Warning: Body Under Construction, Next 5 Months

It's awesome and kind of freaky to watch your body changing and grow with pregnancy. I think I'm right at the cusp where my belly is looking more like a pregnant belly, less like I just had a big lunch. It's really fun to walk past store windows and look at my reflection and see my belly sticking out. Yes, I look bigger, but I like this new shape. It helps this pregnancy seem more real, less like we're "playing pretend" (which again is both awesome and very cool, and also kinda scary).

My boobs have grown. I went bra shopping yesterday, and I seem to have gone from a 34B to a 36C. Holy crap! That was also a bit of a trip, looking at myself in the mirrors at Victoria's Secret looking fuller in a couple different ways.

The blue veins on my boobs I was expecting-- all the pregnancy books mention it, as part of your body preparing itself for making breastmilk. What I wasn't expecting were the blue veins that have shown up around the sides and bottom of my abdomen.

I think my fingers are also starting to swell a bit. In the past couple days I've noticed that at times my rings are harder to take off.

I'm still waiting to feel baby move. I'm at about 17 weeks, which is on the early side of when first-time mommies usually feel those first flutterings. I'll try to pay attention to my lower belly when I lie down to sleep at night. Haven't noticed anything definitive yet... we'll see. I'm really looking forward to feeling those movements. So far, as excited as I am about this little baby and becoming parents, in a way I don't feel very physically connected to baby yet. I mean, I know he's there, and it's absolutely incredible to see him in the ultrasounds, but when I think of this (now 5in long!) creature living and moving and growing in my belly, I just can't picture it. But when I can feel him move... then I'll know he's there. I don't know, it's hard to explain and I don't think I'm doing a good job. I'm hoping you other mommies out there understand what I mean.

Fun Times

Ah, finally a calm moment in the craziness of another Austin visit... but that's ok. I love these trips, even when they feel rushed and packed. There's just always so much to do! ; )

Thursday Jen and I went to see The Hudsons play at the 'Loo. Music was awesome as always, and it was great to see the boys and get to catch up with them even if just for a few minutes.

Friday Danyelle and I went to a Ladies of the 80's music sing-along at Alamo Draft House, and it as even more fun than I had imagined. I miss Alamo and their crazy fun events.

Saturday and Sunday consisted of, among other things, family time. I got to see Ryan, my 4 yr old niece, who has changed and grown so much since I last saw her 9 months ago! Usually it takes her a while to warm up to me, but this time she was requesting my presence within minutes. It was awesome. She's so chatty now, too... reminds me of her Mama. ; ) There was a family gathering to celebrate my older bro's 33rd birthday (complete with a Chewbacca cake and all), and a couple dinners out with local friends.

Sunday we also got some great, fun news from my older sister. =) Looks like we'll have to make another trip to the US in July. Yay! =)

I'll have to update with more detail later... I'm on Jen's computer now which has a wierd mouse that I have a hard time getting used to, and people are downstairs eating pizza and later cheesecake will be had in honor of my birthday coming up in a few weeks. Tomorrow I fly back to CA, will have more time to sit and think and remember everything and write it out then... hopefully.

Back in Austin

Zach and I flew, separately, to Austin yesterday afternoon/evening, and were greeted by various family members who immediately ran up to my bulging belly squealing about how cute it is. =P I seem to have "popped" a bit in the past week or so, and am definitely looking more pregnant. It's fun, but also kinda freaky... I was right in thinking that a bigger belly would make this whole pregnancy-and-baby thing seem more real, and all of a sudden I'm thinking of me getting HUGE and then having a tiny person to contend with, and as exciting as those thoughts are they're also pretty frightening.

I can't remember if I mentioned this already on here, but on monday night we went to see our friends Monika and Andrew and their teeny tiny 1 wk old daughter Audrey, who was a dream... ok, so she fussed from time to time and poor Monika didn't really get to eat much of the pizza we ordered, but still she was very cute and it was amazing to watch her lying there with her eyes looking at everything, her arms constantly moving around, observing and exploring her tiny bit of personal space. It's crazy to think that we're gonna have one of those ourselves soon.

Being back in Austin is fabublous, we stopped by the in-law's house last night to see them and the pets, including Charlie who still looks the same. Ah, our goofy little cat... =) Now we're hanging out here at my mom's, Jen's around, Danyelle will be stopping by in a couple hours to see me. Cristina comes in tonight, too, flying in from Dallas. It's been a while since I've seen everyone (christmas?) and it'll be a while longer before I get another chance to come back here again, so I'm definitely enjoying our time here already.

Baby Shopping

I've been doing a LOT of shopping the past 2 days. Mostly baby shopping, though I've found some maternity stuff, too. Unfortunately the stores I was counting on (Target, Old Navy, Gap) have teeny tiny maternity sections, so selection iun-store ain't great. I'll have to try to find maternity stores in Austin, like Motherhood, to do some shopping with more variety and options.

For baby clothes, though... I totally scorted. =P I found a Carter's nearby that's been having tis huge sale, with lots of very cute clothes at 50% off. So I now have a crapload of clothes for up to 6 months (and some up to 9 mo.), all for super cheap. Woot! Of cours,e being a first-time mom and all, I have no idea how much I really need. I'll start thinking I have too muhc, and then second-guess myself-- are 10 pairs of pants too many, or will baby mess them up often enough to need to change them often anyway? Etc. Who knows. I guess we'll figure it out eventually. Worst case I end up having to do laundry more often, right? And too many clothes can't possibly be a bad thing... ; )

Tonight Carolyn planned a dinner/kinda baby shower for us. We met up with some local friends and went out to dinner, and we had a very yummy cake and I got a few goodies for baby.

Tomorrow we fly out to Austin. I know the rest of the week and weekend will fly by... trips to Austin always do. I'm psyched to see family and friends, and see Charlie and Joey and the other animals. But now, it is bedtime. 'Night, y'all.

Wow =)

So last night was the Sangeet for Ankur and Subha's wedding. It was a dinner where, afterwards, several of the bride and groom's friends performed songs and/or dances in honor of the couple. It was awesome. What a great way to share your excitement and well wishes for your friends.

Then this morning was the wedding ceremony. Ankur was to ride in on a horse, with all of his friends dancing alongside him, with drums and music playing, and I tell you... the love and happiness felt, I have not seen people so excited and happy at 8am ever before. It was incredible. So much energy. The ceremony itself was a traditional south Indian ceremony which lasted for 3 hours, during which time people were pretty much free to get up and mingle, walk around, get up and take pictures, etc. Explanations of the different parts of the ceremony were listed on the program, and read aloud. It was so neat. Ankur and Subha both looked so wonderful. It's also so cool to see all their Indian families and friends wearing these gorgeous saris and (don't know the name of the male costumes). I tell you, they looked a heck of a lot more comfortable than those of us in regular dresses and suits!

Then we had a lunch, of which I only was able to eat half the things b/c the others were too spicy, and then now we get an afternoon break before the dinner and dancing reception this evening. I am so glad we were able to make it back for this wedding. It's been such an incredible experience so far. I can't wait to share pictures.

We've Landed

We're here! We arrived yesterday afternoon, and after finally getting off the plane, through security, and gotten our rental car, we started driving south on the 101 and marvelled at the number of big cars on the road, and how the previously massive-seeming hills around the bay area now seem downright miniscule when compared to the background of the Jura and Swiss Alps that we've enjoyed the past several months.

Zach was in need of dress shoes for the weekend's festivities (his previous pair may have gotten lost in the move... 6 months ago) so we figured we'd head down to the mall while we still had energy. So we did, and we found some shoes for Zach (in what I think was the quickest and most painless shoe shopping excperience with him in years) and also found a pair of maternity jeans for me (woot!). It's nice to go into stores, have people greet you, be able to talk to the salespeople, etc.

We then came home to John and Carolyn's and got to catch up with them and Mr Stinky and hang out on their very nice garden and eat some of her ripe tomatoes and watermelon. =) We drove out to the Stanford mall later on so John could buy a few things and then grab dinner, and it was actually my first time to ever go there which seems a shame now b/c even though I wouldn't be able to buy much stuff there (it is the most expensive mall in the US by square footage) it certainly is an incredibly nice place to just walk around and windowshop. Soon after finishing our food Zach and I both got hit hard by sleepiness and we came back here and pretty much crashed at 9pm (6am swiss time, I think).

Zach and I kinda woke up a few times in the early morning, but then managed to sleep though till 7am which was really good. This morning we're talking of going to a farmer's market and then run some errands at Target, then this afternoon I'll probably try to take a nap before the evening's wedding festivities.

Long day... and long trip to come

Today. Was a long day. I knew it was going to be so, but it just didn't feel like that good of a day, an now I just feel tired and achy. It started last night, when I was woken up by the sounds of torrential rain outside, and all I could think of was "NOOOOO!!!! I have to spend most of the day walking around in the city! Please don't keep raining!" Thankfully, the heavy rain stopped, but it was still dreary and wet most of the day.

Unfortunately, I also had a hard time falling back to sleep after being awoken by the rain and my, like, 4th trip to pee over the course of the night. And my lower back was being all achy and sore. Back pain is a common pregnancy symptom, but usually not till later when you're carrying a bunch of extra weight. I've barely even gained a pound so far. I think part of the problem is bad posture when I walk )keeping an eye on that) and also I'm trying to avoid sleeping on my back now, which means sleeping more on my sides which isn't as comfortable. I read somewhere that you should avoid it after 14 wks or so, but most places say it starts at 20 wks so maybe I'll give up on it for now. At least till I manage to get to Ikea to buy some more pillows (that don't cost $40).

Anywho... So I got to my OB appt at 10am this morning and find that the doctor isn't there today. The nurses claimed they'd tried calling me several times yesterday to tell me this and re-schedule. However I was home all day yesterday and the phone never rang other than when Zach called from work, and my cell phone has no log of their trying to call. So who knows. Annoyingly, I'd had a few different questions I'd wanted to ask her at this appt, and it's not a big deal, but it was just annoying. And when you mix an irritating situation with pregnancy hormones, results are not always good.

So, grudgingly I went about the other errands I'd planned to fill the morning with, then I started getting ravenously hungry and so I headed for the closest cafe to sit for a while and eat and kill some time. Unfortunately, said cafe was not a cute, quaint little cafe. It was a Starbucks. And it was really crowded. But I just didn't want to walk far enough to get to the other cute, quaint local places I knew of. Boo, I know. So sue me. I'll go to Mozarts in Austin with Jen to make up for it.

So eventually it was time to head over to my dentist appt, which went ok, the dental hygienist was really nice and American, so communication was no problem. We couldn't do x-rays b/c, well, as cool as the X-Men are we don't want Loki to be one of them. She did do a nice thorough cleaning, which was not entirely comfortable, but not horrible either. Honestly the worst part was a few hours later at home, when I tried to eat some toast and found that my teeth were sore. Zach had his cleaning right after mine, and then we drove home together which is always a bit of an adventure-- Geneva's not big, but we don't always figure out the fastest way back to the highway.

So, yeah. Now we're packed, the dishes are all washed, the cab's reserved for 6am tomorrow (eek), and we're basically set to leave. I have to say... I'm really looking forward to being in the US, but I'm kinda dreading the getting there part. I packed a bunch of nuts and raisins for snacking on the plane, since the past 2 days my appetite has definitely kicked into high gear. I think I'm gonna wear my "iDue in February" shirt for the trip, to hopefully get a bit of extra pregnancy sympathy from people and maybe get an extra perk or 2 (think they ever upgrade pregnant women just because?). Here's hoping...

Yay for the Interweb

I spent a good bit of time today (between finishing up washing loads of clothes to put away, or give away) reading A Little Pregnant, and particularly the posts from when she was pregnant with her son. I forget how I found this blog, one of those internet things where you click on links on other blogs and come across the random gemstone. Anyway, it's been fun, if a bit heartbreaking at times, to read her tale, and now I'm into the more fun reads of having her baby at home and learning how to do that whole "parenting" thing. However, the main reason I mention it is b/c I also came across a post of hers with advice for mothers who pump (she gave birth via c-section to a preemie, so never got to establish breastfeeding and pumped exclusively instead so she's kind of an expert). I thought this might be useful for any other mommies or mommies-to-be out there. I hope not to need to pump too much, since I'll be home with baby and plan to be able breastfeed myself the vast majority of the time, but as with all things child-related you can never really know the way things will go and so this advice may come in very useful in 6 months or so.

Tomorrow will be a busy day. I have a check-up with my ob-gyn at 10am. I'm curious to see what this ultrasound will show, as every other u/s with her has shown Loki as being right on schedule with my estimated dates of conception, but at the NT scan he was measuring a week ahead. So we'll see if he's still ahead, or if it was a difference in how the machines work, or what. I have no clue.

And yes, Loki's a he. =P

I will then have a few errands to run while in town, before Zach and I have appointments with a dentist after lunch. It'll be our first appt with this dentist, so we'll see how it goes. I'm much more wary of dentists ever since the fiasco with the dentist we used in Austin for a good 10 yrs or so who then proved to be incompetent and made my sister have to do a root canal on what should have been a simple cavity. And then there was the guy in CA who made me feel like I was going to a car mechanic, constantly finding new fillings that needed to be re-done... but anyway. This will also be my first cleaning in, um, too long. As in I think it's been a year and a couple months or so. Luckily, pregnancy has given me the motivation to get into the habit of flossing every day and using mouthwash, and I'm not even getting the common pregnancy symptom of bleeding gums yet so I think I'm in good shape.

And then, we fly out early Friday morning! =)

Random Pregnancy Musings

I think the nesting instinct has kicked in.

All of a sudden, I'm consumed with thoughts about the nursery, how to set things up, what kinds of things to buy for baby, etc. This might partially be b/c we'll have to make some of these decisions earlier than we might otherwise, considering our Massive Shopping Trip which commences in just a few days. Although we certainly won't be buying all our baby stuff then, I will be wanting to get as much hands-on looking at what our options will be, and then I can order things online to have our parents bring out for baby. Perhaps this is lots of extra work to save a bit of money, but you know the added ease of being able to talk and comprehend store employees when you have questions, and being able to fully understand instructions that come with what you buy, are bonus points not to be dismissed.

One of the things I keep thinking of is wanting to make a peaceful, Montessori-based environment for our little one. Dr Montessori wrote of using a floor bed for infants (literally a firm mattress that's set on the floor) instead of a crib. This mattress could be surrounded by pillows (or I was thinking, some of Zach's old therma-rests, which will also be firm and not have us worried about SIDS risk) in case baby rolls off in his sleep. The idea behind a floor bed instead of a crib, is that the child is not confined in this bed that many see as very much like a cage, and that the child has freedom to move around more, get a better view of his surroundings, and is more likely to sleep soundly and not cry when he wakes up in the middle of the night just b/c he's bored-- he can instead play around a bit, then go back to sleep. It also saves you the worry of the child climbing up on the bars and falling out of the crib, etc. Obviously, the whole idea of having a baby sleeping on the floor takes a bit of getting used to-- as with so many of Montessori's other ideas, it goes completely against the general wisdom of our society as far as how children tend to get treated. However, I kind of like the idea. Yes, you have to make sure the entire room is essentially a playpen for baby, completely childproofed and safe. This idea does worry me a bit. During our stay in California I plan to meet with my former coworkers at the Montessori school, and the 2 head teachers both used floor beds with their children. I'm hoping to pick their brains about it. I know they both really liked using the floor bed instead of a crib.

We also got an IKEA catalogue in the mail yesterday (perfect timing?), and last night when I couldn't sleep in the middle of the night I came downstairs and circled a few items that I think would work great in Loki's room-- a dresser that can work as a changing table with a changing pad added on top, a low shelf for toys. As always, trying to look for items that will work now, and also hopefully for the long-term. I was wondering at first about getting a few more rugs, to help soften up our very pretty but not very soft wood floors, but then again the one rug we bought from IKEA a while ago let off a wierd new-carpet smell for days after we got it, and I just worry about what those fumes did to my brain, let alone what they;d do to our precious baby's. So instead I might just invest in a few extra blankets and use those for baby to hang out on.

Gosh, this really is happening, isn't it? Just a handful of months and there will be a baby in this house.

Yesterday I went through our music and made a playlist of songs that I think could make good lullabies. They say it's good to sing to baby even when they're in utero, and that songs that babies hear in the womb can be soothing to them later on, after they're born. I figure I can play it around the house from now on and sing along, and then use them once Loki's here as well.

Today I plan to go through all my clothes, and pack away what doesn't fit anymore. Like most of my pants. My belly hasn't grown that much yet, but it's enough to make a difference. This way I'll have a better idea of what I have left, and how long those clothes might last me, so I have a better idea of what I have left to work with, and what more I need to buy. Last night I was jolted awake by the thought of "what am I gonna wear on the plane??" I found something at H&M that sort of works like a bella band and I've been using that when I've had to wear jeans the past week or 2, and that could work. Or maybe I'll just wear my stretchy black yoga pants. I keep reading about how pregnant women going on a long flight should wear special support pantyhose to help circulation and prevent blood clots, which we're more susceptible to, and I just keep thinking "Are you friggin kidding me??" I cant imagine wearing such an uncomfortable thing on a 14 hr flight. I'll just get up every hour or so and walk around and try to stretch, thank you very much.

Fireworks

For the past 2 weeks Geneva has been celebrating the Fetes de Geneve, meaning the area near the base of the lake has been surrounded by carts and kiosks with different kinds of food and alcohol, a stage with local live music playing, and even some children's rides like a huge ferris wheel and such. We haven't taken part in it too much since a) the Austin music scene has completely spoiled us on live music (one night we stopped by the festivities, and there was a swiss country band playing), and b) endless advertisements for caipirinas and other alcoholic drinks aren't that appealing to a pregnant woman who misses her wine.

However, Saturday was to be the big fireworks display, and from what I'd heard, this was not something to be miss. So Zach and I headed into town around 7:30ish and met up with Colin, one of Zach's coworkers. We had a yummy dinner of chinese food before heading down towards the water to try to find a spot for the fireworks. Apparently one of their other coworkers was camped out at the Parc des Eaux-Vives, which is a ways up the shore, and we were just debating whether we wanted to walk all that way when I spotted a familiar face in the crowd-- and sure enough, ran into Cathy and her husband Cary, walking by us the other way. They were on their way to meet up with Serena and Darren, who were by the water fountain in the Jardin Anglais, so we went ahead and joined them.

The fireworks themselves were truly spectacular. Unfortunately our view was partially blocked by some trees, but you still got an idea of the grandiosity of the display. The fireworks were being set off on the water, and felt so close-- the fireworks often filled up your entire line of vision in the sky, and at times we could feel ashes falling down on us. The show went on for about an hour, I think-- the theme was the 4 seasons, and they had the fireworks set to music using Vivaldi's 4 seasons along with other, contemporary music, with a "finale" at the end of each "season." The amount of fireworks they used was spectacular. I've never really been one to get excited about a fireworks display (partially maybe b/c 4th of July was often spent watching them from afar, little colored balls of light that were too far away to be that impressive) but this was truly amazing.

You can see my other fireworks photos here. I also have a video I want to share, but at the moment I've got to run off to meet some friends for a late lunch, so I'll have to upload it and share later.

six word sunday: The sky ablaze, like never before.

six word sunday challenge

My Sunday Ritual

PostSecret.com

Driving Rules

When we went to get our Swiss driver's licenses, I found it crazy that we were not required to take a test, or even be given a list of local driving rules. We simply showed our US licenses (and some other paperwork) and that was that. I figured, ok, well it seems like there's not really any big differences in driving rules. You have to get used to the roundabouts, and two-way streets are separated by white lines here instead of yellow, but other than that driving's been pretty easy.

Well, after being here nearly 6 months, we're just now finding out a pretty important rules regarding right-of-way on these European roads.

Ok, so in the US if you're driving straight ahead on a Road A, and the another road (Road B) comes up to meet it from the right side, normally the person on Road B has to wait for the way to be clear before turning into Road A, right? Makes sense. Especially if Road A is a slightly bigger/busier road than Road B.

Yeah, not the case here. Here, you yield to the right. Apparently, almost always. So Road B would have had the right-of-way, and anyone driving on Road A would have had to stop to let the other person in. We almost got into an accident in Dijon because of this, and only later realized that we would've been the ones at fault.

This is a slightly terrifying thought, knowing of all the times I've been driving along, passing some little road to my right, not even stopping to think that someone might be coming along expecting me to stop for them. It also makes me just not want to drive.

One Week...

One week from today Zach and I will be on a plane headed to California. It will be a whirlwind of a 2-week trip-- a crazy Indian wedding, Zach flying off to the east coast to work, me going to Texas for 5 days, coming back to California and then another wedding before we jet back out here the next day. Shall be interesting. This will be my first time back to the states since we moved nearly 6 months ago, and unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to make it back again before next summer at the earliest, next Christmas otherwise. =( I guess I better make the most of this one, huh?

I'm actually super excited. It will be so great to see our friends, and families... and Charlie. =) To be in that familiar environment again, to get to eat at our favorite places (Zach and I are debating whether we should head straight to the In-N-Out Burger and Krispy Kreme in Palo Alto on our way down from SFO when we arrive, or hold off and go get Mexican). I'm also curious if I'll see things from a different perspective, after having spent this time in Europe. I've been really lucky, in that I've lived in some really great places and have loved them all-- Austin, California, and now Geneva. The downside to that is there's always going to be things that you miss from the places you have left behind.

And now, for a complete change of topic... Sierra's been quiet the active kitty lately. It's very cute. She meows at me to open up the door so she can play outside, then she'll run in and out of the house, freaked out by who-knows-what, playing her little kitty games. I don't think I've posted these yet, so I'll share some pictures of her hanging out on our little yard:

It's fun to watch her hang out outside. I hope wherever we move to next has a good enclosed yard for her, otherwise she's really gonna miss her outside time! =P

Even when it rains...

I had a great lunch today, with Francisca and Jessica who just recently moved to Geneva and I got to meet today for the first time (yay for the blogosphere bringing people together!). Despite the ugly, rainy weather, we had a good time, found a little place that just might rival Chez Ma Cousine for awesome chicken-fries-and-salad deal. ; ) I guess I know where to go now if I have chicken cravings and am on the wrong side of the lake. Unfortunately, lately between having visitors around from home, being tired out from pregnancy, and just in general not always being the best social coordinator, I haven't been as good about try to make plans to hang out with some of the people I've met over these past 5-6 months. However I'm hoping that can change a bit, after we get back from our trip to the states, and I have a bit more energy... and resolve. I should also work on inviting people to meet me for coffees and such, as that will also be more affordable all around than regular lunches out.

I was pleased to find that spending a few hours in town today didn't tire me out as it has been lately. Perhaps that 2nd trimester energy kick is starting? I dare believe it, for fear of jinxing myself. I did still take a nap upon getting home today, but I didn't feel as beat as I have in the past even week, so there's hope! After lunch, I stopped by a yoga studio in town to ask about prenatal yoga classes. The place is pimp-- it's decorated so nicely and so... ZEN and peaceful seeming. Of course, that also means that it ain't cheap. I'll have the next few weeks to think about it, since I wouldn't join anything till after we get back from the states anyway. I really like the idea of yoga as my pregnancy exercise, but I'm not sure I can plunk down $30 or more per class... but at the same time, I know buying a DVD at home isn't the same b/c I can't always tell if I'm doing things correctly. Decisions, decisions...

Tonight I'm set to baby-sit Jules and Levi, a rambunctious and very cool 5 yr old that's a friend of theirs who's visiting from the states (along with his mom, Kimberly). Zach is gonna come with me, too-- he originally had his motorcycle class scheduled for tonight, but it got moved to Saturday instead. This way he gets some more practice with kiddoes. ; ) And, well, we get to spend time together, too. Tuesday he went out to dinner with some guys at work, and last night he had his motorcycle class, so I haven't seen him as much lately. So, should be a fun night all around. Those kids are a blast. =P

Belly Pics!

I have started chronicling the expansion of my belly. Here's some of the pics:

Taken at 7 weeks; then at 11wks

12wks ; the last one is from yesterday, at what would have been 13 wks but I'm apparently 14wks now.


Ironically, with the first 3 pictures I felt that the pic made me look bigger than I felt, and then with this last one, well I'm finally feeling like I'm a bit more, um, obvious and it feels like the pic doesn't show that as much... but perhaps it's all my own expectations.

I've had to start going through some of my shirts and put some away already, as some just aren't long enough anymore. I'm really glad I stocked up on those Old Navy long tank tops a while back, those are about perfect right now (partially b/c they are super comfy, and fitted so they make the most of my belly). =P I went to H&M yesterday and looked for some tops to supplement my wardobe by, and there's lots of styles that work great for pregnancy right now but I was having a hard time finding anything under $20chf. So I just got 2 shirts, and will hold off on more till I can go shop at my trusty Target and such, where I'll find better deals.

And, for funzies, here's the latest photo of our darling little one. The profile of the face just amazes me.

(and you thought the endless showing off of baby pictures didn't start till after the baby was born... =P)

Blessings

You know, I remember when I went in for my 10 week appointment and we did an ultrasound, and I got to see our little baby and it didn't look like a tiny blob anymore, but like an actual baby-- it was the coolest feeling in the world, looking at the screen and thinking "that's our child!"

Well, this morning was even better. =)

I was scheduled to go in for my NT scan this morning, to check for Downs Syndrome and other defects. I knew our chances of Downs were really low (like 1 in a 1000+) so I wasn't worried, more excited to get to see our little one again and make sure everything was still going well.

And it is! Loki is perfectly healthy, everything looks great, in fact s/he's measuring a week ahead-- according to our calculations all along (which have been on target so far) I just turned 13 weeks yesterday, but today they measured at 14 weeks! So my due date's been moved up from Feb 10 to the 4th. I joked with Zach that I think our baby's superstitious-- didn't wanna risk that week "number 13" and skipped right past it, like old buildings that go from the 12th floor straight on to the 14th. ; ) I'm just happy b/c that officially puts me in the 2nd trimester, which is a nice milestone to reach.

Anyway, so the doctor made some measurements for size and everything, and Loki was giving her a bit of a hard time by moving too much! It was awesome. She was trying to show me where the legs and arms were, but they kept moving all over the place! But it was truly amazing how much you can see-- I have one picture that shows the facial profile perfectly, right down to the nose and lips. And I got to see one of the hands, as it was waving around, and see all 5 perfectly formed fingers and everything. =)

AND... she then turns to me and asks if I want to know the sex of the baby. I say I'd love to, but is it very accurate, this early? Well, she was pretty darn sure. But I won't announce it here yet b/c we haven't gotten a chance to share the news with family members that may want to know yet, so I'll keep mum. But you can shoot me an email if you wanna know. ; ) I'll just say that, when I found out, I think everything just hit me at once and I started crying right there on the table, it was just so incredible. I walked out of there with this huge smile on my face, so happy. I realize how lucky I am that I get to see our little one so often, with a monthly ultrasound. I get so nervous between appointments, esp in this 1st trimester, anxious to make sure everything's fine, and I can't imagine what it's like for women that don't even get one till 20 weeks. It's so great and reassuring to get to take a peek so often, say hello, make it all seem so much more real.

And in about 6 months, we'll have our darling baby here at home with us. Wonderful, scary, exciting, incredible... wow. Simply... amazing.

Chamonix

This morning we went to Bob and Aruna's for a fabulous pancake breakfast with them and Jules, and their friend Kimberly from the states and her son Levi. Then we all piled into our cars and went to Chamonix for a day of light hiking. He spilled the news to Bob and Aruna, who already suspected from our last hiking trip together (I guess backing out of the 2nd leg of the hike due to "feeling a bit tired" is kind of a clue). They are super excited for us. =)

Anyway, we got there and rode the cable car up and got started on our hike around 2pm or so. After a ways we stopped for lunch. I was already feeling myself fading a bit, and Zach reckoned we were about halfway to our destination and then we'd have to hike back, so after we finished eating I decided to head back on my own and let them continue on. I was pretty tuckered out by the time I got back to the lift area, so I laid down on a bench and rested with my eyes closed for a bit, then found a launch chair by this outdoor restaurant and read some of my book as I waited for everyone else to return. I had pretty sweet views of some gorgeous mountains, so I couldn't complain. =)


Our backdrop while hiking.

Pretty flowers along the way.



Light falling on snow, during dinner.




After the hike we met up with Graham, a friend of Kimberly's that lives in Chamonix, and his wife Caroline, and his mother... whose name I now forget. But she was really sweet. Graham's Scottish and Caroline's Brittish so we had some fun accents around. We had a very nice dinner together, everyone in the group was so nice, and Caroline's 7 months pregnant so she and I talked baby talk a bit. =) Zach and Graham exchanged emails. It certainly would be fun to have friends in Chamonix, both for hiking in the summer and Zach snowboarding in the winters... though I guess we'll see how much boarding he does after February. ; )

By the time we got home it was past midnight, and we're both pretty beat after a long, but very good, day. However the restaurant next door's having a 50th birthday party for the owner, which is great, but now it's 12:15am and the live band's still playing (The Beatles, Elvis Presley, James Brown, and the like). I'm curious to see how long they last... I'm kinda wanting to go to bed soon.

Yay for shopping

I did some shopping recently at cafepress.com for cute maternity-themed shirts, and they came in yesterday! Fit is never quite as good as one would hope, but I still love the designs. I got a regular tank top with an adorable "bun in the oven" design on it, and a maternity t-shirt with a very cute take-off of the whole iPod deal. I also got another maternity tee that simply says "I can grow people." Awesome. =P I think I'll wear the bun tank tomorrow, when we go see Bob and Aruna as our way of telling them. That way the pressure's off me to find the right moment to spring the news. ; )

In other news, I'm almost wanting to get an IV hooked up to my arm. It just seems like I'm constantly thirsty, no matter how much water I chug all day long. I guess it's part of the whole increasing-blood-volume bit (did you know that by 30 weeks I'll have 50% more blood circulating in my body??). Unfortunately part of the problem may also be that I'm kinda getting tired of the taste of our tap water. And I don't buy juice that often from the store b/c, well, liquids are heavy. I guess it doesn't matter as much when we drive to the store, but anytime I have to ride back on the bus you bet I'm getting the lightest stuff possible. And I have yet to find an equivalent to Crystal Light (or any powdered drink stuff) here. Oh well (I say as I get up to refill my glass, again).

However, Loki should be getting to be between 2.5 and 3 inches long right about now, happily swimming and dancing and twirling about inside my uterus, possibly even smiling, frowning, and sucking his/her thumb. =) Pretty amazing, huh?

La Grossesse

A little French language lesson for y'all...

Gros(se): (adj) thick, heavy, big, enlarged; fat person.

Grossir: (verb) to become fatter, to get bigger.

La grossesse:(noun) pregnancy

That's right. Apparently the French language views pregnancy as primarily equivalent with "fatness." Lovely. I'm not creating a life, or performing a miracle, or anything like that. Nope, I'm just getting bigger.


In other news, I totally want one of these baby carriers:

This is from Meg over at Montessori by Hand, and she's amazing at crafts-- always making really cool stuff by hand (check out her reading pillow!). She'll soon be selling the pattern to make this Mei Tai carrier, and although I can't sew worth a crap (I'm seriously considering trying to learn, so I can make some of this awesome stuff she comes up with) I may have to ask Kara to make one for me. ; )

Loki

We've settled on a nickname for our little fetus: Loki. At first I was calling it "the tadpole" but then it lost its tail and that didn't seem appropriate anymore. So then Zach came up with Loki, who is apparently the god of mischief in Norse mythology. Are we jinxing ourselves by giving our child this nickname? Perhaps. But it's also cute and fun, and better than just calling it "it" or "the baby." Perhaps when we find out the sex and decide on a proper name we'll start calling it that instead, but for now we'll use Loki. =)

Today is Swiss National Day, and Zach's off work (woot!) so we're going into town and gonna try to catch The Simpsons Movie. =) Then we might check out some of the festivities for the Fetes de Geneve.

Update: Without saying anything else, since I don't want to ruin the movie for anyone, I'll just say that I approved. = ) Oh, and that as we watched, I kept thinking of what Europeans must be thinking when they watch The Simpsons. For one thing, there's so many jokes that have everything to do with American culture, that must go over many heads. And then there's stuff like, well, Itchy and Scratchy, and the gratuitous violence, and as I sat there laughing part of me also felt almost ashamed... but in an amused sort of way. I mean, it's The Simpsons, for crying out loud! ; )

(I say this knowing that, as soon as I officially become a mother and have a child that is capable of watching The Simpsons, my views will change and it will go from a great show, to utter trash that I don't want my children watching. It's inevitable, I imagine)

Overall, our first theatre experience in Geneva was pretty good. I was pleased to see that we did not get assigned seating (I hear this is common in other parts of Switzerland). We went and saw it played in the original English version, and I don't know if it was b/c of that, or that it's a holiday, or both, but we were one of only 3 small groups of people in the entire theatre. Zach wants to go see Ratatouille next, but other than that we may not go to the movies that often here... I mean, $17chf per person is just a bit on the steep side, ya know?