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!