Ben Nesting at 30 weeks and 6 days

I made pancakes and watermelon juice this morning. Our juicer wouldn't work. These photos are of me making pancakes and Ben taking the juicer apart to remove the broken safety valve so we could make juice. There is also a photo of him making juice... we are hoping to disconnect all safety features in the house before we have a child.

Baby Shower and Outie Debut!

On Saturday my parents, mother in law, sister in law, best friend from 2nd grade, and wonderful close friend from Tucson threw Ben and I shower. It was so much fun. They had a "Golden Pig" theme in honor of the Chinese Year of the Boar and Golden Pig. As you can see, my sister in law made a DELICIOUS pig cake. She is so talented. I have never really paid attention to how generous and thoughtful people are to new parents. I am so grateful and amazed at how many people came and the gifts we received. We are both still in shock from the thoughtfulness of our friends and family. If any of you are reading this now, thank you so much and it was wonderful to see you. I love parties!

My friend and former neighbor who lives in Seattle asked me to post a full-body shot with the belly. I just woke up and took this but it is pretty acccurate as to what I look like right now!

I am also taking the time to debut my outie belly button. See!

Top Ten Reasons Why Pregnant Women Are Not At Their Most Beautiful

10. Throwing up anytime, anything, anywhere (including on yourself)
9. Either grow a ton of body hair or you don't grow any at all
8. Get fat and can't/shouldn't do anything about it
7. Lose all self control when eating
6. Get pimples and/or dark blemish-like skin discolorations
5. Increased gas
4. Halitosis caused by hormones and increased mucus
3. Constipation and Hemroids
2. Threat of stretch marks and varicose veins
1. Colostrum (liquid that starts leaking out of boobs)

Who has seen KNOCKED UP?

Okay. I just saw Knocked Up yesterday... the movie that just came out about the couple that had a one night stand and ended up pregnant. The movie is all about pregnancy and it is pretty accurate. All of the emotions, conversations, reactions, etc that both the woman and the man had were right on... my favorites were the sex scene and the "fat cow" scene... it is ALL true. The part that disturbed me the most was the birth scene. Of course I know it is going to hurt... yada yada yada... what disturbed me was the "crowning". I know that something larger than my vaginal opening is going to force its way out... but... I didn't realize what it would look like. Before I saw the movie, I just thought that my vaginal opening would part like the red sea (ew) all peaceful and widening to make way for the baby... but... I didn't know that it would look like one of those rubber money purses (the ones with a slit down the middle that you squeeze to get the coins out) with something the size of a basketball pushing against it and TURNING IT INSIDE OUT! Honestly, I was crying in the movie theatre. I was laughing and crying at the same time... I got control of myself.. but I really think when you go to your medical provider and tell them that you are going off birth control they should be honest with you about WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOUR BODY. If I had seen that scene before we got pregnant... I wouldn't be getting pregnant any time soon. I'd get much more information about what will actually happen. I mean, I always thought I was pretty well informed but I had to go to a blockbuster movie at a theatre 29 weeks pregnant (no turning back now) to find out. I was crying. Really... tears running down my face.

Ben turned to me last night after we got home and asked for permission to not watch the live birth film that we are going to watch at our Birthing Class. He said after seeing that shocking preview of what is going to happen to my body that he would prefer to go into birth blind so he doesn't have to know that it will get worse than what he is seeing at the time. I gave him permission and told him to promise to stay at my top end during birth... I don't want his perception of my vagina to be tainted by birth.

27.5 week belly button update

Well, I keep meaning to post some pictures from our trip into New Mexico's Gila Wilderness but life has been so hectic with work! I do want to do a quick update on the belly button...

So, for a while now my belly button has been flat and it has looked like a round scar on my belly. Ben and I have been eargerly waiting for it to pop out. On Monday I had to pee so badly and I waddled to the bathroom and was so excited to see that my belly button was out! YAY! Finally! I sat down to do #1, all the while admiring my new outie, and I my jaw slowly dropped as my belly button slowly deflated to a flat belly button at the same rate that I was peeing!

Fortunately, the next day my belly button found its way out again and seems to be staying out... how far it portrudes does vary on how full my stomach or bladder is, though. So weird.

As of 26.5 weeks I have gained 21 lbs... Yikes!

More later...

Annie's Belly at 24 Weeks

I have been told that my belly is a lot larger than it was when I posted my first belly shot. So, here it is.

I have been feeling "malachi" kick and seeing the skin on my belly pop up when he/she does. It is so strange!

Since I posted the previous message I have transitioned to expecting a boy! I guess I will be spending equal time thoughout the pregnancy expecting one or the other. First 4.5 months I expected a girl and the last 4.5 months I will expect a boy. Go figure.

My belly button is officially on the outs... you can't see it in the photo but I am sure in the next photo it will be more prominent. So weird that the belly button pops! I wonder if it will hurt...

Ben and I have started talking about items we need to buy for the baby... this is a huge step. We actually reached a point where we realized we need to get a crib. Both of us must have come to the conclusion that all of this is REALLY happening.

I saw too of my favorite people, Amanda and Chris, last week. I am so lucky to have such great friends and I can't wait to introduce "malachi" to them. Even more, I think that the close friendships that Ben and I have will set great examples for "malachi" and her/his relationships. I had a dream the other day that I had a little girl and she was going through puberty and hated me (like most pubescent girls hate their mothers)... she told me she wanted to go to New York to visit "Auntie" Amanda. I called Amanda and informed her that my child wanted to visit and obviously had something going on... She visited Amanda and was able to talk with her about all of the things she wouldn't talk with me about... I thought it was pretty cool. I hope that my friends, sister and sister in law are able to step in when Ben and I are obviously not who our child wants to deal with! (I guess I hope more that our child skips puberty... but I will be disappointed if I expect that!).

Anyhooo, enjoy the naked photo of my belly.

A Boy or A Girl?

Well, I have been thinking a lot about this. I guess I am expecting a girl (probably because I have a sister and she has two girls... it has always been girls on my side of the family). I was worried because I am "expecting" a girl that I may be disappointed if a boy slides out. So, I have been doing a little visualization exercises and imagining one or the other. I have been doing this for over a month because I want to know if I actualy do have a preference.

So, I sit and imagine I am leaning against Ben, who is helping me hold my knees by my shoulders (I don't know if that will really happen or CAN really happen... it is just what I visualize) and I am sweating and feeling an intense pressure and pain as a baby the size of watermelon squeezes through my pelvis and out comes this gooey, crying little girl. I feel (tired) a warm, "I have been expecting you," feeling and bring her to my chest to hold and hug and, yes, kiss. I am happy and calm and thrilled to meet her, finally. I am satisfied and so happy (and tired).

So, I, then, sit and imagine I am leaning against Ben... same visual image with the watermelon and my pelvis... and out comes this, gooey, crying little boy. I laugh out loud. I am surprised and happy and laughing at how my body has fooled me! I pull him to my chest and hug, squeeze, kiss and laugh all over him. I am crying because I am so happy and laughing because it is a huge adventure ahead of me.

After the most intense pain of my life... I think I will be happy feeling either way. Having that warm "I have been expecting you" feeling or joyful surprise sounds good to me. When I am visualizing and experiencing those feelings they both feel wonderful. After more than a month of regularly visualizing these two scenarios, I don't believe I have any preference as to whether our child is a boy or a girl.