Moving right along

I knew that once the holidays had been closed out it would be time to get into full gear on the baby planning. We are getting close to the home stretch. In just a couple of weeks I will be in the third trimester--right now I am 26.5 weeks. I am still feeling relatively good, though I am starting to get tired again in the late afternoons and evening. My workout routine is still a yoga class and a weight training session, plus plenty of dog walks every week.

And, I can't say enough about Harmony which is a great resource for expecting and new moms. In addition to offering a great selection of yoga classes, they also do Meet the Doula every month. Now I hadn't really been considering a doula, but when my sister-in-law recommended it after the birth of her third child, I decided to look into it. The benefits of a doula are many, especially if you are looking to either go natural or at least avoid a c-section. If you want to meet our doula, check Deidre out here. If you are thinking about a doula, keep in mind that the popular ones are booked two-three months out.

We have been trying to figure our way through all the gear. The book, Baby Bargains, has been helpful as well as advice from all the moms out there. We did finally order our crib and settle on a bedding theme.
This is Summersalt's Woof Woof and below is Bonavita's Metro Collection.

Right now I am trying to finish registering and sort through the various options for high chairs, strollers and bouncy seats. As overwhelming as it all is, I can't even begin to express how happy I am to be at this point. I still can't go to the baby store without tearing up at least once and feeling very grateful to finally be close to motherhood.

Another Peek

Happy New Year Everyone!

This week's big event was going to get a fetal echocardiogram. Evidently some studies have shown that IVF babies have a higher likelihood of defects, so they want to get an earlier look at the heart. I am happy to report that everything looked great.

In addition to the heart, they looked at other parts. I have to say that I find the u/s technology so cool. We could see almost every bone in the spinal cord. And, yes, we did ask the tech to reconfirm that it was definitely a boy. [And, according to my husband, is exemplified by the early nose picking in the above picture.] Right now they estimate that #3 weighs about a pound. That does not explain the other 16 pounds I have gained--except for the increased bra size, that must be good for at least a couple other pounds.

I am finally starting to feel the kicks and movements. At the ultrasound this week, I could feel #3 move between when the tech did the ultrasound and the doctor came in for the second look. Sure enough, #3 had moved positions considerably--making it harder for the doctor to take a look. He seems to do that a lot at appointments.

One of the downsides of getting pregnant after a long bout of infertility is that it takes you awhile to truly believe it's real. This denial means that you don't get on top of your planning as early as you should. For instance, I almost missed signing up for childbirth prep classes before my due date. The clinic warned me that they fill up fast, and indeed they do!

Here's to an eventful 2011! Wishing everyone the year they desire!