Questions, questions and more questions...

Now that the world knows about the baby there are many questions that people are very curious about.  The following are the most popular questions that we get over and over (and over and over) again ...

1. How are you feeling?
In my first trimester I'd say I felt about 80%.  I had some indigestion and was tired most afternoons but overall I feel very lucky that I didn't have any morning sickness.  My mom had terrible morning sickness with both myself and my brother and I feared the worst, but somehow I got lucky and felt great!  I feel great now with nothing more than a little sciatica in my lower back giving me some pain.  I have had a not so pleasant time learning to sleep on my sides but thanks to the many body/pregnancy pillows that I have been given from friends, I have been more comfortable and sleeping better.

2. Do you know what you're having?
Not yet.  We have an appointment on August 5th and will have the doctor write down the gender and seal in an envelope.  We plan to have some sort of a gender reveal party that will announce the gender to us and our friends and family in a fun and creative way.

3. What do you think it is?
I have had no dreams or hunches as of now.  Many people say that the mother usually has an accurate intuition of the sex of the baby.  I'll keep you posted if I feel anything in the next few weeks.

4. Do you have a preference in a boy or a girl?
I don't have a preference but everyone keeps telling me they think it's a girl, so naturally, I keep picturing pink dresses and pigtails. :)

5. What does Daniel want?
He's a man! All men want boys!  Although, he has three girl dreams...!

6. When are you due?
December 23, 2013.  Yes, a Christmas baby!  Hanukkah this year is November 27th -December 5th so it's most likely won't be a Hanukkah baby.  We heard from friends who have a Christmas baby that they celebrate a half birthday each year for their child so that they can have a fun summer party when people are in town and able to celebrate.  We like this idea and will probably do this once the baby gets older.

7. What will do for work?
I will take 6 weeks of maternity leave and 6 weeks after that.  This will put me back at school around the end of March.  I will finish the year, have the summer off with the baby and head back to school in the fall when the baby is around 8 months old.  We haven't even talked about daycare vs. nanny vs. alternative options and probably won't until the fall.

8. Do you have any names picked out?
We have been throwing out some names but unfortunately for you, they will be kept a secret until the baby is born. :)  Daniel is very good at picking out names that he knows are ridiculously absurd: Django Andrew Johnson, Tchoupitoulas Hillman, Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo are some just to name a few.  He definitely gravitates to the more traditional names where I am trying to find something not so common and mainstream.  Every time I say a name he looks at me like I'm crazy, "Did you just make that name up? Is that a real name?"  Needless to say this naming a baby thing is not an easy task.  I think it'll be easier to narrow down some names once we know if we're having a boy or a girl.  Until then, we're calling the baby DJ (Daniel Junior or Daniel/Jess) instead of "it" or "baby" or until one of you comes up with something better that sticks!

9. Have you felt it move?
Not yet.  People say that movement this early may feel like gas rather than a baby.  So far I have felt no obvious gas or obvious baby.  I'll often hold my breath and close my eyes hoping with total concentration I'll be able to feel something but I'm only able to hold my breath comfortably for 10 or so seconds.  Also, something about keeping oxygen from the baby for any length of time keeps me from trying for a second round! The books all say that it usually happens between 18-22 weeks, which means I still have 3 more weeks before something should feel obvious.

I'm officially 15 weeks today and DJ is as big as a naval orange, can move all it's limbs and joints and it's legs are now officially longer than it's arms.  Next week all the ear bones fall into place and the baby will be able to hear me! Next appointment is  July 8 where they'll take more measurements and make sure I'm gaining one pound a week (ug!). Until then...

~Mama Jess