Week 14: Babymoons and Ostriches

As most, if not all of you know, week 14 has been an emotional roller-coaster. Many of you have made a point to remind me not to stress, to take care of myself, and to let that husband of mine pamper me...well, we tried :)

For those ladies out there who are not done with or have not yet begun the baby-making process, I highly recommend what websites such as thebump.com or whattoexpect.com cheesily call a "babymoon." Not at all a honeymoon, but essentially a vacation typically in the second trimester when you can enjoy yourself a little more. Chris and I chose (not that there really is another option) to be economical (see how much nicer that sounds than "cheap") and went to the family lake house with pups in tow. It was a BEAUTIFUL weekend and with the exception of a detour at Wildlife Ranch, completely stress free.

Side note: If any of you get a chance to go to Wildlife Ranch in San Antonio, Texas....take it! AMAZING. Not only a petting zoo with baby goats and pot belly pigs, but it is a drive-thru zoo. All of the animals come right up to you car. Why? Because some smarty-pants at admissions gives you a bag of food! The animals you see include, but are not limited to: Buffalo, Antelope, Rams, Zebras, Donkeys, Deer (But not your regular Buffalo, NY deer), Llamas, peacocks, and the mighty Ostrich. Beware the ostrich. No really, there will be video posted on facebook in the next couple days that will give you good reason to fear and respect the ostrich who will stick his head, and treacherous beak (the beak is the important thing to focus on) into your car....and take food or whatever else he wants. In our case, Chris' nether-regions....Actually that was true for some goats, the pot belly pig, and the ostrich. There have been many questions and speculations, do with that information what you will....

Back to the purpose of the blog.

Week 14 has come and so has a little bump! I have finally caved and bought a bella band which hides my secret (the secret that most pants no longer button). As of yesterday, and continuing today I will be buying maternity clothes! I have decided that they are heaven, and I will never want to leave them.

Secret to maternity clothes #1: Apparently designers save the best and most comfy of fabrics for the pregnant ladies.

Secret #2: Fitting room attendants miraculously become overly friendly and opinionated when you try on maternity clothes.

Secret #3: You want to try them on. Do NOT assume. If you are a small in the real world of clothes, that does not make you a small in the fantasy world of maternity. Apparently I'm an extra small in everything but tank tops. Weird.

Week 14, and the second trimester has been glorious as the smell of certain foods no longer stops me dead in my tracks. Oddly enough, the texture/shape of foods has posed a problem. For example, bananas. While it has been suggested that anything phallic has caused me to become immediately nauseated (don't make that more sick than it sounds, I'm talking about carrots, celery and bananas), I think the texture of some of these are what gets me. Loved bananas. Now hate bananas. Also, the texture of or idea of chicken has stopped me from eating it. Don't fear about the baby not getting enough meat that, this carnivore is now craving red meat (which I never wanted before...). Yes, I had steak twice in one week, do not judge me.

And if you thought the rambling could not become more tangential, I am going to end this segment with another chance to vote! I've been shopping for fabrics for the nursery. Now that I have learned that it is really not worth the $250+ to buy a nursery set of blankets, sheets, etc. I will be making my baby's blanket personally and most likely curtains. Yes, I am domesticated! And again (because it sounds nicer) economical! Okay, frugal.

Thoughts?

Obviously for the pictures with multiple fabrics, you can tell which part is going to be the border, and which will be the main part of the blanket, correct? Hopefully you can. Regardless vote for #1 (aka green and blue) #2 (baby jungle) or #3 (polka dots) and then realize that I am continuing my shopping today and will most likely just add to this list. Sorry.

Fun baby facts:

Baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck her thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, her facial muscles are getting a workout as her tiny features form one expressions. Her kidneys are producing urine, which yes, means I have become the human porta-potty....gross, I know. She can grasp, too, and at the next ultrasound we may even catch her sucking her thumb.

Size: 3-4 inches -- about the size of a lemon -- and she weighs approximately 1 1/2 ounces.

Love you all!

Jules