15 weeks to baby!

Our handsome guy at 20 weeks

When we first started talking about having a baby, I thought of pregnancy as no more than a necessary (and annoying) part of getting a baby. I didn’t relish the thought of my body changing, not being able to do all the things I normally can (food, drink, activities), and just feeling generally crappy. I’m surprised to find that I’m really enjoying being pregnant, even with the occasional physical discomforts. It’s amazing to know that there’s a little person growing inside me, and now, to feel him kicking all the time absolutely blows my mind. I don’t mind being big, though so far only my tummy has grown. My goal is to not have to buy new underwear during this pregnancy — I want to be one of those women who looks exactly the same other than the bump. Here’s hoping! Either way, I’ll be happy. I look at myself in the mirror now and feel excited to see my tummy growing. I like what I see. It’s been a very pleasant surprise.

I don’t think either Adam or I have written here that we found out we’re having a boy. YAY! I would have been happy either way, but I’m definitely excited to have a slightly clearer picture in my head of who our baby will be. For Adam’s sake, I’m glad it’s a boy. I’ve seen how Adam is with his niece and I can guarantee that a daughter would have him so wrapped around her fingers he’d be useless in enforcing any sort of rules. Also, I think he’ll have an easier time relating to a boy, as will I since I was a bit of a tomboy growing up. When I told my mother we were having a boy, she said that it wouldn’t be as much fun to shop for clothes, but I’m actually having a blast. There are so many cute outfits for boys these days (check these out!) and I don’t have to worry about anyone buying him something pink or frilly.

We’re doing pretty well as far as getting ready for the baby goes. The nursery is shaping up, we’ve registered for regular childbirth classes at our local hospital as well as a 3-session hypnobirthing series, we’ve chosen a daycare and will sign-up this week, we did extensive research on baby products and registered for lots of goodies at Babies R Us and Pottery Barn Kids, and we’ve even started to buy some of the things baby will need, like clothes and blankets and (of course) books. Adam and I have read to the baby a few times since they say he can hear us and studies have shown that babies recognize the books and music they heard in the womb. So cool!

But no matter how much research I do, I feel woefully unprepared for the sheer number of decisions I have to make while pregnant and, of course, once I have the baby. How I want to give birth. Whether to bank the baby’s cord blood. Who we want to designate as our baby’s guardian in case something happens to both of us. Who we want to have as the baby’s doctor. Whether to to vaccinate our child and (in our case, since we know we want to vaccinate) how we want those vaccines administered. Whether to keep the baby in our room for the first few months or in their own crib in their nursery. The number of decisions to make are mind-boggling and the evidence for and against each of these choices is extremely conflicting. Take for example peanuts. I used to eat peanut butter almost every day, but, because of things I read, I gave it up before Adam and I started trying to conceive. I’d read a number of articles that suggested that eating peanut butter or peanuts leads to a higher incidence of peanut allergies and asthma. Later on, I read a study that suggested the opposite, that eating peanuts in moderation is actually good because exposure in utero is actually good for preventing peanut allergies. Seriously, what is one to believe???

I’m not freaking out too much over all these decisions (though I have my moments as Adam can attest). Hell, my parents gave me clackers to play with when I was well under the age of 5, and I’m still here. Adam’s parents brought him home from the hospital in a cardboard box and he’s none the worse for wear. I figure I will do my research, read as much as I can on any issue, and then make my own educated decision that I hope will be the best one for my son. It’s the best any parent can do. Sometimes I wish I was one of those people who  doesn’t do research and does whatever their doctor/mother/friends suggest. Ignorance can be bliss, especially when there’s no clear-cut RIGHT and WRONG to most decisions you have to make as a parent.

I get a pretty generous winter break (a week and a half off), so my big plan for that time is to baby-proof the house. I know a lot of it doesn’t need to be done until the he is crawling, but I figure I have the time now and probably won’t later, so I might as well get as much of it done as I can. I’m also chomping at the bit to get up to Burlington to go shopping for more baby clothes! That is definitely more fun than reading books about vaccines and writing our will. Having a baby can’t all be deadly serious.