Farewell to this Blog

So, since you're no longer an amphibian, I suppose we should move my writing over to a more appropriate place.

I'm going to keep my pregnancy blog here on mikeandmandy.net, but I registered tristyn.net for you, where I created a stream to compile your photos, videos, and the new blog I'm writing to you called Notes to Tristyn, From Your Mother. You can check all that out on your site tristyn.net

Baby Girl Rolled!

Tristyn has a new trick....she rolled onto her side! She didn't push off her with her foot to roll over, instead she put both her feet up in the air, lifted her butt a little bit of the floor, and swiveled to her side on the way down. She's 16 weeks old, today.

She despises tummy time, so its quite fitting she just hung out on her side, chillin. She obviously thinks its cool, because she's done it about 17 times in a row so far. Of course she discovered this new trick during a diaper change, so the above stunt and all subsequent stunts were all performed nakedy.

New Hospital Photo

Tristyn's favorite song

Tristyn (aka Stinky Pants) favorite song:

Somebody has pants that stink,
Who could it be?
Let me think.

Somebody has pants that stink,
Who could it be?
You, I think!

Bebe Hat

And These are the Lives of the Rich and Famous

I received an email from Johnson's baby products that its Baby Week at WalMart, so I invited my mom to join Tristyn and I yesterday. Uh, it was a bust. A little reminder of the many reasons why I despise WalMart. One of those reasons is the other customers. Let me just remind you that when one walks around in public with a tiny baby, one becomes a celebrity. I can't go anywhere incognito with her. I know its a special time during the newborn period and it doesn't last long. I'm thankful that strangers want to greet my baby and welcome her to the world, but sometimes I just want to do my errands anonymously without going through the whole baby biography. Of course I'd prefer letting them guess her age, weight, etc., over a stranger *touching* her. That's exactly what happened yesterday. Someone touched her. At Walmart. A kid. What are the chances its hands were remotely clean? Gross. It's giving me the creeps just thinking about it. And the mother of it didn't even protest. Maybe its allowed to do this to every random baby it comes near. A serial baby toucher. Well a serial germ spreader I say, and that should at least be a misdemeanor (felony on WalMart premises).

Anywayyy, I picked up some diapers while we were there. I've been trying out the different types to see what's out there. So I bought Swaddlers again (they're the best), which is what I used when she was first born. When I opened one up to put it on her, I had a little flash-back of being in the hospital with her, and the first few days at home when she was brand new (as if 6 weeks is so old LOL). While dressing her I realized it was the scent of the diaper that brought back the memory. No not the one I took off her, the Swaddler. They smell like...like baby, and that Swaddler was my first wiff of baby.

And These are the Lives of the Rich and Famous.

Oh, we also went to Sam's Club, and indulged on this life jacket for Tristyn. Pink and green - for infants 0-30 pounds. And I could resist how? She wants to go to Havasu some day, too! It's actually got some cool design and safety features like a pillow flap type thing on the back and a 'rescue' handle, but mostly its all about the pink and green. Tristyn's a stylish baby and likes her wardrobe to coordinate.

Smile!

Caught a pic of her smiling. The pic is dark because I can't use the flash - she'll close her eyes if I do.

FYI I added a link in the sidebar to her Flickr photos site, and subscription feed links. You can choose from either email delivery of combined blog and Flickr photos, or RSS of just the blog or just the photo feed.

Could It Be?

It's been quite a week around here. I can't believe what a difference 5 weeks makes. Tristyn has really become a different baby this week. I mean she's practically off to college. OK maybe not, but seriously, she's so much more alert now. Tasha came to see her yesterday and Tristyn just stared into her eyes, studying her face for quite some time.

Now that she can maneuver her neck around she is free to explore her surroundings a bit more. I think all this visual exploration has expended a lot of energy because both Friday night and Saturday night she slept through the night. Both times she casually woke up at 4 or 4:30 to eat, then was wide awake cooing like crazy for about 2 hours before taking a cat nap. I say cat nap literally, because Kitty XL has roughly the same schedule each morning, which he usually likes to spend outside. Since we were up I brought him in, and the two of them co-napped. They're doing the same today as I type this.

Even though she slept 2 full nights in a row a few weeks ago I'm pretty confident this is the real deal here. She can handle more milk at one feeding so she stays satisfied longer - therefore no banshee screaming 1.2 seconds after she decides to wake up. I just wish she would have told me her plans because I was waiting up for her all night Friday. I kept thinking to myself "any minute now" as I was literally staring at her face wondering when she'd wake - but she just kept sleeping. I'm crossing my fingers for a restful night for everyone tonight!

T's Big Moment

I had her upright leaned up against my chest (but kinda low, like she likes) and I was trying to burp her. She was facing away from me and totally turned her head around the other way and used her neck muscles to lean her head back and look all the way up at me and make eye contact! She has neck muscles, yeah! We celebrated moments later - she spit up on me. Luckily the cloth caught it all.

_______________________________________________
This email was sent from my Blackberry device.

A Little Birdy

A Little Birdy
Originally uploaded by tristyn77

As seen here, Tristyn (with wet hair) slyly flips me off while I'm feeding her.

I thought that didn't happen till the teen years?

Tristyn is 4 Weeks Old

Tristyn is 4 weeks old today. I can't believe it's already been a month. It seems like less, but then again it seems like she's always been here. She's pretty cranky today, as she was yesterday and last night. She cried until just after midnight, but then she slept for 4 hours before waking up for a feeding then slept for 4 more. After her breakfast, she started right back again for another round. It was a lot of fun! The only thing that really gets her to quit crying is putting her in the baby sling and walking around. I so wish we could go for a walk outside but its horrendously humid even at night. Walking around the dining table through the kitchen to the living room and around again is getting old.



I had my 4 week post partum check up today. Mike is off today so I didn't take T with me. I seriously felt like I was leaving her with a babysitter. She's 4 weeks old and he doesn't know how to make a bottle for her or where her receiving/swaddling blankets are. He kept asking how long I was going to be gone before I left. He was so involved at the hospital and during her first week, but since he went back to work its a different story. He's been working a ton of hours, and in this heat, I don't know how he does it.

_______________________________________________

This email was sent from my Blackberry device.

Blackberry mail: bb@byjpartners.com

Desktop mail: amanda@yeager.net

My Poor Baby

So my poor little baby somehow got pink eye. My baby's first ailment! Neither Mike or I have ever had it, but Chase has and he said its mostly just irritating, not painful. I hope it isn't causing her too much grief. Her eye started getting gooky late last night so I called first thing at 7 am when the doctors appt line opened and got a 10:45 appointment. Dr Luckshu prescribed some eye drops that should clear it up in just a couple of days.



When I filled the prescription the clerk asked me if Tristyn was a boy or girl, and explained her 9 year old daughter is named Tristan, and has never met another female with the name. She also said her daughter complains to her that she can never find pre-printed personalized items (like keychains) with her name on them. I told her I never could either when I was a kid, and now Amanda is a pretty common name. Not that I think T's name will become any more common, but that's a good thing, right? Who wants to be Jane Doe?

_______________________________________________

This email was sent from my Blackberry device.

Blackberry mail: bb@byjpartners.com

Desktop mail: amanda@yeager.net

Kitty Epiphany

Kitty Epiphany
Originally uploaded by tristyn77

Kitty X has officially noticed he isn't as popular as he once was (pre-baby) and has begun doing weird things for attention. Luckily he doesn't seem to have realized it's all Tristyn's fault.

Life is Rough

So last weekend we ended up taking Tristyn to the hospital (urgent care wouldn't take a newborn) because she just refused to go pew-pew. I think it's my fault because on her birthday when it was just her and I at the hospital that night I told her not to be a big poopy-head, and asked that she try to only go when her Daddy changes her. Well I guess she took me seriously on that first request, because she hadn't gone in a few days.

Earlier in the week we had given her an ounce of water (at the advice of the doctor), which did make her go, but she stopped there. We've read infrequent pew-pew occurrences are totally normal, but it still freaked us out. The H gave her sugar water this time, and she went shortly afterwards. Since then she's gone everyday or at least every other day. Each time she does, I either call Mike or run out to get him and tell him the good news. I still can't believe how happy that makes us. It's the little things in life, right?

Her umbilical cord stump fell off Monday - exactly 2 weeks since she was born, right on schedule. I'm so glad it's gone (and no, I didn't save it). She's much cuter without it.

She had her 2 week check up Wednesday, and not only did she check-out very healthy, she grew almost an inch! She doesn't go back until she's 2 months old.

Other than the above, the week pretty much consisted alternating nights of her sleeping well all night, then the next night me begging her to stop crying and to go to sleep. She likes to keep me guessing.

My Baby is Ruined!

My husband ruined my baby! Last night he was trimming her nails again, and on the 10th finger he cut her!!! He came running to me with her asking where her first aid kit is because he wanted a band-aid. Uhh, you can't put a band-aid on the tip of a newborns finger, you nerd!

She only cried a little bit, and I calmed her down pretty easily. It was Mike who was having the hardest time with it - I thought he was going to cry! He smothered her with kisses and apologized about 700 times, and I kept reassuring him it was ok. He put a little ointment on the cut and I put a mitten on her so she wouldn't end up eating the ointment or opening the cut back up. With just one white glove on she looked like Michael Jackson.

She slept from 10pm to 3:30am last night - hopefully this is a recurring theme!

Miracle

It's a miracle - Tristyn slept through the night last night! 9pm to 4am. I tried to wake her a couple of times for feedings, but she wouldn't budge. She's been fussy for about an hour today and I can't get ANYTHING done around here, but its much better than dealing with it at 3am, so I'll take it.

Here's a new pic of her "just chillin" - an impression of her Papa Stuart.

Yesterday being the 1st of the month I went in to the office to do some work for a few hours. I took her with me and she got to meet both my office mates. Since I've gotten my ankles back (which I barely recognize every time I notice them) and I can wear my wedding rings again, I decided to try something bigger - my pre-pregnancy jeans. Also a miracle - they fit!

1 Week Old - Happy Birthday!

Kind of an eventful day in the Leonard household. Jessie got her drivers permit! Mike took her to take the test after he got off work. I've been letting Jessie drive for a few years (where it's safe), so I knew she'd pass the first time.

Today also marks Tristyn's 1st week! She's growing up so quickly LOL. She has been a little fussy, but I told her to go ahead and get it all our during daylight hours, instead of the middle of the night.

I went to Wal*Mart to buy a mini cake to celebrate both achievements. I happened to park around the corner from the garden dept to avoid pedestrian traffic, and spied a white rocking chair - on clearance - as I was walking in. Perfect for Tristyn's room! I've been desperate for a chair but couldn't easily find what I was looking for. Ahem, $27!

Day 7

Day 7

Last night was even better. Still some crying and sleeplessness, but no where near what we went through a few nights ago. She smiles a lot now, and kinda chuckles.

Tristyn, her Dad, and her cat all took a nap on our bed today. Kitty XL is twice as big as her! I supervised of course - but he was a good boy and I had nothing to worry about. I have a feeling this will be a recurring theme with three of them - its their favorite Sunday afternoon activity. Just wait until football season starts!

Me & Tristyn in her Room - Day 6

Day 6

Photo by GP

She cried quite a bit last night, but just for 2 hours. Much better than the night before. Hopefully it'll get better each night.

My sister came out from San Diego to meet her niece, and my parents came over with her. Peg took this photo of Tristyn and I in her room. It's my favorite pic of her to date. I cropped myself out of it and asked GP to print it out on her nice printer for me. Our neighbors brought over a baby gift of a classical CD, clothing sets and a beautiful glass frame etched with "Our New Arrival". The pic will be perfect for it. She changes so much everyday, so I've been taking a few pics of her each day to capture the beginning of her life.

Ready to Meet Nana - Day 5

Day 5

Tristyn cried allll niiiight last night. From 1 am to 6 am. So as not to disturb other household members, I stayed on her bedroom floor with her the whole time. Chase came in about 3:30 and took over for a good half hour - trying to work any magic he could. Nothing worked. She'd be fine for a few minutes, then start wailing again. Just as soon as I'd doze off, she'd scream again, and again. Over and over.

Finally at 5:50 she fell asleep "for reals" and I jumped up and put her in her crib in our bedroom, did a couple of chores and hit the hay. I thought my bed felt good the day we came home from the hospital - that was nothing compared to how good it felt after desperately attempting to soothe a crying baby all night while laying on a hard floor.

Later in the day I put her in a pretty little dress with flower appliques and we took her over to meet her Nana for the first time. I thought Nana would appreciate the flowery dress. Her aunt and uncle visited her for the second time later that evening as well. Tristyn pretty much slept through all of it - getting ready for the night I guess :(

Rockin out in her Rainforest bouncer - Day 4

Day 4

I over did it activity-wise yesterday a little, so I'm sore and tired today. Tristyn was ok through the night, some crying spells - but what do you expect? Mike of course is all worked up about it, and I keep trying to remind him crying is a babies only source of communication, and they can only sleep for a few hours at a time.

My Dad came over to hang up a couple of shelves in Tristyn's room for us, and stayed for dinner. Nikolas was happy to entertain him with his Governator impressions, taking requests, and generally being, well, Nikolas.

Scrunchy Face - Day 3

Day 3

Tristyn had a doctor appt at 9:30 today. I wanted to stay in that shower forever - but we had to get moving. I felt fine, just tired from getting up so often from the night before. Nothing too fussy, just feeding and changing duties.

The receptionist assumed she was a boy when she looked up the patient name in the computer. Hhhh that was the whole reason in spelling Tristyn with a y. What boy would spell it with a y? Anyway, she checked out ok, and we scheduled a follow up appt in 2 weeks. She weighed 8 pounds 9.6 ounces (babies loose weight the first day after birth), and measured 20.5 inches long.

Afterwards we made our first family trip - to Target. A place Tristyn can expect to visit many, many times with her mama. Mike laughed and said it was an appropriate first place for me to take her, since I go once a week - more since I've been getting ready for baby.

For some reason we looked through the sporting goods section at the different items they sell for kids. Like she's really going to start golfing next week, right? Just planning I guess. After we bought out supplied we headed home for a much needed nap for everyone. Tristyn's only cousin Nikolas came over to visit her, and so did my mother. We all took turns holding and cuddling Tristyn for the rest of the night.

Day 2 - Going Home

Day 2 - Going Home

After being told we'd be released the previous day, then that we'd be released at noon today, by the time 2pm rolled around I was about to scream. I wanted to be at home desperately.

Baby was released, we watched the required release video, all we were waiting on was my discharge from my doctor.

Because of this, I didn't want to I sign the birth certificate yet, since we still had time. I finally deciding on spelling Tristyn with a 'y' and not a 'e', for femininity and uniqueness, but I almost changed her name to Avery at the last minute. I also almost went with Lee for a middle name because of its family ties, well really I just doubted myself, I don't think I ever was really going to change it from Evangeline. It's a family name as well - my mother's middle name, that's why I chose it. The only other middle name options were Mike's suggestion of Michelle, after my sister, and my suggestion of Yeager, my maiden name.

I knew her name would be Tristyn Evangeline before she was actually born, but I just didn't want to make it official, and I really took this time to make certain it fit. Much to the dismay of the clerk who desperately wanted me to sign and hand over that certificate, I took most of the morning to mull it over. During the mulling, I fell asleep. Mike said she came in to check if I had signed it, and he not realizing I had done so already, told her I was sleeping and to come back later. He said she looked like she was going to cry. He felt so bad for her, he later took the certificate and walked all around the place looking for her to deliver it. Uhh, sorry, its an important task and I was not going to let her rush me.

Finally the midwife from my doctors office came to discharge me. She literally talked to me for about a minute and a half, and that was it. I waited alllll daaang morning and half of the afternoon for a stinkin pep talk. We coulda been out of there at 10am! Whatever as soon as she walked out the door I sprung up and we headed home. I hadn't been outside since early Sunday morning, I had no idea how muggy and gray it was out there. More of an August-type weather than a sunny July afternoon. Mike got the truck running before we came out so me and baby wouldn't be too hot. We strapped in and headed home - finally!

Faux-hawk Tristyn

Day 1 - continued. Our First Night.

The morning my water broke Mike was supposed to go pick up Jessie - she wanted to be here for the birth. Luckily my water broke before he left, and not when he was a couple hours away.

Stuart offered to go get her, which was a big help. Mike went home in the morning to shower and get in a nap after such an exhausting experience. He came back to the hospital and brought some snacks and let me get in a shower while we waited for Stuart's phone call to meet him to get Jessie.

After Jess arrived and we all ate pizza around my hospital bed, the baby greeted Jess by projectile spitting up formula on her. Love ya sis!

My mom stopped by for a bit too. Mike and Jessie left to go home pretty late. It was just me and the baby for the night. I was kinda freaked out someone would come in a take her while I was sleeping. Not that I got much sleep. She wasn't fussy, but as I said I was a little worried about security, I had to keep on top of her feeding and changing schedule, and in general I have a hard time sleeping in strange places. So, instead of sleeping, we got to know each other a little better. This is when I fell in love with her. I think she was in the bassinet for a total of 20 minutes that night, and that was just for diaper changes and when I went pee myself. She's a total cuddle-buds. I thought I would be clueless with what to do with her, but it all came naturally and she thought I was a pro :)

Guess She's a Billy Idol fan - Day 1

Day 1 - That was the longest 24 hours of my life to date, but at the same time it also seemed to fly by. I threw up what I was allowed to eat, and experienced some insane pain, but finally got an epidural and was able to sleep for 2 hours before the birth.

She was born 'sunny side up', which evidently just means stronger pains for mommy. I had pain even through my epidural, and the nurses turned it down AFTER I complained! The anesthesiologist was upset with them and turned it back up, and remedied them "she veddy tall ledy". The nurses later apologized, and subsequently forgot to turn it off after the birth!

Mike was awesome through it all. He helped the nurses and was involved with everything, never leaving baby's side. He and the nurse gave the baby her first bath, and was even adventurous enough to attempt using my digital camera to capture a few first photographs. He's a great Dad.

My parents came in for a visit and brought me some breakfast - which I scarffed, and shortly after we were moved to the recovery wing a quarter mile wheel chair ride away.

She's Here!

Tristyn Evangeline Leonard
Born July 23 at 5:06am
8 pounds 14.6 ounces

_______________________________________________
This email was sent from my Blackberry device.
Blackberry mail: bb@byjpartners.com
Desktop mail: amanda@yeager.net

A Little Progress

So we got moved into a private room about an hour and a half ago. Mike is glad - his chair is much better than the previous. He also just took over the remote - even in the hospital I'm not allowed control of the remote and the dang thing is wired to my bed LOL.

So I'm having some mild contractions - have been for a few hrs now. Nothing too painful, just uncomfortable. They are going to start administering Pitocin (to bring on stronger contractions) at 7pm. Because of this, they let me eat. Mike went out to Denny's and brought me back a turkey sandwich, fries with ranch, and didn't even forget the requested pickles. It amused me that I really wanted a pickle because its so cliche, and I really haven't had any cravings during my pregnancy. But that pickle was good!
_______________________________________________
This email was sent from my Blackberry device.
Blackberry mail: bb@byjpartners.com
Desktop mail: amanda@yeager.net

Beginning Stages of Labor

So I'm at the very beginning stages of labor. I'm stuck in triage until someone else gives birth and frees up a room for me. If my water hadn't broken, I'd be doing this at home. Since it did break, I'm stuck here at the hospital for the whooole ride.

I'm glad it happened before Mike left this morning tho - he was supposed to go pick up Jessie 2 hrs from home. Except I only got 3 hours of sleep last night, and now that I'm here at the hospital I can't eat anything at all. I think knowing that is making me starving, cuz I'm already hungry

Oh great...here comes the IV...
_______________________________________________
This email was sent from my Blackberry device.
Blackberry mail: bb@byjpartners.com
Desktop mail: amanda@yeager.net

On The Way

Well we're on the way to the hospital right now. Kitty XL woke me up at 5 because he for some reason thought that would be a goof time to demand I feed him his 'good foods' that he gets for dinner. He insisted. Repeatedly. So while I was dumping the stinkiness into his bowl I felt a little something funny, and I just stood there thinking "No way!". I think I was trying so hard not to go into labor on Chase's birthday that as soon as that was over bam! Luckily we had time to take him and Chelsea out to The Chop House for a nice dinner last night.



So anyway, after I admitted to myself what was about to happen, I went and put some makeup on and got dressed, trying my hardest not to wake Mike up. He did wake up a couple times but I pretended I just had more insomnia issues and to go back to bed. When I was enough ready I suggested he get in the shower because my water broke. He stared at me for a bit before asking if I was sure about 700 times. OMG we're here at the hospital already pulling in...

_______________________________________________

This email was sent from my Blackberry device.

Blackberry mail: bb@byjpartners.com

Desktop mail: amanda@yeager.net

Rock and Roll Saved My Baby

Friday in the middle of the night I decided that the baby hadn't been moving as much as normal, so I started semi-freaking out. Since Mike had to work at 5am, I didn't want to wake him up. I decided if I had to go into the hospital, I'd just sneak out and tell him what was going on when he woke up. That's kind of mean, I know. But I figured it would take forever just to get there and get processed, so I'd let him sleep for the time being, and if I needed him to come, he could come then. Luckily, it didn't get that far.

So I got up and ate something, and waited. I went outside with the cat and sat with my Princess Fiona feet in the pool. It was still a zillion degrees out - at 1am. She moved enough in the allotted time given as per my baby literature, so I went back to bed. I still couldn't sleep and wasn't convinced nothing was wrong, so at 3 I got up again and did the same thing. Ate, then waited. This time at least it had cooled off outside. Again, her movements were appropriate, but I still felt uneasy. I knew I was going to the doctor Monday, and since she was within the criteria I decided to wait until then, and change my appt from 4pm to as early as they could see me.

I told Mike about it the next day and I think he's asked me "Is my baby moving?" every 5 minutes since then. It must be weird being the Dad of something inside your wife. Anyway Saturday night we went to the outdoor Rock Yard at Fantasy Springs Casino to see the Chili Peppers cover band. When they were through with their set another cheesy band started playing covers for the after hours stragglers I guess. Surprisingly, she liked them better. She really started moving. The music was cool, they played some Metallica and AC/DC, but I couldn't take the singers voice anymore so we left for home.

Sunday her movements were pretty normal all day, so I decided not to move up my appt up and kept the 4pm appt. I told them what (I thought) happened, but that she had been okay since, and they suggested we hook up to the monitor to see what she looked like today. Well she was just going loco while I was in the waiting room, so I knew they were going to think I was crazy. Sure enough her movements were good, "beautiful" to quote them. They also did an ultrasound to check my amniotic fluid levels, which were good as well. I didn't get out of there until 6pm!

Oh, I also asked if they could guesstimate her current weight. The doc felt my belly and said she was defintely 7 pounds, sumpin ounces. With less than 3 weeks to go, I wonder how much bigger she'll get!

Her Daddy painted her bedroom over the weekend. We're a little behind where I'd like to be on it ideally, but we moved Chase out of that room and into the former guest room, which took some time. Now that he's all set up in there we were able to move ahead on her decor. Here are a couple first pics: Image1 and Image2.

In The Clear

So I'm 37 weeks now, which means I'm full-term. So I'm in the clear as far as prematurity. If the she is born anytime from today on, although she would still be considered early as far as her due date, she would not be considered pre-mature. Yeah! Another little pre-birth milestone to celebrate. Maybe we'll enjoy a MamaRita (non-alcoholic margarita, recipe below) tonight with dinner. I had a few with the chipotle steaks we made for our Independance Day dinner.

MamaRita
1.5 oz sweet and sour mix
0.5 oz lime juice
0.5 oz OJ
Pour over ice
Garnish with lime wedge

_______________________________________________
This email was sent from my Blackberry device.
Blackberry mail: bb@byjpartners.com
Desktop mail: amanda@yeager.net

34 Weeks

The Bump at 34 weeks on Saturday June 16th at the Marriott Desert Springs for Deana's combination bridal shower/bachelorette party event. Kind of a weird picture, but oh well.

For River/Lake People - I Must Share

K, if you go to Havasu or the River, then you most likely know of the "Shoe Tree" on Rice Road, right? It's about the only thing to look at the entire trip (except the other rigs on the road with you).

So on the way to the Lake last weekend we are driving by the Shoe Tree. Imagine my surprise, when a little bit of entertainment has been sprinkled upon this long, hot trip for me to enjoy. Not only do I notice someone has dumped a treadmill quite near the Shoe Tree, but also someone is ON this treadmill, treading - I guess you'd call it.

This is such a random area of the world, I'm not sure if this person was homeless or just shabby, but it was an older man, and he was directly facing the road, treading away. I guess he goes there to work out to avoid the crowds at the gym?

Sympathy Pregnancy

I haven't added an entry here for quite some time. We've been so busy on the weekends with weddings, the baby shower (which I still haven't finished writing about), etc etc. Most of the free time I have I spend stressing about how I am not getting her room ready.

So the husband has sympathy pregnancy symptoms. Headaches, cravings (for pistachios), neither of which I have experienced myself. Well, I did have some headaches in the early part of my second trimester when my blood volume was increasing, but compared to the set of buns sticking out the right side of my belly - those days of little annoyances are difficult to remember now.

Last weekend we made our last trip to Lake Havasu for quite some time, and it was great. Chase was obsessed with my belly in a bikini, as I don't too often walk around 'free-bellying' at home. He kept shaking it and moving her around, amazed at how it felt in his hands (yeah, imagine carrying it aroud 24/7!). Again, the husband is more pregnant than I am. Except for hour-3 in the car when my legs started getting restless and uncomfortable, I felt great the whole time I was there (the water made my belly weightless!). He on the other hand was cranky an sensitive the whole time. I wanted to stay and go back out on the lake Sunday (after all we won't be going back until after I deliver as I refuse to give bith in Arizona), but he refused. I even offered to just go out on the lake for a few hours before we head home, and added that we would make it in time to watch The Sporanos series finale (yeah, like that was worth it!) but still no interest. Oh well, I guess the pool will have to suffice for the rest of the summer :(

Miss New Belly

I can't fit in my desk anymore. I have to push my chair back so far (to make room for da belly) that I can't reach my keyboard. Yesterday I made a deposit at the bank. When I walked up to the counter my belly hit it and kinda pushed me backwards. Obviously my brain is stubborn and wants my body to assume the same distance to things as I would pre-buddha belly.

Stroller X

My parents bought us the silver/gray/green stroller/car seat combo that I picked out in our registry. It arrived today. The UPS guy was halfway up my office stairs before I realized what he had, and ran out to ask him to bring it back down and put it in the back of my truck (err, Mike's truck). It cost me a few free Whopper cards because he was being a little baby about it, but he did it, as well as relay all kinds of 'advice' on baby products and such. Hhhh look buddy, just heave the thing in and go please! If I'd have known I was going to have to go through such an ordeal to get him to put it in the truck, I'd have just left it upstairs and brought Mike's hand truck with me tomorrow and did it myself.

Yeah, something else to put together. Well how hard could it be I think to myself, its just a stroller and car seat. How many parts could there be? That was before I opened the box.

So I finally got it together. My finners are still sore from trying to get one of the wheel assembly things secured. Then I hear cats yelling outside so I made Kitty X come in, so as to not accidentally get involved, and therefore injured. Of course he's interested in the new items right away. I thought he was gonna wanna go inside the infant car seat part, but he could have cared less about it. He took a quick peek, batted at a tie on it, and left it to check out the stroller instead. It has a hanging canvas bag type thing on its underneath for parental storage. Well after he sniffs the wheels (as all cats must) even tho it hasn't strolled anywhere yet, he jumps right into the 'cargo' area and makes himself comfy. This cat thinks every baby item I bring home is for him! I figure since its not a place where the actual baby is going to go, its not too dangerous, and I grab Mike's phone to take this pic before he looses interest. Click it to make it bigger, it's cute.

Poor cat is in for a real shock when he realizes all the stuff that's sized seemingly just for him is really for someone else, kicking him out of the baby of the family position. I think he'll be alright. He'll probably welcome having a new person to speak to, since he loves to talk so much.

Smell-o-Vision

Why must I have super-smell senses? I dislike it. It doesn't even qualify as a super power. There is no super hero that's one cool power is the ability to smell better than the average population. There is no Smellowoman, no Smelloman.

Another question - why does my person have the ability to detect scents in a stronger than normal fashion, but refuses to do so except during this period that I'm making a person? And why isn't there some sort of sensory-dulling hormone that one acquires only while their child is experiencing their teens?

I hope this super-sense goes away immediately after delivery, because from my experience over the last 7 months there are more things in this world that smell bad, than smell good. I'm sick of it. Right now my boss-man/father is at his desk eating some sort of a sandwich with red onions on it. If you are also pregnant, I need say nothing more and you are probably already ill. For unpregnant people, let me just tell you, red onions are probably the single most offensive odor in existence. Its no wonder they make people cry when slicing. The fact that fiery odor lingers in the air long after the offending meal has been finished just makes this food straight EVIL.

May Dr Visit

I just left my OB visit for May. I took my nephew Nik with me (who just turned 8 last week) so he could hear her heartbeat, and just so he'd feel a little closer to his new cousin. I kept yawning while we were waiting for the Doc and Nik asked why I was so tired all the time now. I said "Well it's hard work growing a baby", so he responded wryly "Good Point.".

This time I saw the nurse practitioner. When she came in I introduced Nik to her, and he greeted her with "Hola!". She responded with a full sentence in Spanish, to which Nik embarrassingly replied "Uh, I only know a couple words.".

Not a very eventful checkup otherwise. I gained just 3 pounds and my blood pressure was great. They have no advise for my achy feet and puffy ankles once again. I have to come back in 3 weeks this time for my next checkup. Mike will be on vacation then so he'll go with me to that one.

Afterwards we went across the street to Healthy Beginnings to register Mike and I for the infant safety and childbirth prep classes. Nik asked what we were doing there, and after I explained it to him he looked at me puzzled and said in his little robot voice "Uhh, aren't you already a mother?". I just laughed and said "Yeah, but I didn't get those kids til after they were born.". He accepted my answer but still looked at me like I was being silly for taking the classes, and walked over to sit in the waiting area - next to the large selection of nursing bras :)

Purchases

Last weekend I ordered something called BabyLegs, at babylegs.net. Basically, baby leg warmers in super cute patterns. I chose "watermelon", a funky stripe in bright greens and yummy oranges. The company was started by a woman who was making them for her own daughter 2 years ago, and passers by were inquiring as to where she found them.

As you can see, the little emblem at the ankle has the initials BL. They think it stands for Baby Legs, but in my world it's Baby Leonard! If we ever agree on a name for her, and it happens to begin with a B, I'm just going to have to buy every pattern they carry.

They arrived today, along with a freebie promo pen that happened to be a pink/clear Bic pen with with their website printed in green. It's a sign - everything pink and green! I'm keeping it inside the Petunia Picklebottom diaper bag that I purchased a few weeks ago, which also happens to be pink and green. A silk diaper bag - I must be insane.

Arriving last Saturday was the custom crib bedding I ordered earlier this month from a woman in Texas named Cat McQuigg. The whole set includes a crib bumper, coverlet, crib skirt, throw pillows, windows panels, and a tote bag, all in a mix of the following pink, green, black and white fabrics: Terrace Stripe, Spirodots and Twister. Super cute, and one of a kind. I'd love to post a pic, but the crib isn't put together (because I have no place to put it) as of yet. I'm tentatively planning on starting her room the 3rd weekend of May.

I did, however, put together her dresser/changer combo. Less than 2 hours to put it together all by my 6-month pregnant self. Of course Kitty XL thinks it's a new fort for him to sit on top of, so I'm hiding the changing pad that goes on top of it from him.

On the way is this pink canopy to go behind/around the crib, just for a little drama, and these cute little drawer pulls for the top drawer of the changer. I think they will really show up well against the black wood.

Less than 90 days to go until my due date!

Shower Invitation

Here is a scanned-in Shower Invitation. Click it to see it in life-size proportions. Most of the invites were mailed out Monday - so be looking for it.

From what I hear from Stacey - this is going to be a great shower/party. She successfully integrated the pink and green color scheme into the luau theme. Sounds perf. I can't wait to see everyone, and it sounds like a lot of fun.

General Update

So I finished my Target Baby registry. It's right here. I think I've got everything on there we'll be needing except the incidental toiletries, diapers and bottle type things. Having a registry at Target is pretty convenient, it's like a giant shopping list that I can keep track of wherever I am - and they pretty much have everything one would need. Everytime I buy something I just delete it from the list. I like this kind of organization!

I wanted to get everything that we'll need picked out so I won't have to be researching things when I'm a zillion months pregnant. Last night I told Mike I think this is the beginning of the end. I'm starting to grow pretty quickly - last week I swear my belly grew visibly in a matter of just 2 days. Technically the last weekend of this month kicks off my 3rd trimester.

Yesterday I had a prenatal check-up. I took my mom along with me so she could meet the Dr and hear the heartbeat, etc. The Doc said everything seems right on schedule according to my weight gain and size, and the heartbeat was strong. It actually sounded like dripping water to me - usually it sounds like galloping horses.

So I made my next checkup at little later in the day so I can take my nephew with me after he gets out of school. I think he'd feel more involved and a part of this new person taking over his role as the baby of the family.

The Bump at 25 weeks

The Bump at 25 weeks on April 14th.

We were at Fred & Kari's wedding in Dana Point, California.

Mike golfed with Fred the morning of the wedding in Mission Viejo, where I was born. We stopped there Sunday, so I could say the baby visited both her parents birth places while she was in the womb.

My Office

You should see me at my office. I look ridiculous. I hate wearing sleeves at my desk because they get in my way, so I have my special black cable knit sweater I keep here. I brought in a little throw pillow from home for my desk chair because my back hurts in the later part of the day. I also keep a pair of slippers here that I bought at the drug store down the street. The most office appropriate I could find was fuzzy & black. At the moment I am wearing the sweater, the slippers, and not only do I have the pillow on my chair, but I'm using a box of copy paper to elevate my legs. I look like a grandma! Is this what they mean when they say women let themselves go when they become a mother? Well, at least my shoes match my sweater :)

Pink and Green

I ordered "Lilith's" crib bedding last week. It's being handmade by a woman in Texas that I found on the good ol' internet. Hopefully no problems will arise, but so far she seems to be great. If it's a scam of some sort - that'd be a pretty dumb demographic to prey on - pregnant women. You're sure to loose against a pregnant woman when she's pissed.

Anyway, the set is a mix of prints (dots and stripes), all in black, white, pink and green. Her nursery furniture is all black, so the pink/green will really brighten it up. Next month my mom and I are going to paint the nursery walls an undecided combo of pink and green, and put up black chair rail molding to kind of ground it. The bedding should be here in a couple of weeks. I'm anxious to check it out, especially since it's one of a kind, but mostly I can't wait to get her room going - she's starting to accumulate some outfits and things.

L3

My mother in law Stella just told me my nephew Nik came up with a name for the baby today. Lilith. That would be Lilith Leonard, and if her middle name is Lee, like (Michelle, Stacey and Jessie) that would be little Lilith Lee Leonard.

I'm surprised it's actually a name, and wasn't something similar to Starfark. That's the name he chose for our cat Henry (R.I.P).

It's a Girl!

Just had the ultrasound - it's a girl :)

I had a feeling it was - but with a 50/50 chance I think that's sily to say. Well, now I can refer to "the baby" as her or she, instead of It.

_______________________________________________
This email was sent from my Blackberry device.
Blackberry mail: bb@byjpartners.com
Desktop mail: amanda@yeager.net

I Can Grow People

Yes, I can grow people. Pretty cool. One thing I can not grow, is money. This is unfortunate, considering the 8 zillion things one needs to procure prior to the arrival of this person they are growing.

I'm suffering from baby sticker shock. Maybe I should have capitalized that. Baby Sticker Shock. BSS, for those in the know. Every magazine I read has a list of items a new parent will need, almost none of which I have ever heard of before. I need a Boppy, and a bebePod. The baby's clothes aren't even allowed to be called 'clothes'. One refers to clothing and linens for newborns as 'layette'. Why? So they cost more, I assume.

Well, I'm 20 weeks now. Exactly half-way, if the kid decides to cooperate. I'm still surprised I'm growing a kid, but then it seems so normal at the same time. Maybe because I've had a bit of a trial-run with my stepkids, I'm not nervous about the actual raising of children. But the infant thing - verrry new to me. Speaking of the stepkids, Mike told me that Jessie finished the baby blanket she made for It in her fashion class. I can't wait to see what she created - all I know is that it's GREEN :)

The Gender Saga

I called my OB and notified them of what happened at the ultrasound last Friday. They actually do 4-D ultrasounds in their Palm Springs office themselves, but I'm not able to utilize them, as my insurance contracts out with Desert Imaging Lab. The OB's office was really sympathetic with me, and said they would run a quick scan at no cost in their office at my next appointment. Yet another reason I'm glad I chose Dr. Pacini! Unfortunately my next appt was at the La Quinta office on the 13th, and they don't have the equipment at that office. So I changed my appointment to the Palm Springs office for Monday the 19th. I'll be 21 weeks at that point, and it's a Monday so Mike can go!

Baby's Movin

I just felt The Baby move for the first time a few minutes ago. XL gets all the credit, really. I was laying in bed petting him and giving him love-spanks, with him sprawled out, purring on top of me like he likes to do. I felt a little something under X, but didn't know if it was his belly or mine. I kept petting him, and noticed it again a few more times, so I slide one hand under X to get a better feel. Sure enough I felt another kick in the same spot (or punch, or head-but). When XL left for his blanky I put both hands over my belly and got a few more jabs. Was it the purring sounds that prompted the jabs, and are these jabs of love, or competition?



I wanted to wake Mike up, but he has to get to work even earlier tomorrow for a meeting at 4:30 am. From what I've been reading the earliest one would start to feel the baby's movements is at 18 weeks, and in fact the taller the mother, the later in pregnancy she would feel the movements. So at 19 weeks yesterday, I'm kinda surprised I've felt anything yet considering I'm a giant. But like I said, credit goes to Kitty XL for that one!



_______________________________________________

This email was sent from my Blackberry device.

Ultrasound Pics March 2nd

Click on the links below to see the rest of the ultrasound pics:

Profile, and Profile2

Spine, and Spine2

Face, and Face2

Hand-Arm

Legs

As you can see, there has been quite a change since the first ultrasound pic taken 7 weeks ago. It's looking like a real baby now! Next week I'll be at the half-way point (20 weeks) of gestation.

Fetal Anatony Scan

I went in for a fetal anatomy scan ultrasound on Friday. This was the day we were to presumably find out the gender of the It I've been carting around for 19 weeks now. No luck.

The technician calculated my due date (by the fetal development) to be July 26, which is 2 days earlier than my first ultrasound calculated. I didn't get the same cool Russianish technician as before, it was some other girl-woman thing who happened to be training another technician who sat in for the scan. I was in there for about an hour and a half, and got to see all kinds of different stuffs. In fact I had a 'staffed' neck from angling my head to the monitor for so long. It looks like a real baby now, and they printed out about 10 or so pictures for me. I'll scan and post them when I get a chance.

At one point the technician brought in another male technician to get a second opinion on a potential 'placenta previa', but with further scanning that was ruled out. While they were scanning I asked what they thought they were seeing is called, and would it be a development issue, or birthing issue. The man said it was strickly a birthing issue, and would mean it necessary to deliver by Cesarian. They were almost going to have me come back in for a follow up scan because it was still questionable, and I was just dying to ask them to hand me my BlackBerry while they were scanning so I could look it up, but finally they became confident everything was OK.

The man left and the woman continued scanning and doing measurements, etc, then later she said she was going to show the results to their Big Cheese and be right back. I remebered from my first scan that that meant they were done and they have to get approval before they let you go incase the Big Cheese wants to see more of anything. I was like "What? That's it? Weren't you able to tell the gender?". She said she tried but couldn't see well enough in that area to tell. Arrrrrrrg! My mind started racing and I realized my insurance wouldn't pay to send me back just so I can better prepare my nursury decor scheme. I started freaking out and called Mike as soon as I got back in the truck. Then I called my OB like 700 times but couldn't get through, so I moved on to my mother. We decided I'd just have to get an ultrasound on my own to detect the gender. Really not such a big deal, but I had been waiting so long and so anxious to find out I was pretty depressed about the outcome. Later I became kinda pissed that the technician never said a word about not being able to see, or ask if I was even interested in finding out the gender before birth. If she would have explained to me while she was looking that she wasn't able to tell it wouldn't have come as such a shock. Good customer service is hard to come by these days.

My next OB appt is with the nurse practitioner in La Quinta on the 13th.



_______________________________________________

This email was sent from my Blackberry device.

Are Cat's Smarter Than Babies?

I've been thinking, why can't human babies evolve into being born potty trained? This does not seem unreasonable to me. First of all, cats are born instinctually knowing where to go to the restroom. Cat's don't wear diapers, do they? No, because they know what to do already. I've never had a kitten that was confused about it's catbox. Henry Lee knew it was for him immediately. So did Kitty XL. They also know they can go outside and that is the best option because mommy doesn't like litter boxes. XL only has a catbox for emergency purposes (in case he gets stuck inside too long), and he knows it. Sometimes he asks to go outside just to pee and come right back in. Good cat! So, why does it take babies so long? Clearly I'm having anxiety about the lovely task of diaper changing, which I've never had to do - ever. But seriously, is this too much to ask at this point in our civilization?

Dr Pacini Visit

Last week Mike and I met with Dr Pacini, my new OB. After the visit, I am very happy I switched. Although her office is all the way in Palm Springs, I think it's worth it. The whole staff (that I encountered that day) were great - extremely pleasant and helpful. Dr Pacini herself was great, too. I feel very comfortable being under her care. Two women I know through friends have had their baby delivered by Dr Pacini, and gave great recommendations. One less thing to worry about!

At the moment, I'm at the lab waiting to have a blood test. Yeah. My favorite. Why I am such a chicken about the though of draining a vein is beyond me, but it really does just make me want to hurl the more I think about it.

Next Fri we have an ultrasound of the kid scheduled to find out what kind we're having. I can't flippin wait. At least then I can stop referring to the child as 'It'

Mike Spills the Beans

I realized not everyone knows the story of how our family came to find out about our pregnancy, so I thought I would share it. For those of you that already know, I think it's funny enough to hear it again.

It was a Sunday morning that I took the home pregnancy tests (yes plural, I took 3 just to make sure). So we decided on Monday I would go to the Dr and have a blood test taken to make it official. Mike is off Monday's, so he golfed with George and Stefan. Since he doesn't take his phone golfing he told me to leave him a voicemail if I got the results back. I refused so I told him just to call me when he was done. That he did, and we're talking for at least a full 5 minutes before he even mentions any of this - he just throws in "Well that cat is already out of the bag. You better start making your phone calls cuz I'm going to make mine". Of course I'm like "what the heck?!?", so this is how he explains...

As I said he golfed with George and their friend Stefan. Stefan's wife happens to be 4 months pregnant. So George told Stefan they should start messing with Mike to get him off his game. Stefan says to Mike "So your wife called my wife last night and told her she was pregnant, and she needed someone to talk to". Mike said his eyes popped and jaw dropped, then after a moment he replied "What? She just found out yesterday?". Then Mike said THEIR eyes popped and jaws dropped, then they all just stared at each other for a minute. I guess George finally said "Are YOU kidding? Cuz WE were kidding.", But Mike and Stefan's faces were still stuck in the :O positions.

We have a boy name

Saturday night we went over to the Cross' house for a get-together. The baby received clothing items #2 and #3 from Maria, two cute little outfits. This time the size of the clothes were less scary than seeing the onesie from Stacey - maybe because they looked a little bigger than the onesie due to the fact that they were full-length pants. I've also been reading pregnancy magazines lately (trying to learn about this new 'position' of mine), so maybe that had something to do with it, too.

During the evening it was revealed that Mike has already come up with his choice for a boy name - Landon. I was kind of surprised because he hadn't mentioned it to me yet, and also because not only did I find the name plausible, it was actually on my mental list of possibilities. I've tried not to think about it much until we find out what we're having, but maybe we're done with picking a boy name already? I was also surprised he picked a middle name as well - Thomas, after my father. I thought that was really cool. Mike's middle name is his father's name, and Chase's middle name is Michael, so it's kind a little tradition. The fact he chose my father's name is very sweet, and practical as well. Since the baby's last name will obviously be from his father's side, it would be nice for the middle name to be from my side of the family. Plus, I think it was my mother that told me children who are named after family members subconsciously feel pressured to emulate that person. I wouldn't mind if Landon Thomas emulated my dad, I think that'd be a pretty good deal!

The Target Episode

Since last weekend my pre-natal vitamins have been making me feel kinda yuck. At first I thought it was non-related to the vitamins because I happened to take one before I went to Target, where I started reading a book about labor and I almost friggin fainted in the book department. Of course the book dept is like right across from the kid section so there were a bunch of families with screaming out of control kids driving me crazy. I dunno if it was them or the labor story with IV and catheter or the vitamin that did it but I started getting hot and dizzy feeling. Like this is a place a really feel like a) fainting, or even B) touching the floor. I mean our Target is pretty clean, but I'm not exactly a fan of public places. So I made myself say "baseball" 3 times, chucked the book down, and hauled ass to the cat food aisle to get my last item and split.

Anyway the next day I felt a little funky after I took the vitamin again, but by no means like the Target episode. Earlier in the day I read the section on delivery in "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and they said things in a lot nicer way than the Target book. It was a little reassuring, but then again it's all bullshit, I'm sure.

So today I've felt barfy all day long. Not that I'm going to, just that I feeel like I'm going to. I almost wish I would just to get it over with. I ate some crakers but nada, no relief. What I want to know is: Who the heck gets morning sickness starting in their *second* trimester!?!

Baby Blog

I started a baby blog last week. It's both a pregnancy diary and a place where family and friends can come for updates. If I haven't already told you about it and you'd like to check it out, email or IM me and I'll send you the link.

The Big Name Change

So after 4 years of marriage I'm finally going to legally change my last name to my husbands. Until now I've only partially used it. You'd be amazed the things that are under my married last name. My car, a credit card, it's even listed on my credit report as an alias.

It'll be easier really. Now I won't have to pause and say "ummm..." whenever someone asks me my last name. I have to stop and think what last name I use for things like the dry cleaners and such. People must think that's weird. Things like my health insurance is under both names (hyphenated) so I won't have a problem like when I go to the pharmacy

I'm just going to get rid of my middle name (Christine) and change it to Yeager. That way I'll still feel a little like my former self. Changing a name is a weird thing. I told Mike to do the same thing so we can match (really, it's only fair), but he didn't think that was funny. Michael Yeager Leonard doesn't sound so bad! Anyway I'm glad the debate is over, it's been a sore subject with us from even before we got married. If we weren't having a kid I don't know when I ever would have officially changed it.

Due Date

My due date is July 28. I read that only 5% of woman deliver on their due date. The nurse told be to just expect it one week plus/minus the date. This means I really don't know what month the baby will be born. Could be July, could be August. Generally, I dislike the month of August because of the desert weather - major humidity yuck! However, peridot is the birthstone for the month of August - and that's green. That's the only plus I see so far about delivering in August. I think I'm rooting for July.

Baby's First Gift

Last weekend Stacey brought over the baby's first gift. Actually it was a whole gift bag filled with pregnancy books, a couple cute maternity dresses, and a baby onesie that says "Instructions Not Included". Ain't that the truth! The sight of the tiny little onesie actually scared the crap out of me - it was so small. I don't think it would have fit Kitty XL. I can't believe I'm going to be responsible for something that tiny. I don't know anything about babies! Luckily one of the books Stacey gave me was What To Expect - The First Year. Much needed! Thanks Auntie!

The onesie also reminded me of my mom telling me all the baby clothes gifts she received (size 0-3 months) she had to dump after the first 2 weeks because I was so tall (well she says long). I wonder if my baby will be tall like me?

Changed Doctors

I originally chose Dr. Gary Bernard as my OB, because my health insurance only gave me a choice of OB's in Indio or Palm Springs. I chose Indio because it's closer to my home and work, and in looking at Dr. Bernard's website he delivers in Indio at JFK and in Rancho Mirage at Eisenhower. I was very happy about Eisenhower because it's supposed to be one of the top 100 hospitals in the country. Well after my first visit to Dr. Bernard's office I found out he only delivers at JFK. The staff there was cool enough, but I definitely do not want to deliver at JFK.

I have now changed to Dr. Lilia Pacini in Palm Springs because she delivers at the Desert Regional Medical Center hospital in Palm Springs, and she also has a satellite office in La Quinta that I can go to every other visit! Not having to drive to PS every time is a big help, but not only that, her office is one of 2 in the desert that does the 3-D ultrasound imaging. That should be interesting! My first visit is Feb 13th. Mike and I are on vacation that week so he can go with me.

Ultrasound pic

Ultrasound image from Jan 11th. Too bad they don't have video - the ultrasound technician (who was a really cool Russian woman - and taller than me!) was making measurements of the ultrasound image and caught the baby dancing. She turned the monitor to me and said "Look Look!". It was pretty funny. Kind of an 80's style dance - so I'm not sure if the dancing abilities came from Mike or me.

We're Pregnant!

I started this blog as both a pregnancy diary and a place where family and friends can come for updates.
I'm about 3 months pregnant, the due date is July 28th. The only difficulty I've really had is major fatigue. Hopefully it will wear off soon! I've been eatting super healthfully lately, so hopefully that will help.

I'm Pregnant!

So, it's official. I'm 3 months pregnant! The due date is July 28 (give or take).

NO, a big belly won't stop me from going to Lake Havasu!
YES, we will find out the sex, but not for 3 more months or so. Then we'll start the naming wars :)
NO, we don't care what the sex is, we just want it to be healthy.
YES, I have an ultrasound picture, but who really wants to see it? The little one still looks like an alien at this point (and no, I haven't lost my sense of humor just because I'm prego).
YES, after 4 years or marriage, I'm finally going to change my last name to my husband's.

I don't know ANYTHING about babies, so this should be interesting!