Clothing Retirement

It's another sad day today as I had to retire one of my favorite CC Couture work dresses due to my ever expanding mid-section. I have been wearing dresses primarily to work these days because they are comfortable and don't hug my belly like my suit pants tend to, however, what I'm finding is that a lot of the dresses I wore pre-pregnancy may not last through until November.

The first dress I retired was after wearing it to work...one.last.time...last week. I squeezed myself into it and because it's all black, it didn't look terrible, but it was definitely hugging me tightly throughout the day. That was the first dress to be officially retired until I get my body back - and now this one.

It's a sad day in my closet.....

RIP: CC Couture Sheath

Now Onto the Fun Stuff...the Nursery!

Whew....the realization that I'm having a baby boy has finally started to sink in and I cannot wait to start buying everything we are going to need for the little guy! I've got some great ideas for the basics, but now I need to move onto one of the most important areas for him, which will be the nursery!! To me, this is a huge area of focus because this is the room we bring him home to and that he grows up in for the first few years of his life....and I want it to be perfect!

To be honest, most of the ideas I had for a nursery revolved around a little girl's room....now I've got to switch gears and get on the ball - I'm going to create the best nursery that I can for little Cruz.

Of course, I have some ideas, but nothing concrete as of yet. I keep searching online for some ideas and that just increases the decisions so much more! Do I want to paint or wallpaper? If I paint, should it be solid or possibly stripes? Black or white furniture? Patterned crib bedding or solid and create pops of color elsewhere? Carpet or laminate floors - I REALLY want to pull up the carpet and put down laminate in the baby's room (as well as the rest of the main level of the house, but that is another battle).  I would like a fun light fixture, but obviously my ornate girlie chandelier is now out of the question!

Here are some of my inspirations:

I adore the yellow dresser against the gray walls - now this is

the pop of color I LOVE! How easy would it be to restore an

old dresser & paint it...Goodwill, here I come!

Here are the gray walls again - with the lantern cluster in fun boy colors.

Yellow & gray is gorgeous

Love the stripes, but I think it would be

 fun to make the wall paint the focus of the room.

Love the orange pop with the zebra rug!

It looks like I have a long road ahead of me....wish me luck.

18 Weeks: What's New...

Due date: at our ultrasound appointment yesterday, the tech told us she thinks our due date is off and that I'm actually a week farther along than what we thought. She has me at 19 weeks and my new due date being November 21st. I'm going to confirm with my OB to be sure before making any major changes.

Baby developments: Little Mango is now the size of a sweet potato and is becoming extremely mobile - yawning, hiccupping, punching, kicking, sucking and swallowing. Baby can hear noises outside the womb....I need to start playing some music for this little guy. I saw these CDs at a couple baby stores and can't wait to pick up Pearl Jam, U2, Guns N Roses and a couple others - check them out:  Rockabye Baby! Music

Weight gain: I'm sticking at 1-2 lbs above pre-pregnancy weight this week, the tech said I should be really popping any time now and gaining some weight in the next couple of weeks.

Cravings: pretzels & warm cheese are still my major craving....hence the box of 20 pretzels I bought at Sam's Club tonight. I really don't think it was necessary, BUT the pretzel I had with dinner tonight was fantastic! So was the one I had at the College World Series last night....omg, I am ridiculous.

The most amazing box of food pleasure I've ever seen...

Aversions: nothing out of the ordinary this week.

Symptom: the cold I had last week was definitely a symptom of this little guy taking over my body - it lasted a week and I'm still congested, but feeling so much better than I did last week. I've also had a bit of cramping....nothing terrible, mainly uncomfortable.

Sleep: has been great, but I've been waking up every morning about 15 minutes before my alarm goes off and it's been nice to realize I've got a little more time to sleep - before I snooze again, that is!

I miss: not having to pee every 20 minutes...it's really cramping my style.

I am looking forward to: our 4th of July weekend in Okoboji - we leave on Friday and as I pack up things here and there I'm getting very excited!

I'm spazzing about: finding a pediatrician. This is definitely an important step and I need to get serious about finding one. I thought I would go with Tessa's doctor, but she hasn't been overly impressed the last year or so because her doctor hasn't been available, so now I've actually got to start looking on my own.

Best moment this week: check out the "It's a...." section. Obviously this is the best moment of the week and beyond....I'm so excited we finally know the gender!

Movement:  Baby is getting big enough that soon enough I should be able to feel his movements...I cannot wait for this! The way he was moving yesterday in the ultrasound, I can't believe I haven't felt him yet - he was going crazy!

It's a....: OMG....I'm so exited I can finally write something here! We had our ultrasound yesterday and found out it's a BOY!!

Exercise: I only worked out two times last week, but I am blaming that on being sick all last week and maybe a case of the lazies. I just wasn't interested in sweating!

Diet: besides pretzels that I've been craving virtually every week of my pregnancy, here is a little of what my diet included this week...

Lemon bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes at One Pacific Place.

Tessa & I went shopping on Sunday and the ONLY thing I bought was this, besides lunch...

Rolo McFlurry from McDonalds - snack size might I add

 (as if that makes it better!)

Goals for the upcoming week:  getting serious about my nursery - Tessa and I stopped by NFM and Kid's Stuff Superstore to look at cribs and furniture and I think I found the one I love, plus Nick likes it. We are very lucky because his dad has offered to buy the crib and his mom the dresser, plus my parents will be buying the chair. We've got such an amazing family!

Belly shot:

18 weeks

Introducing.....

IT'S A BOY!!!

Oh.My.Goodness.

I am seriously on cloud nine right now and an emotional basket case. I am having a [gorgeous] little baby boy!! I've got tears in my eyes and the biggest smile on my face. This pregnancy just got that much more REAL...

Nick came back a day early from Las Vegas, so being the impatient little mama that I am, I decided to incessantly call the ultrasound technician until they could get us in yesterday. Little Mango was moving around like crazy (the tech said I should start feeling him soon!) and I will tell you that it is the BEST feeling in the world. It's so hard not knowing what is going on in there from appointment to appointment and worrying that something is wrong or wondering why I haven't felt him move yet, but then you see a picture and hear his strong heartbeat (146 bpm) and it just makes you feel so much better.

We asked the tech not to tell us, instead to write down the gender and put it in an envelope. About 20 minutes into the appointment we asked if she knew what it was and she said she was 99% sure. Nick was sweating bullets at this point and kept whispering to me, "it's a girl, I know it's a girl." Not that he would've been disappointed, but he really had his heart set on a healthy baby boy.

We got out to the car and neither of us could wait to open it later (at dinner or where ever), so we pulled over and ripped the envelope open - and this is what we saw.....

The car was a rockin with the excitement coming from both Nick & I after seeing those words...I believe Nick's exact words were, "I never win the coin flip, but I just won the biggest coin flip of my life!" Immediately we started calling our family to let them know the great news!

And here are some new pics of Cruz Manganaro...

Our little peanut!

His arms were extended above his

head - he was just chillin.

Scary skull face w/ the eyeball showing in one of the sockets - this

 is definitely going to make it as a blow up pic on our wall at future Halloween parties!

But it's the most beautiful skull I've ever seen.

Showing off his long spine and gorgeous profile view

There's A Baby In There

I have to share this pic from this morning. It was right after I woke up (so no food in me as of when this was taken) and I couldn't believe how much of a belly I have from the front view! Up until now it's been mainly visible from the side only and when I looked at myself from the front, I just looked not-so-toned but never had such a pooch! I quickly sent this pic to Nick to show him all of the progress Little Mango and I have made while he's been gone. Lol...

17 week 6 days front view belly shot



Day of Rest & Relaxation (and Attempting to Get Back to My Normal Self)

Waking up today, I realized I was going to have another day with this cold that just won't go away. I've pretty much gotten used to it this week - and going to work feeling like crap - but what I wasn't prepared for was the violent puking that ensued throughout my regular morning routine. I couldn't pinpoint what triggered it (besides baby), but I successfully puked for a good hour or two and felt awful. I decided to give it a couple hours before attempting go into work....but eventually decided not to go in at all.

Fortunately, I had my work laptop at home and was able to get some things done and stay caught up on my emails, but I also had a chance to just rest. And by rest, it meant a lot of laying in bed feeling sorry for myself. I got out of my funk around 4pm or so and decided to eat some soup and do a bit of "crafting" from my perch in bed.

Hand-sewn buttons on onesie w/ cute rainbow

leggings I picked up

Close-up of the button detail - total of 9 buttons

Black onesie w/ fuschia silk flower

Black onesie w/ white & black polka

dot fabric flower

White onesie w/ sewn curly q flower in pink & lime

Close-up of the flower w/ the metallic

buttons sewn on

17 Weeks: What's New...

Due date: November 26th

Baby developments: Little Mango is now the size of an onion - I seriously question their comparisons to foods. Last week was an avocado and two weeks prior was an orange (or an apple depending what I was reading) and I feel that the oranges I see are much bigger than the onions when grocery shopping...eh whatever. I've got a growing baby in me and that's all that matters! Baby weighs about 5 ounces and is around 5 inches long. Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilidge to bone, and fat is accumulating around it. Fingers & toes are now featuring one-of-a-kind prints.

Weight gain: 2lbs total gain....it's slowly inching up there. I will be interested to see if I hit the 12-14 lbs they predict this trimester. There is still a lot of time left and a lot of food to be eaten!

Cravings: bagels w/ cream cheese, chocolate (in the form of Milk Duds & Hostess Cupcakes), skim milk and warm decaf green tea w/ honey (Nick actually got me started on this - and there hasn't been a morning this week that I've not stopped and picked one up on the way to work or had a couple cups at night).

Aversions: I really have no need for meat right now - chicken, steak - none of it sounds good unless it comes in the form of a cold cut on a Subway or Jimmy John's sandwich.  To make sure I'm getting protein I've been drinking Boost Protein Shakes periodically and eating boiled eggs. And I'm beginning to think that pizza is doing a number on my stomach because I get crazy sick every time I eat it...but, of course, do you think I've stopped eating it - I don't think so. Sunday night at my parent's house we had Welsh's pizza which is my absolute fav pizza place from back home - except it upset my stomach something terrible and I was in the bathroom for the rest of the night before heading back to Omaha.

Symptoms: headaches have been bad this week and I think caffeine is still the culprit. As I stated in my previous updates, I'm trying to cut back on the caffeine and I've been trying to only drink it every other day, but when I don't drink it I can totally tell and I get monster headaches. I've tried having a little pop while popping Tylenol like my doctor suggested, but it doesn't seem to work.

I've also gotten sick this week, which is no fun. I woke up on Sunday with a terrible sore throat, which for me is the beginning of a cold. And boy was I right - I was basically holed up on Monday (my day off!) trying to fight off the headache, sore throat, coughing, congestion...and I still have it. I'm taking some over the counter medication, but in researching online I think it should be ok for the baby - I'm not going overboard, but I definitely need it to feel better.

I am loving: I'm becoming a blog-whore. I love looking at blogs, specifically about pregnancy, decorating the nursery, whatever it may be - and I spend A LOT of time surfing other people's blogs. My absolute fav is Chic & Cheap Nursery - it's a blog and website with great tips for decorating nurseries and some gorgeous ideas!

Sleep: has been great and I notice when I don't get to bed by 11pm (that is the absolute latest - usually it's more like 10pm) and could tell I was hurting after staying at Chris & Tessa's until 2am Sunday night. But, hey, the boys were having a good time drinking their Coors Light pony cans (8oz) - you would've thought Chris hit the lottery when we stopped on our way back from Emerson in Fremont for beer for the guys - he was so excited!

Look at how small the can is!

I miss: being able to wear most of my pants and shorts from last year. They button and I can wear them without looking like I'm pouring myself in them, but honestly it's just not comfortable so I find myself wearing leggings, workout pants and dresses (for work & play) all the time. Bottom line there is a belly growing here and I can't just prance around in my same old outfits. I did find a great Cynthia Rowley dress last night and I'm actually wearing it today because I love it so much - it is so comfortable and great for work:

Cynthia Rowley - Gunmetal Studded Shift

I am looking forward to: our trip to Okoboji over 4th of July weekend. There are about 20 of us going and I can't wait to boat and just hang out with our friends for the entire weekend. I've decided I'm going to let it all hang out next to all the thin, gorgeous girls going with us and just go with it! I've found some cute cover-ups and also have tried on my bikinis and they still fit (hell, they are basically made for pregnant women - cut out right where the bump is!), so I hope everyone enjoys the extra me they will get to see.  I need some help with some mocktail recipes for the trip, though - any ideas? I don't want to stick with water or anything else boring.

I am spazzing about: our ultrasound next Tuesday. I hope Little Mango cooperates and gives the doc a view of his/her private parts so we can find out what we're having! For a girl who absolutely hates surprises and is extremely impatient, I have to say this has been the longest wait of my life! Tess & I were talking about finding out last night and whether we would have them tell us right there at the appointment or have them write it down and put it in an envelope so we can look at it together later, in privacy. I'm leaning toward the latter - I think that would be great to have the great reveal together, just the two of us.

Best moment this week: (he's going to hate me for saying this...), but I love how sweet Nick is with my ever-growing belly. He rubs it and talks to it periodically - and I secretly (secret from him, not from you guys) love it. And he's been very complimentary of me, which as you guys must know is so great to hear, even if it couldn't possibly be the truth since I am growing wider and larger every day. I am so in love with that guy...seriously....and miss him terribly right now. Wow, ok, I'm off my Nick high-horse. Where did that come from...must be the pregnancy emotions??

Movement: nothing this week - I cannot wait until I feel this baby move and absolutely without uncertainty know that it's the baby.

It's a...: I don't want to jinx anything, but I think it's going to be a boy. I still stick with the fact that I will be happy with a girl or boy as long as it's healthy, but just as I think of that perfect little family, I would like to have a boy first and then a girl, so she can have a big brother to look over her.  But I would be happy either way, I promise!

Exercise: I did well last week and went to Lifetime five days and enjoyed light weight lifting and the elliptical. This week has been a little bit of Lifetime and a little bit at home on the treadmill. I definitely see a difference when I'm on the treadmill and I'm definitely more winded when I finish.

Speaking of lifting, last week before Nick's mom came over to pick up the furniture, Nick said, "let's go get a head start before they get here and have some of it moved upstairs." I told him I didn't think it was a good idea for me to lift heavy pieces of furniture, so he decided he would jump online and google it and found out, "it says lifting furniture won't hurt the baby, it might hurt you but definitely won't hurt the baby. Let's go and get this done," he said. Awesome, thanks hubby, glad you are concerned about my well-being.

Diet: besides the above mentioned Hostess Cupcakes and pizza, my diet has been ok. I've been eating a lot fruit, yogurt and drinking plenty of water.  I still eat crap, don't get me wrong, but overall it's been a good balance.

Goals for the upcoming week: not necessarily baby related, but watch my spending. As most of you know, I'm extremely frivilous and Nick put me on a budget, just to see if I could do it, while he's gone. (He's in Vegas this week for work.) During his last trip two weeks ago, I failed miserably, but to my defense it was dry cleaning, gas, groceries and other necessities/bills that we weren't accounting for that put us over our goal. So I really am trying to make an effort to stick to my budget this week and impress my husband...plus there is a little reward in it for me if I do!

Belly shot: Ok, I understand that your belly expands throughout the day with food that you eat, but I had to share this. The first pic is from yesterday morning right after I woke up and the second pic is last night. Look at the difference in that belly!! OMG. (Oh and you may notice I'm a tad bit tanner...that is thanks to Victoria's Secret Bare Bronze sunless tanning lotion...I was getting pale!)

6/21 approx. 6:30am

6/21 approx. 8pm

My Hobby....I Guess You Could Say That

I can't even remember what made Tessa & I decide to play around with baby onesies and try to make unique designs a couple of years ago...maybe the inspiration came from her kiddos...I don't know. But we did and I have just started back up this last week. I don't necessarily know who I'm making these for but I figure now that myself and [what feels like] the entire world is preggers, I'm sure I will have some gifts to give down the road. And, honestly, it's fun and relaxing and gives me something to do now that I live a life of not going out and partying on the weekends.

When we started, it was all about the dye, the fabric paints and the rhinestones - and I think poor little Aaysen was the child who got stuck wearing all of our creations.  I have to say that I was the tie dye queen....when would a kid actually wear that much tie dye?  It got to the point that Chris even built Tessa an area to make these in their basement, which I have to admit I'm pretty jealous of since I find myself performing my little experiments direct from my kitchen counter and being careful not to splash dye all over my countertops.

Now I'm a little less interested in the dyes, paints and bling and looking at using other materials to make these more fun. Here are a couple that I've just done:

Fabric black & white flower - sewn onto

a white Carter's onesie

Black lace/leopard print fabric sewn on

the back of a white Carter's onesie

Couldn't resist a little fabric dye - fuschia & kelly green

tie dye and yellow & royal blue tie dye

I'm also going to try and tackle hand making some fun tutus and leg warmers! A friend of mine put her little girl in leg warmers and onesies for the first few months and I just loved the look and think it's so fun, even for a little boy. I actually found the cutest little leg warmers online that would look great with a Hawkeye onesie during football season (Hawkeye Leg Warmers). My plan for the white onesie w/ the fabric flower would be to pair some fun leg warmers (maybe black & white stripes) with it when I gift it down the road, unless we find out we're having a little princess of our own.

Here are some of the first onesies I've ever messed around with a while back - all except the white are hand dyed. The bling: some is bought such as the fleur de lis on the first one (below) and some was done by hand - and that is a pain let me tell ya! I think I went a little crazy, but they were all fun to make.

Black dyed onesie - iron-on lettering & bling

Tie dye red & white onesie - red

rhinestone "N" applied by hand 

Hand painted w/ stencils and applied rhinestones

Hunter green tie dye & metallic pewter fabric paint w/ stencil guitar

Gray dyed onesie & stenciled "heart w/ wings" fabric

painted w/ rhinestones

Orange dyed onesie w/ brighter orange fleur de lis & rhinestones

Hunter Green dyed onesie w/ Old English iron-on letters

Purple dyed onesie w/ metallic silver fabric

painted cross & silver rhinestones

Yellow dyed onesie w/ iron-on letters

Black dyed onesie w/ hand applied rhinestones

Navy blue tie dyed onesie w/ fabric painted

skull & cross bones & rhinestones

Navy blue tie dyed onesie

Dark purple tie dyed onesie

16 Weeks: What's New...

Due Date: November 26th

Baby developments: Little Mango is the size of an avocado this week. Tiny bones are forming in his ears which means he can now pick up my voice. Eyebrows, eyelashes and hair are starting to fill in and taste buds are forming. Check out this illustration of a 16 week old fetus...crazy - 16 weeks.

Weight gain: I'm definitely hovering above pre-pregnancy weight this week - at about 1 or 2 lbs on any given morning. It looks like I should plan on gaining anywhere from 12-14 pounds this trimester - here we go!

Cravings: warm pretzel & cheese - had one at Brickhouse on Sunday and it was amazing! Sweets continue to tempt me day in and day out as well.

Aversions: I have never really been a meat person, but I definitely am not interested in much meat unless it comes in a BLT or on a sandwich.

Symptoms: I'm still throwing up a bit, but not all day long which is great. Guaranteed at least once or twice a night. My stylist said my hair is getting thicker which is supposed to happen, but I'm not 100% convinced it has as of yet. And I know this is weird, but every morning when I get up to use the ladies room, it feels as though my insides all shift lower as my bladder empties out - there is a lot of movement in there.

I am loving: obviously I'm waiting until we find out the sex of the baby to plan the nursery, but I've found some great creative sites that I've been wasting hours looking over and I'm getting some really fun ideas for either a boy or a girl. We are planning to put the nursery in the spare room upstairs and will be moving that bedroom furniture to the basement spare room, so yesterday we gave Nick's mom the furniture that is currently in the basement spare room and are ready to move the rest downstairs. AND I finally cleaned out the closet in the soon-to-be nursery! FINALLY. As well as organized my bedroom closet and the closet in the office. It feels good!

Sleep: Great - sleeping at least 8 hours each night and I can really tell if I miss my 8 hour mark or stay up past 10pm - the next day I'm a zombie.

I miss:  it's summer time and I really would love a cocktail. With baseball games, CWS, BBQs and the 4th of July Okoboji trip coming up, I am really missing a nice, ice cold beer!

I am looking forward to: finding out the sex of the baby! We have an ultrasound on 6/29 and as long as Little Mango cooperates, we should find out!

Best moment this week: I am pretty sure I felt fluttering in my belly on Friday. I was sitting at my desk at work and my right side of my belly was going crazy. It didn't feel like normal body movements and was pretty cool! I looked it up to see if it could be right and realize that they call it "quickening" in doctor's terms and it can happen as early as 12 weeks for some mamas. Of course when I was on the phone with my dad later that day, he dashed my hopes and had to blurt out, "it's probably just gas, Kate." Thanks, dad.

Milestones: I've never been a fan of using "weeks" rather than "months" and "years," but that of course is the rule of the road in baby talk. So, brainiac that I am, finally figured out that 16 weeks is FOUR MONTHS. I've been complaining that the time is going sooooo sllooooww, but when I think that I'm already at four months it really doesn't seem that bad - not too long and we will be over the halfway mark!

Movement: see "best moment this week" - I think I felt my first bit of fluttering on Friday!

It's a ...: not sure. What do you guys think?

Exercise: has been pretty good. I started going back to Lifetime this week. I know, don't get excited because it's only been a couple of days, but I have really preferred using the elliptical to running outside every day and there are a lot of weights and room for me to tone my arms and legs as well. Hopefully I can keep it up.

Diet: a lot of Subway sandwiches, apples, Baked Lays and probably too much Diet Pepsi. I'm trying to stay within the 200mg allowed / day, but I tell you that sometimes you just need some caffeine.

Goals for the upcoming week: limit my caffeine intake to at most one Diet Pepsi every other day if not better.

Belly shot: One of my employees walked into my office today as I was leaning back in my chair and blurts out "whoa - look at that belly!" Really? Thanks for calling out what I've been staring at all week long with a mix of awe and horror.  I swear this baby has grown leaps & bounds this week.  But even with the growth, I'm still in that awkward phase where with my everyday clothes on and the wind blowing just right, it's hard to tell if I've just gained some weight or if I'm preggo. Not ideal to get the "looks" from strangers - and you better believe I notice them.

16 week ripe belly shot

Really??

Do you ever have one of those days where nothing goes right? Well I have definitely had one of those days and it wasn't just ONE thing - it was multiple...

First off as I'm driving into work this morning, I ran my tongue over my teeth and realize that I FORGOT to brush them. How do you forget to brush your teeth - it's normally a natural part of my morning routine and I just forgot?? Ugh....and I didn't even have a Wisp or anything else in my bag to make due, so I tried to cover it up with gum all day. Gross.

Then as I was driving home from work trying to figure out what I was going to make for dinner, I decided that I wanted to try the new Vine Ripened Salsa I had just got in the mail from Tastefully Simple. I stopped at the store to get tortilla chips and of course my stomach was near growling at this point - and you all know what happens when you go into a grocery store hungry....yep....I bought a Hostess Pudding Pie. It was staring me down next to the aisle so at the last possible minute I decided it would be a good idea to throw it in with my pile of groceries. Seriously, I haven't had one of these since living back at home, when we would stop at Mike's Foodtown after church and get a treat.

And this is what is left of that Hostess pie....

After letting that digest a bit, I was regretting the fact that I ate the entire thing (or at all) and decided I should take Maya for a run. One, to get Maya out of the house since she's been couped up while I'm at work all day and with Nick traveling, but also to try and reverse some of the damage I had done by eating that calorie-laden snack. So, I put on some running clothes and dig in my drawer for some socks, only there aren't any clean SO.....this is what you get. Black dress socks. Hot.

So Maya and I went on our run and I had a route mapped out and if I was feeling good after the first lap around the neighborhood I had every intention to run it again, however, my effort to exercise was quickly halted as I realized that the Hostess pie hadn't sat well in my stomach and I was going to be sick. Needless to say, I didn't make it home and may have thrown up in someone's yard (not intentionally, I swear!) Let's look on the bright side, it made me brush my teeth again so now they are definitely clean.

Seriously, its just been one of those days. I think I need to retire for the night to ensure I don't do anything else that could harm me or someone else.

15 Weeks: What's New...

Due date: November 26th - it seems so far away but became more realistic when I was going through a Manager on Duty schedule at work and they had me schedule to be MOD on 11/26. I actually had to write back that I wouldn't be able to help out that night because it's my due date.....my due date!! It seems so foreign, but I know it's going to sneak up on us quick!

Baby developments: Little Mango is the size of an apple or a navel orange this week, depending on what site you read. Baby's legs now out-measure his arms and all four limbs have functional joints. Although his eyelids are still fused shut, he can still sense light and if I shined a flashlight at my tummy, he would likely move away from the beam.

Weight gain: holding steady at a pound below pre-pregnancy weight. While I'm concerned and will make sure to address this in my doctor's appointment, I also believe that I can attribute this to the fact that I'm not drinking alcohol and eating as crappy as I did before pregnancy - I think I had a couple pounds to lose anyway.

Cravings:  BWW boneless wings in Spicy Garlic (definitely do not taste as good coming back up), red apples, bagels w/ cream cheese, decaf Starbucks Skinny Vanilla Lattes, warm pretzels w/ cheese and, of course, candy (I'm sucking on a Carmel Apple sucker as I type). Why, oh why, can't I choose a banana over a sucker???

Aversions: I can't even think about Chik-fil-a without feeling like I could throw up....still. I know this because everyone (and I mean everyone) text or emailed me last week because there is word that Chik-fil-a bought land in Council Bluffs and will be building soon. Under normal circumstances - this would be AMAZING news. Under my current condition, I could care less and I'm actually kind of mad that it could be coming now that I can't fathom eating it and I'm going to miss out...

Symptoms: the vomiting has slowed down tremendously and only occurs after dinner now. However, my boobs are still so sore. Running the other night I thought I was going to have to hold onto them - they were bouncing everywhere! I'm also spilling out of my bras, which actually isn't as hot as I would've thought it would be prior to it happening. It just looks weird.

I also read "your gums may be red and swollen (thanks, hormones) this week" and the crazy thing is that mine are! I was just complaining to Nick that I needed to hit the dentist because my gums seemed larger and were bleeding in some places when I brushed....and then I read this and realize Little Mango is to blame!

I am loving: everything baby. I enjoy talking about the baby, looking at my check list, thinking about what we are going to buy the baby - everything. I'm excited to have dinner with my friend Heidi tonight who is also expecting - it will be fun to have mama talk.

Sleep: I'm definitely getting enough sleep. My only complaint would be that I can't get my butt out of bed - I've been trying to work out in the mornings this week and that is not happening.

I miss: beer. I really wanted an ice cold beer this weekend at Sicily's birthday party. I actually had a drink of Nick's - this was the first drink of alcohol that I've had since finding out I was pregnant and I think it did worse for me because that is all I want right now. It was soooo good! It's especially been hard while golfing since beer and golf always went so well together!

I'm looking forward to: my doctor's appointment on Monday - I've got a lot of questions and it's just been so long since I've had a check up that I'm ready to get an update and make sure all is well with baby. Non-baby related, I'm excited for Nick to get back from Vegas on Saturday night. We are planning a little date night and, honestly, I just don't like having him gone.

Movement: none yet, but I should be able to start feeling Little Mango any time between 16 weeks and 22 weeks - definitely hope it's sooner rather than later!

It's a...: I'm getting super excited....I think we will find out at our 18 week ultrasound. That is two weeks from Monday and is quite possibly the most exciting thing in my life right now!

Exercise: The usual, hit Zorinsky for what is becoming more of a walk/run, not a run/walk these days. I just don't have the energy I used to in order to finish the five miles, plus it's HOT out! Nick & I took Maya for a run the other night (after the sun went down of course) and I was dying after that. I was actually asking Nick when it was time to walk!

Diet: A perfect mix of good & bad - I've been getting fruit and drinking lots of water, but I definitely could improve on what I'm eating. Story of my life....

Goals for the upcoming week: bottom line....cleaning out the closet of the soon-to-be nursery. It has to happen and I just need to do it already! Plus I want to make a couple of onesies - for myself and for some of my friends who have babies on the way.

Belly shot:

There is definitely a belly there!

Childcare Deliberation

This seems to be the angst in every pregnant woman's life as I'm talking with friends and it's no different for Nick & I (well maybe more me than Nick). What are we going to do when the baby has been here for a couple weeks and I eventually have to go back to work?? Some days I think I would love to be a stay at home mom, but then I realize that I would quickly lose interest with that (not in a bad way!) and want to be back at work, doing what I know best. Plus, I have the insurance through my job and I know from Tessa's standpoint that insurance is WAY too expensive on your own.

The difficult part is that Nick's schedule isn't very reliable either and who knows what's to come with that in the near future. I jokingly told him earlier this week, after having brunch w/ some friends & talking about daycare costs, that we could save the money we would spend on child care and he could stay at home full-time with our child AND take up Extreme Couponing to save loads of money on diapers, formula and every day groceries! I think it's a fantastic idea....he, on the other hand, did not. I do know that I don't want him having to travel all of the time after the baby's here. I would miss him terribly and I wouldn't want him to miss out on time with the baby and all of the special moments!

So now it's a matter of deciding what makes the most sense for us - daycare or a nanny. I personally love the idea of having a nanny, who would focus all of their time on our child and help develop Little Mango each and every day. However, I haven't even looked at the cost of hiring a nanny (not one that would live with us full-time, of course) and I don't know the expectations. I also know there are a lot of great daycares in the Omaha area, but I've heard nightmarish stories about the wait lists, the costs and the fact that they are tyrants about parents who are late - and with my schedule it's very hard to leave work by a certain time, plus it could be a little bit that I'm generally late.

Obviously, I haven't answered any questions here and will contiue to talk through what makes sense for Nick & I....hopefully this is something we can nail down for good and get started in the right direction soon.

So as is my nature....I didn't make a decision and now will show you a few of my favorite nannies... :)

"A spoonful of sugar's" Mary Poppins

Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music"

Scarlett Johansen in "The Nanny Diaries"

Last but not least - Erin from "Sex & the City 2"