Registered

Well, between packing up our house, taking loads over, and finishing school, Josh and I managed to squeeze in time to go register for baby stuff this week! It was not quite as much fun as registering for the wedding, but we had a good time, and Josh only spent the first little while skulking through the aisles pretending to be James Bond with the scanner gun! We didn't really register for clothes, because everybody likes to pick out clothes, and we're not particular. But we shot bottles (a daunting task... there are 47,000 different kinds of bottles and pacifiers and nipples- I had to call Ellen!) and toys and furniture and stuff. I do feel kind of bad, because there's a lot of expensive stuff on there, because we don't have anything- no crib, no changing table, no stroller, etc. But we still had fun, and everyone can look at our registry now and see what they think... we actually registered at Walmart and Target (Walmart had the crib we wanted, Target had cuter stuff). Just the next step in this crazy baby thing...

Speaking of which, as far as the whole baby thing goes... not much news there. I can feel her move quite a bit, especially when I lay down at night to go to bed. Josh is anxious to get to feel her from the outside, but she's not quite that strong yet. I had the unpleasant suprise this week of learning that you not only outgrow your clothes when you're pregnant, you outgrow your SHOES! So I'm sticking with flip flops for right now! But it's all very exciting, and it's definitely clear now that I look pregnant, not just fat, which is a nice change! :)

Meet Elena

Well, we had our big ultrasound appointment today, and found out lots of cool stuff about our baby. We found out that she is healthy (yay) that she's huge (apparently she weights 1 lb 2 ounces already, which is more than expected for her age), that she has a big round tummy, and, of course, we found out that she's a SHE! We are having a girl, and we're going to name her Elena Anne Looten. The Anne comes from my name, my middle name is Anne, as is my mom's, and her mom's name is DeAnn, so that's a tradition. The Elena, well, don't laugh, but it actually comes from the movie Zorro. No real reason other than we liked how it sounded, and thought it was pretty with Anne. It's not a weird name, but it's not really common, either, so it seemed a good compromise on that front. It's said just like Elaine, only with an "uh" at the end. Anyway, we are really, really excited, and the ultrasound was very fun! I just laid there, and we watched things we mostly couldn't identify moving around on the screen (I did think the heart was the face, it was all zoomed in and I swear it was smiling at me). But occasionally we'd see something obvious, like a tiny foot or hand or an actual face float across the screen and it was so cool to think that was in there. Elena was being rather difficult because the technician wanted to look at some part of me and Elena was laying on it and wouldn't move her big head (which definitely comes from her father). So they put my head lower, and measured other things and came back and she was still laying there (apparently it was comfortable). Eventually the technician just pushed up and down on my stomach which was so funny because then her head bounced up and down like a basketball on the screen. Which made Josh and I laugh, and made her head bounce even more. It was kind of cool to see how what happened to me impacted her. It's kind of scary to be linked that closely with another life.

All in all, it was a very cool appointment, and I get to do it again in 10 weeks! :) Probably not as involved because they won't need to do all of the measuring again (I didn't know you could even find kidneys on something that small) but they want to do another ultrasound because they're afraid my placenta is going to cover my cervix, which would be bad. Right now it's like a millimeter or two away from it, but the doctor thought it would probably move away as my uterus grows, so he wasn't too worried about it. So I'm mostly just kind of excited that I get to do another ultrasound, 'cause those things are really cool! And I found out that, despite outgrowing my entire wardrobe, I've only gained 5 more pounds, which puts my total weight gain at 4 pounds (I lost 5 at first, then I've gained 9 since then). So that wasn't so bad... with the amount of food (most of it ice cream) I seem to be eating and the way my clothes have been NOT fitting, I was a little afraid to step on the scale! But we are very, very, very excited! And it's so fun to be able to say "she" knowing that it's really a girl! :)

Enjoy the pictures... I did not put on a front picture of her face because, well, honestly, it's a little scary. Josh and I both thought for a second we were havin Skeletor. But the technician assured us that it was just because she hadn't put on much fat yet. But to be fair to poor Elena, I thought I'd just put a couple of the cute pictures on here... so enjoy! :)

Belly Shot

Well, try to ignore the awfulness of the picture in general... this was the day that Josh and I spent all day working on our yard, and then our landlord came by and said he was bringing people to see the house in an hour and a half! So I was a bit exhausted. But, for all of you watching for a belly shot, here's your first! :) This is 20 weeks.

Big news tomorrow... boy or girl?! :)

Shopping

Oh, the joy of maternity clothes... I finally broke down and really went shopping yesterday for some maternity tops because I was down to about 3 shirts of mine and a couple of Josh's, none of which were cute! I had about an hour to do some shopping yesterday, so I headed to Motherhood Maternity store. NOT the best time I've ever had! There were some really cute things there, but I put them on and it was not so nice... they either were approximately tent sized (and shaped) and made me look like a whale, or they were built for those really skinny people who don't show anywhere but their stomach- which would not be me! :) Plus, the cheapskate in me has serious issues with paying $15 for a shirt that will last me maybe 6 months. I think maternity clothes should be half price all the time! All that being said, I did manage to find 3 cute shirts to buy... well, 2 cute shirts and polo. :) Unfortunately, I just tried on my jeans (which fit last Friday when I wore them last) and they are definitely not fitting anymore. So I guess I'm back to maternity shopping, because now I only have 2 pairs of pants that fit! Oh, the joy of maternity clothes! :)

In other, really exciting baby news... I felt (I think) the baby move last weekend, and again today. It was a really cool feeling. I wish Josh could feel it, too! I don't really know if that's actually what I'm feeling, but I also think that some of the random sensations I've been having are baby movements, too, I just don't know it. We're very excited for our appointment next week... we'll get to see the baby moving on the ultrasound and, of course, find out whether it's a boy or a girl! My class keeps asking me if I know, and today they asked if they could help name it. Let's see, the last time I let my class name something it was a fish and they named it SpongeBob (which was actually not the worst of the suggested names). Don't think they'll be helping with this one! :) They were really sweet today because it's Teacher Appreciation Week, and they bring in different themed gifts everyday (we have such supportive parents) and today was baby gift day, so they all brought in cute baby stuff. It was so much fun! I had to laugh, though, because one of the boys in my class said "These presents dont' look like they're for YOU!" I couldn't disagree, but I was still really excited to get them all! How fun!

Nothing Much

Well, nothing much to report on the baby front... I am in the middle of my 19th week, which is hard to believe. I guess that means almost halfway done, but it sure doesn't feel like it! I had a doctor's appointment recently, and she said everything seems fine. I got to hear the heartbeat again, which is really cool. It's just hard to believe that there is really something growing inside me. Although, it's definitely growing! I've managed to outgrow most of my normal clothes. I still fit into two pairs of jeans and a pair of black pants, but that's about it. It's definitely time for clothes shopping! In fact, I went to Bob's wedding in Texas last weekend, and brought an outfit of regular clothes to wear. Well, when I got there, they didn't fit anymore! So we had to hit the mall and buy an actual maternity dress, which is actually pretty cute. Two weeks from Tuesday we find out whether it's a boy or a girl... I'll definitely have more news then...

Another Purchase

Well, Josh and I really haven't been buying much stuff for the baby because it seems silly at this point- we're going to be moving in a month, and we have already accumulated enough junk to move! But, we were wandering through the clearance aisle at Wal-Mart (one of our favorite places) and we couldn't resist this... I mean, what kid didn't race up and down the hall buck naked with a hooded towel on their head playing Superman? How much cooler is it when the towel actually LOOKS like Superman? So, despite the fact that it was $10 (and my inner-tightwad strongly rebelled) we went ahead and picked it up.

In other baby news... we have decided that we're going to find out what the baby is at our big ultrasound appointment in May. So that gives everyone about one month to cast their vote: What do you think we're going to have?

Baby Stuff!

We may not be having the baby until September, but the baby stuff has started to arrive! :) Ruth bought the turtle sleeper that says "I love Mommy" (Josh is very hurt that there isn't a Daddy one, so if anyone sees one, that would be a good choice!) and it's adorable. Then my aunt, Jane, sent a care package full of baby stuff (she's spoiling him/her already). It had all kinds of fun stuff: wrist rattles, a photo album called "Who Loves Baby?," baby socks (always adorable), and the two white onesies. If you can read them, they say "Party in my Crib, 2 am" and "Nothing's wrong, just testing you." I'm afraid I will be living those words all too soon! Then of course there's the baby blanket we bought, the spoons Dad Looten got for us, and a bunch of fun stuff that one of the ladies at Josh's work brought him because she is getting rid of her baby stuff. Don't be confused, though, the stuffed animals in the background are Josh's, not the baby's! The little tiger is for the baby, though. Josh bought it today from the March of Dimes, and named it Hobbes. Here's hoping we don't have a Calvin! Anyway, it's really fun to be collecting all of this stuff. When I look at baby stuff, though, it just brings to mind the question of finding out or not finding out what the baby is. I am very much of to minds about it. On the one hand, what a fun surprise! But, on the other, more logial hand, I have to have clothes for the baby because I'm obviously NOT going to feel up to going shopping right after he/she is born! So it'd be nice just to decorate and buy stuff. So I don't know, still wrestling with that one. At least we have until May to decide.

The other good news is that I am about 13 weeks now, and, just as promised, the nausea is starting to subside. Not that it's gone, I still gag randomly at a moment's notice (like when Josh makes the mistake of opening the fridge while I'm in the kitchen), but not as often, and I'm not as tied to my cheerios as I have been! I can actually go an hour or two without eating anything. So here's hoping that trend continues and I get to enjoy the fun part of being pregnant! That's the part that comes before I'm as big as a house and can't bend over to paint my toenails! :)