Labor of Love

Harper's room is almost done! We realize it is a little early but we wanted to tackle it before my spring coursework got too heavy. Who knew how much effort could go into the room of an unborn child. Also, who knew that I would suddenly become obsessed with everything pink (literally, it calls to me like a gravitational beacon - it's frightening!). It's funny too because when we weren't going to find out the baby's sex, we also weren't going to do the "nursery thing" i.e. we figured we would put up the necessities and call it a day. And then, I become OBSESSED. Thank goodness for IKEA where we picked up most of the furniture and for my other current obsession Amazon.com. We still have to do some blackout curtains (it's a bright, hot room when the 120 degree season comes to LV) and we want to put Harper's name in wooden blocks over the window (perhaps a precursor to her name in lights?). Poor, poor kid, I already have so many aspirations for her and she is just reaching towards 6 1/2 months in the womb. I have a feeling her current kicking/punching frenzy is Morse code for "Take it Easy Mom!"

There are few pics here and about a zillion others on FB.

Sweets Because She's Sweet?

I am heading into the 25th week of this pregnancy journey and I have to say "the times, they are a changin!" When did I start sporting an extra large bowling ball off the front of my body?? How did I go from "this pregnancy thing ain't so bad" to grunting and moaning like an 80 year old any time I have to turn, bend over, or get in and out-of-something (the worst was sitting down to test a chair in IKEA last weekend and literally not being able to get back out of it of my own accord, I definitely heard some snickers from the other shoppers). Basically, when did all the stuff they warn you about in the pregnancy books (which I was convinced I was immune to) start to happen?
I guess I should have known that it couldn't be smooth sailing all the way through. I also should have known that given that there are over three months left till Harper's arrival, some things had to change but I have to admit, I am little bit SCARED about the pending weeks/months and my ability to keep a sane and positive attitude while growing at an unheard of rate. I suddenly want to put this all into reverse and go back to the days where I worried whether people would ponder whether I was pregnant or had just had too good of a time at the buffet. I definitely look and feel pregnant now!!
To be fair, this next stage isn't all a pity party. Overnight, I have gone from being fairly indifferent about food to having a full blown love affair with anything edible. Overnight, I have gone from little to no interest in sweet foods to visions of "sugar plums dancing in my head." Just yesterday, I had a Colleague send me an IM that there were donuts in her office in the next building over and I practically hurtled my desk and was already standing in front of her panting by the time she finished typing. This newfound love of sweets is actually okay with me. Ever since my Boss (who does a great job helping me to realize that all this pregnancy stuff is normal) shared the story of how he and his Wife spent her final trimester; picture both of them using their respective bellies as pseudo tv trays to hold their glasses of milk which they proceeded to dunk Entenmman's donuts into while watching 5 hour marathons of Law & Order, I have been obsessed with the idea that this too could be me! I have secretly hoped Kevin would put on some sympathy weight and grow a belly right along with me just so we could partake in such a beautiful bonding experience. I would love to be losing donut crumbs into the various new folds my body has produced.
Unfortunately, we long ago turned off our cable/tv access and our nights are more likely to be spent working on our respective laptops but, a girl can certainly dream. In the meantime, I an convinced that my newfound overzealous affinity for sweets simply means that Harper will be full of sugar and very little spice.

Welcome to SappyHood (er, I mean Parenthood)

We saw her again today! And, as would make sense, each time the pictures get a little more clear, the features more defined, and her birth more imminent. I won't lie and say that I am not a sappy person but... I do have some very defined things that I am emotional about i.e. sweet, furry animals in need of a home (okay all animals), really good epic sports movies where the underdog comes out ahead (just bawled my way through The Fighter), and big stuff like the fact that war and anger and senseless killing exist. For the most part I can keep myself in check when it comes to the little moments. How then do I explain lying in a doctor's office, staring at a computer screen with involuntary tears streaming down the side of my face in plain view of the OB tech. Is this what happens? Is this what parenthood is all about? Am I really supposed to be this in awe of a muddled picture of a 1 pound, 4 ounce little angel. Are her little bones and her not-so-little button nose really the most perfect features I have ever seen in my entire life or is this just because I am her Mother? Is this what it is going to be like, is my heart going to ache and my eyes swell just looking at her? Is this the beginnings of that almost painful sense of wanting to protect her and give her the best life and will this feeling persist until my dying days? A quick conferral with my dear Husband and Daddy-to-be and his statement that he was "mesmorized by the images" and I think that yes, this is it, this is Parenthood.

So Much Going On, So Little Blogging

I knew it! I knew I would end up being the world's most inconsistent blogger. But, when you've got so many firsts going on, it can be pretty tough to keep up with it all. In the last few months, Kevin, I, and the Gummy Bear have been on both coasts (literally both oceans), 4 countries, a cruise ship, in our car for 2500 miles oh and we got engaged, married, and found out the gender of our little one-to-be.

Let's focus on the gender since this site is all about the journey towards parenthood. I know it's annoying when people say that they don't care which gender of child they have and I realize it's usually false but I truly believe that is how both Kevin and I felt going into the ultrasound. That said, I was pretty convinced that I was packing a big ole boy around simply because I did not think God was going to grant me ownership of a sweet, precious, gentle little girl. I thought I had been pre-tagged for a rough and rugged little man. But, lo and behold our little one flashed us with a big empty space between her two little legs and I looked at Kevin's face and the love affair with Harper Ann Humphreys began! We are over the moon (ha, to use a very old school expression) and have since starting going nuts on ideas for the nursery (yes, there will be pink in there) as well as plans for keeping her from dating until she is 25 and what a huge success she will be at everything. We spent two days going through and categorizing the over 350 outfits given to us by dear friends (thankfully they had a girl too!) and are now talking cribs. It's all very exciting and I am glad we did not hold out on finding out what gender we would be blessed with (what was I thinking). Next week we will have another ultrasound with a better idea of when Harper Ann will be gracing us with her presence. In the meantime, I am experiencing firsts in the way of first kicks, hiccups, and majorly sleepless nights courtesy of her highness.

It is all wonderful!