week 13.. baby's first visit to Iowa!

peach... check!
almost 3 inches long... check!
fingerprints... check!
formation of teeth and vocal chords... check!
2+ millions eggs in her ovaries (if she's a girl)... check!

I'm technically wrapping up the 1st trimester and going to the 2nd trimester! I feel a-ok and cannot complain!

This past weekend we went to Iowa and spent some time with friends and celebrating Megan & Mike's engagement party. Here are some pictures...

Mike, me, and Megan

Danielle, Alexis, and me

Me, Megan, and Annie

Watching the game at Joe's Place ... shot time. Dave, Alexis, Megan, and Adam

Dave thinking he's GQ. downtown Iowa City

I'm looking forward to this weekend. I will see some old LTF Friends on Friday night so I'll tell them I'm nearly 14 weeks pregnant there. And, on Saturday we'll be seeing my family at my parents house. It'll be nice telling my aunt, uncle, cousin and seeing Mason again! I'm sure he's really big. He's nearly 3 months old!! 

All in all... things are great here. I'm feeling 100%. :) Hopefully my 2nd trimester will be as easy as my 1st was! :)

Hearing the heartbeat

Dave and I went to my 2nd appointment at DuPage Medical Group, in Edward Hospital, yesterday 10-27-10.

He took a personal day off work so he could come. Afterall, this would be the appointment where Dave and I HEAR THE HEARTBEAT. We got there at 10:50 a.m. and got called up at about 11:25ish.. grr. I really hate waiting. ESPECIALLY SINCE I HAVE 60 MINUTES FOR A LUNCH BREAK. I didn't have time to really ask a lot of questions and same with Dave. This appointment lasted all of 13 minutes!! Between getting weighed (+5 lbs from last appt.), blood pressure was good, urine sample, and then the heart machine came out :) and it was overall, a quick appointment.  It took a few minutes to find...

but there IT was. the heart beat. The nurse said, "usually you don't hear it this well". She said it was 160 bpm. Very good! Dave looked really happy and I was extremely relieved. Now, we are 'statistically speaking' in the clear. There is <2% chance of a miscarriage in addition to the fact that most miscarriages happen in the first trimester. We are in our 2nd trimester.

The doctor then came in after all my stats were done! Dave met the Dr. Pete Weeks. Dave likes him a lot! The doc asked how I was feeling. I said "like I'm not even pregnant". He asked "are you tired????" I said "no". I told him "besides a cold I had last week, I'm not feeling anything out of the ordinary." Then he went over my results from my blood work. I'm A +. That is good for the baby since I'm not RH negative (-). He said all my blood tests, HIV, and STD tests came back negative as well. :) woo hoo! He told me "you're a rockstar!'. :) This made me happy. I'm also excited to know my blood type. I was always curious.

This Saturday the baby is the size of a PEACH! We are 13 weeks on 10-30-10!

Dave later told me, he told a friend how fast the heart beat was, and she told Dave... "Fast heart beats usually mean it's a boy". LOL :)

We'll see.

In other related news, Leah, my roomie from NIU. Had her baby last night 10-27-10!  On Saturday, when we last spoke, she was 5 cm already so she knew it'd be soon and her doctor said get to the hospital as soon as you feel discomfort.  Landon Bernard Maura was 7 lbs, 6 oz. 20.5 inches, and born at 10:39 p.m. Leah's parents Roger/Kathy were there in additon to Leah's big brother, Eric and his wife Jackie!

Leah got to Good Shepard hospital in Barrington at 7:30 p.m. Got the epidural at 9:00, and started pushing at 10:00 and out he came at 10:39 p.m. ! PRETTY QUICK FOR A FIRST PREGNANCY! Now.. Leah's the rockstar. And I called it, I knew she'd have a boy. I had a feeling!!!!

I hope our birthing story is similar to Leah's! Leah is doing great and feels fine! :)

Baby Nash's name

So our lil, nearly 12 week old, Georgie Nash has a name... on November 11th when the sex is determined we can finally discuss some more.

First off: size update: 12 WEEKS = size of a plum... next week... peach ;) stay tuned.

Dave and I went out to eat to Sweet Tomatoes on Wednesday night. I was craving salad and corn bread! yum!

We discussed names.. here are the ones we agreed on... and in order. What's your vote!?!?

We didn't really look at MEANING. We looked into 'family names' and then what sounded nice with Nash. I love all Irish names! Dave likes names that don't remind him of annoying students past/present! lol. SO many name are ruined for Dave. Sadly.

Without further a-do...

Baby Boy Nash Names:

1. Brady Alan Nash
2. Andrew Theodore Nash
3. Micah James/Theodore Nash
4. James Alan/Theodre Nash

Baby Girl Nash Names:

1. Ellie Grace Nash.. on the birth certificate it'll read Elisabeth Grace Nash but we'll call her Ellie and all monograming/announcements will be Ellie as to not get people into the Beth/Liz/Lizzie nickname habits
2. Avery Grace Nash
1. we also like Mary/Claire/Mae as a middle name

I also like Ella, Elle, Ellianna, Caitlin, & Peyton for girls too. Ellie is our #1 agreed-upon-name though with Avery being our back up in case she comes out and looks more like an Avery than an Ellie. I've loved the name Ellie since high school.. when I saw the movie Contact in Mr. Aiken's earth science class in 10th grade. I loved the character Ellie Arroway and have loved the name Ellie since. I have 2 gfs that named their daugthers Ellianna and Elliott... "ellie" but none in Illinois yet. So I'm hoping Ellie is still unique and not-top-10 by the time we have a daughter.

I've always love the name James and Micah for a boy. Dave and I agreed as Brady as our #1 name though. So we'll see..

t- 1 day until I'm 3 months!

Today I'm 11 weeks 6 days pregnant. Or nearly 3 months! I will have to post a picture of what I look like from the side. I notice nothing but ya never know. We are approaching the end of the statistically-dreadful 1st trimester. I'm excited for 10/23/10 because that officially is the end of the 1st trimester  according to my droid cell phone application! LOL.

I got my 11 week email on Saturday and it says what is going on:
"By now, you're surely familiar with the prenatal symphony of burps, flatulence, and rumbling tummy. Small, frequent meals should help with the discomfort. And make sure to eat and drink slowly to prevent swallowing extra air. You'll later use this technique when feeding baby! Prenatal yoga can also help settle down your belly and -- side benefit -- soothe those mood swings."

On Saturday and early this week.. it didn't really apply to me..

but the last 2 nights... I HAVE BEEN SO BURPY! I even had this horrible lump in my throat and a little bit higher than my sternum but near the clavicle.. I don't think it was acid reflux as nothing 'burned' and nothing came up. I still have yet to experience nauseau. I have not vomitted either. :) :) Go me! However, I did feel really uneasy yesterday, Wednesday with this lump and burping.

Plus, the Cold fairy delivered me my first cold since February! and first cold of the pregnancy! I think a coworker, Barb gave it to me as I haven't been around anyone sick lately! She however frequents the kitchen section in our sales department. Her ass also is a workaholic and doesn't understand the concept of staying home if you are sick. I'd stay home if my company gave me more than 3 sick days a year! But, I used my last one in September so I'm spreading the LOVE to my coworkers. According to my Dr. I can take mucinex and non-alcohol cough syrups... then according to the pharmacist I should do nothing the first trimester but liquids/rest. So here I am, on day 5 of my cold. No drugs and spreading the disease! It definately could be worse though. I've been sneezing, coughing, blowing my nose like crazy, and overall just feeling not 100% this week.

More updates on the baby size:

• 1 1/2 inches long
• size of a fig
• the hands will soon open and close into fists
• tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums
• some of her bones are beginning to harden
• she's busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet
• You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two -- nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

Not my baby, but an example of what it looks like from http://www.babycenter.com/

now let's say it together... awwwww!

nursery details

So I've been very very good. I have not bought anything yet for baby.

I did spend some time yesterday perusing the Internet. Lo and Behold I found an adorable NEUTRAL bed set. If Dave and I were to make our nursery for a girl.. I really like the Penelope bedding from PBK. It's got cute little morning doves or small birds on it. Green/pink/yellow.

If Dave and I were to decorate for a boys nursery I really like the airplane look. I prefer soft colors as opposed to bright colors.

Here's the bedroom set I adore. It's at buybuybaby. What do you think? I doubt we'll buy white furniture. I think we'd prefer the dark espresso furniture. We'll see.

Here's what I love about this set.. It's neutral, soft tones, beautiful textures, and it's got that quilting effect I adore. :) It took awhile to find it.

I think we'll register for :

• 4 piece crib set (bumper, sheet, quilt, and dust ruffle)
• mobile
• mobile arm/cloth cover
• patch pillow to go with a glider potentially
• 3 piece block window set w/ ducky
• valance
• window panel drapery

I know we are buying a crib and a dresser. We also will buy a full sized bed for the room for when grandma wants to sleep over and help. Storage will be key with this nursery.. I need shelving/baskets under the crib in addition to underneath the full size bed. So I think I can splurge and get the valance & window panels since we aren't buying a changing station/dresser. If we can squeeze it into the room a bookshelf with lamp and a glider too! 

I'm envisioning at this time: white block lettering over the crib. I want to get some book shelves for keepsakes like 'baby booties bronzed', piggy bank, a plate with me/length/weight/time of birth/birth date/ and foot prints, photo album,  and a memory box for the loose stuff that we'll acquire like hospital bracelet,  'baby's first hair cut', 'first tooth', etc. I also think I want to get another trio of frames for my 8 month maternity pictures, mom/dad picture, and baby's first photo shoot in Edwards Hospital.

I also like the idea of taking a football/softball/baseball/  and having the baby's foot print over it. I think Dave would like this since he was really active with little league but loves football now. I liked to swim as a kid and did swimming/waterpolo in high school but you can't really put a foot print over water. LoL. One thing is for certain, our kid will be a fishy for sure. Dave loved swiming as a kid too and was apparently awlays tan! So I think 2 fishies are going to product a guppy for sure.

http://www.etsy.com/ is a cute, crafty website to get inspiration

http://www.uppercaseliving.com/ is another website where they have cute nursery/play room ideas. we'll see...

I like this for over a crib/ dresser.

I like this for over a book shelf

Chili Cookoff & Gender discussions

4th Annual Chili Cookoff was another success!! :) Everything turned out great and our loved family members and friends came over too. It was fun seeing everyone help themselves to the chili! Mum was the word about me being a mommy this day. We are looking forward to telling my family when see each other in November and seeing ALL of Dave's family at Lynn/Brian's house for Thanksgiving! It's quite easy for me to keep this secret to be quite honest. I don't really look or feel pregnant, in my opinion. I've read that most women, by this point, have food temptations, extreme exhaustion, in addition to nausea.. and FORTUNATELY, I've experienced none of those. I'm an extremely picky eater so it's easy for me to skip out on alcohol, sushi, feta cheese, deli meats, and certain types of fish. I don't eat any of that! Dave told me he told Joe and Rob while playing beer pong on Saturday. LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS! grrr... Dave is really excited about becoming a father and he does not understand why I want to wait until we hear the heart beat on 10/27/10 and are in our 2nd trimester. I then think... hmm why do 50% of women wait? Oh! that's right because a lot can happen that first trimester and if I miscarry I don't want to have a million conversations with my friends/family about our loss. It's too sad so I want to keep my conversations to a minimum in the case something happens. I'm really realistic. 1 out of 5 women miscarry. It happens! It's super common so I take this pregnancy, a day at a time.

So on Saturday, 10/9/10 at the chili cookoff... I got my emails.

I'M 10 WEEKS ALONG. YIPPEEEEEEEE!  206 days left according to my countdown.

Some highlights this week I found interesting are:

1. He / she is the size of a kumquat or prune! What a funny word... kumquat.
2. He / she is little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.
3. If you were to look inside my womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.
4. Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body.
5. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord.
6. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body.
7. From crown to rump- he/she is about  1 1/4 inches long.
8. IN THE COMING WEEKS, MY BABY WILL AGAIN DOUBLE IN SIZE--- TO NEARLY 3 INCHES.

Another thing interesting is this little tool on www.thebump.com.. according to the chinese gender chart IT'S A GIRL!!!! Honestly, I want a girl so bad! So this would be like the ultimate gift ever... Dave and I don't have sisters so I think having a daughter would be the coolest thing ever. I love doing hair, makeup, nails, and all those girly things so it'd be nice to develop that relationship with a daughter, of my own. :) Plus, Dave has this student, Lily, and Dave says "she is just the sweetest, most happiest, kindest kid ever" so he'd like a princess too. I think he wants a boy but I think he'd be happy with either to be quite honest.

I know, I know, the mommy thing to say is that I'd be happy with any child as long as it's healthy. So I will say that but deep down.. Hope for a girl. :P Dave is determined to call it "he" and "Georgie" at all times even when he finds out the sex of the baby soon. Here's the chart with my 27 yrs old/ month of conception filled in:

Speaking of finding out the sex of the baby. WE SET THE APPOINTMENT UP YESTERDAY with www.oakparkultrasound.com. Gosh it is hard to believe in less than a month we can know what we are having.  So, on  11/11/10 at 6:30 p.m. we have a reservation. My friend Julie recommended I pay the $39 and $15 for the DVD to get the sneak peek at 15 weeks and not at 20 weeks! She said it was totally worth it and she is pumped about her little boy. Dave is going to find out the sex of the baby and keep his lips shut.

I'm pretty sure I don't want to know the sex of the baby. I'm planning on bringing my i-pod and a blindfold so really I'm just the storage facility!! Haha... I'd love to be surprised. Hopefully, I can resist the temptation. Dave's parents also want to be surprised. One thing is for sure. NO ONE ELSE will find out the sex of the baby. So don't ask!! :) :) :) We'll register for all neutral stuff, paint the nursery neutral, and May 7th we'll know what our little peanut is!



email announcements

I really really adore getting my 'YOU ARE NOW 9 WEEKS PREGNANT' emails.

It is so exciting to see week-by-week the news of what's going on 'in there'. It's crazy. Some highlights I received from my 3 weekly emails from thebump.com, babycenter.com, and fitpregnancy.com:

• Your new resident is nearly an inch long -- about the size of a grape -- and weighs just a fraction of an ounce.
• Your little embryo has now officially graduated to fetus-hood.
• Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form -- as do her tiny teeth.

My baby has teeth?! CRAZZYYYYYYY. Dave and I both have pretty decent teeth and a nice smile so I'm fine with which ever genes won the battle with this baby. LOL.

• The embryonic "tail" is completely gone.

When Dave saw the first pic of Georgie.. he saw the 'tail' and assumed 'penis'. So he's confident it's a boy and that "his boys can swim!

• Congratulations, your uterus has swollen to the size of a softball! Looking in the mirror, your shape has definitely changed: less waist and more chest.

Here is where I'll make my comments. It is hard to fathom my uterus is the size of a softball. I look down and don't feel I've grown that much. Note to self: start taking weekly pictures this Saturday morning! I do not think my shape has changed. LOL. If anything I looke curvier/fluffier. LOL. I definately do not see a bump!

In other related news... I went shopping for the first time, in a very long time, on Saturday. I hit up Macy's & Nordstrom Rack with gift card in hand. I found 3 shirts in Nordstrom Rack.. thank you Dave and Linda/Ted for the 28th birthday gift cards! They should work until well, I can't fit in them anymore. Nordstrom Rack sadly does not have a maternity section but so many 'in-style' clothes are tunic style/ long/ cut empire wasted so it'll grow! I also bought 1 pair of maternity jeans from Macy's and one top! I then hit up Carson's for their bonus/Lancome and had to buy some foundation. It's sad that 1 bottle cost $42.00! It's ok... I also got a bonus and used a Fox Valley Mall gift card. With baby on the way, I'm really trying to cut down our credit card purchases.

On Thursday, Julie Franklin and I met up at Uncle Julio's in Oak Brook! I hadn't seen her since November 2009 so a lot had changed and we had to catch up. She's PREGNANT! and due I think in early March. After she spoke a lil bit I spilled my beans, about my mini bean. She was totally shocked! happy! elated! and very supportive! :) :) I'm glad I decided on my new rule 'ONLY TELL PEOPLE FACE-TO-FACE'! It's too awesome to see their reaction and miss out on it over the phone. She's about 17 weeks or so, she looks considerably pregnant. She gave me some excellent tips like wearing sports bras, what books to buy, and not to freak out at everything I read. :) She's great! I left with 2 taco babies and 1 fetus! Boy was I full! LoL!

I also found out on facebook that Emily Riviere-Kerous is preggers with TWINS! She's due March 2011 like Julie! I'm really happy for her and her hubs! Caitlin and her siblings will be excellent aunties/uncle to the lil ones. :) So that's more baby news there! I'm planning on telling Caitlin, and our friend Jackie on 10-21-10 over dinner. Jackie is in town from St Louis so it'll be nice seeing them both and telling them both in person :) :)

This Saturday is our 4th ANNUAL CHILI COOKOFF! Should be a blast! Though, I'll see a lot of friends/family this night I don't want to spill the beans to them as no one in Dave's extended family or mine know I'm pregnant yet and we were saving that for Thanksgiving! We're still thinking of creative ways to tell them :)