Good News!

I dunno if Linda will update this as well, but thought I would in case she gets busy at work. She just called me and said that she had just heard back from our doctor's office. Dr. Schieber said that if there was a concern regarding the blood test we had done at our last appointment, she would be the one that called us. However, if there was no worries, then one of her nurses would call. Linda got that call this morning from...the nurse! Hurray! She said that the blood work came back good and there was no concerns regarding Down Syndrome or Edwards Syndrome!

I really was not all that worried about it, which surprises me. I'm the one that worries about everything! Linda, on the other hand, said that she had horrible nightmares about it, especially last night. She said that she was surprised that she didn't wake me up. She said she woke up crying from the dreams. She said that she's cried more over the past 4 months than she has over her entire life. Linda is not a crier and can usually keep her emotions in check. I'm probably more of a crier than she is...and I haven't actually cried-cried in over a year or so. Although, I'm in the same boat somewhat. Since finding out Nugg is on the way, I find myself getting a bit more emotional about the thought of Nugg's arrival...I'll read something online or hear a story about a baby or child, and get that lump in my throat feeling. What's wrong with me?? Linda has her hormones to blame... What's my excuse??

What do you think?

Will McNugget be a boy or a girl? Put in your choice via the survey in the right column. You can vote up until the hour of our ultrasound that will give us the final answer.

Learning how to keep surprises

As you can tell from Brian's last post, we're pretty anxious to find out if Nugget is a boy or a girl. The fact that we thought we would get a sneak peak, tells you that we aren't too good at waiting for information or for the day that surprises are suppose to be revealed.

Case and point: Last year for Brian's birthday, I bought him a new camera. I bought it about a month before his actual birthday because of an awesome sale that was going on. I think I was able to keep the box unopened in the guest room for a grand total of 24 hours before I ended up giving it to Brian.

Brian's no better.

When we find something that we know the other is going to absolutely love or be so surprised over, we can't wait to give it to them.

Obviously, this is going to have to change with our child. We can't give Nugget a Christmas present the day after Thanksgiving just so we can see his/her face. And, it wouldn't be fair to give each other Christmas presents early if Nugget can't have his/her present. So, perhaps this will be the last Christmas where Brian and I get our presents in November or the first week of December.

Latest Doctor's Appointment

Linda & I had our latest doctor's appointment last Friday. Things went great! Dr. Schieber was able to listen to Nugg's heartbeat through just the Doppler, so there was no need to do an ultrasound, like we've had at every other doctor's visit. I was bummed. But, good thing was that we were able to hear the heartbeat and it was a strong 154 beats per minute! They also drew some of Linda's blood to test (a common standard test) for chromosomal abnormalities and what our risk was for things like Down Syndrome or Edwards Syndrome. I'm not worried about it though. We would love the Nugg no matter what. We will get those results by the end of this week or beginning of next.

I had my VHS tape and camera just in case they did an ultrasound and we could've been enlightened on whether Nugg is a boy or girl. But alas, we must wait til our next appointment...in 4 long weeks to find out. That appointment is a lengthy ultrasound when they go over the entire anatomy of the baby from head to foot to make sure everything looks good. The waiting is gonna kill me! According to an 'ancient' Chinese gender chart, which takes in account Linda's age at the time of conception and the month in which Nugg was conceived, Nugg has a 90% probability of being a boy. We ran the same analyzation on mine & Linda's birthdays...along with our nieces and nephew, our siblings...and it's all pretty accurate! As far as names go...I think we both have kind of put that topic on the back burner until we know what we're having...we both have our favorites, but nothing set in stone.

Today marks the 17th week of pregnancy. Nugg would weigh about the same as a turnip and is about 5 inches long from crown to rump. If you open your hand out wide, that would be about how big Nugg would be at the moment! Soft cartilage is turning to bone. Fingers and toes all now have their own unique prints... Nugg is also starting to get fat! Fat deposits are starting to insulate the tiny body which will help keep Nugg warm, along with aiding metabolism. The umbilical cord is strengthening and growing thicker. Nugg's sweat glands are also starting to form now. Nugg's ears continue to develop and move closer to their final spot on the side of the head... If we could see Nugg right now, the ears would protrude out a bit from the head. Think of the quintessential dorky kid in grade school that had big ears. Although, Linda & I don't have big ears that stick out, this is normal for a baby in utero and they will eventually lay more flush against the head.

Linda has finally agreed to let me start taking weekly pictures of her as she starts developing more of a noticeable baby bump! Look for those soon!!

Things to do...

As we gear up for the upcoming months, there's tons of stuff we need to get accomplished. One of those things is to register for items for the baby shower. Linda & I had the idea that this won't be the typical frilly baby shower with dumb games like "guess what is the melted candy bar in the diaper". Instead we are gonna have a fun party with friends, maybe at a bowling alley? That way it's more fun for couples and guys to come. People will bring gifts, but we won't open them right away and just have fun and hang out with each other instead. Linda had a night with girlfriends last night and came home to tell me that her & her girlfriends had tentatively set a date for February 20, 2010, for this baby shower. We will probably also have another one, a more typical baby shower with family on another date. Anyhow, I digress.

When we got married 4 years ago, Linda & I spent about 5 hours at Macy's trying to register for our wedding presents. This was fun for about the first hour-and-a-half, when we were getting used to using the registry scanner gun... At one point about 3 hours in, the Macy's clerks noticed we were still there and commented that we had been there for almost as long as they had been on their shift! Some of Linda's girlfriends are not married and don't have kids and have never used a registry gun. They want to go with us for this adventure so they can use the gun. They all have inundated my email inbox with plans. They are geeked out at the thought of using the scanner gun. They've joked that they will divide up in teams, with team colors and matching headbands. At least I really hope they are joking. After reading through all these humorous emails, I don't know what I'm in store for...three of Linda's girlfriends, with a more noticeable pregnant Linda who has stated she will be more susceptible to hunger and fatigue... Pre-pregnancy, if Linda was hungry, she had a hard time keeping in a good mood, multiply that ten fold, and it's a volatile mix.

Earlier this week, I mentioned to Linda about who's gonna be present in the delivery room. At first, Linda was considerably shy about having anyone in the delivery room...even me. She agreed that I alone would be the only one in there with her. Over the past few weeks she has come around to agree to let her mom in as well. I started thinking about my dad then too. It's not that I think everyone should be in there for the event... However, when my sister, Becky, had my niece...she only had Jeff, my mom and his mom in there with her. Since my mom has since passed away, I thought this would be a neat opportunity for dad to witness. I ran that idea by Linda, and she was okay with it, as long as they didn't have their heads in her crotch! Dad & I talked earlier this week and I mentioned it to him. Although, dad is also shy by nature and said he didn't know if he could handle that intensity of that moment, both emotionally and physically and gets somewhat queasy with the sights and sounds of what he might encounter in a delivery room, which is completely understandable. I told him he had an open invite though if he changes his mind.

This weeks update though, and I'm a little late since we are more closer to the 17th week now. But this past week's Nugg developments - Nugg would be about the size of an avocado, 4 ½ inches long and 3 ½ ounces. The legs are more developed and the head sits more erect upon the neck. The eyes have moved closer to the front of the head and the ears have moved to their final position, too. Nugg would be able to sense light now in the womb, in fact, Nugg would react to visual stimulation by shielding the eyes if a bright light were to appear. The tiny bones in the ears have also formed, so it is possible that Nugg may hear what Linda says - and will soon be able to pick up and recognize my voice! Nugg's bones continue to solidify, and now there's enough calcium in the bones that an X-ray would pick up their skeletal frame! The patterning of the scalp, along with sprouting eyebrows and eyelashes, has also continued. Toenails have also started to grow! Nugg's heart is now pumping 25 quarts of blood each day, and that amount will continue to increase during further development. Fascinating stuff!

Later today, we have another doctor's appointment... I'm hoping that we'll have another ultrasound, but I don't think we will. If that happens, we might see if Nugg is a boy or girl! If we have an ultrasound and/or news to share...I'll update later!

Linda vs. Maternity Clothes

I have come to the realization that maternity clothes are absolutely ridiculous. Just because I am pregnant does not mean I want to go around wearing girly-girl, short-sleeved (or sleeveless) tops that ACCENTUATE how big my stomach and boobs have become (AND WILL BECOME). Seriously, why is EVERYTHING so stinking low cut?

It's like designers of maternity clothes think that we quit our jobs in the corporate world as soon as we get a positive pregnancy test!

And for the clothes that are work appropriate, who here is willing to spend $50 on a shirt that will look ridiculous on you in a matter of months? That's just not practical.

I'm not complaining about the pants. The pants, they have managed to do a good job with. We need to work on the shirts. Better yet, get me some shirts that are reasonably priced and can be really classified as "Work Shirts."

I'm checking out a store this weekend that was recommended by a couple of friends. We'll see if I can win this battle of the maternity clothes, or if the bank account ends up taking a beating because I succumb to frustration, hunger and tiredness - as well as the need to have something moderately professional looking. Thank you God for sweaters and the fact that I am pregnant during the fall and winter.

Bulldozer Bulldozer BULLDOZER!

Too cute not to share. The video shows my nephew's reaction to his new bulldozer. Note how towards the end of the video his dad points out that there is, indeed, a truck in that present too. Brayden's response, "And a BULLDOZER!"

A case of two 3-year olds

Brian and I have a three-year old niece and a soon-to-be (tomorrow) three-year-old nephew. When our niece's first birthday party was coming up, I started to panic. What on Earth do you get a one-year-old these days?

A colleague at work told me about this place nearby called The Learning Tree. I went there and the staff was incredibly helpful. All I had to say was, "I need a present for a one-year-old girl," and they took me to that particular section, answered all my questions and even gift wrapped my selection for no extra charge.


Needless to say, this has been my store of choice for all birthdays and Christmas presents since then - and it isn't just the service. I love this store because it has some pretty unique gifts that I don't see in other stores. (And by "other stores," I mean Target as I have yet to step foot in a Toys 'R Us or Babies 'R Us)


Anyway, now that Brayden and Olivia are getting older, and developing their own tastes and opinions, the pressure is on for gifts! Especially Olivia, who has very discerning taste.


So, for Olivia's 3rd birthday, we decided we weren't going to get clothes because we had no idea if she - or her mom - would like them. We didn't want to get books, because I don't have a complete inventory on what she already has. To find her a proper gift, we headed back to The Learning Tree. We were in the for at least 90 minutes agonizing over a decision. Should we get this or that? Would she like that? Is that too flimsy? Too heavy? Etc. Would she be interested in this particular item for more than a week?

We ended up settling on a wooden castle that folds out. It had pink paint and clearly stated it was a "Princess Castle." It has a retractable draw bridge, and on the inside it has a stable for the animals and a dungeon, among other rooms.


This past weekend was Brayden's third birthday party. We went back to the store and were in there a total of 5 minutes before deciding on his present - a giant semi truck with a flat bed trailer hauling a bulldozer.


Boys are much easier to shop for than girls. For boys, all you need is something associated with trucks, trains or tractors and they are happy. Of course, when Brayden opened his present, we thought he would love the big semi-truck with the trailer. He didn't even notice it. All he saw was the bulldozer on top of it and he was happy. So, maybe when he's tired of the bulldozer, he'll be excited about the truck?


We're just happy that both Olivia and Brayden liked their presents and that neither can be catagorized as "noisy" toys - something we hope their parents consider when shopping for McNugget. :)

Manly? How's that "Manly"?

Friday, I was gonna make the weekly run to the grocery store to pick up "the essentials". Seems like whenever I do this, I end up spending $150+ on stuff... And I usually come home and realize I really hadn't bought anything. So I go out to my car, hop in, turn the engine and attempt to turn around in the neighbor-across-the-street's driveway...then I hear a distinctive "thu-thump, thu-thump" and my car seemed off kilter. Yep, I had a flat tire. That sucks. I knew I was needing to get it replaced due to my tires being bald, but in my usual nature, I had procrastinated in hope it would in someway heal itself. I nixed the store idea and pulled around back...and procrastinated some more. I could have changed the tire then and headed off to Walmart to spend loads of money on a new tire...and waits hours on end to have it fixed. I didn't feel like messing with it then. What also sucks, is I have a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am in which the tires are expensive. So I left my car there and decided to worry about it on Saturday morning.

I wake up Saturday morning to realized we are completely out of coffee too. Great. What a way to start the day. Linda agrees to follow me to Walmart after I change my tire, then we'll go have breakfast since she was craving strawberry French Toast from IHOP.

Let me enlighten you...I've actually never changed a tire by myself. My dad showed me how when I was 16 years old. The only other time I've actually had a flat tire was a few years ago at work, and one of my coworkers actually changed my tire then without my asking. He did it in less than 10 minutes. Yesterday morning, I fumbled around trying to figure out how the jack worked. I finally accomplished that and got the car jacked up only to realize that I should have loosened the lug nuts before raising the car. So I had to lower it back down. At this point I gain an audience. Linda came out to watch me...I think her hunger pangs were getting the best of her and this was her way of trying to hurry me up. I lower the car back down only to get the jack jammed under the wheel well. Linda suggests I call roadside assistance. I told her, "It's pretty sad when a guy doesn't know how to change a tire. I can do this." She shrugs it off. I finally get the jack out from underneath the car and try with all my might to torque loose the lug nuts. For some reason, and I still can't grasp this, Linda proclaims, "There's something sexy about that!" I ask her what she's talking about... She said, "Getting all dirty, working with your hands, being all manly." Gee, thanks. Guess she doesn't consider me 'manly' on a regular, daily basis? I'll blame it on her hormones.

After about 45 minutes of fiddling around with everything, I finally accomplished getting the spare on. I wonder how my coworker did this in under 10 minutes? But, I was pretty happy with myself...my dad would be proud of me. I hope that one day I'll be able to show how 'manly' I can be and teach the Nugg this stuff one day.

The Apple

Just like Linda, I've been slacking from updating the blog. No reason, really. Just been lazy. Been sinking into the "honeymoon phase" known as the 2nd trimester. Now that the worry of the 1st trimester is over, the worry (and risk) of miscarriage has subsided. Linda's been feeling lots better lately, so I kinda feel like we, or maybe, I am in the in between stage...

We both get email updates weekly from different pregnancy websites telling us what normally happens during that particular week in pregnancy. The one I depend on most, and that I've found is most informative is from BabyCenter. I also get email updates from TheBump. Anyhow, when Linda read this weeks email, she proclaimed, "I've got something the size of an apple in me?!" An apple? It does seem pretty big when have an apple in your hands. But I suppose so.

Linda felt Nugg move for the first time on Tuesday! According to those pregnancy websites it does state that it is possible to feel the baby move, called quickening, for the first time in this phase. Linda wrote a blog about it as well. It is amazing to think of this little creature (for lack of a better term) moving and bouncing around in there. It's exciting! I'm still absolutely amazed by the whole thing. Those websites also say that, even though it's still early, it might be possible to determine the sex of the baby. Our next doctor's appointment is slated for October 23rd. I'm hoping that maybe, just maybe, we'll get an ultrasound and they might be able to shed some light on that news...however we will definitely find out on our November 20th appointment, when we have the big ultrasound. Either way, as I've said before, I don't care what gender Nugg is as long as they are healthy. BUT...if I could choose the gender, I'm hoping for a boy. Me, my sister Becky, my dad and Linda's sister-in-law all have a feeling Nugg is a boy. After playing around on the internet and deciphering some of the gender predictor tests and quizzes, the majority of them state Nugg will be a girl. The anxiety of not knowing kills me though... I have a great idea on how to surprise our families with this news since it'll be right around Thanksgiving.

Yesterday, for whatever reason...and it's still early to think about this really...I started thinking about who we might choose for Nugg's godparents. Linda & I talked about that last night. Linda is Catholic...I am Presbyterian. We did get married in the Catholic church, only after jumping through many hoops. We don't attend church regularly though...although I'd like that to change once Nugg arrives. Both of us attended church when we were growing up...and I believe that is a good experience for child development. I wonder how that'll be when we get Nugg baptized though. Linda would like to have both godparents to be of the Catholic faith...and I don't think there's any way around that with the Catholic church.

This week in the womb - like I stated, Nugg would weigh about the same as an apple, approximately 2 ½ ounces and be about 4 inches long. Nugg is still inhaling amniotic fluid through the nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in the lungs develop. The legs are growing longer than the arms now, and all the joints and limbs can move. Nugg's eyelids are still fused shut, however, they can now sense light. If we were to hold a flashlight up to Linda's tummy, Nugg would likely move away from the beam. Taste buds are now forming, however, there is not much for the Nugg to taste. Nugg's hair on the scalp and in the eyebrows will begin to sprout. If we have an ultrasound at our next appointment, we might be able to catch Nugg sucking their thumb!

Then and Now

A lot has changed in the last 3-4 months. Here's a run down of some observations.

1. My belly sticks out about as far or a little further than it did before (I admit, I had a few -ok 30 - pounds I could stand to lose). The difference is now I can't suck it in.

2. Loved sweets - hence the 30 pounds I could stand to lose - then. A pint of Ben & Jerry's lasted no more than 24 hours in our house. Now, I've been nursing the same pint for two weeks. I don't even take it into the living room. I open it, have two teaspoons and put it back. A lot of sweets - even cookies - makes me feel like I am going to throw up. Freshly chopped pineapple is my new favorite snack.

3. Then, I only required 4-6 hours of sleep to be able to function, but preferred a minimum of 8. Now, I need about 10 hours of sleep to function, but prefer 12.

4. Then, I looked forward to happy hour nights with girlfriends and dinners at new restaurants with Brian. Now, I get excited about bowel movements that I don't have to "strain for." Sorry, I'm sure that is TMI for some of you, but for other moms or moms-to-be that read this blog, you know what I'm talking about.

5. Then, blouses that I wore to work were tucked into my suit pants. Now, it is impossible to tuck in maternity clothes and I can only dream of the days when I could wear a suit. Now, its khakis, a white shirt and a sweater.

My own little muse

So, I woke up this morning before my alarm went off and was laying in bed thinking about how I needed to post something on this blog. It had been while. I couldn't think of anything. And then all of a sudden I felt the faintest little tap tap tap on my stomache just above my belly button!

Was that McNugget? All the pregnancy week-by-week postings say that it is possible to start feeling the baby move around at this stage, but we might not know what it is at first or think it is gas. I am quite confident that it was not gas. I've had enough of that lately to be certain what that feels like.

I was caught of guard when I felt it, I tried to lay very still and see if it happened again, but then my stupid alarm went off and I had to move to turn it off before it woke up Brian. Which, in retrospect was kind of stupid because I woke him up anyway to tell him I felt McNugget be-boppin around!

It made me think of our last ultrasound when it seemed Nugg was doing laps up and down and all around and I thought it was so weird to see our baby moving around and not be able to feel it. We weren't scheduled to get an ultrasound that day, but because Nugg was moving around so much, the doctor couldn't pick up the heartbeat on Doppler so she did an ultrasound just to be sure everything was cool. Nugg is a bouncy little baby!

So this was an exciting milestone and it totally solved the problem of "What on Earth am I going to write about today?"

Fun little coincidence that may only amuse me: My Flintstone vitamin character today was Bam Bam!

The Honeymoon Phase

We officially entered the 2nd trimester yesterday! So glad that milestone is here! They say that the 2nd trimester is considered the honeymoon phase because the pregnancy symptoms seem to subside. I hope so. Linda has been feeling like hell the past few weeks...with morning sickness mostly. I wonder why they call it morning sickness when it really strikes at anytime...and for Linda it has been mostly in the evening when she's revisiting her sorority college experience by praying to the porcelain god. But the 2nd trimester, so the experts say, is when all her energy returns and the nausea subsides, she gets her appetite back and feels pretty good considering all that her body is going through. Plus the chance of miscarriage significantly drops. It's hard to believe the Nugg will be here in about 6 months now! I've gotten accustomed to the notion of being a dad. Of course, once the Nugg arrives, I'm sure I'll have no idea what to do and will have a bit of a freak-out stage then. I just wish April would hurry up and get here!

The 14th week is here now. So that means the Nugg can squint, frown, grimace, pee and possibly suck their thumb! The brain sends impulses to the facial muscles and in response Nugg's face is getting a workout as their tiny features form different expressions. The kidneys are now producing urine, which is released into the amniotic fluid around them. Kinda gross to think about...the Nugg will then swallow that same amniotic fluid (mixed with pee), and the process repeats itself. I guess we've all been there and done that, huh? The Nugg can also now grasp and if we had an ultrasound scheduled around this time (but we don't), we might catch a glimpse of Nugg sucking their thumb! However, our last ultrasound was last week...and we just were able to see the Nugg move and wiggle around.

Of course, Nugg continues to grow and stretch out. From head to bottom, Nugg would be about 3 ½ inches long, about the size of a lemon, and would way about 1 ½ ounces. As of now, the body is growing faster than the head, which by now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, Nugg's arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of the body. The legs still have some lengthening to do. Lanugo is also starting to form over Nugg's body. The liver has started to make bile. The spleen has started production of red blood cells.

181 days left til April 4th!

Light at the end of the tunnel

So I haven't written much lately because I felt HORRIBLE. I was always fine in the morning, but by mid-afternoon my day would always start to take a downhill turn. I'm entering my 14th week, which means we made it through the first trimester! I'm hoping this is the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel everyone has been telling me about.

"Oh, once you hit your second trimester, you get your energy back, you aren't sick anymore, its great," said many people who've been there and done that. It hasn't kicked in yet for me.

The last two weeks more dinners came back up than stayed down. Since, my doctor recommended I take my vitamins at night because of the whole iron thing, I discovered this was the straw that would break the camel's back every evening.

I always feel sick in the evening, but when I take those stinkin vitamins at night, they always pushed me over the edge and I would end up spending some quality time with the toilet. I've now switched vitamins.

My sister-in-law had similar struggles with the vitamins when she was pregnant and her doctor recommended taking Flinstones vitamins. When you compare the labels, all the essentials are in there at the same percent daily values. I still take the additional folic acid supplement. No puking.

In fact, no puking since Friday! Granted, I still feel sick on some nights, but I can handle snuggling up on the couch with Truman at night. It's barfing that really sucks. And, I get the whole added anticipation of which Flintstone's character will it be? For today, it was the Martian dude. Here's hoping Tuesday brings Bam Bam.