We're Alive

I suppose now would be a good time to update about the birth of our beautiful boy, since he turned one month old yesterday! He has done his best to keep me as busy as possible, and compared to enjoying every moment with him, blogging just didn't seem important. So I'll use this quiet moment when he is asleep on Adrian's shoulder to share about:

Dexter Grey

Born November 10, 2011

8:47pm

 7lb., 6oz., 19.5 inches

Seeing this little face for the first time was a surreal experience.

(He looked so different 24 hours later!)

Becoming a parent has been such an adventure so far. I'm so looking forward to seeing more and more of Dexter's personality, but he already makes me so happy. 

On that note, I need to go breathe in my freshly-bathed baby and get him and myself ready for bed! I'll post more pictures in future posts, and will try not to go so long between posts this time!

36 Weeks

So... here we are, after about a month and a half since my last post. I certainly had no intention of going so long without updating, but life has been busy and this mama is tired!

It's so hard to believe that we're 4 weeks from our due date. I'm more and more anxious all the time. I can't wait to meet our son! I have been trying to really enjoy any moments of quiet time, especially when it's just Adrian and me at home, but there's always so much to do. I did totally abuse a day off today and just sleep most of it away, but I figure if my body is letting me do it, then I must really need the sleep. Please don't anyone tell me to enjoy it now because I won't be sleeping later. The "just you wait" type comments are just irritating at this point - even first time moms are aware that life is going to change!

Speaking of change, there's finally been progress in the nursery! It's painted and the furniture is set up. Now I just have to finish all the decorative touches. Thanks to two fantastic baby showers (thanks, Moms!), this child has just about everything he needs. The generosity we've been shown has been wonderful, and so very much appreciated.

In other news, Adrian and I went to our childbirth class last week and it was informative. Nothing blew my mind since I've been doing a lot of reading, but I think it was good for Adrian and good for us to experience together. We were definitely the goofy couple in the room and there were many points where we were doing the horrible silent laugh, hoping to not crack up out loud and get evil glares from other couples. I am so not surprised by this. Oh, and for the record, childbirth videos are still just as horrifying as they were in eighth grade. Miracle of life and all that, I know, but... yuck.

I'm really just trying to get through the next few weeks as smoothly as possible. I'm working up until my due date and it is a nice distraction from obsessing over the time left. I am just starting to feel more uncomfortable and can't help but feel like I just want the pregnancy part to be over now. However, I would like him to stay in there for a few more weeks so he's as healthy as possible and so my maternity leave falls when I had planned, since it covers the holiday period so perfectly :)

I feel completely scatterbrained lately and I'm having a hard time thinking right now, so I guess I'll just leave you with this:

A cute little melon that sticks its feet in your ribcage and crushes your bladder at the same time!

29 weeks (+5 days)

I'll start by saying that I am SO excited about this cooler weather! It's starting to feel like fall (my favorite season) so now I can really start looking forward to my 26th birthday, Thanksgiving, and the birth of our son! I'm not going to lie - I will be bummed if being in the hospital interferes with celebrating Thanksgiving on the actual holiday, so I am just hoping little man decides to arrive on schedule. I hate it when people are late!

I am excited for Friday because being able to say that I am 30 weeks pregnant makes it seem so much closer. Each passing week makes me more anxious - I just want to hold him! Having ten weeks to go sometimes sounds like a lot, but I know that it's going to fly by - especially since there is so much to do! I'm glad now that we've held off on the nursery for so long because it gives me something to do and think about while I wait. Hopefully we'll be painting this week and then we can finally get the crib assembled and start decorating.

In other house news, we have a total kitchen overhaul scheduled to start at the beginning of October. It's pretty much going to be happening until I deliver, so that will be interesting. New ceiling (no more drop ceiling - hooray!), new cabinets, new countertops, new lighting, more work space... what more could I ask for? It will be so great to have a nice kitchen for our family to spend time in (it is pretty awful in its current form) - I will try to remember to post before and after photos when it is all done!

Maybe I will finally feel more motivated to cook things like...

squash! I have no clue what kind of squash that is, to be honest. It's just exciting to have an update in the fruit department :)

Although we seem to be100% sure about the baby's name, we have decided not to announce it until he's born. A few family members know, but we wanted there to be a little element of surprise for his debut. I LOVE the name we picked out - I think it will fit perfectly with our little family.

That's all for now!



28 weeks (+4 days)

28 weeks! And quickly approaching 29! Sometimes I can't understand where the time is going, but then at other times I can't help but wish it would just go even faster because I am so anxious to meet our baby. However, I'm really trying to enjoy every moment of the pregnancy, because I know I'll miss this special private time with my son :) It is still so amazing to feel every kick and poke from inside - sometimes I just can't believe it's really happening.

The movement lately has just been incredible! Early in the day he likes to hang out and poke me in the ribs, and it can be a little uncomfortable, but he moves down later in the evening and I usually feel his kicks (and rolls and punches) in the same place every night. Adrian loves feeling him move and those are probably my favorite moments right now - when our whole little family is connected.

We love to imagine what he's going to be like. Who will he look like? Will he eventually pick up our habit to make up stupid songs about anything and everything? We're pretty sure he'll get in trouble at school for having a sassy mouth since we both do :) Sometimes I'm still just blown away by the entire concept of it all - that we created this life together and are now responsible for shaping him into a respectable human being. Still, I think we'll be great parents - I really haven't worried about that.

I was fortunate to have my first baby shower on Saturday and it was just lovely. The baby got lots of great presents! We received the bedding we registered for and my mom and I went to Home Depot to compare it to paint colors - we picked one I think will look great in the nursery and the colors we're going with are completely neutral and usable for our next baby, so that's a plus. I will post one picture of me from the day of the shower, but don't get used to it - I'm a little shocked that I'm posting ANY pictures of my pregnant self!

By the way, this mama does NOT have gestational diabetes! Went to the doctor yesterday and everything is perfect with both me and the baby!

27 weeks (+5 days)

Oh, what's up, third trimester?

I should probably just stop commenting on how quickly the time is passing, but it is truly remarkable! It seems like just moments ago I was excited to be at 99 days (from our due date) and now we're two weeks past that milestone! I am excited to be in the third trimester and just so anxious to meet my little man.

I've been feeling more and more pregnant, that's for sure. We went to the county fair recently and I needed Adrian to help me tie my shoes because it can be so uncomfortable to bend over my ever-growing belly. I've been wearing sandals for months so I didn't realize that was going to be a problem! Add that little situation to the fact that I pretty much have to roll out of bed and I'm feeling a little... fat. I know, I know - I'm growing a human inside of me, but it has been a serious trip to watch my body transform. I was pretty thin before I got pregnant and now I'm dreading what my post-pregnancy body will look like!

I went shopping for little one last night and am so hoping he will be here in time for Thanksgiving because I bought him the cutest outfit for the holiday (and scoped out insanely cute Christmas outfits as well). I'm keeping the tags on in case we're too late for him to wear it, but I'll be keeping my fingers crossed :)

So much to do, so little time... have to get my butt into childbirth classes! Have to get the nursery finished started. Have to go to the doctor every two weeks. Unfortunately, I have my glucose testing on Friday - let's hope for no gestational diabetes! I wouldn't be too surprised to find out I do have it though with as much weight as I've gained. I honestly can't see where the weight is going (I'm not as huge as I make it seem), but it's there!

One thing I can definitely look forward to is my baby shower on Saturday - the first of two. It will be nice to spend time with family and friends to celebrate our little boy. I'm really looking forward to my shower in Ohio next month, too!

 I'm having second thoughts about the 3D/4D ultrasound since I feel like my money could be better spent on necessities for the babe. We've also been blessed with some wonderful 3D/4D shots from our previous ultrasounds, so it's not like I haven't seen his precious face. If I skip it now, I'll just be that much more surprised by how adorable he is when he's born!

I'm going to wrap up this post... and I apologize for the two week span between posts, but things are just sort of rolling along without much to report lately. I have a feeling that things will start picking up in the next few weeks, so hopefully I'll be back to at least regular weekly updates. And those of you lurking on my blog without being official followers (and I know there are several of you!) should just "follow" me... because it makes me feel special :) 

28 weeks on Friday!

25 Weeks (+6 days)

We reached an exciting milestone today! It is officially 99 days until our due date, and I am thrilled to be down to double digits! Time has gone by so quickly from the beginning and I hope it keeps going just as fast because I am getting so excited to meet our little man :)

I finally got registries set up at Babies R Us and Target, which felt like a major accomplishment because for some reason it felt so much more overwhelming than our wedding registry. Probably because I've never had a baby and don't really know what I need. I really don't want our house to become a total kid zone with lots of unnecessary stuff sitting around so I tried to keep that in mind.

I guess I should probably get around to the nursery one of these days... it has finally cooled off a little bit, so it doesn't seem like such a daunting task anymore. The biggest problem now is that I am so indecisive about every little thing - I don't think I've ever been so confused about paint colors, rugs, furniture, etc. Still, I'm confident that it will turn out great, mostly because my mom is helping me :) She's great at matching fabrics, picking paint colors, and most of all, SEWING! I'm thrilled that there will be handmade touches throughout the nursery.

Oh, and finally there is a new update to the baby's "fruit size":

It's pretty crazy to start thinking about the baby in terms of pounds rather than ounces, but it's also very exciting. It seems so hard to believe that we're approaching the third trimester!

His movement in there has been so much more consistent these days and I love being able to share it with Adrian. He can feel the baby and has also had a couple opportunities to SEE the movement, which is so much fun. Sometimes my belly moves like crazy like he's just trying to bust out of there! I loved watching Adrian's reaction the first time I told him to watch my belly for a minute and the baby just pushed it all over the place. It has truly been such a great bonding experience for us as we marvel at the fact that we're bringing this little life into the world together.

Tomorrow will actually be 26 weeks, so there will be another post soon :)

24 Weeks (+1 day)

Okay, here I am at 24 weeks and one day, so I didn't manage to squeeze in a post during my 23rd week. There wasn't much to report as far as baby goes anyway. I did, however, get my biggest kick to date a few days ago and Adrian was pretty excited to feel it too. He said he thought about it all day - he's going to be a great daddy to our little boy.

We spent a couple days, along with my brother and my friend Jessica, in Cleveland, mostly to tour around and go to some great restaurants. In two short days we managed to squeeze in Tommy's, Lola, Sokolowski's, and Bac. We also spent a few hours at the zoo and stopped by the West Side Market. We had a really great time and spent the nights camping out in a huge tent in Adrian's parents' backyard. Everyone was so worried about my comfort sleeping in a tent, but ironically, they were the best two nights of sleep I've had in weeks! Apparently I need to set up an air mattress in the yard and I'll be all set.

I still have no progress to report on any home redecorating, mostly because we've been busy and it has still been a little too warm for that much work. Later today I'm going to Home Depot with my mom to purchase paint and supplies, so hopefully that will get the ball rolling. I have a lot I want to accomplish before I get too far along in this pregnancy. We're painting the kitchen top to bottom (including cabinets), painting and decorating the nursery completely, hopefully installing a new sink and maybe painting in the bathroom... and I'd love to squeeze in painting the master bedroom, too, but we'll see if I have the time and energy to get it all done. Our bedroom is not bad as it is, so it's at the bottom of the list.

Oh and remember how I was going to post pictures of the nursery furniture when it was all assembled? You'll just have to keep waiting on that because the crib is still sitting in a box in our hallway. Here I thought I would be so eager to get the nursery set up and I can't even get things out of boxes! Right now the nursery serves as a room I visit to look at all the cute little baby clothes we've accumulated so far. He'll be the best dressed baby on the block!

Well, that's about all I've got at the moment, and no fruit update... so how about I leave you with a couple pictures of the most handsome little boy I've ever seen? These are shots from our second anatomy scan at 22 weeks.

Shy like his mama.

A little more of a glimpse of that darling face.

I'll be scheduling a 3D ultrasound somewhere between 28 and 30 weeks, so there will be more pictures down the road when he's fattened up a little. My mom says he looks like Adrian, haha.

22 weeks (+6 days)

Blogging is one thing I can do during this heat wave that isn't absolutely exhausting, so I am happy for the moment of peace and quiet! I have never been a hot weather girl and being 23 weeks pregnant makes me want to seek out any excuse for air conditioning and/or swimming, neither of which are available at home. Well, we do have an air conditioning unit in the bedroom, but I don't want to drive up the electric bill by spending every waking moment in there! At least I can sleep comfortably. The high temperatures have made work seem a little more pleasant since the Gallery has fabulous air conditioning and humidity control to protect the artwork (and pregnant ladies - there are currently three of us).

I really have not accomplished much in the past week - all painting and redecorating projects are on hold until I can breathe a little more comfortably in my house. I have started looking into baby registries, but I still feel pretty overwhelmed by how much STUFF is out there for babies. Since my two showers will be on the early side (to make sure certain people can attend), I guess I better get on it.

We did have our second anatomy scan ultrasound and everything looked great. I was actually startled by how relaxed the baby was, but our first two ultrasounds had been later in the day, while this one was early - I guess the little guy is a late sleeper. She went into 3D mode for us to check out his adorable little face and I'll just say that I am already totally in love with my little man. He is the cutest baby I have ever seen :)

And as of Friday he is the size of a papaya!

I went searching for a papaya in the produce section the other day and I couldn't find one! I like to hold the fruit of the week just to see what I'm carrying around in there, but Wegman's let me down this time.

That's all for now... here's hoping that the temperatures drop just a little bit sometime soon!

21 weeks (+6 days)

Okay, so I didn't get around to my 21 week post nearly as soon as I had planned. I don't know where the time goes these days! Summers always seem to go by too quickly, so I'll just blame it on that. Things have also been a little crazy at work so I've been preoccupied. Anyway, I figured I'd better get around to posting tonight, since tomorrow marks 22 weeks!

We're going to our second anatomy scan ultrasound tomorrow morning - I hope this kid cooperates well enough for the tech. to see his heart better this time. I would hate to think that I already have an uncooperative child :)  Adrian's parents are also coming for a visit tomorrow and will be with us until Sunday, which will be fun. We're going to check out the Italian Festival, which I've never been to, and I look forward to eating all sorts of healthy crappy food. It takes place just down the street from our house, so I can just waddle myself home when it's done!

I am really looking forward to having the next two days off. Work has been crazy, like I said, and I haven't been sleeping very well so I'm excited to have some time to relax. Thank goodness Adrian finally installed the air conditioner in our bedroom, so I can sleep a little more easily on some of these very hot nights when the fan just doesn't cut it.

As for the little guy (whose first name we think we may have chosen), this week he's the size of a banana:

It's crazy to think that he's getting so long and nearing a full pound! It seems like only yesterday I was  hoping my little raspberry would reach banana status. Starting next week (well, tomorrow), the fruit on www.thebump.com only changes every few weeks so those updates won't be as frequent, but I will continue to post just as often. In an upcoming update I'll post some pictures of the nursery furniture we bought - just as soon as it's all assembled.

20 weeks (+5 days)

The first of July marked the day we hit 20 weeks along in my pregnancy. It's a big milestone since it means we are halfway done! Considering how quickly the first 20 weeks have gone, it seems crazy that only that much time has to pass again before we meet our son.

The little one is making me more and more aware of his presence in there, and I'm now feeling movement pretty regularly. There is truly no better feeling in the world! I was having a bad day at work today and just when I felt like I was going to lose it, he busted a move and made me feel a lot better.

I'm still feeling pretty great - I went to the doctor complaining of horrible back pain on the left side, as I was worried it was kidney-related. They did say that it might be a kidney stone, but also said it may just be normal pregnancy growing pains. It has subsided a bit (although I still feel it at some point on a daily basis), and even if it is a kidney stone, there's not much they can do about it as long as I'm pregnant. Aside from that annoying little problem, I have no complaints! I'm just happy that the baby is growing and looking forward to my next ultrasound (the extra one I get because they couldn't get a good view of the heart last time). I had to push it all the way to the 15th because their appointments were so limited, but it gives me something to look forward to!

According to http://www.thebump.com, this week the baby is the size of a cantaloupe:

And it certainly looks like it! This bump is growing at a serious pace and I think I might be the size of a house by the time we're done. My biggest concern is that my belly button is going to pop eventually, and I had really hoped to avoid that! We'll see - I'm hanging on to hope that it will remain a cute little innie.

Well, that's all for now - only two more days until we hit 21 weeks, so look for another post soon!

19 Weeks (+3 days)

Well, today was the big day, and for us all the old wives' tales proved true - we're having a boy! We would have been happy no matter what, as long as the baby is healthy, but we were hoping to start with a boy, and are just thrilled with the news!

Also, for those who feel the need to warn us that it might still end up being a girl and that mistakes happen... there was no mistaking those boy parts during our ultrasound. Little one was not shy about showing off the goods!

I'm happy to say that this baby also has some great clothes, thanks to my good friend Jeanna. Since we were thinking it was a boy, I raided her stash of boy clothes because she is getting rid of them. We already have some adorable things, and now that I know for sure, she can count on another visit to look again (love you, Jeanna!) ;)

We got some other nice pictures during the ultrasound (including some unexpected 4D shots, which were really kind of creepy at this point because the baby doesn't really have any fat yet):

Face shot - looks like a freakin' Halloween mask! Hello, scary baby!

Either thumb sucking or punching himself in the face.

Baby's back.

Sucking his thumb. So cute... even if he does look kind of creepy.

What an amazing day... for the record, everything looked great on the ultrasound, but I do have to have another one in a week because the baby wouldn't get into a position that worked for her to see his heart well enough. Once again, he was going bananas in there - it's so hard to believe that I can't feel all of that yet, but I'm sort of worried for the moment I do... he doesn't seem to rest!

And finally, the weekly fruit update:

I love my little mango man. And now I can't stop thinking about this:

18 weeks (+2 days)

First of all, Happy Father's Day to my husband and daddy-to-be, Adrian.

I can't believe it's already time for another post - the weeks are really picking up speed! It seems like June just started, but it will be over before we know it. I have to say, though, that I am really enjoying the warm weather and sunshine - finally the rain has been letting up a little bit!

These days my focus has been on trying to get some more regular exercise into my schedule. I've never been big on working out, but I'm trying to do some prenatal yoga (with a DVD I bought at Target) and some more regular walking. Not terribly successful with either yet, admittedly. Doing the yoga a few times has definitely demonstrated just how out of shape I've gotten! With Adrian out of town this whole week, I'll probably try to get into more of a routine with it, since I won't do it when he's home :) I'd also love to start walking the dogs more, but walking both of them by myself is nearly impossible thanks to their shenanigans, and walking one without the other is not an option due to their jealousy issues. Silly pups. I did walk in the Corporate Challenge with my mom a week and a half (or so) ago, which was a 3 mile walk. It felt good and we had perfect weather for it.

I think the baby bump is starting to be more noticeable - people who don't know me may be starting to notice that I'm pregnant! Every day that I can button my regular jeans is a serious victory anymore, and I think those days are on their way out. Hope to see you again, size four! According to the weekly update, the little one is now the size of...

...a weird looking sweet potato! Only eight days until we find out if it's a boy potato or a girl potato.

I've been feeling more movement, but only two strong jabs so far, which were amazing! I can't wait to start feeling stronger kicks and I'm sure it won't be too long - the baby was very active at our 13 week ultrasound and also the last time the doctor tried to find the heartbeat with the doppler. She said the baby wouldn't sit still. Please let this baby be calm when it finally arrives :)

That's all for now. I'm just going to try to get through this lonely week without my husband and take advantage of the time alone to get some cleaning done around the house. Maybe I'll wait to post again until we know whether we're on Team Blue or Team Pink!

Oh the anticipation!

I did end up pushing back the ultrasound, so now I'll have to wait until the 27th at 6pm to find out what we're having. That extra week makes it seem so far away because I am SO excited! I wasn't thrilled about moving the appointment, but it really wouldn't be the same without Adrian there with me.

Can't wait to see our baby again!

17 Weeks (+1 day)

Another week has absolutely flown by, mostly because of a busy work schedule. I am so looking forward to a day off on Monday! I am not usually off on Mondays, but it will be nice because Adrian is off on Mondays and Fridays. We barely see each other right now because of our conflicting work schedules, but knowing that it's just for the summer and for the benefit of our little one makes it easier to handle. I'll still miss him a lot when he goes to California on Friday, but am hopeful that by playing a few shows in previously unfamiliar territory, he'll make some great new connections in the music industry. It's only for a week - I'll survive :)

In baby news, there's honestly not much to report. I've been feeling a little movement, which is very exciting! I can't wait until we can feel movement on the outside so Adrian can be a part of it, but we still have a while to wait for that. 

This week baby is as big as...

an onion... which in my mind is smaller than an avocado, so I guess they mean a very BIG onion. I will have to do a little comparison the next time I'm in the produce section!

I was so looking forward to our second ultrasound on the 20th, but now I'll probably have to push it back because Adrian will be in California that day. Calling him to tell him the sex of the baby seems pretty unexciting, so I'd rather wait so we can both marvel at that screen again, even though it kills me to delay the appointment!

Not much else going on... I (with the help of my mom) picked out fabric for new kitchen curtains and have been looking at paint colors for the walls, but I am so indecisive. The fabric has many colors to choose from though, so hopefully I'll land on something soon. I'll definitely post pictures when we're finished with this little project. Then it will be on to the nursery... just as soon as we know if it's going to be a boy or girl! Can't wait!

16 Weeks

Today marks 16 weeks along in my pregnancy. The last couple of weeks have been great because I'm getting the energy back that got totally depleted during the first trimester. I'm lucky that I only had to deal with morning sickness for a few weeks, but that energy drain was making it hard to get through work--and life in general--every day.

The baby bump is growing slowly but surely and this week baby is apparently the size of an avocado:

Only two more weeks until we find out if it's a boy or girl, and I am so excited! I have really held off on thinking about names or nursery ideas because I feel like I'll be able to think much more clearly when I know what we're having. Originally I thought I'd just go "gender neutral" in terms of decorating, but the more I looked, the more I started to feel like everything in that category felt boyish anyway.

Life is otherwise fairly uneventful right now and that's really sort of nice. Adrian just got a summer job working with my brother at the Riverstone Grill, but he'll be back to teaching at the university in the fall. And now I have even more of an excuse to go eat at Riverstone and their food is fantastic! :)

Our other news is that we're celebrating our anniversary on Monday - married for two years (together for five and a half)! I wouldn't trade our time together for anything - through the ups and downs, I love my husband so much. My life would feel incomplete without him being a part of it every day.

Translation

I was searching the blog's current title "Attesa Per Il Bambino" through a few different online translation tools, most of which defer back to Google Translate and give me "Waiting for Baby."

I got a different result on Yahoo's Babel Fish so I put in "Waiting for Baby" to translate to Italian and got "Bambino Attendente."

When I put that phrase back into Google Translate, it told me it means......

"Baby Batman"

So. Awesome.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Bertolone blog, which will more than likely be exclusively written by the female Bertolone, Mallory (me).

As so many people do, I decided it would be nice to start a blog to document the journey of our first pregnancy. Adrian and I unfortunately live too far from many friends and family members for them to be involved every step of the way, but it is my hope that this will be a way for them to share and feel more included in our experiences.

So where to begin...

I am currently 15 weeks pregnant (today is the very beginning of the 15th week) and feel like a sea cow. My favorite online pregnancy resource, www.thebump.com, reminded me today that our baby is now the size of an orange, but to me it looks more like a whole bag of oranges. Okay, so my belly bump is still pretty small, but I'm not used to seeing it and it's taking some getting used to. I do love knowing that our baby is growing bigger by the day, even if I don't love the fact that I'm doing the same. We've come a long way since the the website told me baby was the size of a poppyseed.

And for the record... at this point I do not plan on posting belly shots, so please don't ask. Maybe when I look pregnant and not just chubby I'll change my mind.

At our 13 week ultrasound they GUESSED that our baby is going to be a boy (which is what we are both sort of hoping for), but I'm not getting my hopes up yet. We have another ultrasound at 18 weeks where hopefully they will be telling us the sex of the baby with more certainty. The first ultrasound was an experience - it really made the pregnancy more real for both of us and it was almost surprising to see that yes, in fact there IS a little baby in there.

And here he (or she) is...

head and arm/hand

full body (I think this picture is amazing and it looks like he's using my body as a springboard to do a flip)

the cutest face I've ever seen :)

I am due on November 18th, and love that our baby will be born just before the holidays! I will try to post at least once a week until then, maybe even more as we get into decorating the nursery. 

I suspect this blog will end up being about more than just the pregnancy and will probably grow to include regular updates about Adrian and me, the work we plan on putting into our house, and any of the other thousand things that cross my mind each day. I also plan to change and personalize the appearance of the blog - I just wanted to get something up while it was on my mind.

Stay tuned!