Baby Holguin: Weeks 5-13

Not much has been happening with my preggo body in the last couple weeks but now is the time when all the fun begins! We've been keeping track of the progress through americanpregnancy.org and get so excited to receive our weekly newsletters that tell us the size and weight of our little lentil.. bean... tangerine.. apple!

The first trimester was a breeze - I am very lucky. My only symptoms of pregnancy were exhaustion and brief mood swings. I had no morning sickness (first hint to my gender prediction) and all in all I felt normal. I tried to work out as much as I could but I was so tired all the time that I always wanted to go to bed as soon as I got home from work. I noticed that change of course, when my stomach started to pudge and my thighs reflected last nights dinner. Now I am back on track to working out but have learned that you do need to be somewhat careful. Rule of thumb - if you did it before, you can do it now! As long as you keep your heart rate at or below 150 bpm. You don't want to make your baby work harder than it already is.

Speaking of baby, we are getting super pumped. It's crazy how fast he is growing. Now that I'm in the second trimester, I am even more convinced that I am having a boy. Here's why:

1.  No morning sickness. This seems to be a trend with boys.
2. Every dream I've had pre-pregnancy and during pregnancy are about boys.
3. My father-in-law had a very vivid dream of a baby boy.
4. I just feel it. And I can because I'm the mom!

Andrew thinks we are having a girl, and thats ok but I am very curious to find out who will be right. We have an ultrasound in two weeks and I'm crossing my fingers that we can see the gender at that time. I've been working on the nursery and am getting very excited to personalize it. I'm not going to go crazy with gender specific things but I want to make it his. Or hers. Baby bump photos coming soon!

This will most likely be baby's first beanie... 

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It's a Wreath Kind of Day

I've always wanted a wreath hanging from my front door but have never really found one that I had to have or one that fit in my budget. My friend Mary pointed out a beautiful wreath for sale on Etsy, but it cost $55 + shipping. We decided to collaborate and make the exact same wreath with supplies from Joann's. Sure enough, the wreath turned out awesome and I suddenly became motivated to make my own.

I had some extra supplies lying around and remembered a felt flower tutorial that I had found online at papernstitchblog.com and it was so easy to follow. A couple weeks back I scored a twiggy wreath for $4.95 at an antique sale and my first wreath making journey began!

I started with two colors of felt, a random lace ribbon, pencil, sewing needle, sewing thread, scissors and a hot glue gun. 

I free handed a cutout circle (oval) and cut it into a spiral. The outer edge of the spiral will become the inside of the flower so if you start out cutting the spiral thin and eventually begin to cut it wider toward the middle, it will shape the flower better. In the center of the spiral, leave a "tab" for the base of the flower. 

Begin with the outside end, start rolling up your felt spiral.

Eventually it will turn into this: 

Place the "tab" along the bottom of the flower to use as a base 

Thread your sewing needle and tie the ends so make it a double thread. Starting in the center of the tab, insert the needle and sew through the layers. Repeat this in a circle sewing together all the layers. Make a knot and trim the ends of the thread. You won't be able to see the thread once they are on your wreath so I didn't worry too  much about the sew job. 

You will begin to make some cute felt flowers. 

Here's another way to cut the felt so the edges of your flower are wavy. 

Practice the layout of your felt flowers on your wreath before you start gluing them on. You can experiment and move them around to see what looks best. When you are ready, put some hot glue on the base of your flower and start placing them on your wreath. Tuck them into each other to get a more bunched look. 

Mary's wreath turned out great and it cost her about $20. Here is a sneak peek at hers: 

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You + Me + Baby = 3

It was August 21st, 2012 - I was sitting at work unable to focus, wondering why my cramps had not proceeded into the dreaded visit from Aunt Flow. I started counting the days since the last visit and remembered how sometimes it's not always spot on (no pun intended) but I was already at day 30... day 31... day 32... thats unusual. Aunt Flow doesn't miss a beat by THAT many days. Then it hit me. Aunt Flow may have decided to retire for 9 months... Shoooooot.

I texted my husband asap with one of those flippant "I think I might be pregnant" texts, you know the ones that aren't meant to freak anyone out or anything. His response: "Really?". I'm pretty sure both our heart rates spiked at that moment and we weren't able to speak until we got home that night. Neither of us entertained the idea right away but I knew I had to get a test. But just in case Aunt Flow came that night, I waited another day.

Lo and behold, nothing.

On August 22nd, 2012 I went to the Dollar Tree and bought two tests. Yes, they were $1 and according to my doctor, they are as accurate as any other test. I did my best to stay calm. The look in the male cashier's eyes made me uneasy - a look of, "you have a secret and you've been busted!". I rode my bike home and tried to decide what my reaction would be if it was + or -, would I be excited? Upset? Nervous? I couldn't keep the smile off my face, so I pedaled home as quick as I could.

When I got home, Andrew was unusually calm. Well he was calm until I pulled out the test then he practically ripped open the box and read the instructions about three times to make sure it was done perfectly. He "left me to do my business" and attempted to strictly enforce the 3-5 minute wait time. However, I could already see the stick beginning to change the second my urine hit it. He ultimately forced me into the bedroom, forced me to sit down and told me to wait - like a 2 year old in timeout. He studied his watch and counted the seconds. I was so anxious at 2 minutes that I stood up and demanded we look at the test. We both raced to the bathroom, practically shoving each other out of the way as we strained our eyes to get a look at the result. The stick had two boxes, one with a control line that looks like: [ | ] The other box contained the fate of the rest of your life. If the test is positive, the second box will contain another [ | ] and if it's negative then it will be blank.

Our result?

Yep. I bawled.

Andrew enveloped me in his arms and asked why I was crying, out of sheer concern that I was genuinely upset and devastated. I honestly didn't know how I felt at the time. The only way I can explain it is that all my emotions, concerns and thoughts poured out into those tears. They were tears of joy, excitement, anxiety, fear, nervousness and relief. Tears of "how did this happen so fast" and tears of "there is a baby inside me??". I've always imagined being pregnant but have never put it into perspective.

Worry #1 - The Hood to Coast marathon was in two days. Can I run when I'm pregnant? What if I miscarry? Long story short, I ran anyway and everything was fine or else this post wouldn't exist. However, my last leg turned into a nightmare after following a big group up the wrong route. I ended up running 13.8 miles instead of the designated 5.2 miles. Andrew FREAKED OUT. Basically he put a bounty on each staff members head for allowing his wife (and child) to get lost and possibly endure a medical emergency. I was definitely panicking but made it out ok, just exhausted. The next step was to relax for the next couple weeks and let everything settle in.

Worry #2 - Where is the instruction manual?? I know nothing about bearing, birthing and raising a child.

However, today is September 26th, 2012 and we just heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time -- I cried, again. It was beating so fast and so steady, working hard to sustain it's tiny body within my own body. It's unreal but so real. A microscopic fertilized egg has innately multiplied to become numerous cells which have multipled exponentially to create an arm, a hand, an eyelid, a brain, a heart. A beating heart. Life is a miracle and this child is already loved more that he/she can imagine.
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