Another Shrek movie!?

I don't know if anyone else likes watching kids movies as much as we do, but if so, I strongly urge you to go see SHREK: The Final Chapter. We saw it today, and I have to admit, at first I was a little skeptical. After all, the first three movies were great, but a FORTH? Could it really be as good as the rest? Yes, it is! It might even be BETTER than some of the other sequels. It was full of laughs and, I have to admit, I was a little teary-eyed at the end. I'll just blame that on my hormones. Seriously, though: GO SEE IT!

Too pooped to poop!

This is probably way too much information, but I don't care anymore. I haven't pooped in almost a week. It'll be a week tomorrow, actually. And let me tell you, it HURTS. Any suggestions, ladies? I'm desperate! I've already amped the fiber and I've been drinking an INCREDIBLE amount of water every day. Seriously. I should get some kind of award for the most hydrated pregnant woman!
The Arizona summer heat is relentless and ridiculous. It has done nothing but exaggerate my symptoms. I have felt completely horrible all week. That better mean that you're healthy and strong in there, Peanut! I can't wait for the first trimester to be over... I've heard the second is almost heavenly in comparison. :)
We are officially DONE applying for command sponsorship. Everything has been sent, faxed, and/or accepted. It's been a long few weeks of jumping through hoops! I'll probably cry for joy (and relief) when I finally hold those orders in my hand and read my name printed below Aaron's. I have been majorly stressing wondering if we would get everything done in time. (FYI: most families find out they're going overseas 6 months in advance. Us? Barely 3.)

7 weeks.

"Baby's brain -- both hemispheres! -- is growing fast, generating about 100 new cells every minute. Arms and legs are emerging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place." [according to The Bump]

How far along? 7 weeks & 2 days.
Baby’s Size: a blueberry :)
Total Weight Gain: still nothing.
Gender: I have no idea lately. Hoping for a girl, though!
Sleep: In this Arizona heat? Almost impossible. It takes me forever to fall asleep, and then I wake up to pee several times throughout the night. Aaron also just got switched back to the day shift, which means when he wakes up at 4am, I wake up too.
Symptoms: Honestly? I've felt like crap lately. Very tired, achey, nauseous, and sore.
Best Moments this week: Our first OB appointment was yesterday. It was nice to hear that everything seems to be progressing normally at this point. And I'm loving all the magazines they gave me! Also, we were watching a commercial in which a little girl painted her daddy's fingernails. Aaron said he wished he could grow his hair out again so our daughter could put bows and ponytails in it- like his sister used to do to his dad. :)
Food Cravings: french fries!
Food Aversions: still none.
What I miss: Being able to wear my shorts without the help of a hair-tie.
What I am Looking forward to: Moving into my third month soon!
Milestones: First OB appointment.

Having a baby is not good for the environment.

Judging by the sheer amount of paper we were given today, my OB does not care about saving the environment. He does, however, care about saving the money in our wallets- coupons galore! And he knows just how to ease a pregnant woman's mind- by throwing lots of reading material at her! Seriously, I instantly felt better.

In all, our first OB appointment was fine. Judging by the size of my uterus, and my LMP, I am seven weeks along, like I thought. But until my first ultrasound, which I need to call and schedule, we won't really know much. I had a lot of blood drawn, a pap smear, an exam, and many questions asked and answered.
My next appointment is June 10th- I can't wait!

Musical Monday.

Joseph Arthur.
Who is Joseph Arthur? A flower child, born in the early 1970s and blessed with a beautiful voice. He managed to stay under the radar until he was discovered by Peter Gabriel (another great artist!) in the 1990s and signed to Gabriel's Real World label. He is a talented singer and songwriter with a gift for words. His subtle lyrics are beautiful. A lifelong struggle with alcoholism and substance abuse brings raw emotion and power into his music. His songs have been featured in many movies and TV shows. To me, his music is genuinely peaceful.
Some of my favorite songs are Honey and the Moon, In the Sun, You're so True, and September Baby. I included two below..

Busy bees.

Hiking up Heritage Hill (on Fort Huachuca), buying a cartful of delicious (and healthy!) groceries, eating out at our favorite Greek restaurant, and watching a movie at the movie theatre... all in all, we had an eventful Saturday. And let me tell you, a pregnant woman should NEVER:
1. hike without a water bottle in 90-degree-weather. Considering the dozens of glasses of water I've been drinking at home, I'm not sure why this didn't occur to me before we left. Alas, by the time I got my hands on a liter of water after our excursion, I was well beyond parched. Lesson learned.
and 2. assume that she can make it through an entire shopping trip without needing to use the bathroom. I mean, seriously. I know public bathrooms are disgusting but they're just something I'm going to have to make amends with for the next seven months.
We had a good day, finding some wildflowers and filling our bellies and cabinets, but let me tell you, by the time we got home, I was ready to CRASH. Seriously, I was dragging my feet through the grocery store and by some small miracle I managed not to fall asleep in the movie.
Needless to say, we're staying in and relaxing today. I do have a lot of laundry to do, though. Darn.

I snapped a picture of this honey bee while we were exploring Heritage Hill. Reminds me of how much I love my camera (but also really want a DSLR...)

Books for baby.

Every time we go shopping these days, we end up buying things for the baby. So what'd peanut score today? BOOKS! Hopefully baby will love books as much as Mommy does.

Colors- uses fun textures, colors, and fruits to teach baby the colors of the rainbow :)
Count by Dwell Studio- normally, I find counting books cheesy and boring. This one caught my eye and I immediately threw it into the cart. We all know about my love of birds!
The Belly Button Book- this one's just plain adorable. I love Sandra Boynton!
I'd like to try to find some korean books, too. Maybe just a simple words one, or a picture book that features little asian kids :) I want our baby to soak in as much of this new culture as we do!

My puppy is driving me insane!

My puppy and my pregnancy hormones are not getting along well. First of all, he's shedding right now. This means that 99.9% of the time, he is either scratching, sucking, biting, or licking himself. And the combination of these sounds is not welcome when I'm trying to read or relax in peace and quiet.
And then there's the problem with his breath. He's currently losing all of his baby teeth and growing in his adult teeth. And in a matter of days, his sweet puppy breath has vanished and been replaced with a foul, foul order. I don't know if there's bacteria trapped under his remaining baby teeth or what, but it is DISGUSTING.
And now, every time he lays across my lap and looks up at me with his goofy grin and starts panting, his hot putrid breath hits my face, and it takes every ounce of willpower to resist puking all over him. My gag reflex is inheightened these days, and it doesn't mix well with his stinky breath.
As a result, I've been attacking him with the toothbrush and dog toothpaste more often these days, a dreaded process during which he yowls as if I'm trying to kill him.
So, I'm sure all of my neighbors think I'm abusive.
He HAS been awful cute lately. And all it takes is one soft nuzzle to my stomach (he has been INFATUATED with my tummy lately, and prefers to have some part of him touching it at all times) to melt my heart and remind me why I love him so much. It's going to be very, very hard to leave him behind.
Apparently, in Korea large dogs are unheard of, except in the open air markets. And those dogs are not for cuddling or loving... they are for eating. Koreans have a fondness for small dogs (maltese, yorkies, and shitzus, mostly) and puppy pads. None of the apartments there allow dogs over 30 lbs. And our darling dear Kody, a shepherd mix, is estimated to weigh between 70-90 pounds full grown. *SIGH*

Baby Bedding.

I know I have plenty of time to do this, but I LOVE looking online at baby things. Who am I kidding? I loved browsing baby stuff before I was even pregnant, lol. The problem is, right now we have to look at things that work for a boy or girl. In fact, there's a good chance that it might stay that way- it's against Korean law to find out the gender of the baby before birth. I understand that it's their culture, but I am THE most impatient person in the world- it already seems like my 20 week ultrasound is AGES away, and I can't even imagine having to wait longer than that. I heard that the american army hospital In Yongsan just started revealing gender at the anatomy scan, but that rumor hasn't been confirmed.
So, after scouring several websites online (finding unisex ANYTHING is almost impossible!) I finally found a bedding set that I like and could honestly see a baby boy OR girl in. I showed it to Aaron and he really likes it, too. We have similar taste- neither of us like things that scream BABY! like lambs and the colors baby blue and yellow. We like more modern baby decor.
What we'd probably do is pair it with pink sheets for a girl and green sheets for a boy. Because, you know, babies happen to mess up their sheets a lot... so you can't possibly expect to always use the sheet that comes with the set.
It's the Versailles Black set by Trend Lab.

Isn't it cute? And it's a reasonable price, too. I can't see paying $300 or $400 dollars for something that's probably going to end up puked or peed on anyways.
To check it out, click here.

6 weeks

"Growing like crazy, baby is starting to sprout eyes, ears, nose, cheeks and chin. Those little hands and feet- still webbed like paddles- might wiggle by week's end, the heart is beating (almost twice as fast as yours!), and blood is starting to circulate." [according to TheBump]

How far along? 6 weeks & one day.
Baby’s Size: a sweet pea! :)
Total Weight Gain: none.
Gender: I feel like it's a boy right now.
Sleep: Fitful. I'm exhausted all day, but when it comes time to actually sleep, my body (or should I say bladder) does not like to agree with me. I'm waking up a couple times in the night, and the last few days I've woken up WIDE AWAKE at 5am. Oh boy.
Symptoms: pulling/stretching feeling in abdomen, exhaustion, nausea, lower back pain, ridiculously sharp sense of smell
Best Moments this week: Mother's Day. We decided to tell Aaron's mom about the pregnancy, since we won't get to tell her in person, and then we went out to a greek restaurant and a movie to celebrate my first mother's day :)
Food Cravings: anything and everything in sight. I'm STARVING 24/7!
Food Aversions: none yet. Although smelling/touching raw meat has made me throw up 2x this week.
What I am Looking forward to: Our first OB appointment is in exactly one week! :)
Milestones: First mother's day (as a pregnant mommy)

Halfway through the first trimester! I've been feeling pretty good the last few days. My hormones have kicked into full gear, though- my face is breaking out and I can't seem to stop cleaning. Seriously. My face looks like a war zone and the house is absolutely spotless. Perhaps cleaning is an early nesting stage?

Musical Monday.

I can't wait to sing this song to our baby. The beautiful lyrics capture life perfectly. I look forward to introducing our little one to so many things. Trees, sand, dirt, salty ocean water, the warmth of the sun, animals, nature... all of this world, and most of all, LOVE. I will always love you, peanut. No matter what.
Oh how I love Switchfoot. And Hello Hurricane is probably their best album yet. It will definitely be played in the nursery.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there.
I know I haven't given birth yet, but Aaron still thinks we should celebrate this as our first mother's day. :) We're going out to a Greek restaurant and then for ice cream and a movie. I can't believe on this day next year, we will be a little family of three- in South Korea. I absolutely cannot wait!

Drink up, ladies!

... water, that is.
As we grew up, we were all told by our parents and doctors to drink eight glasses of water a day. But did you know that during pregnancy, you actually need to drink a lot more than that?
According to an article that I found, "During pregnancy your blood volume will increase by forty percent and water is necessary for this process. Fluids are also needed to carry nutrients to cells and take waste products away. During pregnancy there is about one quart of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby and your body completely replaces that fluid every two to three hours! Proper hydration also helps you stay healthy by regulating your body temperature and aiding in digestion during pregnancy and helping to prevent constipation." The article goes on to say that pregnant women lose 2-3 quarts of water each day!
Something that a lot of people don't realize: by the time you actually feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated- and usually at least a cup of water behind where you should be. In addition, drinking a lot of water can make ultrasound pictures much clearer. If you're a fan of water bottles- be sure yours is BPA-free! :)
To read the whole article, click here.

I'm a pretty big water drinker as it is, but I've been EXTRA thirsty lately. Of course, all the extra water I've been drinking doesn't help when it comes to frequent bathroom trips... sometimes I have to get up four or five times during one movie!

How my prayers have changed

I keep reading all of these horrible statistics about miscarriage in the first trimester.
So, here's what my prayers look like these days: "Please keep peanut safe. Please don't let anything happen to him/her. Please let me have a long, healthy pregnancy. Please Please Please Please Please...."
Hopefully prayers and positive thinking is enough!

The problem with having a baby overseas...

Sure, it sounds really exciting to have our first baby overseas. Someday, our son/daughter will be able to say: "I was born in South Korea! Where were YOU born?" And everything else will probably seem somewhat... normal in comparison.
BUT there is a huge drawback to having our first baby overseas: our family and friends will not be there. This means we probably can't have a baby shower. My mom won't be able to coach me through childbirth, as I've always hoped. I won't be greeting guests at the hospital. There will be no family members visiting or staying during our baby's first week home. No helping hands. The only way we will be able to introduce our baby to our family will be through pictures and video. The list just goes on and on.
In addition, I probably won't be able to attend birthing classes or prenatal yoga. And I have no idea if water births (my top choice!) are common in Korea. [sigh]
Well... I'm sure we'll figure it all out. The later half of our pregnancy, our birth story, and our first few months as a family of three will still be special and unique. And, one thing's for sure... the whole experience will definitely be memorable.

Like our layout?

Huge thanks to Jocelyn at Blogs by Jocelyn for our adorable new layout. If you're ready for a change, I highly recommend working with her. Once I'd picked out the design kit that I wanted, I gave her a little information about what I liked/wanted and she went right to work. Only a few days later, the layout was finished and I LOVED it. She offered to make changes, but honestly it was perfect just the way it was- no changes necessary.
Head on over to her website to check out all of the other wonderful blogs she's designed- and perhaps to request one of your own! Her prices are affordable, and you won't be disappointed!

Cloth diapering for dummies.

I know you might think it's too early to be thinking about this, but... Well, who am I kidding? It's never to early to start thinking about these things. The fact of the matter is, babies poop. A LOT. Consequently, they spend a lot of time during their first days (and weeks, and months...) on this earth getting their diapers changed. Aaron and I have decided to... *drumroll please*
Cloth Diaper.
Now, before any of you wrinkle your noses and say, "ew!" Cloth diapers have really come a long, long way. There are a million brands out there, and cloth diapers are starting to become very, very popular in many of the online baby communities that I belong to. Here are just a few reasons to cloth diaper:
1. It's better for your wallet
2. It's better for your baby
3. It's better for the environment
4. They are SO stinking CUTE!

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about it right now. There will be plenty of future posts dedicated to this topic, I'm sure. So, for now, here are reviews of the two brands I'm considering using:

bumGenius:


FuzziBunz


Interested? Visit Kelly's Closet to check it out.

Thanks to you guys, we are moving up the charts. So, if you have time, we'd love another vote!

and the doctor says...

I had my yearly gyno visit today. I told her right away that I was pregnant, so she had me pee in a cup and the results came back positive. After my pap smear and all that other fun stuff (not!) they whisked me away for my OB briefing/consultation, which normally would have been scheduled separately, but since I was already there, they went ahead with it. I was pretty proud because I already knew most of the stuff the nurse told me- such as the importance of folic acid, etc. I guess being a bookworm (and addicted to babycenter) pays off!
My expected due date is January 3rd, 2011! Which is actually a few days earlier than I thought. They gave me a nifty Pregnancy and Childbirth handbook. Well, according to the cover, it is "A Goal Orientated Guide to Prenatal Care." It's pretty neat because it is broken up into all of the different prenatal visits and has spaces for filling in different information and keeping track of things. After the appointment, I picked up my prescription for prenatal vitamins. They are a LOT bigger than the over-the-counter prenatals I was taking- hopefully they won't make me sick.
My first official OB visit can be anywhere between 6-8 weeks. I'll probably call tomorrow to schedule it. I'm five weeks today so the appointment is only one or two weeks away. The mere thought of possibly hearing my baby's heartbeat in a couple weeks makes my heart beat about 1200x faster. I can't wait!
It looks like everything is going well so far, which I'm glad to hear. :)

a lovely dream

I know I already posted once today, but I couldn't let musical monday get in the way of what I really wanted to talk about today: dreams. Last night, I had a dream that our baby was a boy with his daddy's brown hair and vibrant green eyes, and my pale ivory skin. His name, well, I can't tell you that yet, but it fit him perfectly and made me even more confident about our choice. (We have already decided on a boy's name.)
My husband and I are both hoping for a little girl (even though a mommy's boy would be just as great!). To be honest, though, I feel like there's a boy in there. It's still really early and I'm sure I'll probably change my mind a million more times before we find out, but I have this really strong feeling that it's a boy right now. Interesting note- my mom has always told me that she knew I was a girl right away, and never once changed her mind. Hmmm, I wonder if that mommy's intuition runs in the family...
Did you have many dreams about your baby while you were pregnant? Were they accurate at all?

Musical Monday.

Every Monday, I will do a family/kid friendly musical Monday, where I will talk about a band, group, or artist that I like. And of course, it has to be something that I would have no problem playing in the car with kids or in a nursery. :)
This week: Iron & Wine.
Iron & Wine is american singer-songwriter Samuel Beam's stage and recording name. Het was born in South Carolina, grew up in Florida, and now lives in Texas with his wife and four daughters. He recorded his first album in 2002, and has since released four other albums. His music is soft and soothing, with powerful, original lyrics, and includes the acoustic guitar, banjos, slide guitar, and several brass instruments. His songs have appeared in several TV shows (such as Grey's Anatomy and House) and in several movies (most notably, in Twilight).
I discovered Iron & Wine during my freshman year of college, when I really started branching out and looking into new types of music. My favorite album is The Shepherd's Dog, which I plan to play in our baby's nursery.



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Gotta start somewhere...

Once I actually start showing, I plan to take belly pictures every week. So, I figured I'd better post a "starting point" picture before I get any more bloated! So yes... somewhere in there, is our little peanut (or, as Aaron likes to call him, our "seamonkey", lol).
I can't WAIT to have a baby bump, even though know I'll probably regret saying that in... oh... seven months, when my skin is threatening to explode and I feel like I'm about to pop.
MAJOR pregnancy perk- today, Aaron volunteered to clean the toilet, because, as he ever-so-kindly reminded me, bleach and pregnant women don't get along very well. "Well, yeah... I probably shouldn't be doing that anymore," I admitted. "Duh!" he said, "You shouldn't be doing ANYTHING! You're pregnant!" <--- Now that's a good husband, right there.

First baby purchase.

We officially made our first baby purchase yesterday at Target.





Isn't it CUTE? Aaron pointed it out and I knew we had to get it. The best part? It was only $6.00. I love that a boy OR a girl could wear it. In fact, browsing the baby clothes yesterday made me realize how difficult it is going to be to wait another 14-16 weeks to find out what we're having. The unisex selection was almost nonexistent- almost all the clothes were obviously for a boy or a girl. :( And I'm not against dressing girls in "boy" colors and boys in "girl" colors. But I don't think my husband would appreciate me dressing our son in a frilly pink onesie that says "Princess" across the front.

Happy May Day! This is one of my favorite months of the year. I'm in love with the juicy red berries and pink blossoms outside our window. You know that old saying, "April showers bring May flowers"? Well, there is definitely a precious little flower blooming inside of me :)

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