Really, let me see."

Dr. C: taking a second look "Wait, there is a second line."

Dr. R: "Really? Are you sure."

Dr. C: "Take a look."

Dr. R: "Whoa, that looks positive to me. It looks like we're having a baby.

Dr. C: The false positive rate is > 99%.

Hugs and Kisses

Dr. R: "Did you know a home pregnancy test is really just an ELISA test on paper?"