Thursday, April 12, 2012

Surprise!!



Who remembers the toy called "Puppy Surprise"?

It was an AWESOME toy that I had in the late 80's/early 90's. Basically...Stuffed Mommy dog comes with puppies in a convenient velcro pouch on her abdomen (HAH...if only child birth were so easy!) Anyway...the "SURPRISE" part of the Puppy Surprise was that you didn't know what kinds of puppies would be in there. Also...your Mommy puppy could have three, four, or FIVE puppies. You just didn't know until you birthed the dang things from their velcro womb. Alas, the elusive FIVE puppy litter was a real rarity (so were the four puppy litters) and most kids (like me...typical) wound up with three. Still fun though. OH, the anticipation!!

Also, when my brother was born (in 1992) my Grandma Jodi thought it would be fun for my sister and I to have a birth of our own to wait for. No, No...it wasn't a puppy surprise this time...it was the "Magic Nursery-My Bundle Baby" OH MAN...These were even MORE awesome than Puppy Surprise! The little baby doll came in this sort of "backpack" that you wear on your front (So, a "front-pack", if you will) and there were a couple of buttons that you could push. One button made a heartbeat noise and the other caused two little "nubbins" to move around as if your baby was kicking in there! Now that I think of it...it might have been kind of creepy, but we were impressed. The problem with the scenario was that my Grandma purchased these for us at the BEGINNING of my Mom's actual pregnancy and then expected us to wait (the nerve!!) to open our little baby pouches and find out if we were having a boy or a girl, twins or triplets!! A tall order for a 8 and 5 year old girl. SO...naturally...we didn't wait. We totally peaked. However, my Grandma had very cleverly sewed the top of our baby-bundle-back (but actually front) packs...so we couldn't take our babies OUT (aka...child torture), we could just peak in with one eye and catch a glimpse. We'll just call those moments our "ultrasounds", shall we?? ANYWAY...fast forward to when my brother was born, Mom was in the hospital, and Hilbo Baggins (my sister, Hillary) and I were aloud to have the "stitches" removed so we could finally hold our precious magic nursery babes. A joyous occasion!

So you see, surprises, as it turns out...are SO fun! I love to give and receive surprises. Which is why, my dear friends...we will WAIT to find out the sex of this dear baby.

**gasp**

I know. Several people have mentioned that they think we are nuts for waiting. We have also received lots of "Way to go!"'s and a few "Good for you! The way it should be!"'s. Or as a dear friend of mine says "If God wanted you to know he would have made your stomach see-through!" I suppose I can see both sides of the spectrum here, after all...we found out with Brennan and it was wonderful. Although I can't say that I see how anyone could be truly upset that we are waiting to find out. I promise you...this baby will be a BABY, one way or the other! There are only two options :) It seems that some folks think that by waiting to find out, we run the risk of the possibility of me giving birth to a litter of puppies! (Puppy Surprise!) Anyway, all of that to say...we are waiting. I am terribly sorry if you are disappointed by this news, but just think of how completely awesome it will be to hear the news when our baby is here and we can introduce him or her to you with a name and a picture!

So now a poll...leave me a comment with your vote! Baby BOY Hulsey or Baby GIRL Hulsey?? What will the baby be??!

16 Weeks and a Silly Survey!


How far along? 16 Weeks


Total weight gain: So far I am down about 5 lbs.


Maternity clothes? Kind of...they are certainly much more comfortable, however...my lack of "business professional" maternity clothes has forced me to be "clever" for work. Long shirts and rubber bands on the button loop of my normal pants have been sufficient (Ghetto...I know.)


Stretch marks? Nope! I didn't get any until about the week before Brennan was born and even then they were minimal. I am using lotion after every shower now, so hopefully I can keep them away again!!


Sleep: Ugh. I have never really been good at sleeping peacefully, but it is especially bad now. My poor husband. I'm lucky if I can keep my eyes open past 9pm and then I just thrash around all night and wake up exhausted! Naps seem to help, but those only happen on the weekends!


Best moment this week: I have been feeling the baby move (I think?) for a couple weeks now...but now I KNOW I am feeling that little baby move!


Miss Anything? Not really. I guess maybe being able to take medication for allergies/headaches, etc. But I am ok with that if it means having a healthy little baby!


Movement: Yes! Not anything crazy like it will be soon, but I definitely feel those little kicks and punches from time to time. At my last appointment when the measured baby's heart rate my doctor said she could HEAR the baby kicking and assured me that I am was most likely feeling those kicks too!


Food cravings: Eh...food shmood...I eat, but I haven't really had any serious cravings at this point and actually I have found myself eating less that normal just because my appetite isn't what it used to be. I definitely don't "snack" as much.


Anything making you queasy or sick: certain smells are pretty bad, but thank God most of the "morning(noon, and night) sickness" has gone away!


Gender: Is it a boy? Is it a girl? No one knows! :)


Labor Signs: No.


Symptoms: just super tired and a little "sore", but mostly feeling good.


Belly Button in or out? Still in.


Wedding rings on or off? ON!


Happy or Moody most of the time: I have to admit that I am somewhat of an emotional basket case some times. It's quite frustrating. I find myself apologizing frequently for my grumpiness. Especially to my two-year-old. Poor Buddy :(


Looking forward to: As crazy as it sounds...looking forward to my belly getting bigger and for Derek and Brennan to be able to feel the baby move!