Nature Nusery

Finally the room is almost complete!  After the hustle and bustle of Christmas, GiGi helped me put up the tree in the nursery.  I've had the tree for about two months now but the feat of putting it up was overwhelming.  Now the finished product looks great!  All of the furniture is complete with a new crib and the cradle which was beautifully finished by GiGi and the room is nearly ready.  With a little over 3 weeks left, we just need the baby to determine what crib bedding we are going to use.

Grandma is also going to help this upcoming weekend by making a beautiful cushion for the rocking chair and the cradle. She is a master sewer and does a great job!  I cant' wait until the nursery is complete!

Doctor visit this week says the baby is in position so hopefully Little P will arrive right on time.  As Evan says he wants it get out of 'baby jail'.  I think he just wants to play with it!  Here is a sneak peek of how big I am!

Happy New Year!

Childbirth 101

It's been a little while since my last entry, so time to catch everyone up on the latest.

I think now I understand why my OB told me NOT to take a birthing class.  Although I'm glad I went and now I know what can happen and what to expect, I'm not exactly sure I wanted that much detail.  I've also never seen Evan laugh so hard in his life.  It was quite funny, let's hope my 'breathing coach' doesn't have me hyperventilating with his crafty hand signals day of.  It lightened the mood of a full day class which was nice!

The next morning I woke up in a sweat worried about how I was going to actually get this baby out of me. I almost thought about throwing the book away that they gave me to be sure I'd never look at it again. But after a few days I calmed down and whatever happens happens.  If so many women in the world go through it (multiple times) I'm sure I can handle it. Maybe after the whole childbirth round one, I won't be such a baby myself.  I'm more worried about Evan having to deal with my labor. But I know he will be a big help in getting me through it semi calmly, hopefully.  Good thing I'm not into Scientology!

Everything else is moving along.  Still waiting on pieces from the crib but at least there is a place for the baby to sleep when it comes home.  Clothing and sheets are washed and put in the dresser, changing table is set, blinds are up, we are moving along.  This coming week GiGi will be helping me put the wall art on the walls and get some last minute things ready for Little P.

The little newborn diapers are so small and cute, I've never seen anything like it.

Only 5 weeks left!!!! At the doctor on a weekly basis starting this week, let's hope the baby is preparing for arrival on time. We know Evan doesnt' like to be late baby!

Now I lay me down to sleep

I was starting to get quite paranoid that our new baby was not going to have a place to sleep upon coming home!  We keep running into challenges with the crib we ordered and have yet to receive the new pieces to put it together. To top that off, the Bassinet we ordered was on back order and no longer available.  Figures!  


Anyhow we had a busy weekend this past weekend which included some time in Babies R Us.  While there we found a new Bassinet which is perfect and I put together all by myself!  I feel a little more settled knowing that at least the baby has a place to sleep.  I'll feel even better when the room is all set up!  We also got the house ready for Christmas and went to our traditional tree farm to get our fresh cut tree!  I can't wait to have the baby's first Christmas next year, it's going to be so exciting.  I've already thought of a new tradition to start.

Baby Shower

This past weekend was not only Thanksgiving but also my baby shower!  Everything was great.  The place was beautiful and decorated perfectly and I was surrounded by family and friends.  Mom (GiGi) did a great job with everything.  Big thanks to her!  The spa themed day even included a personal masseuse.  The cake was adorable and I remember loving to sleep like that when I was little.  


Some of my favorite things were the rocking chair and cradle that my parents used for me when I was a baby.  Nicely re-finished for my first baby.  The puffy sheep is my favorite stuffed animal and of course the hand cross stitched quilt that my mom made for me when she was pregnant with me.  Those things just can't be bought.  Little P is going to be a lucky child and sure to be spoiled rotten.  


I also finally go to meet Baby Konstantine which was so exciting!  Can't wait for Little P to meet it's new friend! 


Thanks to everyone for making the day so special.  

17 1/2 week update

August 19, 2011 11:35am

17 1/2 weeks


Hello Family! 
Here's a recent update of our little baby!  Not sure if you can see in the photo but its laying on its back and the profile of the face is on the right hand side of the photo. I included all the details of our visit below.

Hope everyone is doing well. 

We had a doctor appointment yesterday.  It was the "20 week" anatomy scan.  Basically they use an advanced sonogram machine to take a million pictures and measurements of all the organs.  Everything seems good, we didn't have a chance to speak with the Dr. as he had to run out for a delivery.  But we are hopeful all is well. 

The whole process was about an hour long.  It was moving and kicking around like crazy.  It was so rouchey, just like it's parents!  Our little baby is being stubborn already, it did NOT want to show is its face.  It's trying to keep it a surprise.  When it finally did we got to see the lips and eye sockets and nose profile. We saw ears, feet, hands (were in fists) and it kept touching it's face. 

We also got to see the 4 chamber heart up close and see all the blood flow in all different parts of the body.   The legs looked long to me, but we will see. 

We had to look away at one point as this is the scan where they can tell the sex of the baby, but we are not going to find out.  We want it to be a surprise! 

The baby weights 7 oz. now which they said is right on track. The photo they gave isn't that great, sorry. 

Love,

Lauren & Evan

Hormones? Try Psychotic!

Anyone that knows me, knows that I'm generally a very emotional person.  Add pregnancy to that equation and look out!  I am still not sure that I fully comprehend how much emotions are amplified when pregnant.  I will never forget the first time I realized something was off with my emotions.  I had no idea that I was pregnant and I was at the gym running on the treadmill.  The TV on the machine was playing a commercial that featured a soldier in Iraq talking to his wife and child via a webcam back in the states.  I became so choked  up that I had to stop running.  I was looking around making sure no one could see that I had just broken into tears while working out!


I'm pretty sure several times Evan as well as my parents, brothers and in-laws thought my body had been taken over by a mean alien that would lash out at anything.  I pretty sure they thought I should be put in a loony bin.   If people think this can be controlled, it can't.  It is literally like an out of body experience (at least it was for me).  Sometimes I would get so crazy that I wouldn't even remember what I was upset about.  Not a good feeling.


The one good thing about this is that it did begin to subside over time.  The mad and upset emotions changed to more happy and loving emotions. I know the books say this, but it is really true for me, the love I feel for Evan grew even stronger.  I didn't really know how that was possible, but it did.  Just thinking about it sometimes becomes overwhelming.  Maybe this is preparation for the rush of love that will enter our lives when the baby is born.  I'm excited to feel all of these good emotions and happy to see the irrational ones calm down a bit.


Speaking of Love, we had a great time in Lake George!

When you can't be in person

Going back to the beginning, I thought I'd share with everyone how I shared our pregnancy news with my closest friends.  Since we all live far apart and I could barely wait as long as I did to spread the news I wanted to find a creative way to involve everyone at the same time.  Since we live in the lovely age of email,  I figured that was the best way to start.  


P.S. Sorry Maria I just realized your hints were miss-leading...there are a lot more months that end the same way!


June 29th 2010 12:24PM


Hi Ladies -

I've planned a get together for us this winter so we can be sure we see each other .  I know it is far away but I figured it's something to look forward to.  BUT I want you guys to play a little game to figure out when and where it is.  I have some rules and hints below.  I'll also email you each a separate set of clues to help you figure out the date.  Once you think you know it.  Call me. 

In order to get the answer, you MUST CALL ME.  If I can't pick up your call right away, I'll call you back in the order received.  

You CANNOT: 

- Get the answer from another person - you have to talk to me live to get the answer

- Contact Evan for anything

You CAN:

- Exchange the hints I gave you individually with each other - although I don't think you will need to, you girls are smart!

Hints:

- Date is flexible by a few weeks before and after so once I talk to you all we can figure out what works best for everyone - I know you are all busy (and Maria will have a baby!!!)

- It's during winter so you'll need a winter jacket and winter clothing

- Bring snow boots depending on how much snow we get this winter

- Bring your camera

- You will not need to purchase a plane ticket, you may need a train ticket (Maria), Simie and Whit will probably drive

- It won't break any one's wallet - I promise

- You most likely won't have to take off work, it can be a weekend activity

- Most likely you have been to this location before - but the location could shift 

- It's NOT skiing (Sorry Whit & Simie)

Check your email for your personal clues.  

Talk to you soon.

Love,

Lauren

Whitney's Hints:

• It's after holiday hoopla...after Christmas, after New Years...but before Valentines day 
• If you add together your birthday, month, day, and year (without the century), that's the DAY!
• If you take two numbers away from the year 2012, that's the month

Simie's Hints:

• The date (number of the day) is two numbers that are the same - and this number is also in your favorite number
• 2011 is passe - it's in 2012 but BEFORE Martha's wedding 
• If you take your mom's b-day (date, not year or month) and take away one number...that's the month

Maria's Hints:

• It's close to Simie's b-day - but even CLOSER to Taso's b-day 
• The date (number of the day, not month) has one of the same numbers as your b-day, and it's that number twice
• There are two months in the year that end with the same letters...this is one of those months

10 weeks left

This week I'm 30 weeks.  I cannot believe how fast time has gone.  I feel like just yesterday I was just getting used to the idea that I was pregnant.  Now I only have 10 weekends left before we are a family of three.  Only 10 weeks until I have to give birth.  This is crazy!!!!


The baby is moving around a lot.  It's very active in there pushing around all the time and sometimes kicking the bladder.  I can even see the movement from the outside if I'm paying close attention.  This weekend we are going on our babymoon.  Up to romantic Lake George I'm so excited!  I can't wait for that massage!

12 week baby update

July 12, 12:13pm  Courtesy of Evan

Baby update alert: 

We had another routine checkup today with the doctor and they confirmed that everything is going great. Lauren and I are very happy to hear the news. 

Lauren and I were both sitting in the office and thinking the same thing, our parents never had all these monitors and tests when they had us. They don't know all the things you can already see. Today we saw the heartbeat, the body, the hands and feet and legs, the spine, and some other stuff. They show you the brain from the top, and feet from the bottom. The computer can jump around and zoom in. They must have took 100 pictures, but they only gave us 3 (that all look the same) to take home. We tried to get more but they said they can't release them. 

12 Weeks and 2 days into it, only 194 days to go!

Telling the in-laws

June 11, 2011


Parking lots are where it all happens for us.  It just so happens that we told both my parents and brothers and my in-laws about our upcoming baby news in parking lots.  As much as we tried to keep them inside before going to their cars, parents who aren't expecting to be told big news really have a mind of their own.  So in that case, we were forced to tell our big news in parking lots.


I wanted to think of a unique way to tell the grandparents to be, so I spent about 2 hours in a Toys R Us looking at children's books.  I mean, you would have thought I was picking out my wedding dress, it took me FOREVER to decide on what book to give who.  At several points throughout my visit in the store I found myself crying, those hormones were really kicked up. (I'll save the full hormone story for another post).  I decided on the the Nursery Rhymes book for Beth and Mike as I could picture them playing the accompanying CD and singing along with the baby near by.


Here we are below in the Hackensack apartment parking lot, forcing Beth and Mike to open a gift before running off to Grandma Sara's 90th Birthday party.  Everyone was very happy and shocked, but I think Mike maybe had an inkling something was up, he said we were acting really weird!  That tends to happen when you are about to introduce the coming of the fist grandchild.

One life for another

I really do believe that God has a way of keeping the world balanced.  Once one life has been given back to him he allows another to enter the world.  This became crystal clear to me when my Grandma Wida was getting sicker this past May.  I knew it was only a matter of weeks or days and I had begun to have vivid dreams of her dying.  I can't remember specifics of the dreams now but I do recall waking up feeling sad but somehow at peace with the dreams.  I also remembered reading long ago in one of my dream books that dreaming of death was somehow related to birth or a new beginnings.  


Even though I was somewhat prepared for the news of Grandma's passing it was still a shock and very upsetting when it happened.  I did however find comfort in knowing that Grandma had given her soul for my baby to enter the world.  The day before she passed, we found out we were pregnant.  


Although I'm saddened that she will never to get to meet her great grandchild I know that Grandma will be looking down on our baby helping to protect it.  Being that Grandma was so religious she would have been honored to know that she was able to help bring another life, something filled with so much happiness and joy into our family.


Thinking of you Grandma.

Innie to an outie

This concept is quite potentially the most bizarre to me thus far during my pregnancy  (well at least one of the most bizarre).  Hence where my URL name came from, Belly Button Tales.  


I've always been semi-obsessed with my belly button.  To me it was always a perfect innie.  The right depth, size and always lint free!  I love (or LOVED) having an innie.  It always looked good in a bikini and suited me just right.  Somewhere along month six I started to notice that my belly button wasn't as deep as it used to be.  Instead of water from the shower running into my belly button is slowly started running OVER it, which totally freaked me out!  I kept touching it and pushing it in a little, trying to shape it back to the way it used to be (annoys the crap out of Evan).  


During this transformation I can't help think how ironic it is. In the beginning that's how I was connected to my own mother and now everyday I'm looking at it thinking what is my baby doing to my belly button!  Now instead of having a perfect innie, I have what looks like a three pointed star.  Mom - you must have had a good doctor cut it, they did a nice job.  Or nice job Dad?  Although slightly discolored from being on the inside of my body forever, I'm slowly getting used to it, I guess.  But after Little P arrives lets hope that thing snaps back into place! 

Nerves

Well my favorite holiday has come and gone and I didn't even participate!  This year I'll have to blame it on the snow.  I had all intentions of getting a long dirty blond wig and a purple sequence blazer to gear up as Beyonce.  but the one trip I made out this weekend before the storm got too bad didn't have what I needed.  At least next  year I'll be able to dress up the baby!


Anyway. I think the nerves are starting to set in.  Or at least the beginning of the sleepless nights.  It's harder and harder to sleep at night.  Between the leg cramps and not being able to sleep on anything but my side the nights consists of lots of turning and tossing.  I guess it's just nature's way of getting me prepared for being up every few hours. 

I saw Little P's face!

Today I had a doctors appointment and for the first time I could see our baby's face!  Every other time we have gone for ultrasounds Little P has been great at turning over to hide it's face.  We were never able to catch a glimpse but today the Dr. captured it!  It was so cool. Unfortunately, Evan wasn't there and I don't have any photos to share but take my word for it, it was unreal.  It looked almost 3-D and sort of like a scary movie face, Happy Halloween! I think it has the Penalba nose from what I could see.  


Also, the baby is breached right now so it's head is all the way up near my belly button and the bottom is near my pelvis. (Dr. showed me the tiny butt and bladder!) That's probably why a few nights ago I felt like I was being beat up, it was probably turning around.  That's okay for now, but it better find it's way back to the right position when the time comes!  


So you all know my favorite holiday is coming up soon.  HALLOWEEN!  As of a couple of days ago I really wasn't in the mood for it.  I am not feeling like myself and can barely fit in any normal clothing none-the-less costume clothing. But today I started getting excited.  I saw a bunch of little kids trick or treating at local stores on my way to work and I decided if I can find the right costume, I just might dress up.  Stay tuned, we shall see what Monday brings!

What's in a name...

...an extra month really.  You are probably wondering why didn't she name this blog 9 months and counting.  I swear I didn't believe people who told me this, but once I got pregnant I instantly understood.  In reality women are pregnant for 10 months not 9.  40 weeks is 10 months people!  By the time you find out you have one on the way you are already 4 weeks or 1 month in.  I figured if I was going to have a blog, I should tell it like it is.  So for all moms and dads to be, when you thought 9 months was a long time, start thinking 10. 


I'm now 27 weeks in, so just entering the 7th month.  It's hard to believe that I only have 3 months left before my life changes forever.  I know you probably thought this post was going to be about baby names...that's a long story, I'll save that one for a later post which will hopefully give me time to convince Evan to agree to a name I like :-)


P.S. Happy Birthday to my wonderful, loving and excited for baby HUSBAND.  I love you!

Hair growth, yeah right!

So, if you know me well you know my hair really never grows long.  My parents can attest to this, I've always been obsessed with having longer hair.  If wearing your clothing or PJs on top of your head as hair for the night and even putting it into a ponytail doesn't qualify as obsessed, I don't know what does.  

At the longest, it's probably been to my shoulders or a little beyond but it gets too stringy and gross and at that point I always end up cutting it.  One of the benefits that I always heard about when taking pre-natal vitamins was hair growth.  I witnessed endless new mom's come back to work with a full, long, bouncy head of hair. Along with their flowing hair came long strong nails.  While my nails did get stronger they break all the time so didn't really get longer.  And the hair...forget it.  It basically stopped growing.  My hair used to grow like weeds and I'd needed to get it cut every 4 to 5 weeks.  I think in the past 6 months I have gotten my hair cut TWICE and it is still short!  So for me the hair growth never came.  But it has been great not to have to shave my legs or pluck my eyebrows as often.  My thought is, Little P needs all the hair he/she can get so if it means mine stopping for a little while, that's fine. 

Baby's Room

Well...we are working a bit backwards here on the blog, but oh well!  After trying about 7 shades of light blue...we decided to go with a neutral tan. (insert BORING).  Do you have any idea how hard it is not to find out the sex of your baby these days?  I feel like we are the only people in the world who don't.  So as America would, they make everything too girly or too boyish, go figure.  Anyway we will make the baby comfortable once it arrives and surround it with details of the appropriate color.


Daddy Evan is doing a great job painting the room.  (He did have the best prepper ever! Yours truely taped the room off for 2 hours so he could be a 'good' painter).  Anyhow it's the least I can do since I can't do many othter household chores these days.  (Although no joke, I did just start the mower at 9pm at night to prove to Evan that I could and in exchange for him to do dishes!)


Anyhow, room looks great and second coat should be going on this week.  We also just picked up the crib and dresser today!  So exciting, we are moving along. Now if I could decide on crib bedding that would be a miracle in itself.

Is that girl pregnant...or just fat in the mid-section?

For those of you that have been there and trust me for those that will get there, the beginning is the most awkward time.  Don't get me wrong, it's exciting, scary and emotional too, but also awkward.  Not only are you still in shock yourself (the father is probably in more of a shock), but you are wondering, why doesn't it look like I have a baby!  Nothing is happening in the mid-section area, except (courtesy of Maria) it looks like I  just ate too many slices of pizza!


You are anxious to get this party started.  I remember 5 minutes after I found out my I was in panic mode, I was already thinking about what I needed to get for the baby, what room it was going to sleep in and I felt like I need to buy every book in the planet to help educate me on what the heck was about to happen.  But I'm sure that's normal.


I first realized a change (besides the boobs of course!) when it became uncomfortable to wear belts.  All of the sudden I didn't need that sucker to hold up my pants, the mid-section 'fat' was taking care of that.  It's all good when you tell your family and friends because than finally, the word is out.  The WORST are the co-workers, I mean, let's be honest you see them more than anyone else in your life.  And not only until 3 months later when you finally break the news to them does the truth come out.  "Oh yeah I knew, your face looked different" or "Yeah I noticed your shirts getting a little tight" and "I knew you were not really drinking alcohol on our boat cruse, you can't trick me!"  But it's all innocent and in the end everyone is happy for you.  I guess this mid-section awkwardness is just a right of passage.

It begins today

What better day than to start, but today.  I realize I'm a little late in the game, being 26 weeks (6 months) and just now starting to write everything down.  I guess I've always been a sucker for a hard copy...I still love getting cards via snail mail and when I remember that other people like it too, I love sending them.


Anyway, Evan has convinced me that starting a blog about our first expectant baby is a good idea.  After all I do like writing and the only writing I've done over the past 7 years has been for pointless work emails.  So why not!


I have so much in my head that I have thought oh I need to write that down, or I can't wait to share that with my friends when they are pregnant.  Hopefully this blog will help me remember all those things when I'm engulfed by my new child, new family responsibilities and and overwhelmed at the reality of no sleep.