9 weeks 1 day

Every week feels like WOOHOO!!!

I'm feeling ok. Definitely tired. My nausea seems to kick in full force around 8:30-9:00pm, I'm grateful that it's at the end of the day. I do have nausea on and off through out, but I basically snack the whole day to deal with it (the scale isn't liking that too much). I do try and eat healthy snacks, fruits and such.

I guess we're officially "out". We told Matt's parents last night, his mom got teary. My parents were there too (we were all working at the store) and they all started congratulating each other on being grandparents: It was rather humorous. We'll tell his grandparents tonight, then his sister when we see her this week. Of course everyone keeps telling me that we have to have a boy: Oy!

Yesterday I was hosting a baby shower for our friends J & N, and their daughter Natalie. So we told them, after the shower, and my mom's best friend (Mrs. H, J's mom). She came running over to me, crying and gave me a huge hug. N (J's wife) gave me THE biggest hug I think I've ever gotten...and she's a tiny girl. J said congrats and it was hugs all around. Of course after that I got told to stop cleaning up and go sit down and was handed Natalie for "practice".

The rest of the afternoon Mrs. H just had this huge grin on her face and kept saying to my mom how they get to be grandma's together...and there were more tears. Mrs. H and N, just kept saying how happy they were and what perfect parents we'll make. I don't think anyone can top her reaction, or N's.

The shower was a bit tough, only because people kept asking me if I have kids, and whether we wanted kids. I didn't want to answer, at 9 weeks, actually I'm pregnant (especially not before Mrs. H and N were told). I held Natalie almost the entire shower...and surprisingly, it didn't hurt. It was rather surreal, I may really have a baby of my own in the fall. That a baby like this, is growing in my belly. Natalie is tiny...she weighs at 5 weeks, what I weighed when I was born, 7lb 10oz. Her feet are HUGE! They quite seriously are the length of her calves.

One lady was sitting next to me holding Natalie and she started to fidget and the lady said that she was getting nervous holding her. I asked her if she wanted me to take her, she did. Then she made a comment about how natural I am with her. There have always been babies around, my sister is 10 years younger than me, I'm used to them. One thing it made me feel better about was that I've been thinking about what do I do with this tiny creature when it get's here...I definitely feel reassured that I can do that and know what to do.

I go on April 7th for my next appt with the doctor: I'm hoping to really talk to her about my peace of mind and ultrasounds. I'm really hoping she'll humor me that day and let me have one, or at the very least listen for a heart beat...I'll be 11 weeks.

The current debate going on in our house is the car dilemma: We know what we're getting a Toyota Sienna (Matt's car is dying). I've wanted a minivan for a while: They're the only vehicle, that is not a truck, that you can fit a sheet of plywood in. The Sienna is the only van with AWD, kind of a necessary thing around here. We also know that this is going to be the last car we buy for a long time, this is going to be the family car and needs to fit however many kids we wind up with.

The debate is whether we go with buying a used vehicle (2005, with 60k miles, is about $17,000) or do we buy a brand new van (2009 is about $30,000). We're leaning toward the new for several reasons: 1) Toyota has awesome financing right now, 2) Toyota has some really great promos going too, 3) we'll have a higher monthly payment, but the car will be paid for and only 4 years old, vs buying a used and it's 10 years old and paid for.

Friend's of my parents have a BIL who works for a Toyota dealership in Northern NJ: We're going to call him and have him do a price work up for us, see what they can do. Then go visit our local Toyota dealer in O-town and see what they can do, and check out the actual car there.

I've attached a slide show of the belly..ya'll get to see a closeup of my big butt. I notice a difference this week: My bottom pooch is pointy-er, and not as rounded as it used to be...I don't know if that's something or not. I do know that I had to wear my tighter work pants unbuttoned with my bella band.