Maternity Shoot & Pregnancy Questionnaire

Well we spent the evening yesterday being photographed by our good photog friends Teddi & Keith. I can't believe it, but Teddi already has a sneak peak on her blog! Here it is...


Check out their blog...

I'll post more of those photos when she sends them.
I'm terrible, I haven't updated the pregnancy album in a month! But I will add to that soon. This will have to do for now.


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Fun Pregnancy Questionnaire!

Instead of the usual boring pregnancy update, I thought I would fill out my own little questionnaire for you guys. If you are pregnant, or have been recently, fill out the questionnaire and post it in the comments or in your own blog. Here we go...


Preliminaries:
1. How old are you? 29
2. Is this your first? Yes
3. Was this pregnancy planned? Yes
4. How did you find out & how did you react? I began having weird symptoms like cramps with no period. I took a test, way early, and a faint line appeared (and continued to appear for a further two tests). Then I had it confirmed (as if that was necessary) at the doc's office the next day. I freaked out! It happened so fast. It had been like 2-3 weeks since we made the decision and I thought I would have some time of trying to get used to the idea. When I saw the line my heart raced and I said "No! No! No! I changed my mind, I'm not ready!" :)
5. Who did you tell first? Hubby of course. Couldn't wait till he got home, so I called him. I said, "I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant." He said, simply, "Cool." Which made me laugh. That broke the tension I'd had and after that I started getting excited.
6. Who guessed without you telling? How? Ray G. and apparently Stacey. Ray said he knew because I suddenly stopped drinking and pooped out earlier at the club.
7. Weirdest response to the news? Sorry JoAnn, "I didn't even know you were trying!"
8. Favorite responses? My dad: "You have got to be shitting me!" My mom & sister Katrin: unintelligeable screams. George: "Cool."
9. At what point were you first aware that you were in the mommy club? Sudden invitations by friends to hang out (& chat about babies) that don't normally have time.

Pregnancy
10. Weirdest craving? No food cravings. But I did crave Christmas and snow. I started listening Christmas music in September. And as far as the snow... this has been the snowiest winter since I moved to Colorado, so that craving was definitely satisfied!
11. Major aversions? All foods at first, that was rough, but meats in general have been really hard for me since being pregnant.
12. Foods/activities given up? Deli meats, soft cheese, alcohol, sleeping on my tummy, and recently, teaching salsa.
13. Most intolerable smell? Raw meat.
14. Morning sickness? Oh yes. And I lost 11lbs. I still get sick every once in a while.
15. What is the craziest, most-unpregnancy thing you've done while pregnant? Dance & teach salsa.
16. What old wives tales have you heard since pregnant? Based on how my stomach is protruding, I guess it's a boy. That I should eat ginger for my morning sickness. Ummm... not much else.
17. Most embarrassing pregnancy story? I threw up an entire meal in the parking lot after going to a restaurant. But I couldn't just let someone else accidentally step in it, and I couldn't clean it up without throwing up more. So poor George....
18. What kind of nesting have you gone through? Late night cleaning sprees. Spring cleaning of guest room closets. Also installing water filters on faucet, bath & shower.
19. Weirdest pregnancy dreams? I have had a couple where I take the baby out and put it back in at will to check on it's status and then after several removals, I can no longer get it back in.
20. Biggest pregnancy annoyance/difficulties? People fussing over how cute I am etc. is the most annoying. Difficulties... terrible anxiety attacks, fairly strong morning sickness, increasing joint problems/pains, restless leg, trouble sleeping, early on I had severe itching and recently I am having stiff, painful, and puffy hands.
21. Best pregnancy perks? People telling me how slim/tiny I am for a pregnant girl. People being extra nice and doing things for you no questions asked. The baby kicks make me laugh.
22. What do you miss most about pre-pregnancy? Some foods, having a drink without thinking about it, and sleeping on my stomach.
23. The question you're most tired of? Do you know the sex?
24. Favorite retort to annoying questions/people? When people ask if I know what it is, or what I'm having, I say, "a baby!"
25. Dumbest thing you've cried over? Everything on TV. Commercials, talk shows, almost anything can set me off, even if I hate what I'm watching.
26. How far along were you when strangers noticed? About 22 - 23 weeks.
27. Weirdest thing a stranger has done or said? The most personal question was "What are some of the front-runners for names so far?" But the weirdest thing was this woman who walked by me and George at Lowes and without looking at us, or even slowing down, she said, "Congratulations" and kept walking. I had to look around to see if there was someone else she was talking to, because she didn't seem to be addressing me at all! She was long gone by the time I could shout back a thank you!
28. Do you like people touching your belly? No! GET AWAY!
29. Maternity clothes, hubby's clothes, plus size clothes or regular clothes? Maternity & regular. I tried hubby's shirt because I heard women do that, but it looked tent like.
30. Favorite maternity outfit? A slim fitting tee that shows my belly, my pre-preggers jeans (and a belly band to hold them up), and my long cardi.
31. Favorite maternity store? Mimi maternity is the only one I found that didn't make me feel blimpish. But ooh pricey!
32. How far along were you when you first shopped for maternity wear? Ohhhhh maybe 12 - 16 weeks?
33. Maternity undies or regular? Mostly regular, but they are covering increasing real estate, so I wear maternity ones too.
34. How many bra sizes did you increase? band - 0-1, cup - 2+
35. How much weight have you gained? Haven't checked in a couple weeks, but it's about 20 lbs I think.
36. Fave maternity magazine? Cookie - really a family/parenting mag though.
37. How many maternity/parenting books do you own? 7 - 10
38. Most recommended? "Thinking woman's guide to Better Birth," "Child Health Guide: Holistic Pediatrics for Parents" and "The Pregnancy Book: Month-by-Month, Everything You Need to Know From America's Baby Experts." We've also read "Diaper Free" but we don't know if that works yet.
39. Least recommended? "Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy."

Baby
40. Do you know the sex, do you have a feeling about the sex, or do others tell you what their prediction is? Haven't found out but everyone on earth (except Evelyn, finally someone!!) says I'm having a boy. My gut said girl first, and I had a girl baby dream. But then for the longest time I was convinced it was a boy. Now I am leaning waaay more towards girl again.
41. Do you have a preference? Not really. Both have their pros and cons.
42. What traits do you think the baby displays so far? Night owl. My goodness. And irregular schedule too. Very active for a couple days, then almost nothing for a couple days.
43. Do you love/hate those kicks? I mostly love them. They make me laugh at how they change my belly, and it's the one communication I have with the baby. They are also the only thing I have to reassure me that everything is going ok. However, sometimes, they make it hard for me to sleep.
44. How early did you feel the kicks? 11.5 weeks!!
45. Do you have names picked out? We have two possible boy names, and two possible girl names. No middle names yet.
46. Are you sharing the names with others? If so share now! Nope!
47. What is the worst name you came across? Too many to decide. A couple of honorable mentions... from the Spanish name book, "Dorcas," -- a girl's name. And from the Faroese name book, "Larvas" -- a boys' name.
48. How did you or do you plan to decide on names? I made a list of Faroese names, and he a list of Spanish names, then we swapped and deleted the no ways, bolded our faves, and with the boys names, I decided the two that were my favorite and he did the same with the girl names. Surprisingly, there was some overlap on the lists. For instance, one of the ones that I really loved but didn't make it was Lilja (pronounced "Lil-ya") and Liliana was on his list.

Baby Gear
49. Baby shower? Not thus far.
50. Weirdest hand-me-down? Breast pump.
51. Coolest baby gadget? A rubby ducky that indicates whether or not the bath temp is too high.
52. Favorite baby toy? This rattle and this doll. Although our doll has overalls instead of the shirt.
53. Favorite baby book? A Faroese book about a dog, a mouse, and a cat that get along almost too well, so they decide to play pranks/chase after each other because they are bored. It's a cute story, it's in Faroese, and the artwork is really interesting.
54. Did you register? No way.
55. Biggest purchase so far? Hmm... nothng big yet. I guess the car seat is the biggest.
56. Decorated a nursery? Theme? Nope.

Birth
57. Where are you having your baby? At home.
58. Who will be your attendants? George, my mom, my midwife, and her 1-2 assistants.
59. Biggest fear about birth? That I will end up giving birth in the hospital. Or that I will be naked and vulnerable with people all in my business. (That one I will just have to deal with)
60. Most looking forward to? Getting it over with!
61. Will you have a doula or coach? Nah.
62. Waterbirth? Hypnobirth? Lamaze? Bradley? Etc.? I am thinking more about waterbirth, but so far the plan has just been to use baths/showers for pain management more than actual birthing.
63. Epidural? No access at home. Yay.
64. Did you take any childbirth classes? Took a couple through the midwife.
65. Funniest exercise in childbirth class? Umm... one was armwrestling for 90 seconds. Another was holding an ice cube really tight for 60 seconds to find ways to stay calm and get through the pain. We also did drawings of our fears and stuff.

Post-partum
66. Biggest fear about post-partum/parenthood? That I will take long to recover, that I won't be able to breastfeed, that my emotional problems will affect my child, or that I will become a Stepford soccer mom.
67. Most looking forward to? Eating anything & sleeping on my tummy. Oh yeah, and meeting my little squirmy kangaroo.
68. Will you take maternity leave? Yep. Miami Salsa (the salsa biz I run) has kindly allowed me plenty of time off for recovery & bonding! ;)
69. Will you stay at home, go back to work, or work at home? Work a little at home, teach a little salsa, but mostly care for the babe.
70. How much time is your partner taking off? 3 weeks, then 3 weeks of 3 days on 2 days off.
71. Will you have a nanny or post-partum doula? My mom will be my post-partum doula for a couple weeks.
72. Nursery or Mom & Dad's room? Our room.
73. Crib, Bassinet, Co-sleeper, or Family bed? Family bed.
74. Cloth, disposable, ec? Organic cloth, and we're going to try ec. (diaper free or early infant potty training).
75. Breastmilk or formula? Hopefully breastmilk.



Phew that was toooo many questions!!!

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