19 weeks and working down the list

I was amazed by the amount of lists that are out there which tell you what baby stuff/items you need. Every store seems to provide one, some even longer than others.... So I decided to sort of make my own by taking a list from the most realistic store and hightlight the things I think I really need.
Saturday I took my change because I went shopping with a good friend from college who already has 3 children. So she knew what good tips to give me, what things from my list were not necessary and what items I needed more of than the list tells me. I mean, the list tells you to get 6 tissues for cleaning up after the baby... what if you get a baby that throws up a lot? How about 20?

So slowely I am working down my list and I have to say it is a lot of fun.

Maternity clothes (week 18)

It is official now. My normal pants don't fit anymore. For quite a while I was able to still wear pants that were always a little big on me. But this week I gave up, it is just not comfortable anymore and covering an unbuttoned pair of pants isn't always easy and a little nerve racking at work too. So I bought 2 pair of maternity pants. One pair of jeans and one pair of black pants. I also made one myself. I had these casual pants that I wasn't going to wear anymore next year, because the color started to fade. So I took the waist band of and I sew an old t-shirt onto the waist band. Of course I cut the arms of the t-shirt, and it just looks like a wide elastic band. That is what the official maternity clothes look like too.

Now I hope I will manage the winter with 3 pair of pants and in the spring I will have to buy some more pants and probably t-shirts too. For now my normal t-shirts are fine and I wear a belly band over my pants to cover the fact that my t-shirts are getting shorter.....

I swear this baby is growing like crazy right now!

4 months (week 17)

Sean and I have been confussed about the weeks, months etc of my pregnancy. So I found this website where you can enter your due date and it tells you all the info. So right now I am 4 months pregnant, but I am in my 5th pregnancy month. Do you get it?

Dates and numbers:
There are 158 days until your due date on June 24, 2008.
You are 122 days pregnant.
You are 17 weeks, 2 days pregnant.
You are 4 months pregnant.
You are in your 5th month of pregnancy. (huh?)
Your 1st trimester: September 18, 2007 to December 17, 2007. (0 - 12 weeks)
Your 2nd trimester: December 18, 2007 to March 31, 2008. (13 - 27 weeks)
Your 3rd trimester: April 01, 2008 to June 24, 2008. (28 - 40 weeks)

Baby activity?

I think I might have felt junior kick twice now. Sunday while I was reading on my stomach in bed and yesterday while sitting on the couch. I am not sure if the feeling was indeed junior, but I am pretty sure it was. Like little bubbles in my belly..... in a couple of weeks when I recognize the feeling more I will know for sure. How cool!

Baby furniture

During our last week off after New Year's Sandra was looking on Marktplaats (the Dutch eBay) for baby furniture and found a nice set. For a few weeks now we were looking for baby furniture in white wash that wasn't only for an infant, but stuff that could be used a little later. Sandra saw the ad about 10 minutes after it was placed and sent an email. Within 30 min San talked to the woman and it sounded good, so we had an appointment for to pick it up the next day. Since it couldn't be taken apart we borrowed our neighbor's car and went with both cars down to Delft (about 50 min drive). It was neat, sturdy, and of good quality. Maybe a quick lick of paint and a new mattress cover, and it's good to go. All for €175! The people were very nice and quite well-to-do, but they were very hospitable and offered us some tea before helping us pack it up. San was a champ helping carry everything upstairs, which we did very slowly (it was lightweight and not having a big belly yet helped). What a difference- that really helped make the baby atmosphere stronger! We both open the door and look in and get warm feelings each time we walk by the room.

Belly pictures (16 weeks)

So here are some more belly pictures, 4 weeks after the previous ones posted.

79 cm this time at the belly button. I think I have gone up from a size 6 to a size 8 by now.


Still not much of a belly, even though I think it is slightly more than 4 weeks ago (or wishful thinking?). Every time I look at these pictures I dislike my arched back... and here is when I even try to hide it by standing up extra strait.

Changes

First of all Happy New Year to everybody. I hope it will as much of an exciting year for you as it will be for us!

So yesterday I decided to switch from the gynecologist to a midwife. I was allowed to because of my lack of a medical indication (see a previous entry). But still I was debating, because I do want to deliver in the hospital, so was changing really worth it?

I called the hospital first to see what I would have to do to switch. Once again I got treated unpleasant and by yet another person, so I decided to call the midwife. There secretary was super nice, took all my info, made an appointment and right away it felt more personal. The midwife will also look at my 20 week ultrasound, so I canceled the ultrasound at the hospital, where I would not even see my gynecologist, but a technician (who I am sure will do a good job as well). I just didn't think there was a point in staying with him if I wasn't going to see him anyway. Besides this the gyno is really only interested in the medical stuff and not in my questions regarding the best diapers etc to use....which are starting to pop up in my head as we move further into the pregnancy. The midwife will be more cozy and helpful that way.

So this coming Tuesday I have my intake talk at the midwife, I am curious to see the difference, but after the couple of unpleasant phone calls with the hospital I am already relieved I made this change.