Josh, Sharla, & Jackson

I'm not a big Oprah fan, but I'm going to jack her style for this blog post and copy the "favorite things" topic. In no particular order of importance, these are the things I've found most important to have thus far in my pregnancy.

Tons of books, magazines, & websites

In general, I like to be inundated with information. It goes along with my Type A personality. I have a constant need for a wealth of information, and must be well informed on anything going on with my life, health, or the baby. So I'm constantly reading books to find out what the next week or month will bring in the pregnancy, or flipping through a magazine looking for items I might want to buy for the baby, or all over the internet reading about various topics related to the baby and pregnancy. I already have my favorite websites listed on the main page of the blog, and I've done a separate blog post on my favorite books and magazines. I must say, I need to add a couple of books though, that I've just recently added to my collection: I'm Pregnant & Consumer Reports Best Baby Products.

Bella Bands

These basic stretchy bands of fabric are nothing short of AMAZING. I've been wearing them regularly almost through the entire pregnancy - in the beginning to hold up my regular pants that weren't completely buttoned, and now to hold up my maternity pants that aren't quite snug enough. I have the black, beige, and white regular styles (they also come in lace bottom if you want lace to peek out beneath your shirt). They have tons of colors to choose from too. Highly recommend!!

B₆ Prescription

This miracle drug was a must-have for me in the first trimester! I was nauseous every single day, beginning in week 5, and couldn't do much more than lay on the couch if I wasn't at work. My dr prescribed a low dosage of B₆ to take 3 times a day, and it was awesome! The nausea completely went away! I tried all kinds of other remedies that didn't work for me - ginger cookies, sea bands, you name it. This stuff is a must have for the first trimester.

Prenatal Vitamin

There's no question about this one --- it's a must have on the list! I take it every morning, knowing that everything in it is important for Baby Teeny's health and development!

Google Searches

Google's search engine has always been one of my favorite things, but even more so, now, while pregnant. I'm constantly googling things like "fetus heart rates," "difference between snoogle original and snoogle deluxe," and "titled uterus" to find out everything I can about this pregnancy. And I use the google image search to find many of the pictures for the blog. I use the google toolbar on my browser multiple times a day. Love it!

Fertility Friend

This site has been with me since before day 1 - they have a detailed ovulation tracker that we used to help us conceive and they also have a pregnancy tracker as well. I am on this site multiple times a day looking at the message boards, daily tidbits of information, ultrasound gallery, and other random things. This site is great!

Destination Maternity

I just recently discovered this store / spa / learning center combination. There's one about 30 miles from me in Charlotte, and I love it! I go to a prenatal yoga class almost every Saturday (free of charge!) and I have found some great clothes - their selection is great. They carry Motherhood Maternity, Mimi Maternity, and a Pea in the Pod apparel. Definitely a pregnancy must-shop!

The Belly Book Journal

I knew I wanted to keep a journal detailing everything through the pregnancy, but I had trouble finding one in the bookstores that was my style. The Belly Book was the only one that I liked! It has a spot for a belly picture and update each week of the pregnancy, pages for each dr visit and ultrasound, and a few other detailed pages to record all the milestones in. And it includes fun questions like "My energy level has been: __ relatively normal, ___ a bit sluggish, ___ can't even complete a senten" and My appetite is currently the size of: ___ Rhode Island, ___ Texas, ___ the Louisiana Purchase." And it's really colorful and doesn't have all the goofy baby clip art and nauseating designs like many of the other books (hint hidden here - I despise all the typical baby stuff, like cutesy patterns on bedding, clothes, and other items --- especially all that Pooh junk -- barf -- no offense to those who do like those types of things, just not for me at all).

Not much new to report this week. I did get a Snoogle pillow to help me sleep better at night, and it definitely helps - although I'm still getting used to sleeping with it.

And Baby Teeny is still growing. I've almost completely given up on my pre-pregnancy wardrobe; even though I can still squeeze into some things with the Bella Bands, the clothes are uncomfortable and make me look pudgy rather than preggers, so I'm mostly wearing maternity at this point.

I did the prenatal yoga class again this week. It was a different teacher this time, but I still really enjoyed it!

There are lots of things to look forward to next week - our 16 week dr. appt and Amy is coming to visit!

Here's the 15 weeks belly pic:

((( I found a geek quiz online while I was bored today -- we are pretty geeky! )))

I just love that we're both geeky :) What kind of baby geek will Teeny be???

JOSH -
60% Geek

SHARLA - 42% Geek

We'll be sure to start Teeny out right with some onesies like these:

Mom, Angie (my sister), & Nathan (my nephew Wayne's baby) stopped by the house on Saturday for a bit. Nathan is such a cutie! He was purely engrossed with Mocha, who pretty much paid him no attention at all. He's ready to be mobile - a bit of a crawler, but mostly wants to walk, even though he's not steady enough on his legs yet.

Here are some pictures from Saturday:

Happy Birthday to Mocha - she is 2 years old today!

We started out the festivities by just getting all excited & putting her party hat on. It wasn't easy getting a good picture, but cheese can do wonders (and was a special birthday treat).

The other party guests weren't as enthused :)

But Mocha was most excited to play with her new toy!

I am loving the 2nd trimester!! No more nausea and fatigue! And the belly is starting to look more like a preggers belly and less like a bloated, pudgy tummy :) Although this trimester has started to show its downsides a bit - sleep issues (tossing & turning a lot - but I've ordered a pregnancy body pillow that should help), and slight aches and pains in my back and head at odd times. It's still a breeze compared to the first few months!

I went to my first prenatal yoga class at Destination Maternity on Saturday - I loved it! The teacher was great and it was nice to be amidst other pregnant ladies. Even though there were only 15 people in the class, there was a wide range of pregnancy stages (I was worried I'd be the lame early girl with all the big bellies, but not the case at all!). And I really enjoyed the actual workout - it was still a great workout (I was also worried it would be too slow or too easy). And the best part - the class is FREE! And I can go as much as I want for FREE!. The only downside is that the store is in Charlotte, about 30 miles from my house, so it's a bit of a trek to go there and back each Saturday. But since it's free, I'll only be spending gas money. I'm planning to go most Saturdays.

After the yoga class was over, I spent about an hour shopping in the store - the store is fabulous too! (I promise I don't work in marketing or sales for Destination Maternity). They have a variety of brands including Motherhood, Mimi, & A Pea in the Pod, among some other designers ($200 7 Jeans -- I think not). I did manage to score some khaki capris, a denim skirt, some gray work pants, a polo shirt, some khaki pants, and some undies - all for great prices! I've got a nice little maternity wardrobe built up (until the cold weather kicks in).

Josh & I decided to get a gender determination ultrasound sooner than what our doctor's office will provide (20 weeks - the end of September), so we made an appointment at Fetal Fotos in Charlotte. Our appointment is for Sep. 8th, which will be the end of 17 weeks. We're hoping we get a good clear picture of whether blue or pink is in the future!

Here's the 14 weeks belly pic:

We're excited to be in the 2nd trimester!!

We had another dr. visit this week for a standard check up. It was rather routine. We started out with the nurse, who measured my weight (gained 2 lbs so far total), my blood pressure (normal), and took a urine sample. Then she used the doppler to find Baby Teeny's heart beat - it was hard to find, since the baby is so small right now, but we heard it on the machine, and it was at a healthy 156 beats per minute. Then Dr. Lynch came in and did some basic check ups, including feeling my uterus through my abdomen. Then I finished out the visit by giving blood for the basic prenatal tests - but they had to take 5 vials, so it took a while! We scheduled our next appointment for Aug. 31st to have another basic check up and the tetra screen, but I'll be seeing a different doctor, so that I can begin to meet everyone in the practice - Dr. Wilcox. We will be scheduling the BIG ultrasound (gender determination) 4 weeks after our next appointment, so it will be the last week in September.

Josh took me out on a birthday date on Saturday - we went to see the Harry Potter movie in the afternoon, then headed over to SouthPark mall to check out the Pottery Barn Kids store and shopped around for a bit, and then we finished out the day with dinner at Ruth's Chris - my manager had given me a gift card for my recent work on our offsite meeting. It was a great date! Here's a pic of us before our date:

Here's the 13 week belly pic:

My 25th birthday was this past Wednesday - it was a great one! I got some great cards & gifts. Here are a sampling of the funny ones:

- "B is for Biatch" from Amy - I love it!

- a handmade Extras card from Christy - one of my favorite shows! And since I miss it so much, here's a super funny clip (it's my birthday - I'll blog what I want, right?)

Josh was such a sweetie on my birthday too - he made sure to tell me happy birthday the first time I woke up (at 5:00 am when I had to pee), he surprised me with flowers when I came down to leave for work, and then he gave me an awesome gift - the Cinda B Weekender bag I had wanted! I'll be sure to use it on our trip to Savannah in Sep. and our couples trip to the mountains in Oct. ---- and I didn't even realize it, but it will be a great hospital bag!

And, it just so happened that I wore my first true maternity shirt to work on my birthday - here's a pic:

This came in my weekly email from Baby Center - it had me laughing!

Belly Laughs:

The five best prenatal yoga postures

• The Pringle. Lie on your back with a can of chips balanced on your stomach. See if you can eat them all before you fall asleep.
• The Sneeze. As the sneeze approaches, squeeze your knees together, breathe in and out, and try to remember what it used to feel like to "hold it in." Keep this pose while you hobble to the bathroom to change your underwear.
• The Calf Cramp. Try to stretch around your belly and rub your leg while simultaneously screaming loudly enough to wake everyone in your zip code.
• The Pesto Burp. Bring your chin to your chest and exhale as silently as you can through your closed mouth. Reward yourself with a nice, meditative Fudgesicle.
• The Sleeping Hip. Lie on your side until you lose all feeling. Roll onto your other side and repeat. Namaste!

I'm loving these weeks as of late with minimal (disruptive) symptoms! Seems like foreshadowing for a great 2nd trimester!!

I told everyone at work this week, so there are no more secrets. Everyone is really excited for us!

Since I don't have much to update on this week, I'm going to give a shout-out to my favorite preggers reading material (my favorite websites are already listed on the main blog page).

Magazines:
american baby
Pregnancy

Books:
Darn Good Pregnancy Advice
The Unofficial Guide to Having a Baby
What to Expect When You're Expecting

Josh's "Dad" Books:
The Expectant Father
My Boys Can Swim!

Here's the 12 weeks belly pic. Also - check out the belly pics gallery - we just updated it!

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Sharla's Favorite Things - Preggers Edition

15 Weeks

Mr. & Mrs. Geek

Nathan's Such a Cutie

Happy Birthday Mocha!

14 Weeks

13 Weeks

Sharla's Half Way to 30!

Preggers Laughs

12 Weeks