Don't be jealous of my stretchy pants...

It's been a while since my last post, but really nothing too exciting has been going on around here. David was gone for a week on business, so the puppies and I had some nice quality time together. I don't think they are looking forward to sharing my lap with a new baby.

Baby H is doing great, and if my waistline is any indication of things, seems to be hitting a growth spurt! The past couple of weeks I have definitely put on a few pounds and began to notice my clothes getting a bit snug. Most of my "normal" clothes still fit, but were getting just a tad tight. I decided it was time bite the bullet and go maternity shopping.

Mom and I made a girls day of it and met in OKC to see what we could find. My main objective for the day was to find a "belly band". I had heard of these terrific things on several websites and blogs and thought I just had to have one for myself. For anyone who is not familiar, a belly band (also known as a tummy sleeve or bella band) is a stretchy band of fabric that you can wear during and after pregnancy to make your clothes fit. When your pants aren't too little yet, but they just don't quite button, you wear the belly band over the unbuttoned pants to cover up the buttons and help keep the pants up. Well, I found a belly band and I wore it for the first time yesterday. It was fantastic! Some of my work slacks were definitely too little, but with the belly band...perfect! And so comfortable! I didn't realize before how uncomfortable and restrictive my pants had become.


Belly band unfolded and folded.

Along with the belly band, we found several shirts that can transition into maternity shirts as well as two pairs of work pants and a skirt with the full on tummy panel built in. Previously, I may have made fun of the huge tummy panel, but they are so comfortable I may just keep them after baby. :) Plus, look at this cute stuff, dressy maternity Bermuda shorts...who knew such a thing existed?!


The pictures aren't that great, but they are really cute! Although, I've never had a pair of pants that required instructions.


We definitely had a successful shopping trip (thanks mom for all the great clothes!) and had a great afternoon just hanging out looking at baby stuff. A trip to Babies R Us made me realize there is still much to do before Baby H arrives! Considering we haven't bought a thing yet, our list of needs is still pretty long. We find out the gender next week, so we will be in full planning/preparing mode after we know if Baby H is a boy or girl!

The Beat of My Heart...

Today was another important mile marker on our journey towards parenthood. Today was our 15 week appointment and we got to hear Baby Hodson's heartbeat for the first time. It was simply amazing and perfectly wonderful. Even though we only listened for a short minute, I was completely in awe and will remember that beautiful sound forever.

Baby H's heart rate was 150 beats per minute and strong. Take that for what you will...some say that means girl, some say that means boy. But, we don't have too much longer to wait until we find out the gender. We have our 18 week appointment set for Monday, February 22 to find out if Baby H is a boy or girl!!! I don't have a preference either way, but I am so excited to find out. Any guesses?

Hello 2nd Trimester! I love you already...

Everyone says the 2nd trimester is the best trimester, the time when nausea and fatigue fade and you begin to regain your appetite and energy. Let's just say, I have definitely been looking forward to the 2nd trimester!

Let me start by saying, I had a pretty rough 1st trimester. I definitely learned the full meaning of the words "morning" sickness and felt a kind of tired that I have never felt before. The day before we found out that I was pregnant, I started feeling sick. Very sick, and continued to feel very sick for approximately the next 7-8 weeks. I couldn't hold much down, had an extremely overly-sensitive sense of smell and horrible food aversions. The worst part of being extremely sick during early pregnancy is...no one can tell you're pregnant! They just think you're crazy when you suddenly leave your cart in the middle of the isle at Wal-Mart to take off in a sprint to the bathroom. Or, they stare at you in disgust when you have to suddenly pull over the car to gag into a plastic sack (yes, I was in the habit of always having a plastic sack within reach...just in case). There were so many times I wanted to shout, "I'm not crazy or contagious! I'm just pregnant!"

David has been such a trooper the last several weeks! He went grocery shopping each week so I wouldn't have to experience the unbearable stench of chicken that permeated every inch of Wal-Mart, he humored me and ate fast food for dinner several nights in a row when all I could keep down was Sonic french fries, and he kept our house (for the most part) presentable when I couldn't drag myself off the couch to clean it.

The first weeks were definitely rough, but at the same time they were also wonderful. I have never been so happy to throw up. Every time I was sick I knew it meant that Baby H was growing and changing, and that was all I needed to make it through the day.

Now that I am feeling good and have more energy, I am looking forward to the upcoming changes that the 2nd trimester brings. I am looking forward to gaining weight, hearing the heartbeat and finding out the gender. I am looking forward to planning for Baby H's arrival, decorating the nursery and seeing my body change as our baby grows. I can't believe we are already one-third of the way through this pregnancy. Even though the first months were sometimes difficult, they still seemed to go by so quickly. I know that July will be here before we know it. There is much to be done and much to be figured out in the next few months. Keep your fingers crossed for us as we prepare!

P.S. We get to hear the heartbeat at our appointment next week. Yay!