18w1d

Not much news to report.....just thought I'd let everyone know that I'm still feeling pretty good! My appetite has definitely increased over the past couple of weeks, but so has my grumpiness. Brad can, and probably will, vouch for that! But he's still a trooper. He even made an extra stop last weekend so I could get ice cream, after Dairy Queen didn't have exactly what I wanted. Who knew that Dairy Queen doesn't have butterscotch sundaes anymore??? It was a huge tragedy at the time!

Baby Engle is about the length of a large sweet potato by now, weighing in at almost 7 ounces.....according to babycenter.com!

I've had a couple of requests for some belly pictures, so I think I will have to break down and post one. Maybe next week!


GENDER ULTRASOUND COUNTDOWN: 14 DAYS!!

Daycare update...

Yesterday I let out a huge sigh of relief.....we registered Baby Engle for daycare!! We ended up choosing the first center we visited because we both really liked it. It's called Creative Beginnings, and it's only about 5-10 minutes from downtown Denver, where Brad and I both work. When I called to hold our spot, I panicked a little when they checked to see if they still had availability for mid-January....only 2 spots were left! Whew!! The best thing about this center is that they have web cams in each of the classrooms. Of course, it costs a little extra, but I think for the first year it'll be worth it. From what I've been told, those first few daycare drop-offs are going to be hard, so that way, once I get to work, I can check on the baby as often as I want!

In other news, I think I've figured out my flex schedule at work after I come back from maternity leave. It's not official yet, but I did find out that I'll be able to go to a 40-hour week year round. Doesn't sound like much of a flex schedule, right? But actually, compared to the 50- and 60-hour weeks and every weekend during tax season, it's going to be wonderful!! My vacation time won't get reduced at all (yay!) but my salary will be reduced by about 13%.....but I'll take it! Apparently I'm the model employee for a public accounting firm - having the baby after the October 15th deadline, and coming back right before the spring busy season. Little do they know it definitely wasn't planned to turn out that way!

Happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone!


GENDER ULTRASOUND COUNTDOWN: 21 DAYS!

16w6d

16 weeks pregnant and I haven't gained any weight, I've actually lost a pound! Woo hoo!! Just ask Brad, I've been using that excuse for the past week to eat whatever I want....donuts, cheeseburgers, you name it!

I went to the doctor last Tuesday and everything is fine. I got to hear the baby's heartbeat again and it was normal, around 160. Baby Engle is definitely a mover though - the doctor would find the heartbeat, we'd hear about 4 beats and then the baby would move again! I haven't been able to feel him/her moving yet, but I'm hoping it will be soon. My doctor said between 18-22 weeks is normal for your first baby.

I had to have my blood drawn yesterday for the down's syndrome/spinobifida screen....not fun! But I did learn that I have a sort of rare blood type (AB-), so once I'm not pregnant anymore I'll probably try to give blood once in awhile. When I told my mom that was my blood type, she said it wasn't possible, because she and my dad are both B+. But then we figured out that my Granny was AB-, and to have it, someone in your direct lineage has to have had it, so it all added up. But it was pretty funny to hear my mom freak out a little bit....haha

Hopefully this finds everyone doing well. Enjoy your holiday weekend!

GENDER ULTRASOUND COUNTDOWN: 23 DAYS!

Happy Mother's Day!

My first Mother's Day! It was pretty laid back.....I went to Brad's baseball game, and then dinner at the in-law's. My mom sent me a package last week, which sparked the whole conversation with Brad that YES, he did need to get me something this year for Mother's Day! And he tried really hard, I have to give him credit for that. I got a really nice card and a CD.....and a onesy that he thought was neutral. It's white with a little blue dog on it that says "Cutie on Duty". Except it was definitely for a girl (you know, with the poofy sleeves?) so I told him I'd hang onto it until we find out what the sex of the baby is. Looks like we're going to have to have some lessons in shopping for baby clothes!

I'll be 16 weeks on Wednesday, so I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. Not sure what exactly will be happening at this appointment, but for some reason I think they might be doing the screening for down's syndrome, spinabifida, etc. So that means they'll have to draw blood, which I hate!

We checked out another daycare last Friday. Didn't like it as much as the first place by far, so I don't think it's going to make the list. I found it kind of odd that they said newborns are on a diaper-changing schedule....only 4 times a day at 9am, 11am, 3pm, and 5pm. They didn't tell us that at the place, it was just in the booklet they gave us that I read on the way home. I wonder if they get changed in between if they need it, or if they just stick to the schedule? Maybe it's just me, but I've always been under the impression that you change a baby's diaper when it needs it! So I'm ready to just sign up at the first place we found, but Brad's winning this one....we're going to check out a couple more just in case. And Amanda had a great idea - to check out the local hospital daycares. I'll keep you posted!

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day weekend!

GENDER ULTRASOUND COUNTDOWN: 30 DAYS!

It's a good thing I have a patient husband....

So I'm at the point where my work clothes don't really fit the way they're supposed to anymore. But I can't really get away with maternity clothes (mostly pants) just yet either. Let me tell you, it's frustrating! I don't look pregnant, but I definitely feel pregnant.....but that doesn't make too much of a difference to my wardrobe!


I have found a couple of things that have helped me out though: one is this little thing called the Bella Band. I found it on www.babycenter.com after getting a coupon for their online store. And since I'm a sucker for a 'FREE SHIPPING' coupon, I had to buy something, right?? This is the best thing ever!! It's a stretchy band of fabric that goes all the way around your waist. It helps you wear your pre-pregnancy pants longer, and wear maternity pants sooner....and it holds everything up for you, completely unbuttoned and unzipped! I was looping a rubber band through my button hole on my pants until I found this....which was not too comfortable! This is the best $25 I've ever spent. The picture kind of helps....and no, that is not me, Sarabeth, and Meghan in the picture! hahaha I only wish I would have known about this a few weeks sooner....

The other thing that has helped me out with my clothing dilemma is my super-patient husband! We went shopping for some pants that were a size too big (before the Bella Band purchase - now I can return them!) and it was not a good day for trying on clothes. I kept getting really upset because I couldn't find anything, and Brad was a trooper. The pants that I ended up getting were the ones he picked out, so obviously he was a huge help. Then I decided it was time for some actual maternity shirts that I can wear to work (since now my work shirts aren't fitting anymore!) and he is the ultimate bargain shopper. I got 6 shirts (5 acceptable for work) at Old Navy for $60!! We went to Target too, which doesn't have a huge selection, but the shirt that he picked out got a lot of compliments when I wore it for the first time. There's no telling what I would have ended up with if Brad wouldn't have saved the day....now, if I could just get him to put his dirty dishes in the dishwasher, we'd be set!! I'm sure he'll appreciate me letting everyone know that he helps me shop, and that he's good at it....but I think it's wonderful and it makes me happy....and isn't that his job when I'm pregnant? :)

In other news....the search is on for a daycare center. I thought it was a little early myself, but turns out it's not because the waiting lists are 7 months or longer at most places! We've visited one place that we really like and have two more to visit next week. Then once we've figured that out, it's on to finding a pediatrician....I never knew there would be so much work before Baby Engle is even here!

Keep the advice coming....everything makes the list!!


GENDER ULTRASOUND COUNTDOWN: 34 DAYS!

Baby Engle

Here it is....proof that we really are going to be parents! And I know the picture is fuzzy (it says PREGNANT), but I refused to take a picture of my belly that only looks fat right now and not pregnant! (But I promise those pictures will come later....)

We found out we were expecting on March 1 - and we both immediately started laughing! We were planning for it, we just didn't think it would happen so quickly...we are definitely lucky in that aspect. Brad's first response was "Already?"

We decided we would each tell one person, so we didn't go insane. We had decided a long time ago that we would wait until I was out of my first trimester before we shared the news with everyone. So it was April 18 before we started telling everyone - a whole month and a half! It was a lot harder than I thought it would be! Brad did a really good job keeping our secret though - I was a little worried. I'm kind of glad we kept the news to ourselves for awhile....it was kind of fun keeping a secret! So neither the Booe's nor the Engle's can feel left out - we hid it from everyone!

We are due on Halloween! When we told everyone back home, a few people said it might be a real "Booe" baby (my maiden name)! My father-in-law said it might be a little devil....haha

We are both super excited about our first baby, I have never seen Brad beam so much when he talks about it. We both have great examples for parents, so hopefully we can follow suit!

As for me....I have been feeling great, knock on wood! Things didn't work out exactly as planned, so my first trimester fell smack dab in the middle of tax season. I told myself at the beginning that I wasn't going to let myself get stressed out with work, and I didn't. Thank God I never had morning sickness, I was just really, really tired all the time. I did have a "breakdown" at work one day when someone I work pretty closely with simply asked how I was doing. I just started bawling! She ended up 'guessing' that I was pregnant, and I'm glad it happened that way because it made tax season a little more bearable knowing that someone in my office knew. Thanks, Megan!

I'm gradually starting to get my energy back, but that didn't stop me from taking a 2-hour nap last Sunday! Everyone says the second trimester is the best, so I'm crossing my fingers. As for all of you non-mothers out there....when you get pregnant and have ANY questions, just let me know! I was in the dark about everything and felt completely clueless, so I'm here to let you know all the in's and out's - if you want to know! Most things that were happening I had no clue about, so I feel like it's my job to pass that on to all the unsuspecting women out there....

So that's the latest....I wanted to get everyone caught up on our exciting news. Oh, and I've got a list going of advice people are giving me. Brad says I have OCD, so why wouldn't I make a list for this? I know next to nothing, so anything from "Labor hurts!" (thanks, Jessica!) to things I should take to the hospital (thanks, Carrie!) is helpful!

The countdown is on for the gender ultrasound on June 14: 35 days!!