Collecting Baby Stuff

It's great when you have a sister-in-law who has a toddler - she's done with all her baby stuff, still has it and it is in great condition! Last weekend we picked up a station wagon full of stuff from Andrea for the baby. We got large items like the crib and pram, as well as changing table topper, books, toys, blankets, sleepers , etc. This will help decrease our initial investment so we can start saving for Harvard! :) For the first few months the baby will be housing in our room as the baby room also doubles as a guest room, and we didn't think my Mom and Dad would really be so happy about every two hour feedings. Here are some pictures of the current state of craziness:

19 weeks and getting bigger!

I can't believe I am so close to half way - these past few weeks have really flown by. I guess we've been busy. Here is my 19w 1d picture. Not sure it looks different than 17 weeks, but it sure is! Yesterday was the first day I wore a maternity top - I still fit into my other tops, but they're a bit tight :) My mom sent me a package the other day from the Mall of America with a couple tops, so I thought I'd try one out. Thanks mom!

Exactly at 19 weeks I started feeling movement. I wasn't sure at first if it was the baby, but I've had similar sensations in the same place since. Last night we were watching the Olympic recap for the day and the baby was jumping! Jan was even able to feel kicks, which I wasn't sure was possible this early. I have to admit it wasn't as weird as I thought it would be - I was having alien-like premonitions, but it wasn't that freaky. It was cool to actually feel what we already know - someone is growing in there!

Baby Bums have never been so cute!

I have decided to use cloth diapers and I am super excited! There are so many different choices, which has made going through a million websites a bit daunting, but I have found some great resources. For those of you who are interested, here is a great website with a lot of good info: http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp
What is really cool, besides all the other benefits (cost, enviroment, no diaper rash, no chemicals, earlier potty training) is that many of the cloth diaper stores are run by stay at home moms. Can't wait to see my super cute baby bum!

Don't forget to VOTE!

No, not in November, although that is important too :)

Vote on my Poll to the left. And keep your eyes open for my girl/boy poll coming soon!

Coming out of the closet

You inherit, adopt, copy behavior from your parents. I keep hoping that my child will only get the best of both of us - Jan's determination, my eyes and hopefully neither of our allergies. Something I seem to have inherited or adopted from a parent-who-will-remain-nameless is sometimes being closed off. This might surprise some of you, but those who know me well will tell you how difficult it is for me to open up in certain situations.

I have debated about sharing my story, but I am determined not to be ashamed, but proud of what we accomplished. I was diagnosed with PCOS (PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome) a while back, although I was able to self diagnose after about 5 minutes in the internet. I was pretty much a textbook case. This syndrome is genetic and explained a lot of questions I had, as it can effect a great deal about your heath, including heart disease and diabetes. Something else it is directly related to is infertility. Infertility is a scary word, which for me always meant "no chance to get pregnant" - this seems not be the case, at least in the world of dealing with PCOS.

We were pretty relaxed considering we didn't know what to expect in the future. I tried a lot of different things to try and get my body healthy - acupuncture, herbs, changed diet, and I believe all those things made me healthier, but weren't bringing me close enough to our final goal. My doctor was extremely supportive (as was my acupuncturist who acted as a therapist as well) and finally suggested a non-invasive surgery to hopefully correct things. Almost immediately after the surgery I was having symptoms I had never had before - I was normal! Two months after surgery I was pregnant; after waiting and trying to decide the best path, I couldn't believe it happened "so fast".

The reason I am sharing my story is because this syndrome occurs in 1 out of 10 women! It is important to be your own advocate if you feel you might be suffering from this. Here is a great resource if you would like more information: http://www.soulcysters.com/ I had never heard of it before although it seems to be so widespread and I am trying to do my part to make others aware in the hopes to help other women who suffer from this as well.

Mine is a success story, pass it on.