Thanks Grandma!!

Eggy got her first package today - a present from Grandma Laich (that's weird, I keep thinking of my Dad's mom when I say that. Mom, what do you want to be called?).

What did eggy get? Three adorable onesies (my favorite is the one that says I Love Mommy!) and the most adorable pink polka dress with matching sun bonnet. Eggy and I love them!! (and Richard will too, once he sees Eggy in them. He's just scared of all the pink!)

Thanks Mom!!

Baby Bump - Weeks 24 and 26

We got so caught up with the news about Eggy being a girl, we forgot to post the week 24 baby bump pictures! Here are both 24 and 26 week pics – can you see the difference?

Week 24 - Front

Week 24 - Side

Week 26 - Front

Week 26 - Side

I just got back from a long trip out west, and have learned a few things about traveling while pregnant:
1. It’s best to get an aisle seat – during my 6 hour flight to San Diego I had to ask the guy next to me to let me up to go to the bathroom about 4 times! He wasn’t very sympathetic to my “condition”.
2. Airline seats are not back-friendly! My back hurt for days after that long flight.
3. Even though I’m starting to get into baby mode, I still get annoyed by crying babies on planes.

The good news is that I’m home now, and most likely won’t be on a plane again until Christmas! (that’s my goal at least – everyone will have to come visit us between now and then!)

I only have about 2 weeks left in the second trimester, which I keep calling the “good trimester”. I worry about all the aches and pains that will come in the last few months, and I’m also starting to realize that my days of good sleeping are almost over. But we’re enjoying every last second of being “kid-less” – we’re going to NYC this weekend to see Sleep No More, which is this amazing play we saw last year in Boston that I got pretty obsessed with. I hope its as good the second time around!

Gaga for Baby Girl Clothes

It's been a few days now since we got the big gender news, and it's been so nice being able to refer to eggy with the pronoun "she" instead of "it". It makes her feel so much more real!
So of course the day I found out she's a girl, I ran to Baby Gap and couldn't resist all the cute little girl outfits! I probably spent a little more than I should have, we may have to rethink our baby clothes budget...

I just love this sundress, I wish it came in my size!

I just had to buy this one (it says "I Love Daddy"). Richard couldn't get upset by how much I spent when he saw it!

Cute birds

It's a GIRL!

Despite Lisa's last post about all the reasons she thinks eggy is a boy (I think she was trying to jinx us from having a boy ; ), we found out today at our Wk 24 ultrasound that we're being blessed with a precious little girl.  According to the ultrasound technician, she's a well-behaved one too!  When she's looking at the brain, Lisa asks "Does HE look smart?".  Anyway, it's a pretty long video (10 mins), and we don't find out gender until about 8 mins in... but the reaction is priceless - Lisa giddy with excitement and first thing she thinks about "Abba is going to be SO happy!" - since my dad really wanted me to be a girl ; ).  Anyway, enjoy!  Time to start looking for girly decorations for the nursery (Lisa said, and we have it on tape, that we'll be taking the li'l eggy to Red Sox games, and teach her to play golf - so she'll be a tom-boy!).



Now, to start thinking about girl names (although Lisa thinks she has one already picked out!)...

Why I think Eggy is a Boy

So we have our ultrasound next week to find out Eggy's gender. (Richard had it wrong in the last post, its actually March 10th, not March 3rd. Sorry to make you wait another week!) But lately, I'm starting to think Eggy is a boy. This is based on some very scientific observations, including the following:

1. My stomach shape - as you saw from the Baby Bump pictures last week, I am definitely showing now. And apparently, everyone seems to think that the way my stomach is sticking straight out means its a boy. "They" say that when you have a girl, you gain more weight all around your mid-section, but with a boy its more compact and protruding. I saw this description online and think it summarizes it well: "I heard if you look like you swallowed a basketball its a boy and if its more like watermelon it's a girl...."

2. I'm not acting crazy - someone else told me the other day they think its a boy since I haven't gone crazy during the pregnancy. It seems girls are more likely to make mom emotional during pregnancy (a test-drive for those teenage years?) whereas with boys the hormones aren't as bad. Its true, I haven't felt overly emotional except during the holidays during all those sappy commercials, but I think I cry at those every year! Richard may say otherwise, but I think I've been very sane the last 6 months.

3. I don't look too gross - There is a saying that baby girls "rob you of your beauty", leaving you looking pretty hideous during pregnancy. Break-outs, blah hair, etc is supposed to be a sign of a girl. I had one breakout a few weeks ago (it was really scary, Richard wouldn't even kiss me he was afraid it would infect him), but its gone now and I think I look pretty much the same as usual.

4. I wasn't super nauseous - There is also a myth that when you're pregnant with a girl you're more likely to get sick a lot during the 1st trimester. I only got sick once and that was after putting my poor, worn out body through hell with 5 flights in 6 days.

Basically what I've learned is that it sucks to carry a baby girl! Who knew we were so much trouble? The only thing that makes me still doubt the boy theory is that whenever I dream about eggy, its a girl. Of course in my dreams, eggy can also talk to me. So I probably shouldn't put too much stock in my dreams!

The good news is we find out soon enough, and then I can stop everyone from making their silly predictions! :)

Lisa's Baby Bump - Wk 22!

OK - so here's the latest baby bump pics - Lisa is now 22 wks, so a few weeks past mid-way... and has gained about 10 lbs over her normal weight before getter preggers.   She's definitely starting to show - but in a good way!  And she made me post a front view, so you can see that people really can't tell she's preggers straight on...

Lisa Baby Bump Wk22 - Side View

Lisa Baby Bump Wk22 - Front (Lisa's preferred view!)

According to BabyCenter, here's what's going on with eggy inside Lisa - he/she has lips and is growing eyelids and eyebrows - WOW - I wonder if they're black or dirty blond? ; ):

BabyCenter Wk 22

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Crazy!  We have our 3D ultrasound on Mar 10th, so hopefully some continued good news and we can settle the issue of boy/girl once and for all!!!!

Eggy hauls! Thanks to friends with twins!

We're very fortunate to have some very good friends here in Boston, many of whom have oddly-enough had twins recently... we just scored a huge baby haul from Ian/Marla who are "downsizing" from their 1400 sf condo to a 4000+ sf townhouse on Marlboro Street.  We're just fortunate their li'l ones (Jack & Sophie) have started to out-grow their things and that Ian/Marla only buy the best of the best!  They're like my "Ed" hand-me-downs - stuff I probably would never buy on my own ; ).  Anyway, we haven't really even started our baby registry yet and most of the stuff we need we already got!

Phil & Tracy, whose twin boys John & Henry, also gave Lisa a TON of maternity clothes, including a maternity bathing suit which Lisa used extensively on our PR Babymoon... plus a full-body pillow (see pic below), which at some point will replace me - the thing literally leaves no room for me in bed!

Our other friends, Prashant & Kalpana, whose twins Mallika and Akshay, have also offered to give us lots of things... thank god for friends with twins!

We've still got a long way to go until Jun 27 (or so), but can't wait to "pay it forward" to our other friends who have kids after us!

Lisa had another appointment with Dr. Mimi last week - heartbeat is still very strong, and Lisa's weight gain is right on track... we've got our next (and probably last) ultrasound in 3 weeks on Mar 10th!

Mr. Bear in Baby Bjorn Carrier

My Breast Friend, Full Body Pillow, Infant Feeding Seat

Crib Mobile that plays Classical Music - Abba will love this!

F-P Bouncy Chair & Chicco KeyFit30 Car Seat (#1 rated!)

F-P Cradle Swing (the "Porsche" of swings), Mini Bassinette

Happy Valentine's Day!

I’m feeling a lot of extra love this Valentine’s Day, maybe it’s just the hormones, but I’m more inclined to think it’s because of my wonderful, sweet husband, who surprised me at work today with not only 1, but 2 dozen beautiful red roses!

I know I’ve said this before, but I don’t think I can say it enough, falling in love with Richard was by far the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. I still can’t believe how lucky I am to have him, and my mission is to never take him for granted. He was a wonderful boyfriend, surprising me that 1st Valentine’s Day with a beautiful diamond necklace, thoughtfully hidden in my Philly apartment on his visit the weekend before. He helped me make the decision to pursue my passion instead of money in my post-MBA job search, which I am thankful for every working day.

Then he became a wonderful fiancé, actually doing things like cutting out “signature paper” and gluing it onto hundreds of tiny white boxes because it was my wedding vision. Never mind that he knew people would just throw the things away with barely a glance, he did it because it was important to me. And as a husband, he constantly showers me with love, warmth and security. My favorite moments of every day are the ones I spend cocooned in his arms, it’s always a perfect fit.

I’m so excited to experience this next phase of our relationship, Richard as a Dad. He already has done so much for little Eggy – between multiple trips to Baby furniture stores to setting up Eggy’s new closet to coming up with a great list of potential names (something I haven’t even done yet!). I can tell Eggy is always on his mind by the way he is constantly rubbing my expanding stomach to try to get a feel for Eggy’s little movements. He is going to be such an amazing father, he is so compassionate and generous, loyal and fair, and most of all he just has so much love to give.

Happy Valentine’s Day sweetie!

Belated post - Lisa's birthday gifts!!

OK - so a little tardy in posting this, but Lisa got some great gifts for her birthday back on Feb 2nd... here's a smattering of what she got from lovely friends & family:

Pregger dress from Lisa's Mom - perfect for weddings this spring!

Cute pregger spring shirt for last few days before Eggy is born!

Comfy pregger pink shirt for lounging around the house!

Lil Red Sox Eggy Fan Inside! Feel like I'm seeing double...

Butt toning shoes for hot eggy momma

Cute chapstick from future aunt Clara!

Moo-lah from umma & abba - so we can buy more eggy stuff!

Lisa's Baby Bump - Wk 20 - Halfway Point!

Wow, time flies... at least for me.  Lisa, who happens to be carrying li'l eggy, may not agree!  Actually, in the weight gain department, Lisa's right on track (it should surprise no one that she's tracking it every week).  According to BabyCenter, who sends us a weekly email with what happens during different stages of the pregnancy, Eggy at Wk 20 is about6.5 inches from head to bottom, or 10.5 inches from head to toe, or about the size of a banana.  Whoa!  He/She is also starting to swallow (weird) and producing meconium (eewww!).  Here's their pic of what eggy looks like in Lisa:

Fetal Dev Wk 20 - Eggy swallowing!

Here's our pic of what Lisa looks like with eggy inside at Wk 20... as we mentioned earlier this week, we're actually starting to feel eggy move around - which is way cool... more to come!

Lisa Baby Bump - Wk20

Doesn't she looked relaxed post-babymoon?  On tap for the weekend, we're going to pick out a glider for the nursery... good times!