Our baby has a first name....

(in my best Oscar Meyer weiner tune).... It's C-O-L-E, yeahh!

Ok, enough singing.. We are happy to announce to everyone that our son will be Cole Brennan Laslie. We both loved the name Cole from the beginning and after weeks of seeking out a middle name that fits perfectly, we fell in love with Brennan.

Can't wait to finally meet you baby Cole! :)

We picked our crib bedding!

Mr Laz and me looked high and low at bedding. We both aren't a big fan of the overly cutesy stuff but also didn't want something that looked too modern and grown-up. The Organic Jungle collection from GapBaby was just perfect! We love the soft palette of pale blue/sage green with dark chocolate accents. It will look perfect with out sandstone walls and espresso furniture. FYI, they offer the same collection in a pale pink/sage green option for girls.

The collection is 100% organic which is always a bonus and it's a mix-and-match so you don't have to buy a whole crib set. The quilt reverses from sage green to baby blue. There are stitched outlines of giraffes, leaves, branches, and chirp birds, as I call them. The quilt will be kept over the side of the crib while Baby Laz sleeps in the bassinet in our room in the beginning. Once baby transitions to the crib the quilt will find a new home across the back of the rocker/glider so we don't have to worry about it getting accidentally knocked into the crib and blocking Baby Laz's airway etc. We'll have enough to worry about... ;-)





On the crib itself we'll alternate between green/blue/chocolate variegated stripe pattern crib sheets and a coordinating jungle print. The jungle print has the same medley of little blue and green giraffes, mixed with chocolate & khaki branch/twigs, and few blue chirp birds thrown in.




The collection also features a 3-piece canvas wall art and a musical mobile. The mobile is adorable soft giraffes and plays Brahm's Lullabye. I couldn't find a picture of the mobile in the "boy" colors..



We're going to keep it simple and just have a mostly solid crib skirt and curtain valances in a soft sage green. I really like this set I found at target for a matching valance/crib skirt..

And we'll finish off the crib with a breathable mesh bumper in sage green. We like this one sold by Amazon and it's offered in a rainbow of colors. It really pops against the espresso crib.

Let me get up on my soapbox for a minute. These mesh bumpers are a newer concept for babies and help to cut down on the number of SIDS related deaths. Stay away from those fluffy bumpers! Or if you must have one then only keep it around until baby starts to learn to roll. Why are they bad? Just take a look at how your baby can position themselves and imagine how they could suffocate their air supply if it had been a fluffy thick bumper there instead of breathable mesh.. And to think that all those baby stores flaunt the fluffy bumpers in all their displays.. ok getting down off my soapbox now, carefully :P

Leggo my belly button!

Ok so I've noticed over the past week or so that I'm losing my belly button. I used to have a regular innie that you could stack a dime in. haha. Now my belly button has flattened into a line and closed up but at the same time is causing the middle to threaten to pop. It's so funny to look at! I guess it's my uterus moving upward as Baby Laz grows each week. It's only a matter of time till i go *POP* ;-)

Oh and that's not my belly, just a stock image :P

21 week update....

This week's pic is back to a la commode via myself since the nursery is a fantastic mess right now. I can barely find the crib in that mess! We decided to remove the old wire shelving in the walk-in closet and repaint and install Closetmaid laminate sections. So everything in the closet is now in the middle of our nursery. Poor Poe is displaced and we have his litterbox in the hallway..

I found this cool template that a fellow thebump.com member uses so I'll be using this from now on.. I'll do updates every two weeks..

How far along: 21 weeks exactly

Total weight gain: I have gained 10 lbs since beginning of pregnancy, weighing in at 174. Mostly boob and baby weight, bwahaha.

How much does baby weigh: According to the Bump, I have a banana growing in me and it's just shy of 1 pound.

Maternity clothes: Wearing dresses more and more b/c it's so hot. and thank goodness for anti-chafe lotion for skin-on-skin friction ;-)

Stretch marks: None so far *fingers crossed*

Sleep: It's been hard to sleep the past few nights, partly because I find that my nasal passages are super stuffy lately and also b/c I'm getting lower back pain off an on.

Best moment this week: I saw a ripple motion in my belly as I was staring at it after my shower. It was the coolest thing ever and I tried to show Jay but it lasted so briefly. This was the first time I ever saw anything, mostly just felt flutters and soft kicks.

Movement: The flutters and kics are much more noticeable, but are still pretty soft and hard for Jay to feel. I told him just give it a few more weeks ;-)

Food cravings: Maple Walnut ice cream, Jello Pudding Pops, Waterice, Bread n' Butter pickles, dill pickles, kosher dill pickles...Pickles & ice cream...very stereotypical preggo appetite. haha.

Belly button in or out: Still an innie- but it's gotten so shallow and flat, threatens to pop after I eat at times..

What I miss: Getting an uninterrupted night's sleep. Bending down to do things, haha!

What I'm looking forward to: Decorating the nursery and starting our baby registries!

Milestone: So far I've made it to the gender ultrasound, next milestone is the week 26 1hr glucose test for gestational diabetes. keep your fingers crossed i pass, otherwise i have to do the 3-hr test next, yuck.

Drum roll please.......... We're having a..

BOY! It's officially Team Blue for mr and mrs laz! There was no mistaking the peep on the ultrasound. And our boy was bumping around in there and even sucked his thumb for us. It was so adorable to watch!

Unfortunately, our stubborn little Laz wouldn't move the arms out of the way so they were unable to get a 3D image of the profile. So all they could get was a 3D image of a little chubby arm. haha.

The doctor came in afterwards and told us everything was normal. All the measurements for everything was perfect.


Above: Looking down at bottom regions, like it's sitting on lens.


Above: Profile shot laying down with arm above face, rubbing eye.

Today is the day...

..that we not only find out if we're having a boy or a girl, but if we'll be raising a son or daughter.

That really hit home for us last night. After our ultrasound appointment this afternoon we'll be that much closer to bonding with the little person growing inside me. We'll soon have pics to share with everyone and even some 3D ones that give a good profile shot to see who our baby will look more like ;-)

Almost halfway there! bump pics from week 19.. (click to enlarge)

Nursery upate, Part One

From now until Baby Laz arrives I'll be posting updates with the nursery as elements get added. We are really excited about letting our creativity run with the nursery. I have so many bedding collections bookmarked already. Soon we'll know if we'll need to steer away from pinks or not ;-)

The first element we added was the crib. The deep espresso furniture looks awesome against the freshly painted walls. We also replaced the old ceiling fan with something more modern. We found the perfect small room size Hunter fan, with bronze hardware and blades in Mocha/Chocolate. It really makes the espresso furniture in the room pop. Having a fan will help circulate the air for Baby Laz and according to statistics, will reduce the risk of SIDs.

Nursery transformation has begun...

We have officially started to convert the old computer room to a nursery for Baby Laz. We sold the desks we each had and bought a cute sleek corner unit for downstairs in the living room. We went through the room and took a lot to Goodwill. Anything we kept has been put into storage.

First step was repainting, which of course Mr. Laz took care of ;-) We hadn't painted when we moved in b/c we always knew it would be a nursery eventually. The old color was a deep periwinkle blue shade and it had been put on pretty sloppy in the corners etc.


BEFORE:


We wanted to keep the walls neutral so as our baby grows up and forms their own opinion about the room, changing the look of the room is so much easier. We went with our old standby, Sandstone Cove by Behr, which covers about 80% of the walls in our house. It's the perfect shade of taupe-khaki, not too grey, not too tan. And when paired with a bright white ceiling and trim, it just makes everything in the room around it pop.


AFTER:



We have left the twin bed in there for now but will be moving it out shortly. Even though it would be nice to have it around it just takes up too much wall space in a small room.

One more week till we can start saying he or she!

It will no longer be an "it" or a "he-or-she"! haha. We'll finally be able to call Baby Laz a girl or a boy. We find out on Monday as long as the little angel cooperates and keeps their legs uncrossed.

If you haven't weighed in, make sure you cast a vote on our gender poll! As it's looking now, most of you think I'm having a girl. Hmm..maybe. maybe not ;-)

It's not just finding out the gender that's exciting. It's being able to start narrowing down our long list of names. And seeking out cute bedding and nursery decor. And of course we are gonna find an adorable coming home outfit for Baby Laz to wear as it exits the doors of Underwood Memorial ;-) It's just one more thing to make it all that much more real. We have a baby on the way... yay!

Hitting the beach in style..

So I changed my mind on the original maternity bathing suit I ordered. It arrived and it turned out to be a neon pink, which is soo not for me.

But I found an even cuter suit. I have always been an avid lover of polka dots so when I found the Retro Dot Halter by PregO, it was love. hehe. It's not just a spattering of even polka dots, they swirls around in a retro pattern. And it comes in my two favorite color combos, pink/chocolate and blue/chocolate. And the blue is actually shades of soft aqua blue. I wavered between which color to get but decided to go with the blue combo.

I especially love the bottoms which tie on the side and scoop low for an underbelly fit. Super cute!

We're going for a day trip to the beach for Jay's birthday on Wednesday! We leave Tuesday night and we're staying with our good friends in their cute beach condo rental in Fenwick Island, DE. It's very close to both Rehoboth and OC, MD.

The crib has arrived!

Way to go jcpenney.com! It took less than a week for the crib to arrive at the store. big thanks to my dad for helping us pick up and get it upstairs. mr laz worked hard to put it together as soon as it was upstairs.

I have to say now that's in the nursery it looks huge! But we absolutely adore it! It's a nice deep espresso color with warmer cherry tones that show up when the sunlight floods the room. The wide slats and curved back really set it apart from most of the crib styles we saw. It's a stationary lifetime crib so it really feels and looks like a solid piece of furniture. It's made of hardwood and veneers and it's not wonder that Bedford Baby/Westwood get such high marks, this thing is so well made. Heck, I wouldn't mind the back frame as our headboard even. love it!

Now we just need to make a decision on the changing table/dresser ;-)

I'm going to start taking all my pics in the nursery from now on. yay!

Feeling flutters!

I am starting to notice the flutters that everyone talks about. It's like someone tickling me from the inside. Other times it's like a little flick against the surface. Almost like a little mexican jumping bean is inside there ;-)

I'm 18 weeks now and I know that it will be another week or two before the kicks get stronger and Jay can feel them. But it's really exciting to feel that connection with your baby.

My belly is definitely growing faster now. All my maternity clothes are fitting so much better and there is no denying that I'm preggo. My baby is officially the size of a sweet potato this week!

CAUTION: Preggo woman with pickle jar approaching..

It's a known fact that pregnant women often crave pickles. Guilty as charged. I was curious why women crave this salty member of the cucumber family when they've got a bun in the oven, so I went digging. I found many articles but thought this one explained it the best..

"No one really knows why some pregnant women crave pickles and ice cream, or any other seemingly strange food combination. There are a number of theories about pregnancy cravings, but it has been difficult to pin down a solid biological or psychological reason for cravings. Doctors do generally agree that pregnancy cravings are very normal, and that unless a craving is unhealthy, satisfying the craving is probably a good idea.

Some studies have been conducted by surveying pregnant women to see what they crave and when. Salt, sour, bitter, sweet, and hot tastes are often craved at some point during pregnancy, though not necessarily together. Survey data seems to suggest, for example, that women shy away from bitter foods in the first trimester of pregnancy, perhaps because bitterness can signal the presence of a toxin which could hurt the fetus. Woman tend to experience increased cravings for salty and sour flavors, like pickles, in the advanced stages of pregnancy, and sweet flavors are often desired in the early stages.

One explanation for a craving like pickles and ice cream is simply that the woman's body is searching for specific nutrients. Many midwives have suggested that pregnancy cravings indicate some sort of vitamin or mineral deficiency, and that the body is trying to make up for this by making foods with the needed nutrition seem especially appealing. This is certainly true in the case of pica, a syndrome in which people eat or crave things which are actually inappropriate for eating, like clay and glass.

Other researchers have dismissed this explanation, arguing that pregnancy cravings are linked to hormonal changes in the body. This theory is supported by the fact that many women develop strange food cravings at the points in their menstrual cycle which involve an especially high level of hormones. However, this doesn't explain why cravings change from pregnancy to pregnancy. A woman might want pickles and ice cream all the time in her first pregnancy, and abhor it in the next.

Pregnancy cravings have also been linked to psychological causes. Some people think that women may experience cravings for things like pickles and ice cream because they expect to experience them, in a self-fulfilling prophecy. Women who have experienced the intensity of pregnancy cravings might laugh this off, but the human relationship with food is very wrapped up in psychology. The inner workings of the mind may well be the reason why some pregnant women salivate at the thought of eating spicy crackers, while others crave potato chips.

Although pickles and ice cream are a very stereotypical pregnancy craving, this craving actually seems to be comparatively rare. Although some pregnant women crave pickles, they don't generally want them with ice cream, but that doesn't mean that weird food combinations don't happen in pregnancy. " (http://www.wisegeek.com/why-do-some-pregnant-women-crave-pickles-and-ice-cream.htm)


Whatever the true reason is, they have definitely been a part of my regular diet for five months now ;-)

I caved...

..and ordered a maternity swimsuit. I was hoping I could get away with my old suit but unless I want to pass for a pregnant stripper, I can't get away with it. Little left to the imagination is an understatement, might as well parade around in my birthday suit for as little as it covered my curves ;-)

So I started looking around and was generally unhappy with what I found. Everything looked frumpy or matronly. Very unflattering styles. And the patterns left something to be desired.

Then by sheer luck I happened across a newer company called Modbe in my google search. They make modest swimsuits & activewear that doubles as maternity styles. I was really impressed with the cute styles they had to offer. You buy separate bottoms and tops and can mix and match to your hearts content. All their tankini styles are made extra long for maternity or for those who just like more modest coverage. And the bottoms have a fold down waistband which is perfect for a swelling baby bump. Below are some of their top sellers. I adore the selection of prints! Pics are courtesty of Modbe Clothing Inc,.

And I went with the one below. It's called Pink Ruffle Tapestry!

You can purchase one for yourself at http://www.modbeclothing.com/

We ordered the crib !!

JCPenney was running another special and since we missed the last two we jumped on this one. We ordered the Bedford Baby Tribeca convertible crib in Chocolate Mist. That was our fav choice out of all cribs we were considering. The crib comes with toddler rails to convert to a toddler bed. There is a separate conversion kit to convert it to a full size bed frame. We didn't get that just yet b/c they were sold out of the Chocolate Mist option.

We should have our crib within 2 weeks and it's being delivered right to our local JCPenney store so we don't have to worry about being home when it's delivered etc. Mr. Laz is working diligently on finishing painting the nursery. I'll post pics once the crib is in the room. Can't wait for it to arrive! Adoring the Carter Elephant Stitch bedding in pink/brown if it's a girl !