And you know because...

As I approach the third trimester I have realized my pregnancy pet peeve, people that have never been pregnant, some that never will be pregnant, telling me what I can't do or what I am not capable of. Being pregnant does not make me less capable or less reliable. It is true that there are some things that I cannot do or should avoid while pregnant, but I know what I can and can't do- I don't need your input.
To all those people that feel it is their obligation to ensure I am well behaved during pregnancy, I'll tell you what I need to avoid, end of story.

Half Way There

We are at 21 weeks today. My mind has moved from learning about pregnancy to planning the birth and being a parent. The best advice I've received to this day- read "The Baby Book"; Dr. Sears has provided a lot of insight (thank you, Kimberlee!).

I just started to gain weight. However, now that it's started, it seems to be going up quickly. Up until 20 weeks I had gained 9 pounds, I am already up to 12 pounds. I have been trying to stay active, it's hard when I feel tired all the time, but prenatal yoga has been a great way to stay active and it's a challenge too. I feel awesome when I leave the studio. The instructor is fantastic! She is a soon-to-be doula with two kids and she is very knowledgable. She gives great advice and the practice she provides is focused on labor prep. The studio is a photo studio and a very relaxing atmosphere. If you're interested, contact Beabe Studio and address the message to Mira Clark.

Mommies that know, I need your help!

We've made it to the halfway mark and I am exactly where every baby book and website says I should be, planning the nursery. In our case, it will be Charlotte's side of the room. I have made space for her arrival, now I need to know what to put in the space. MOMMIES I NEED YOUR HELP!! What is worth the money, what can I do without, what is a good "be prepared" purchase and what should I avoid?? This are my thoughts/questions at this point. All opinions, responses, sarcastic comments welcome.
Crib: We like the Sorelle Tuscany for three reasons: the color, the fact that it converts (to a day bed with rails and then a twin bed) and it comes with crib, changing table and dresser attached. Seems like a product that is worth the money.

Car seats- do we get one and move it between cars or two and leave one in each?
Carrier- what is the best one and if we get a carrier can we avoid buying a stroller for a while?
Breast pump- manual or electric? I am leaning towards manual, but I am not sure how often I will be pumping.
Bedding- I am not going to bother with a set that includes bumper and blankets and all that. I am going to get a sleep sack and fitted sheets. All the research shows that the fewer things in the crib, the safer the baby.

Pack and Play- the ones that they make now can be put on the side of the bed so it's like the baby is sleeping with you; I really like the thought of it, but are they really safe?
These are all my inquiries, for now...

PLEASE HELP!!

She's Got It All!

This is our Charlotte giving a hello to everyone. We had our anatomy scan at our last appointment. It is AMAZING what can be seen with an ultrasound! I had no idea what the anatomy scan process entailed, until we were in the little room. They look at every part- hence the name... We saw both her arms and legs, each finger, each toe, all the chambers of her heart, the brain, nerves coming from her brain to her spine. Let's hope we never have to have a radiologist look at all these parts again postnatally.

Pregnancy and prenatal care is a little scary, because no one sits down and tells you what to expect or explains the process. You have to be a parent from moment one. You have to read all you can and ask all the questions possible, if you don't, you're just along for the ride. On the other hand, you need to take in all the answers to your questions and decipher what is worthy information and what is conjecture. I just keep telling myself, women have been doing this for years...

Honeymoon/Disneymoon/Babymoon

We're back! We had a great time! I recommend that anyone that is pregnant or plans to become pregnant- go on a babymoon! Now, we were lucky in a way, we planned on this trip being our honeymoon; we happened to get pregnant and the trip became our babymoon. While we were there, Disney was promoting their "Celebrate today" campaign. We were given pins when we arrived that read "Just Married". We wore these pins one day. We got so many strange looks, being 5 months pregnant and celebrating a honeymoon did not seem to be well received by some people down there and it took too much effort to explain to people that we'd been married for 6 months already. So, we changed the celebration to "babymoon" and got a pin for my belly that read "1st Visit".

We did do some research before we left to make sure this trip was as safe and enjoyable as possible. We learned that if pregnant and flying, stand and move often. I ended up standing for the last 30 minutes, or so, of the flight down. I did not have that option on the flight back and ended up feeling really sick by the time we got back to Boston. We read that rest is VERY important and we agreed before we left that we would be napping everyday. It made the trip enjoyable for the both of us (because, if I get cranky, everyone is going down with me!). The most important, we researched what I could and could not do for rides, and planned the trip accordingly. I was very content doing other things while John hit all the thrill rides, but we made sure there was something I could do near by, so I wasn't bored.

A great article if you're planning a "babymoon": http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/807120/pregnancy-travel-planning-a-babymoon

We had an amazing time. It was a great way to transition into beginning a life with more than just the two of us. We purchased Charlotte her first toy and we're as ready as we'll ever be for her arrival.

Charlotte's first toy: