Bean Sprout's first outfit

So remember how I said I wasn't going to buy anything else for Bean Sprout?  Well that was before I saw this:

Don't you love it?  I mean, he/she is going to at least start out as a Yankees fan.  And this is good for girls and for boys.  Awesome.  Okay, I promise to give it a rest for now!

12 weeks

First things first...Happy Birthday to me!  My last birthday in my 20's, my last birthday as a Brizzolara and my last birthday without a bambino.  I guess 29 is a bigger deal than I thought.  We just went out for a delicious breakfast of blueberry pancakes and snausage, my favorite, and we'll head out later to one of my favorite local bars with some friends.  I love my birthday so much, it is the best day of the year!

Okay, on to the Bean Sprout.  The first thing I thought this morning when I woke up was "oh man, this bump seems bigger."  Do I look bigger than last week to you?

Also, I must be some kind of genius as I've finally figured out, after 4 weeks of picture taking, that I can avoid the weird obese angle of my photos if I just move to the other side of the chalkboard.  I know, I'm brilliant, clearly.

How far along?  12 weeks
Total weight gain:  I really should buy a scale
Maternity clothes?  Not one item of maternity wear this week!
Stretch Marks?  Nothing so far
Sleep?  Awful.  I do not sleep at night.  I finally had to take a nap Friday afternoon because I just ran out of energy.
Best moment of the week?  My birthday, duh.
Miss anything?  A good night's sleep is the top of the list these days.
Movement?  I don't think so but that's hard to believe, considering Sprout is plum-sized today.
Food craving?  Croutons, cherry tomatoes and feta cheese with red wine vinegar.  Best snack ever.
Anything make you sick or queasy?  Nope!  I'll take sleepness nights over puking any day.
Gender?  We think it's a boy.
Labor signs?  No
Symptoms?  I get so emotional baby (shout out to Whitney)
Belly Button?  Scott said yesterday that it looks like it's getting shallower!
Wedding rings on or off?  My engagement ring fits perfectly
Happy or moody most of the time?  I think this week is the first week I've been happier than moody, even without sleep.
Looking forward to:  My last week in Connecticut and packing for our trip to Arizona!

My first Bean Sprout purchase

I can't even deal with cribs or changing tables or whatever else a baby needs until after the wedding.  I did however find the cutest picture that I just had to buy for the little Sprout.  I think it will look so cute in the nursery.  What do you think?

I found it at Sarah Jane Studios on Etsy.  They also have really cute fabric that I might go back and buy to make a quilt.  But I can't think about any of this until after May 5.

11 week update

No chalkboard this week as I was at home for my shower.  I love this dress.  And the shoes.

How far along?  11 weeks
Total weight gain:  Probably more than I should this week after a steady diet of Portillo's and Lou Malnati's.
Maternity Clothes?  I wore one of my new shirts on the plane home since they are long and comfy but mostly still regular clothes.  I don't know why this is a source of pride for me but it totally is.
Stretch Marks?  Nope
Sleep?  Pretty terrible, actually.  I wake up every night and am awake for hours.  Could Sprout already be a night owl?
Best moment of the week?  Telling my parents, Lauren and grandparents!
Miss anything?  Now that it's getting warmer, I really miss a nice cocktail on a patio somewhere.
Movement?  We saw lots of movement at the ultrasound, but nothing I can feel.
Food cravings?  Portillo's.  This could be a problem.
Anything make you queasy or sick?  Not at all.
Gender? Scott and I still think it's a boy
Labor signs?  I don't think so but I wouldn't even know it if there were...I best read up on that.
Symptoms:  Still kinda moody and way more emotional than usual
Belly button?  In
Wedding rings on or off?  I tried on my wedding band last night and it's a little snug!  My engagement ring never comes off.
Happy or moody most of the time?  Oh, probably 50/50.
Looking forward to:  My birthday on Sunday!

What a week!

A lot has happened in the past 7 days or so...I'll do my best to catch up without boring everyone (anyone?) who may be reading this.

Monday:  my first doctor's appointment!  I'd been nervous/excited about it for weeks.  With almost no symptoms at all, how could there really be a baby in there?  Well guess what?

These aren't that good because I can't for the life of me figure out how to use my scanner, so I had to take a picture of the ultrasound photo.  But it DOES kinda sorta look like a little person, right?  It was moving and flopping around a lot, and we got to hear the heartbeat which sounded fast and strong to my untrained ear.  I couldn't stop laughing!  And we officially learned that Bean Sprout is due November 4, 2012 (although I already knew that).  Suddenly, this seems real.  I'm actually going to be responsible for another person.  I'm feeling...unsettled.

Tuesday:  Mary came to visit us!  It was so lovely to have family come see our new house and to share our news.  The secret-keeping was starting to really weigh on me so it was nice to get it out in the open (a little).  It also really helped calm my nerves a bit about telling my parents.

Thursday:  Moment of truth.  I must have tried on 14 different outfits, trying to look as slim as possible.  Truth be told, I don't know that I've gotten any bigger in my stomach and I'm still wearing my old jeans.  I was just paranoid I was going to step off the plane and Mom was immediately going to know.  We stayed pretty busy the first few hours I was there, going out to lunch, stopping by my Grandma's to see her and my little cousin Abriella and before I knew it, we were at the house, Jay, Courtney and Gino were there, and we were patiently waiting for my Dad to bring home Portillo's.  (Oh Portillo's, how I miss you living out on the East Coast!)  So, Dad comes home and we greet each other and sit down to dinner.  And I'm like, really panicky. Maybe it's because I have to acknowledge to my parents that yes, I have a vagina and occasionally it gets put to use.  Who wants to tell their parents that?  So anyway, I hand them the card I had picked out and Mom, who desperately needs glasses and refuses to get any, opens it and begins to read.  After what seems like 10 minutes, she finally sees the little ultrasound picture inside the card and says "you're pregnant?" Jay is perturbed by her slowness on the uptake.  "Yes?" I say, gauging her reaction.  And she's happy!  Super excited.  We hug.  What a relief.  What about you, Dad?  He is...quiet.  Then he changes the subject.  Odd.  I bluntly make sure they know that this happened after we got engaged, in case that's why he is being weird about it.  "Yes, I did the math and realized that immediately."  Okay...Well, we got to talking later and it turns out he is still getting used to the idea of being a grandfather (oh the Forever Young mindset of the Baby Boomer generation!) and he is a little sad because he thinks this means I will never move back to Chicago.  This makes me cry (it's the hormones).  I explain to him that it's just the opposite, I want to leave Connecticut more than ever now.  He seems better about.  I still think he would prefer to just get through the wedding first before dealing with this new information.  Can you blame him?  I'm just so glad to finally get the news off my chest.  It's been killing me the past month!  Now it's out there and it's real.  Oh happy day!

Friday:  My final dress fitting.  And my boobs are too big.  I can barely breathe when the seamstress zips up the dress.  Guess taking it in was pointless since she'll just have to let it out again.  At least the stomach area is no problem.  Thanks for staying small, Sprout.

Saturday:  My first trip into a maternity store.  I am wary at best.  At least I am not alone, as Courtney has accompanied me to make sure I don't end up crying at the uglies that are surely in store for me.  I do not want to end up in some nasty muu-muu, but my bras are comically ill-fitting at this point, and a friend recommended that I get some leggings sooner rather than later.  Surprisingly, the clothes are cute!  I get a few camisoles, a couple shirts, leggings, and a bra that covers way too much of my boobs (after wearing only racy lacy lingerie for years, it's an adjustment.  I'm never giving up my Hanky Panky's though!) but is very comfortable.  Lauren meets me at the hair salon and I get to share my news with one more person.  She is also super excited!  Hooray, this is going so well!  Everyone loves Sprout already.  We head back to my parents house and into...my surprise birthday party!  I'd almost completely forgotten about my birthday with everything else that's going on.  It's perfect, just casual and fun with Lou Malnati's for dinner (Oh deep-dish pizza, how I miss you living out on the East Coast!)  A great day all around and I go to sleep exhausted and happy.

Sunday:  Shower day!  I'm just so excited to see everyone.  We have a nice lunch at Tuscany, and everyone is very generous with gifts.  My parents both give a speech and of course, Dad's makes everyone a little teary.  I am just so happy to have a drama-free afternoon, so when my Grandma tells me she is coming to my wedding, I end up spilling the news about the Sprout to her too.  More excitement and hugs.  It was such a great day.  It was such a great trip!  Can't wait to see everyone again in a few weeks!

Here's a pic of my in-town bridesmaids and me at the shower:

10 week update

Happy Easter everyone!

I had a little breakdown today taking my weekly photos.  Because of the weird placement of the blackboard in our kitchen, SF kind of has to take the pictures at an awkward angle.  So, the first round of pictures looked really weird and I looked really really fat.  It put me in the worst mood, especially because right after that, I read my weekly update from thebump.com and it said that now is the time when I will start looking pregnant.  I can't start looking pregnant yet!  I have 27 days to go until my wedding!  Besides, I didn't look pregnant in the photos, I just looked like a blimp.  So I moped around for a good hour.

Well, Scott and I ended up taking a nice long walk and after that I tried Round 2 of photos.  These came out a little better.  They'll do!

My doctor's appointment is tomorrow morning so hopefully that goes well.  My next weekly post will be from Chicago!

How far along?  10 weeks
Total Weight Gain:  I don't know but my clothes still fit.
Maternity Clothes?  No, but it says I'll be needing them soon! Please hold off for 27 days, little bump!
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  No complaints for now
Best moment of the week?  Being totally sympton free!
Miss anything?  coffee, sushi and I really wanted a margarita after our walk today!  I love them in the spring.
Movement?  Nope
Food craving?  Not really
Anything make you queasy or sick?  The smell of hard-boiled eggs (but that's not a pregnancy thing)  Sorry, Easter Bunny, I'm kind of a Scrooge.
Gender?  Since I haven't been sick at all, I'm thinking boy
Labor signs?  Nope
Symptoms:  Still pretty moody, if this morning was any indication
Belly Button:  In
Wedding Rings off or on?  On
Looking Forward to: My doctor's appointment tomorrow and going home on Thursday!

9 week update

This week has been a little bit better.  I haven't felt as motion sick and I actually really enjoyed pre-natal yoga this week.  I'm also really focused on wedding planning because we're getting down to the wire.  4 weeks from today!  It's going to be a crazy month starting with next week.

On Monday, I am finally going to the doctor to see what's going on in there!  I've been really anxious to get to the doctor and get some more information and hopefully a picture.  I'm heading home on Thursday for my bridal shower, my dress fitting, and to tell my parents that I'm pregnant!  So much going on!  I'm excited to get the secret out and have an enjoyable weekend at home.  I'm a little late posting my nine week photo and update but here goes:

How far along? 9 weeks
Total weight gain:  Not sure, because I don't have a scale...I'll have a better idea on Monday.
Maternity clothes?  Nope, still in all my regular clothes, though I may need bigger bras soon!
Stretch marks?  No, but I'm slathering on cocoa butter twice a day to avoid them!
Sleep?  Sleeping much better than a couple of weeks ago, thank goodness.
Best moment of the week:  Not feeling sick, although I think I've been really lucky on that end so far.
Miss anything? yes, I miss a cup of coffee in the morning, I miss a cocktail in the evening and I'm really jealous of anyone who gets to eat sushi!
Movement?  Nope, too early for that!
Food Craving? Sweeter things that I usually eat.  Granola bars, cookies and lots of fruit.
Anything make you queasy or sick?  No
Gender:  It'll be a surprise for all of us!
Labor signs?  No, thank God.
Symptoms:  Mood swings, tight hamstrings, and my breasts are huge and sore.
Belly button:  In
Wedding rings on or off?  It never comes off!
Happy or moody most of the time?  If I'm being honest, MOODY
Looking forward to: Telling my parents, telling Lauren, my bridal shower!