Korean BBQ, Butterfingers & Nutty Buddys

It should go without saying that my boy has got a good appetite (which I like) but these days, I'm not sure who the pregnant one is because he CRAVES Korean BBQ every single dang week! I don't mind Korean food (obviously) but since it's just the two of us if we go to a restaurant, the minimum order for BBQ is 2 ... which means I end up getting meat each time too!

We had dinner with my folks on Saturday night and guess what was on the menu ... KOREAN BBQ! Now that my mom knows that Ken loves the stuff, she has become the enabler! (Just kidding, mom!)

Lately, I've been klutzy to the extreme. Just dropping things left and right and wondering if my brain can't tell my hands to keep it's grip! Just this morning while pumping gas, I dropped the nozzle (yes, seriously) and I was afraid it would start spraying all over the place (think Zoolander gas hosing scene)!

Then a few nights ago, I've been wanting those old school favorites we used to love from school cafeterias and ice cream trucks ... the Nutty Buddy. Does anyone remember those? I never much liked them as a kid but felt myself wanting a taste of the chopped peanuts and chocolate filled cone. Needless to say, Ken wasn't allowed to come back home without them last night. And yes, it was DELICIOUS!

Nesting?

Nah! It's too early for full blown nesting but I did get the overwhelming itch to dig out my sewing machine last night and start with a fairly easy project as a refresher.

I found this cute goodie bag pattern online and decided to give it a go. I stopped off at the craft store after work, hunted, conquered, procrastinated at home and then started it around 7:30p. It took some literal digging to find my sewing machine, cutting mat, rotary cutter and exacto knife all buried in my half of our shared office.

My poor sewing machine started to fall apart the second I plugged it in. The needle came loose, the feed foot came undone and my bobbin flew off! I was afraid of what might happen next!!

Despite those minor snags during our reacquaintance, my trusty Brother and I got the project done.

Not perfect but now that I've done it once, I will be able to experiment with other fabrics and appliqué designs. Not too shabby for a comeback :)

Motherhood Saves the Day

And by "motherhood" ... I don't mean the intangible concept of the word that is the cause of heartfelt moments and life giving joy. No, by Motherhood, I mean the very tangible store with very tangible clothes for the not so palpable view of my current self.

I'm sure most pregnant women are gorgeous (I personally know a few) but the antithesis of that is right here, folks. Yes, that's right. I've officially given up figuring out if I can still bear to squeeze into any pants with a button, snap or clasp or if I should yield willingly into the realm of elastic waistbands, "Belly Bandits", "Secret Fit Belly" and "B-Buckles".

For pregnant gals and prior members, these names will probably sound familiar to you. For others, they might as well be cartoon names. For me, I'm somewhere in between.

I dragged myself into a Motherhood store for the first time to find it both overwhelming and annoying at the same time. Overwhelming are the onslaught of all things maternity and annoying are the scant collection of the same things not made for someone under 5'6". Oompa-Loompas come to mind.

Regardless, I sifted through these racks and picked out several items that far exceeded the amount of money I wanted to pay as a first time maternity clothes buyer (wasn't there a discount for first timers?). Most were work appropriate and fall wear in preparation for the months where such clothes would be unavoidable.

I'm happy to be pregnant. I'm less excited to feel awkward in clothes (*junior high flashback!).

We're only focusing on H.A.P.P.Y.

Second Prenatal Exam

So either Ken heard wrong or I did but somehow we thought we had another ultrasound appointment today but didn't! LOL

In any case, it was basically a checkup to go over test results and leave a urine sample (apparently this has to be done at every visit from now until the baby is born).

All the results came back negative so that's good news. We were able to listen to the heartbeat with a doppler. We even heard little "thumps" that the doctor told us were kicks although I wouldn't really feel these for another few weeks yet. I was told I could feel twinges or flutters now and these were normal.

We're almost at 14 weeks (tomorrow) and was reassured today that things are still progressing well. Since I can't feel much quite yet, there are days where I worry (paranoid, yes) if baby is doing ok in there.

I go in for other tests the week of September 5 to check the baby for Down's Syndrome and spina bifida. So many tests!

Our next Prenatal Exam is in mid-September. I will be 18 weeks by then and actually do have an ultrasound appointment that day. So we still don't know whether Baby Hamilton is a boy or a girl (the suspense!) but you'll know as soon as we do :)

By the way, the nurse asked me if there was one baby in there or two. I told Ken this and his brows furrowed into slight worry and panic. As far as I know, there is only one baby and suspect that if it were otherwise, it would show up on the ultrasounds. Wouldn't that be a SURPRISE!

Welcome to my Second Trimester!

I am happy to say that I am officially in my Second Trimester. Sometimes you try not to think about it so you won't jinx anything but making this hurdle does decrease our chances of miscarriage significantly and in a situation like ours, that's really reassuring news.

The Bump Checklist says the baby is now the size of a peach.

Teeth buds and vocal cords have formed as well as eyelids although they are still fused together. Arms and legs move and twitch - Baby can also suck it's thumb too.

We're also just back from our vacation but it just didn't seem anywhere near long enough! I survived an entire week wearing a bathing suit on this burgeoning midsection but was surprised to see I had only gained a few pounds while away ... which I then instantly started losing once we got home (could be the scant cooking I'm doing these days!).

It is becoming apparently obvious that I cannot comfortably wear any of my old pants with buttons or clasps and am in dire need of more elastic waistbands! My next shopping trip will be for a few basics that can be worn to work.

Doctor's appointment is scheduled for this Friday morning and I'm extremely anxious since we might be able to find out the baby's sex that day!!

Calgon ... Take me away!

It's been one of those weeks at work and I'm finally looking forward to a little down time with my favorite people (hopefully all fun in the sun). We've rented a waterfront beach house in the Cape with some friends for our annual joint family vacation. The kids really have a great time together and so do all the parents! I probably won't be able to stay awake for long stretches and no alcohol but that's not the only reason people go on vacation ;)

No laptops on the beach (I'm determined for both of us to live ANTI-WORK next week) but we will both have our Blackberrys ... guess we just can't drop all of our geek gadgets for that long!

Btw - I had something spicy last night for dinner for the first time since I experienced horrendous heartburn a few months ago and I think it may have receded!! Or I just got lucky! Either way, I was relishing dinner!

Thanks to Nana Susan for her thoughtful card (we just got it yesterday) and Grandma Mary for calling to check in on us (sometimes we need it!).

Vacations always have a way of whizzing by so I'll be back with updates and a few pictures before you know it! We're also looking forward to our next doctor's appointment that Friday we return because we just MIGHT be able to see if Baby Hamilton is a boy OR a girl!

Clothes ... going, going, MATERNITY!

I'm not sure how others before me have done it but I'm already to the point where I need extra support AND comfort for the girls (yes, those ones attached) as well as pants that won't feel like I'm walking in a vice grip all day. Do those things exist anywhere?

While we were shopping yesterday with the sole intention of finding me some new maternity pants, shirts and most importantly a bathing suit for vacation and beyond ... there were ZERO or sorely lacking maternity sections inside department stores nevermind entire stores devoted to all things maternity!

Where are people buying clothes that free the growing (and sore) baby bump? What happened to all those cute styles I see other like women walking comfortably by in? I jealously eye their comfort and wonder when I'll find my solace in clothes!

I've resorted to my standby ... going online! Here is one situation where money and resources really can buy happiness (at least until the baby is born!).