These are Bandit's toys.... These are the babies toys.

So I brought the baby bouncer home the other night and put it in our living room. It was already assembled ready to go but for space saving reasons I will be breaking it down and storing it in it's box till the baby gets here. Bandit (my Pug) on the other hand had a different idea. He walked up to it, sniffed it and then proceeded to crawl into it. No, no, no, no, NO! "No Bandit this is the babies toy. Not your toy. Here are your toys (gesturing to his bed and rawhide). This is the babies toy (gesturing to the bouncer)." He sniffed the bouncer one more time, gave it a lick and then walked away but gave me his big brown eyes routine before he did. He is sooooo cute. I know he would never harm the baby. He is so good with my niece Faith. He likes to smell her and lick her. He finds her fascinating. When she is playing on her mat he likes to sit next to her. When someone approached he stands up and gets in front of her but in between you and Faith. So protective.

Right now he likes to sleep on my body pillow at night curled up next to my belly. I know he senses something is different. He will sit next to me and stare at my belly button and then look at me with concern in his eyes. It's just darling but makes me laugh till I pee myself. What can I say. My little baby (Bandit) knows he is no longer the baby and that the baby (he/she) is on their way.

My 1st Piece of Baby Furniture

One of my colleagues, Brandi recently had her 2nd child in April of this year. She received multiples of many things. One of these items was a vibrating baby bouncer with mobile. She was able to keep them all packaged and give them away to family and friends who were also pregnant to share the wealth so to speak. I was one of those lucky recipients yesterday. Brandi gave me a Bright Stars Teensy Turtle baby bouncer. It's beautiful and has turtles and other animals on it so it works perfect with our animal theme for the baby. I am soooooo excited. Wow, this really is happening. Every day we get closer and closer to our baby being here. And seeing that bouncer in our living room right now just sets my emotions off. Ahhhhh, sweet bliss. My baby. How great is this process, sans the morning sickness and the alien taking over my belly. God is good and he saw fit for women to build and give life. I realize that so many things are going on inside of me right now, but more importantly I'd like to think that I focus most on the fact that I am bonding with my unborn child. That it knows that it is loved. That is is missed and longed after. That it is protected and wanted. And most of all he/she has people who surround me daily like Brandi who love this child already and he/she is not even here yet. Thank you for blessing my day yesterday Brandi. God bless you!

Alex I'll Take "What is Quickening for $200"

Quickening. An odd word. An even odder definition. It is the creaping and slight movement that the baby makes during weeks 16 through 20 before the momma-to-be starts to feel the kicking of the baby. Sometimes it feels like a air bubbles running across your stomach. sometimes like a little tickle in a certain spot of the belly but from the inside. Other times it feels like an itch in a certain spot but from the inside as well. Well, I am proud to say I am finally there. I can feel the quickening of the baby. Looking forward to the upcoming weeks when I can feel the baby really move and start kicking. I am in the last week of my 4th month. Starting this Wednesday I start my 5th month. Woo Hoo. It feels like it took forever to get here. 4 more weeks to go till we find out the baby's sex and get another ultrasound. I feel great and am enjoying every minute of this. I have finally picked out which crib I want and now just need to go buy it and pick it up. It's Dan's job to build it (he just doesn't know it yet LOL). Once we know the baby's sex I will be able to finally register too. Really looking forward to that one. So here's to the next month, let it go by slowly, let me enjoy it fully and let the time spent exploring my new relationship with my child be mesmerizing.

To Touch or Not To Touch?

When pregnant it almost seems like a knee jerk reaction for you to reach out and touch the mom-to-be's belly and give it a rub. I have mixed emotions about this. I don't mind it when it comes from family and friends who I know, love and trust. But when it is unsolicited from a total stranger I do have to admit it is a little creepy. I read an article which I will re post below that says since it is my body I have the right to say "No". It's just an odd situation to be in. I like the idea I read in another article that said to say "the baby is asleep and I don't want to wake him/her" when it comes to people wanting to touch my belly. LOL Here is one of the articles.

Everyone wants to touch the baby, especially during the pregnancy, but doesn’t it seem like nobody asks before touching? If you haven’t noticed yet, the minute you start to show a pregnant tummy, everyone else will gladly reach out their hands to show you how big your belly is. The tummy becomes this magical, super powerful magnet for hands, and everyone wants to handle it. It doesn’t matter if you are walking around in a store, sitting down in a restaurant, or walking on your own street – someone is bound to start rubbing their grimy hands all over it and driving you crazy.

Your belly, clothed or not, is a personal space; sure, there is someone intruding inside you, but that person inside is very welcome. But to actually touch someone else’s belly, one should ask before they do it, and then kindly respect your answer. If you don’t want them to touch it, just tell them. While some women don’t mind all the attention, there are other women that don’t want their bellies touched; much less do they want their bellies showing for the whole world to see. Maybe they’ve gained 10 pounds, and they feel conscious enough about it, or they could be a very private person. There is nothing wrong with either at all.

Children may also want to touch your pregnant belly; usually, it’s because they know someone that has had a baby recently who permitted them to do that. If you don’t like it, let them know. If you don’t mind them touching your belly, you may at least want to hold their hand and place it gently on your belly. Children tend to get excited, and they can actually smack the belly when they are trying to reach for it.

Forget about the soft and smooth rubbing of the belly for a moment; be careful that you don’t get the person that likes to poke at it. Poking at your belly can hurt more than anything, and most of the time “belly pokers” just don’t get it. Try explaining to them as nicely as you can that it really does hurt. They may only be doing it because they want to see the baby move, and, when you jump, they just think it is part of the pregnancy reaction. If you let them know how painful it really is, in the future, they may think twice before doing it again to you or anyone else.

If nothing else seems to work, and you’ve been polite in letting people know that your belly is off limits, feel free to launch your husband onto them or even start shooing and swatting. You’ve already given fair warning. You’ve got every right to defend yourself – including your pregnancy belly. Don’t feel bad if you smack a person that lifts up your shirt in broad daylight either. This is a normal reaction, and people should really think twice before doing it. They wouldn’t do it if you weren’t pregnant.

Please pass the Ben-Gay

Well I really did a good one. I pulled a groin muscle last week and thought I was about to die. I went into the Dr.'s on Tuesday and it was confirmed. No treatment, No meds, No ice pack, No heating pad, No nothing. Just regular strength Tylenol that will help with the pain but it is not an anti inflammatory. No heat or ice to scramble my eggs or make the baby "chill" out. Just plain old 4-6 weeks of time. Lovely. On the up side though, while at the Dr.'s office I got to actually meet my baby Dr. for the first time and I have an appointment for my next ultrasound appointment on Sept. 8th. That is also the day we find out if we are having a boy or a girl. Yeah!!! So excited, can't wait.

The "Man Shower"

No I am not referring to our significant others needing to take a shower because they smell. I am referring to a new trend called Man Showers. In the past we have had Baby Showers. For a second child you would have a Sprinkle. We have even moved into the advent of Co-Ed Showers. Now the latest and greatest is a Man Shower. A Man Shower is a baby shower put on for the Dad to be with all male invites on the same day that the Baby Shower is taking place. It is at a separate location from the Baby Shower, no gifts are given unless completing humiliating and humorous and it revolves around a day of guys hanging out and providing info to the Dad to be. Think guy bonding over being a Dad. Dan is interested in having one of these when I have my baby shower near the end of the year. I think this would be a great idea. I think it is even better of an idea especially when it comes to first time Dad's. So Dan, here is to a day of beers, burgers and boys. Enjoy!

Where have all my ab muscles gone?

I thought I killed myself last night getting up off the couch. I lifted with my stomach muscles instead of my legs and literally heard something rip. Dan said it was an ab muscle. They are stretching and expanding and I need to lift with my legs from now on. I seriously thought I had ripped my stomach open I was in so much pain. My eye winced and I started to tear up. It took a good 10 minutes or so of sitting still, breathing and rubbing it until I could be coherent again and not have stabbing pains running through my abdomen. Yikes! Where have all my ab muscles gone???? Wow. I don't think I have felt anything that piercing before in my life. Remind me not to do that one again!