4.16.2010

15 Weeks Prego & Nursery Ideas!



**A bonus post for this week. I'm getting anxious to get you guys caught up because the more posts I write, the more questions I have; and I'm excited to hear your feedback!**

Call me superstitious, but it's really hard for me to type this (as if it's somehow going to jinx my progress), but I do believe the nausea is over! YAY! WOO! PARTY! I'm on day five of no nausea, and oh baby, I'm so excited! But, there has been a little dark rain cloud following me around since day two of nausea-free heaven--a sore throat and runny nose. Turns out the runny nose is typical with prego women; there's even a name for it: rhinitis of pregnancy. I refuse to believe that this is going to be "the norm" for me; I'm just amused that they picked such a funny-sounding word to categorize it.

I went in for my checkup earlier this week. My midwife said she doubts that I've actually felt the baby before now. Sigh. Now I'm doubting my abilities to feel the baby; but legit or not, he/she's still precious and I'll be feeling plenty soon enough!

On the whole gender issue: since we're not finding out, I've been trying to figure out my mental game plan in preparing for the birth. Should I . . .
A) Not think about it at all?
B) Trust my intuition and plan on whatever "I'm sure I'm having"?
C) Scour Chinese calendars, heart rate charts, and everyone else's gender stories (a friend recently told me that since my appetite is so much bigger than my first, she thinks I'm having a boy) to try and figure it out? (For the record, according to these theories, I'm having a boy, girl, boy respectively :) Maybe I should get out a key, tie my ring to a string, and examine my protruding belly too. Majority wins, right?
D) Plan on a girl? Get super excited about a girl. Then, no matter what the outcome, I'll be super geeked and ready to jump in with two kiddos.

Veteran moms, what say you?

I'm also taking suggestions for baby nicknames. The rules: It's gotta be gender neutral, not too cutesy (that's just not my style), and unique. Easy, right? So far we've called our baby "our little lemon" (because the last email said it was the size of a lemon" but this week we've already graduated to an apple, and I've used baby ninja (since I thought I already felt it move).

Now that the nausea has passed, it's time to start planning and thinking about this baby. But, it's not just about baby number two, it's also about making a smooth transition for baby number one. What can I do to make her feel special and not neglected? How can I prepare her for the changes? How can I make our time alone as special as possible? How will I budget for a family of four? Etc. Again, any input is welcome!

Lastly, a quick list of differences between this pregnancy and last (in case it turns out to be a boy, I want to be able to look back and see if there were any indicators I could tag). Nausea was definitely worse this time around--especially the throwing up. My appetite is much bigger this time--and second trimester is worse than first. Not only do I have to eat every couple of hours, I have the appetite for it, and I find myself able to consume more food than usual. I also find that if I don't consume a decent amount of food, I get hungry again really quickly. I'm definitely showing a lot faster, but from all that I've read, that's completely normal. That's all I can think of for now.

I've started a bookmark folder in my browser for nursery and baby ideas. What do you think of this giraffe print (pictured above) as the theme? I love the colors, the use of trees, and, of course, the giraffes!

Oh, and for a quick read, one woman's thoughts on using her pregnancy as a motivator to become more healthy. This is very similar to my experience during my first pregnancy.

4 comments:

kyna said...

my one nugget of wisdom that was passed down to me when I transitioned from 1 to 2... in the times that will definately come where both kiddos are crying and needing your attention. As long as the youngest one is in a safe place, let them cry a little longer and tend to the older one. the older has more of a chance of remembering neglect than the younger and we definately dont want the older taking out frustration on thier younger defenseless sibling. Otherwise see if you can distract the older by having them help you make the younger happy...doesn't work all the time, but on a rare occasion it works out. :) So excited for you!

Baby nickname --- baby bamboo

I know I know, kinda excludes the abad side of things but you have to admit its cute! :)

Lisa Ensor said...

Love the giraffe and my baby nick name suggestion is: sweet one.
That's what I call B sometimes... when I'm not calling him B :)

Stephanie said...

I would be so excited during labor to find out if it's a boy/girl that I wouldn't even think about labor pains! :) Are you planning on doing l/d the same as last time? 2nd time is definitely easier! :)

Holmessa said...

The giraffe's are adorable. I am hooked on monkeys myself. Nickname could be Sprout.