Wedding pictures

Our fabulous photographers from LunahZon have wrapped up our gallery. (It's amazing.) You can find it here:

www.collages.net

Username: Alysa & Gabe Cantor Tulum
Password: 22183

Looking at the pictures it seems like so long ago. I suppose for our one year anniversary we won't be scuba diving in Mexico or Belize as previously thought - we'll be having a babymoon somewhere a bit closer. But that is ok. Maybe the next one. If this cat can scuba dive I'm sure we can figure out how to get an infant suited up :)

End of First Trimester!

Woo-hoo!  Today is 13 weeks and officially the beginning of the second trimester. I have heard this is the best time of pregnancy: the sickness and exhaustion passes, but you're not so big as to be uncomfortable. Here's a peek at the belly:

If you are observant you will notice two things. First, there's a baby in there. Two, I have made no attempt in any of these belly pictures to look at all presentable. Sorry about that, and sorry to my husband, but really I haven't put any effort into my appearance in the past couple months. I've been in more of a survival mode. But I think things are changing. I shaved my legs at least twice this past week AND have scheduled a haircut and 'caribbean body treatment' for Tuesday. I also started prenatal yoga weekly so I don't feel like such a blob. 

I had my first prenatal appointment this past Thursday and got to hear the little one's heartbeat again! As soon as I heard it I thought 'my little boy'. But I also have my girl moments, such as when I dreamed last night, in graphic detail, how I gave birth to a little baby girl in the corner of a parking garage all by myself. (Let's hope that doesn't happen.) I've had equal boy/girl dreams so that isn't so helpful. Gabe is thinking girl, as well as my parents. Sister thinks boy. Obviously there is lack of consensus. BUT!  Hopefully this riddle will resolve June 22nd!  That is the date of my ultrasound and let's hope baby will cooperate by being an exhibitionist. 

Our little creature seems to be doing just great and we couldn't be happier. He or she is now about the size of a peach - 3 inches crown to rump. It has fingerprints, is making insulin, and had its first poop. It's getting eyebrows, or more likely eyebrow, if it takes after either of its parents. I've gained maybe a pound or two, but most likely nothing, so I expect some weight gain to start soon. I'm trying to eat more, and hopefully I can given that I have a little more energy to cook. This weekend I made a sort of short rib stew and it felt like the first time I really cooked since getting pregnant.  (It was awesome, too, despite the 93 degree heat.)

Here is another pic with my shirt down, and you can see the beginnings of a baby bump that is visible to the outside world. It's a bit of a weird angle, but check out the shadow on the door frame:

12 weeks

Here I am at 12 weeks:

I'm pretty amazed at my new little bump, and it's helping to make the pregnancy feel real and not something I totally imagined. However, once I looked at this picture I came to the realization that to other people I probably am just looking fat. Look at all that WIDTH I've never had before in the middle! Gabe took pictures to the left, right, head on, and then told me to turn around. I said and exactly how does that monitor the pregnancy?  And he replied that we'll get to see my pregnancy butt grow and grow. Ouch.  This general feeling of expansion is perplexing because I think I've gained 2 pounds at most. 

I have my first big prenatal appt. this Thursday and I'm really excited to hear the little one's heartbeat again. Given my lingering symptoms and expanding belly I'm pretty sure all is well in there. My nausea is a lot better - I went quite a few days in a row without any, but then it hit again in puppy training class. I had a screwy morning though - sleeping til 11 a.m., and not eating til 1 (which is BAD news for anyone that knows my blood sugar issues), and then being around pet hair and smells - yuck. Even though I slept a good 9 hours last night I came home and passed out for another 2. My husband has a bad cold so I hope I'm not busy fighting the beginnings of something. 

In other excitement, I am going to schedule the next ultrasound this week! It'll be sometime in late June/ early July and we'll get to see how things are progressing and also, if baby cooperates, we'll get to find out the gender!!  We're so excited about that.  I've been leaning towards thinking it's a boy and Gabe is leaning towards girl, but who ever knows. I expected to know magically once I became pregnant but I'm clueless. If all my dreams about babies are premonitions that means I'll be having about 16 children. My dreams are proving unreliable in this department. I'd love a boy because he'll be a big brother, and Gabe is great with boys, and because of this video. I'd love a girl because the clothes are ridiculously adorable, because the mother-daughter bond is special, and because I am much more familiar with little girls than little boys. So either way, I'm thrilled. I just can't wait to find out so I can bond a bit more with the unknown creature inside me, and so I can prepare a bit more with furniture, clothes, etc.

Oh, no picture for today but baby is about 2.5 inches crown to rump and is the size of a lime/plum.  He or she is developing reflexes and may be sucking its thumb..awwww. Next Sunday is officially the start of my second trimester!

Puppy in the water

We took Conan to Lake Jordan to introduce him to water. We had an inkling he'd like it, given his big webbed paws and high tolerance for bathtime...

11 Weeks (+2 days)

It's now 10 p.m. and I've only been nauseous since 9 p.m.!!!  The past few days I don't get sick til after dark - it's amazing.  Yes, I just threw up in my mouth a little, literally, but I'll take it compared to things before. (It's also probably my fault for not eating very much today and then scarfing down jalapeno pierogies.) I'm also making it through more days without involuntarily napping. Today I had a long day at work (and a tough day) and I'm tired but not i'm-so-exhausted-i-want-to-maim-someone-tired. 

Here's a belly pic taken today. We have roughly 29 more weeks to get a decent picture:

These are my stretchy buttonless work pants (worn often pre-pregnancy just because work is more fun when you feel like you're wearing sweatpants), but tonight I have a mark across my belly.  

And here is how our little gummy bear is faring this week:

 He or she is like a real person now, just super mini. I was telling my husband about a very clear memory I have from the third grade. It was recess. Each grade had their own entrance back into the school where you line up. While I lined up I looked over at the fourth graders. Wow. I was going to be in FOURTH grade next year, such a big kid. And around the bend, beyond sight, was FIFTH grade. I would be in the highest grade in the whole school. And then my mind wandered to sixth grade, the beginning of middle school for us, and I remember myself clearly thinking something like: whoa, slow down. I couldn't even grasp what life would look like right about the bend, much less even further down the road. 

And now, of course, at 32 those times seem a blink of an eye, a few years. This pregnancy thing is measured out in weeks, and at 11 weeks I can see the end of trimester right near me, and then much later is the gender ultrasound, and then at some point a birth. But WHOA SLOW DOWN. My brain can't quite get there yet.  And of course many years later, when my child or children are in school and even older, I'll look back at this time and it'll be a little blip, quicker than turning a single page in the Pregnancy Week to Week book. I think English needs a separate word for present-moment nostalgia.

Dutch horror

Speaking of horror, has anyone seen this:  The Human Centipede?

That will be another one that must wait til after the baby comes. I already feel like my body is changing in so many not-so-pleasant ways that it will probably put me over the edge. The post compared it to Saw: I watched not nearly half of the first one and was neither scared nor interested. I usually give anything a chance, but I just turned it off and walked away it was so unwatchable. Imagine my surprise to just find out they've made SIX of those??  I don't get it. But I saw a brochure for a hobby club that reconstructs (remote control) WWII battleships, complete with cannons that shoot ball bearings. People meet up at lakes and set up battles. So there's a lot of things I just don't get. Including why this brochure was on my living room table.

oh, the horror

I watched 30 Rock with Gabe last night and when Liz says this to Alec Baldwin:

Liz: I know this is a difficult time for you, but word of advice: if the will says that you have to spend the night in a haunted house, you better hope that everyone else there are black people or sluts.

I laughed hysterically. Gabe didn't really get it. This is because I was raised from a very young age on Stephen King and horror movies and he apparently was not. I found out a few months ago he hadn't even seen The Shining and we had a mandatory viewing session. Suddenly he got the million pop culture references from Family Guy, etc. (I mean, really, what did he think when people say Redrum all creepy and bend their finger? Wouldn't you want to know what was up with that?)

I also found out yesterday that there is a remake of Nightmare on Elm Street. I went on and on about how could anyone see a need to remake that, given how perfectly scary it was the first time around. And really how scary of a concept - you can't run away from the monster!  You HAVE to sleep at some point. And how creepy and haunting that lullaby is. That movie is right up there with the Exorcist. Etc. etc. Then I realize from the blank look that my husband hasn't seen either of those movies!  Besides missing the pop culture references again, he's missing out on some of the scariest films of all time. But he is refusing the viewing party because he thinks it's not good for the baby if I am terrified. I guess that's a good point. Given the vivid crazy dreams and nightmares I'm already having, it might be too much.

Baby update tomorrow - 11 weeks! I am currently on the couch eating through an entire deli pickle, the kind that come in barrels in the supermarket. I had a massive craving for one today despite how unbelievably cliche that is.  Gabe tried to tell me the bread and butter ones in the jar are basically the same and I had a conniption fit. Sometimes when something just does not compute logically I become like the robot with smoke out of the ears. I'm sure the pregnancy hormones didn't help the situation either. Oops.