Anniversary and Vacation

Yesterday, June 25th, was our four year anniversary. It's amazing to both of us how fast the past four years have flown by. It's been a great four years and remarkably easy on the marriage front. Chris has been more supportive than I ever dreamed, and he's made the challenges of school much easier to bear. The next year holds many new frontiers for us--parenthood, graduation, possibly moving, and eventually two incomes :) We're excited about what the future holds and trusting God in His wisdom to guide us.

Today we'll be leaving for Hickory, North Carolina. We'll spend a few days there visiting his family, and then we'll travel down to Myrtle Beach with his family for a short vacation. Chris will come back home on July 5th, and I will start a four week rotation in Dermatology at the Medical University of South Carolina on July 6th. I'm not excited about being away from Chris that long, but at least I'll be in a neat city with plenty to do. I'm also sad to be leaving Frankie behind--we're putting him in a kennel this week, so he won't get to enjoy the beach with us. The picture above is to show you what I'll be missing while I'm gone--two peas in a pod.

I'll try to keep the blog updated while I'm gone. I imagine there will be a more obvious bump by the time I come home. Please pray for traveling mercy.

11 weeks

Today marks week 11 of pregnancy. According to the bump.com:

"Baby's now the size of a lime! Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through it. But fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds, and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future."

I took my first bellyshot today (above). I had to use the self-timer on the camera, so forgive the odd angle. I can still wear most of my pants, but they're certainly more snug and less comfortable than usual. Today I actually wore a pair of maternity pants for the first time because most of my pants needed ironing (haha), and these pants were definitely more comfortable with the stretchy waistline.

I got off early today and came home and took a 2 hour nap!! There's a lot that needs to be done around the house, but I just haven't had much energy. The 100 degree weather doesn't help much either. Chris has been wonderful and understanding in all of my moodiness, cravings, and laziness. He never complains about running to the grocery store when I can't get a particular food item off my mind, and he's done the majority of cooking and cleaning around the house for weeks. I'm certainly lucky! Pray God will give him continued patience and perseverence for at least another 29 weeks.

Cribical Decision

After finding the dresser yesterday, I spent much of the remaining day on the internet looking for cribs that would fit with that style. We landed on the crib above, which is the Basset Baby Southampton 4-in-1 Convertible Crib at Babies R' Us. I think it will fit nicely with the dresser without being too traditional. We'll be able to use it for many years, too, because it converts to a toddler bed, a daybed, and a full-sized bed. I'm excited to add another piece to the nursery image in my mind, and I know Chris will be glad that I won't constantly be searching for cribs online.

Next big item on my list: a glider/rocker. Babies R' Us used to carry an Amy Coe rocker that I absolutely love, but we can't find it for sale anywhere now. I've actually gone so far as to contact the store to ask if they ever plan to re-stock it...still awaiting a response. Nevertheless, the picture below gives you an idea of what we'd like to find.

birdies

I'm posting a second time in one day because I'm excited about a mobile project I've decided to undertake for the nursery. I found this idea on another blog, and I love it because you can personalize it with whatever fabric you like. It involves a good bit of sewing by hand, but I think it will be worth it in the end. I'm not sure yet whether I'll go for the birds on the branches look or the more traditional mobile, but I think either would be adorable.

Shabby Chic Dresser and Registries

First, I apologize for the month-long hiatus. There hasn't been much baby-related news over the past few weeks, and I've just neglected the blog.

I had a prenatal check-up yesterday, and everything went well. I'm now 10 weeks and 4 days along. The doctor was able to find the baby's heartbeat with the doppler, and that tiny little heart was beating away 160 times a minute (which is good). I was thrilled we could hear the heartbeat this early--this is typically the earliest you can pick it up with the doppler. Since I'm going to be in Charleston, SC all of July, my next prenatal appointment won't be until August 10th. I'll have my big ultrasound in August also, so we should find out the gender then (yah!).

I've registered for some items on Babies R' Us and Target recently. I've been amazed at how much (expensive) gear these little people come with. I'm trying to keep the limited space of our house in mind, but it's really hard to know at this point what we'll actually need and what's just excess. I've tried to keep the big items as neutral as possible so we can use them for future kids too. I do look forward to finding out what we're having so I can register for clothes and such specific to gender.

Chris and I found an antique dresser (pictured above) today that we love and have decided to buy and use as dresser/changing table. It's painted and distressed with a shabby chic look. I had been looking more at modern baby furniture, so this has definitely changed the direction of things. I'm excited about it, though, and I think we can use this piece for a long time.

first ultrasound

We had our first ultrasound on Friday to confirm dates. As suspected, dates by my LMP were off some, and by the ultrasound I am actually due 1/12/09, making me 6 weeks and 4 days today. It was a little disappointing to go back in time, but in the end, nine days really makes no difference I suppose.

The wonderful thing is that we did see the baby's heartbeat--it was beating away 130 times a minute, which is expected at this stage. For any who might have been hoping for a 2-for-1 deal, sorry to disappoint, but only one baby brewing in there. You can't make out too much in the ultrasound picture above, but you can sort of distinguish head and body.

All in all, it was a very positive visit. We go back in four weeks for our next check.

Chocolate Cake and Cheetos

Well, I said I'd let you know the details of when Chris told his family about the pregnancy, but he's had a tough time remembering too many details for me. He also had a lot more to take in at one time as he told his parents, sister, and brother-in-law at once rather than with individual phone calls like I did. He told his family through a Mother's Day gift...we bought his mom a grandmother's journal to her grandchildren, and he gave her that on Friday night. From what he says, she didn't catch on initially that she'd have a grandchild to write to sooner than later, so Chris told her the rest of the gift is coming in January...pause..."Is Lesley pregnant?" I know they're excited along with us to start the next generation of Starnes'. No pressure Melissa and Jason, but first cousins have an awful lot of fun together :)

I was post-call today and starving by the time I got off at 1pm. Someone mentioned chocolate cake on rounds today, and from then on, that's all I could think of. On my way home, I stopped at Kroger to buy cake mix and frosting. It's always a bad idea to shop for groceries on an empty stomach, but I think it's even worse when you're pregnant because you have a ready made excuse for 'cravings'. I came home with an odd mixture: chocolate cake mix/frosting, coffee cake mix. blueberry muffin mix, 7up, and crunchy cheetos! I promise I'm eating fruits and vegetables too! True cravings or giving in more easily to whims? I'm not sure, but I'll tell you one thing...I'm going to have my cake and eat it too tonight!

Our next appointment is Friday for our first ultrasound. We're excited, and I think seeing our baby's heartbeat will make it all feel more real. Hopefully I can post pictures of the ultrsound here. More to come...