Well at least we are back to food....

Shrek: Ogres are like onions.
Donkey: They stink?
Shrek: Yes. No.
Donkey: Oh, they make you cry.
Shrek: No.
Donkey: Oh, you leave em out in the sun, they get all brown, start sproutin' little white hairs.
Shrek: NO. Layers. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers.
Donkey: Oh, you both have layers. Oh. You know, not everybody like onions.

So as you may have guessed this week MBB is the size of a multi-layered onion. Some other key facts:

• The real story behind the onion is that MBB's organs and networks are full of layers, all the right organs are moving into the right places and that type of thing.
• MBB is 5 inches and 3.5 oz. That still seems so small to me, but I guess the real growing will start in month six or so.
• No kicking yet...but any day now.

Lots of observations to blog on from my Boulder trip, but will post those up later today. (Coming attraction: Pregnancy nose on an airplane - eww).

Check! Another thing off the list.

I am a list maker by nature. By with MBB on the way I have found myself making lists upon my lists.

One of the things on the list that I wanted to get figured out early on was finding a mohel to perform a bris if we had a son. (if you really want to know more about this topic let me know and I will provide the um um details) Although we are not going to find out until Birth Day about the sex, I was unsure if like daycare there was some type of list someplace I had to get on to assure we had someone on the needed day. I have been spending time contacting people around DC and luckily was able to reach Rabbi Michael Henesch who comes much recommended by my friends Rachael and Jonathan as well as many mom-to-be message boards around town.

I was not sure what to expect when I talked to the Rabbi, but he was great. He answered all my questions and I am very comfortable that he is a good fit for us. So phew one more thing done!!!

It's a random posting day

Lots of lose ends to wrap up it feels like!

First, for those who were very sad that we moved off of fruits onto inanimate rubber animals - one of my other baby emails mentioned we could also use an avocado as a size chart for this week. I can't wait to see what next week is. We will all have to wait till Wednesday though as I am traveling to Boulder for work Monday and Tuesday.

With only 4 weeks till the midpoint of the pregnancy we have schedule the last ultrasound for May 7th. I can't wait to see how MBB has grown! Also, to answer the many questions we have gotten, we have decided not to find out the sex of the baby till Birth Day (I think my office is going to start a pool though!).

My trip to the Bright Horizons day care center was great. It is basically a day care with teachers for all levels. They have a curriculum and goals for each week- even for the very little ones. There is a center in Germantown close to the house and also in Rockville close to my office. Although it is not going to be our only option (that darn waiting list!) we are going to sign up for both sites waiting lists and hope one comes through. The Germantown one gives priority to federal contractors, so hopefully that will help.

I feel like I owe follow up to a few other things, but I think my brain wants to be outside in the amazing weather! Enjoy the beautiful weekend.

That's not a fruit!

Every Tuesday night I eagerly anticipate the e-mail telling me what fruit MBB will be that week. Today I anticipated a pear or maybe even a mango, but what I got was......a rubber ducky?! Who knew that either rubber or ducks fell into the fruit category. I guess you learn something new every day ;)

Although I do have to say it is kinda freaky thinking of MBB as a rubber bath time companion.

In other MBB updates:

• According to the books, anytime now I should start feeling MBB move. Rumor has it I am suppose to watch out for growling or fluttering sensations that may seem like indigestion or hunger pangs. (like that is not going to be too hard to distinguish!) This is called quickening.
  
• This week the baby is 4.66 in and 3oz and I am starting to be able to see a bit of growth when I look in the mirror. I will make sure to post some pictures when it becomes more visible to others.
  
• Development wise, MBB's limbs are well-developed and moving. The baby's head and neck straighten, and eyes face forward. We will be seeing a very different baby on the sonogram the next time we go.

Tomorrow I head off for my first daycare center visit at Bright Horizons, a national chain recommended by my friend Maria in Florida. The good news is they give priority to government employees and contractors, so we have a pretty good chance of being able to get MBB in if we like the place.

MBB is ready for bed now...so good night to all and don't forget to vote! (so far Boy is winning by a landslide).

A morning edit from Tara to this particular posting: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/rubberducky.htm (turn your sound up).

It's Quiz Time!

It's a break in hearing what I think to find out what you think....Quiz Time!

I have to say, this fruit thing is getting kinda fun :)

So a quick update...this week MBB is an orange (at least starting tomorrow when I hit 15 weeks). Some milestones:

• 4in and 1.75 oz the baby is growing away and growing me right of my favorite jeans....
• The baby can turn its head , purse its lips, and suck its thumb.
• The head is slowing down its growth, just as its body is kicking up the pace - maybe we will have a tall athlete yet!

Next milestones are visit to DC birthing center mid-May and 20 week sonogram where Jason and I see how our resolve is in not finding out the sex of MBB. Stay tuned!

A quick rant about daycare....

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a fairly picky person - some would say even a control freak (yes those of you who want can hit your heads now and say "Duh"). However, as I have set out on a quest to find daycare for MBB, I really have had only three requirements in mind:

1. Feed MBB
2. Hug and kiss MBB
3. Change the diaper of MBB

I also have the option of staying home one day a week, so it would be ideal to find a place that would not make me pay for five days when MBB is only there four - but I am willing to bend on that rule.

I started off by working with my companies internal Employee Assistance Program where they locate daycares around the area, call for availability and provide recommendations. I received the list about two weeks ago and every single one of the six places (day care centers and nannys) they listed had a minimum year waiting list. This means I would have had to call and sign up MBB the day I conceived in order to be able to go back to work after three months of maternity leave. Does anyone else see a problem with that?

So starting to feel a bit behind I started contacting nanny agencies, include one I talked to today that was at least nice enough to call me back. And I got the total other end of the spectrum. They only will help place you with a nanny eight weeks before you go back to work. OK so on one hand I need to notify some people more than a year in advance, but on the other hand I have to call back around Thanksgiving in hopes they have someone available. Scarrrrry!

What is an expecting mom to do.....

We have furniture!

Pvew what a weekend! So after the amazing trip and knowledge download at Enkore Kids, Jason and I wanted to show my mom the different end of the spectrum (larger big box store). So yesterday after a visit to the Imax downtown we stopped off at Great Beginings.

The store was almost completely empty which was both nice and amazing because they were having a clearance sale on some of their nursery furniture (can you see where this blog is going already;) ). After walking around for a while we checked out the clearance room and found a dresser we already loved in the store marked down 22%! After a little negotiating my mom was able to make it 30% and she bought it for us - woo hoo. Here is a photo of it from the catalogue (just the bottom part, not the hutch).

It is perfect for using as a changing table with a change pad strapped to it and both Jason and I loved the wood.

That got us in the shopping mood and we started to look at cribs. OK so a quick primer for anyone who has not bought a baby crib in the past five years or so. Making a gross generalization there are two kinds of cribs on the market now - convertible and non-convertible ones. The convertible ones go from a crib, to a daybed, to a toddler bed to a full size bed. The non-convertible ones are just a crib. All cribs are made in all types of wood, all colors, all shapes and sizes. AND (we learned yesterday) they may take 10-16 weeks to come in (gulp!)

Jason and I went back and forth on the convertible non-convertible ones for a month or so because the cost of the convertible one was so much higher...

So, now we had a dresser and wanted to make sure to get a crib that reasonably matched. We found a sales person and enlisted her help so we didn't have to wander around the huge store ourselves. Well she didn't have much work to do! She literally turned around in the spot she was standing and said - "How about this one" and it was PERFECT! It was the same wood, a style we love, was convertible and less than the cost of all of the other cribs we had been looking at. So we ordered it. The photos below are it as a crib and then also as a full converted bed.


And then we were worn out!

Why I love Fredrick, MD

The first time I ever ventured out to Fredrick, MD was six years ago when I did the now renamed, retooled Avon 3Day Walk for breast cancer. I remember not being able to believe how far from my place in Silver Spring it was and thinking - wow this is the suburbs. But it was a beautiful drive out there and we started the walk at, Hood College, was welcoming and tree filled.

Since then, I rarely needed to go to Fredrick for anything at all, until we moved to Gaithersburg last May. On my search for a good local organic marketing I found Common Market in Fredrick and realized that it was less than a half and hour from my new house. Common Market is a wonderful organic market that is two times the size of any place I have found in the DC metro area, with good prices and bulk food. Since then I have found myself up in Fredrick once a month or so to do a large shopping at the market.

So when I was looking for non-traditional baby stores in the area I was pleased to find there was one in Fredrick called Enkore Kids, a local family-owned baby store. When we first got to the outside of the store last night, I though I was going to be disappointed as it seemed very small with lots of items crammed in - the type of place I can usually spend five minutes in. However, we (my mom, Jason and I) were soon to be very surprised.

The woman behind the counter, Sue, intoduced herself to us and even after we had mentioned we were "just looking" asked if she could tell us a bit about the store. Over an hour later, she has helped us understand everything from baby carriers, to car seats (she is a certified baby car seat technician) to hints on how to deal with a new baby and your current dog. She was a amazing! An endless amount of quality information with the energy to match (and a promise to help us out more next time we visited). She never asked us to buy anything or made us feel like any of the questions I could get in between her good advice was too tiny a thing to know. She had tips on tricks on double layering the baby bed for easy night changes to handouts and websites where we could get the things we wanted cheaper. I think I learned more in that one hour that in the past four months of research I have done combined.

We were all exhasted, in a good way, after leaving the store and I can't wait to go back. We will definitly register for our car seat and some other quality items there, but even what we register on our own (like the Ergo Carrier I just added to our registry today) she said she will continue to help us on our quest through the thousands of websites and store that have been dumping information on us.

Fredrick, MD has truly been a wonderful find - I can't wait to explore what else it has for us!

A comment I want to highlight

One more thing for today...we got a comment on a previously blog that I want to highlight just to make sure that people in the DC area read it as the lack of maternity center options in the area is still a very important issue for me:

Anonymous said...
A group of consumers & birth professionals are hoping to convince the owner of the Maternity Center to allow a board to assume operations of the birth center as a non-profit organization. For more info and the latest consumer advocacy for midwifery in MD & DC, join the Takoma Park Birthing Circle's listserv from our website, http://www.takomaparkbirthcircle.org

Jason and I are planning to check out a maternity center our midwife recommended in DC in May - we will let you know how it goes!

Back from work travels and have much blogging to catch up on. First the weekly fruit update. The baby is the size of an apple, growing to a size of 3.5 inches and weighing in at 1 full ounce. Today begins week 14 - only 6 weeks away from the mid-point - going fast!

Jason and I go for the monthly heartbeat check in tomorrow morning, but then we have a nice 4 week break before any other doctor's appointments. So the plan is to use this time for cleaning and getting the baby room ready! This weekend my mom is in town and we are going to go to http://www.enkorekids.com/ a place I found in Fredrick. They have new and "previously loved" items so lots of ideas. Since we have started to share with more and more friends and family about the baby we have been getting some great suggestions on items to buy. Two that I especially loved are Arms Reach http://armsreach.com/ which is a bassinet attached you bed for easy mid-night feedings! Also with my bad back the Ergo Baby carrier http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/ looks great - although the video on the website is kinda scary.

I have also been on my first maternity clothes buying adventure...but that is for a blog later tonight!