Yellow it is...

The nursery has been painted! Ben's parents came down this weekend and turned our plain bedroom into the beginnings of a wonderful baby nursery. It was so nice of them to do this and help us transform the room. This paired with the furniture we got this week makes things feel like they are really coming together. The one piece of nursery furniture we still need is a glider for me to spend my future endless nights in. These companies are making a fortune on this item alone, I can't believe the price it costs to make these chairs are anywhere near the price they charge all of us. If they are they better come with a guarantee that Little Levy will fall asleep in 10 minutes or less or I am going to want my money back. I keep looking for sales but even then my mouth drops to the ground. Who know if things continue this way maybe I will just stand the entire time.

Everyone knows that major changes occur during your pregnancy, but some of them no one talks about. Over the past few weeks I have begun getting charlie horses in the middle of the night, and feels like someone has twisted my leg so tight it may break off. Nothing seems to work until I get out of bed and walk around for a few minutes. By that point, I have to go to the bathrooom and then I realize I am thirsty. By the end of all of this I am wide awake and try to go back to sleep. I think this is Little Levy's way of preparing me for our sleepless nights to come. My friend, Lauren told me that club soda can help so I am going to try that and hope to get a full nights rest tonight. So friends that have had children please help and let me know what other "wonderful" changes I can anticipate over the next few months so I don't wake up screaming thinking I have lost a leg!!

24 Weeks

We had another check up this week. Baby Levy is right on track according to our doctor, my bump is measuring 23 inches and he has a heart rate of 145. I also asked if Little Levy's constant activities were something to worry about, but my doctor assured me the more activity the better. Knowing little Levy is healthy and growing makes me breath just a little easier each day.
Then this weekend I was able to go to Minneapolis to help throw an engagement party for some great friends. We are so excited for Christy and Wade, they are such a great couple. It was great to catch up with friends and get their input on the many decisions I can't seem to answer and I think they even helped me finalize little Levy's name. Ben and I were down to 2 names and I couldn't pull the triger but they helped me weigh the pro's and con's of each one. Just remember ladies if Little Levy grows up and doesn't like his name its on you too (JK!!)
Finally, yesterday we went to Lowes and USA Baby. We selected a paint color for the nursery and then were able to select Little Levy's 1st baby bedding. USA Baby had a fun sale that if you told them you were going into labor (because of the Labor Day Holiday) you received an additional 10% off of your purchase. Thanks Sarah for the tip. We ended up picking out bedding that we hadn't seen before that we love, and will be fun for little Levy. We decided on a jungle theme, and should have pictures to share soon.
Feels good to have some big decisions out of the way!! Stay tuned for more.

Little Levy takes on France

Baby Levy went to France. This is a picture of some of my family in France at my aunt's house. I love these pictures because I look taller than anyone which is so rare for me. I had an amazing time with my family in France, getting to catch up with everyone and being able to eat Pain au Chocolat every day and having it not taste like a kit kat in a pastry. The next picture is my grandma and I she is such a sweet woman but understands zero english, or our country she even asked if we had mountains in the US (one of only the many things she thought we lived without.) The great thing is that Little Levy did a lot of kicking for grandma which made her smile from ear to ear. Her and everyone else is trying to recruit him to play French Football!! This is my adorable cousin's daughter Sidonnie. She is always happy, laughs at everything and is the most outgoing little girl ever. I hope little Levy takes after his cousin. She and I watched Finding Nemo in French atleast 4 times this week, she just can't get enough of Nemo. The other picture is of my cousins Pierre and Benoit at "Central Park" in Lyon. It was a perfect day riding bikes, visiting the zoo and having ice cream at the park. They tried to compare it to Central Park of New York and there is definitely no question NYC for sure!!

It was wonderful to see family, but I spent A LOT of time on this trip shopping and not for me. I was able to get little Levy some awesome outfits. It is true, there really is no better place for fashion than France. This little guy is going to be styling to say the least. His grandmother even had an outfit knit for him that I think little Levy will be wearing home from the hospital. I am glad I didn't know the exchange rate because I couldn't help myself with all of their great clothes. We got some great gifts from the family as well. Thank you to the family for helping us get ready for little Levy, and hope they will be able to come to the states to see him wearing and using all of the things they got. We also can't wait to take him to France with us when he gets a little older to see all of his family.

This week we have our next big check up and I am really excited to see the doctor to talk about how active Little Levy is being and try to find out how big he is. Our baby furniture is also coming this week and can't wait to see it in the room. Last but not least, here is my updated bump, it is getting bigger each day.

Can't Hide it Any More

I decided I would send a quick update before I head off on my trip that the belly is here. It finally happened. I had my first experience of someone asking me if I was pregnant this morning. I was walking in a store and the woman asked how many months I was. I couldn't decide if I was excited or shocked that she was willing to ask me. I am sure me rubbing my stomach because little Levy was moving around so much had something to do with it. The funny part is she is 2 months pregnant and asked me "Am I really going to get that big?" WOW! I couldn't believe it, am I really that big and did it happen over night?? I wanted to tell her this isn't the end it is going to get even bigger. I left thinking that the baby definitely has Ben's genes and looks like we could be in for a 9 + lb baby boy!

On another note, today is Ben and I's 5 year wedding anniversary. This is a great milestone but even more than that it is a point in our marriage when so much is happening and changing. We are so excited about our new addition that I feel like I didn't do much for today (sorry Ben.) As most of you know I am pretty independent and don't rely to much on others, but this pregnancy has changed all of that. I ask him questions for support and verification that I have never done before and he is so patient with me as I ask the same question for the 100th time that day. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have a husband like mine that is so caring, supportive and funny.

Happy Anniversary Ben!!

5 years has been great, can't wait for the next 50!

Week 21

I did it. I went and registered this weekend and wow what a new world we have entered. I was really lucky to have a girlfriend of mine come with me or I may have backed out due to shear fear of the entire process. When you get married you know the things you would like or need, but when it comes to registering for a baby I really had no clue. There are 20 different pacifiers alone and how should I know which is best or the one our baby will like. With the help of Erica I was able to navigate through and hopefully register for the critical items. A word for future mothers, NEVER register on a Saturday unless you want to be surrounded with 50 other women looking just as overwhelmed and confused as you and will only add to your anxiety!!

For the past 5 months when people find out that I am pregnant they tend to ask the same three questions. All are sincere and wonderful to show they care but unfortunately I have pretty dull answers. The first is how far along are you, and people seem surprised that I have already passed 5 months. The next two questions are usually how are you feeling, you must be finished with the feeling sick and nautious period, and are you having any cravings. I am waiting for the day that I can tell people that I am feeling great but I am not there. Most days, I am still getting sick on and off throughout the day. I envy but am so happy for all the women that don't have to go through this. I guess I dread this question because I don't want to sound like a complainer, or that this nausea isn't worth the great gift of our son, because it is more than worth it. I do hope it ends soon, but as many of you know I have come to terms that it may be 4 more months of this but it will end.

The last question people ask is are you having any cravings. I think I may be in the minority, but I think "cravings" are a myth. I do like to eat more, and have used this as an excuse to eat an extra cookie at night but they are not cravings. Eating pickles with peanut butter or ice cream with ketchup sounds horrible and I don't know why pregnancy would make it taste better. So for everyone that asks, I have not had any cravings unless just eating more of what I love is a craving.

Thank you for everyone for your care and support I do love the questions but always laugh that my responses are so dull and not more positive. I am leaving for France this week to see my family, so it may be a couple of weeks before I can write again, but will try and take some great family pictures to share.

5 months complete!

We felt it. I have been wondering for the last few weeks if the many feelings I have been having are little kicks by our son. I now am sure that it exactly what I have been feeling. Our son is incredibly active, and moving all day. I try to tell Ben it feels like the kicks of a future soccer player but he just laughs. When I got home from Austin on Wednesday Ben and I were sitting on the couch and he was able to feel his son kick for the first time. Ben beamed from ear to ear and was yet another moment that made this experience even more real for him. It makes me so excited to see his face when things like this happen.

Before this week it had been pretty unnoticeable that I was pregnant. Noone has yet asked me in public and I have been able to continue wearing regular clothes. This week was a whole different story, the bump has appeared. It is amazing to wake up in the morning and see the bump and know that our son will be here in 4 short months. I have also started talking to our son throughout the day and including him in family discusssions.

My friend talked on her blog about people touching her stomach during pregnancy and how odd it is as no one touches your stomach when you are not pregnant. In addition, my friend told me Elizabteh Hasslebeck also talked about this very subject on the view last week. I couldn't agree more with them and have not had to deal with it much (yet) but last night was the 2nd time when a complete stranger found out I was pregnant and dove right in and I had to stop him before he began rubbing in circles.

Then this weekend my highschool girlfriends came to town. It was great to see them and catch up with all of them. A lot of them have children and were able to give me some great advice. It is great to get "real" moms perspective on things and what to really expect. Thank you girls for all of your help!!

We are going to try and go register this week, I will keep you all posted on how that scary project unfolds.

It's a BOY!!

We are having a BOY! I think we are both still in shock. We went in on Friday and just as we told our sonographer that we wanted to know the sex little Levy showed us he was a boy. The sonographer and my physician told us we have a show off and better get prepared. We were amazed by all the things we could see and found out that he is right on track. We included pictures of his little feet and profile, but as usual he was moving the entire time. They told me that if he continues to be this active I am in for a real ride as soon as I begin to feel it.

As soon as we left we called all of our family and everyone is thrilled, but not surprised, if you were like them you thought it was a boy the entire time. All of the signs that I read told me I was having a girl like morning sickness, cravings and others sure had me fooled because I was certain it was a girl. We then went to look for our first baby boy outfit, no surprise a Chicago Cubs tee. We looked but were unsuccessful, and Ben would not allow us to buy a KC Royals outfit as that may test the gods of baseball and not make our son a Cubs fan. Lucky for us as soon as we got home my friend Katie was here with a present, and sure enough she found us a Cubs baby tee in Chicago where she lives. It was perfect, thanks Katie for knowing exactly what we were thinking of.

Now that we know we are having a boy the true adventure can begin. We had settled on a girls name and now are back to square one as far as names go and are so much more challenging for us than girls names. Yesterday, Ben and I spent close to 6 hours looking at baby furniture around the city, and today we went and ordered the furniture for little Levy's room. Thanks to Baby bargins we got exactly what we were looking for. Ben's favorite part is that they come to the house and assemble the furniture for $10. I think he was a little worried on how it would turn out if he had to do it himself.

At the beginning of this week I never knew it could turn out this great. We are beyond the moon that we are having a son. Ben has been talking about all the things he will get to do with his son and all of his friends have talked about how this means a left handed pitcher for the major leagues! I think they are imagining (hoping) for a Cy Young by 20 years old. Just knowing that baby Levy is a boy makes this entire experience more real and I feel so much closeer to my son than I ever thought I could. I can't even imagine what it will be like when he is born. Thanks for all of your messages and love we feel so blessed to have all of you in our lives.