Why I think we're not ready to have a baby...

I think Billy got on the internet today.  I hope he got the answer he was looking for.

Godparents: Madrinas y Padrinos

I was baptized at 6 months old at the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  Baptism, regardless of how Catholic a family is, is an important part of the Hispanic culture.  It is a chance to celebrate the birth of a child and to formally welcome him/her to the family.  It is an important part of my family and my culture and upbringing, which is why I look forward to having a baptism for Little Nacho.

So, since I had 4 godparents (what Hispanic kid didn't), of course I've asked 4 people to be the godparents for Nacho.  In no special order they are:

Godmothers:
Jennifer Constance Miller: I mean, Jen WOULD be a cool godmother.  I bet she'd give little Nacho some pretty cool gifts on Christmas.  Right, Jen?  
Anne Sara D'Angelo Murray: We made a pact in college that we would be the godmothers to each other's firstborn.  Also, she's one of the very few practicing Catholics that I know.  Regardless, I still would've asked her, so now she's stuck with me for life!

Godfathers:
Angel Rafael Toca: He's my uncle and this is his first godson or goddaughter.  He'll be great at it.  Plus, when Little Nacho wants to taste the finer things in life, we could ship him off to his godfather Angel's house.
John Jairo Reeves: My little brother.  He really wanted this.  Now I'm going to expect to be his firstborn's godmother.  No questions.  (No pressure, Katie, honestly).

 

 

Reaction Posts: Jennifer Miller

I've known Jen for 10 years now. We met on the Dance Team in college and she was everything I was not: tall, skinny, and blonde. Jen has never wanted to have kids. She's content seeing them from afar, but she'd rather give birth to a baby orangutan than to a human baby any day of the week. We'd often joke with her that we wouldn't give her our kids to babysit because she'd end up pouring concrete on them and using them as yard statues. However, she is one of my closest friends and her involvement in my life wasn't going to stop just because I was having a baby.

When I decided to break the news to her, she was, surprisingly, very happy for me and told me that this happened because my "body knew that it was supposed to make this baby with the person you love." I couldn't have described getting pregnant in a more special and beautiful way. I'm excited to have her go on this journey with me and am thrilled that my dogs will have a comrade-in-arms to ease them into a life where they're no longer my first priority. Love you, Jen!

This is Jen with her sweet, sweet Malcolm.  Malcolm loves nesting in Kaip's boobs.

 

But definitely not in Billy's.

*Includes Beer and Wine

Thank God we got this warning and clarification early!

The Mormons

This picture was taken over ten years ago. After a ridiculous laughing fit, we all tried to keep a straight face while my brother took the photo.

I said that Jack was the most excited but I forgot about The Mormons. I have a group of friends that I have known forever that I now affectionately call "The Mormons." I don't remember why I call them that anymore; I do remember that there are four guys and they all share some common characteristic or belief, but I can't remember what it is.

I gave them the "tickets" while we were all together (apologies to Fat Kevin, who wasn't there and therefore still doesn't know) at the Mormon Temple looking at the Christmas lights.

Well, midway through this post I realized that I don't remember how they reacted. I'm sure it was with surprise and jubilation and questions.

At this very moment Scarlett is chastising me for not writing this down sooner. She's probably right, but I just tried to convince her that she was going to "regret her practicality."

Anyway, I love those Mormons.

You say it best when you say nothing at all

One instance when this turns out to be false is when you have a blog. A blog carries with it certain rights, duties, and responsibilities - like writing in it. Anyway, here are some more reactions:

(With each person, the "What? Really?" part should be assumed.)


Danny: "I am so proud of you guys."


Ryan: "Whoa. Wow." (like 15 times)

Tony: "You guys made a baby? A person? A little human. A littttttle person."


Casey: "You fertile sonofabitch. You genetically capable mother f*cker!"


Greg: "What is Pirate Ignatius? Is that what you're going to name it?"


Dustin: "Whhhhhhhaaaaaaa? Fo real?" (later) "You know they make baby-sized Nikes?"


Paul: "You're having a kid? Nice, me too." (Sarcastically)


Ty: "Niiiiiiiiiiiiice maaaaaaaan."



Jordan: "Does that card mean what I think it means? I called the University of Utah but they hadn't heard of The Maternity Ward Theater."


Jack: I can't remember what Jack said but he was for sure the most excited because he also has a kid. I remember him chuckling - I think because he seems to marvel at the nonchalant way that I deliver huge news.

12 weeks...So long, first trimester!

So, I'm writing my progression through this pregnancy in a little book called "The baby belly book."  I have to write down what I'm feeling and going through that particular week.  At the end of each trimester, it's got a section for reflections.  I thought I'd share what some of my "reflections" for the first trimester were.

• I feel this silly, uncontrollable urge to "show" already.  I have gained weight (1.5 lbs so far) on top of what I gained in cohabitating bliss while my ankle was healing and I wasn't running (which was approximately 6 lbs), but I don't count those towards my pregnancy weight gain.  For obvious reasons.  Anyhow, I'm bloated all the time and am now wearing some of the smaller sized maternity pants strictly because of my bloat.  I can't stand the thought that people who have no clue that I'm pregnant may think that I've "let myself go".  

• I can burp better and more frequently now than my boyfriend.
• At the end of 12 weeks, Nacho is approximately 2.91 inches and weighs ALMOST an ounce!  That's as much as 4 quarters stacked on top of each other!  Every time I put money into the meter, I think about that.  4 quarters! 
• I sometimes pee a little whenever I sneeze.  Ok.  I sometimes pee a LOT whenever I sneeze.  I've been doing those awful Kegel exercises (by the way, does anybody feel a lot of anxiety when they do it?  I sometimes feel like I can't breathe...in a bad way) in the hopes that they will help my bladder control issues.
• I've been lucky enough to not have had a lot of nausea or vomiting during the first trimester.
• Glowing skin? No check.  Breakouts on my face and chest?  Check.  Lustrous, shiny hair?  No check.  Rapid leg hair growth? Check.  Lower back pain?  Check.  Increased appetite? (sigh) No check.  
• I found out that I can't use the "I'm going to go through hours and hours of labor and push this baby out of my body" excuse to get what I want.  Billy doesn't buy it.
• My cravings for sweets has indescribably lessened.  I don't get it.  I am fine just eating one little cup of yogurt or applesauce at the end of the day.  Bizarre.
• It makes me sad that the first trimester is so short.  Since we found out I was pregnant when I was farther along, I've only had a few weeks really to get used to the idea that we're going to be a family.  Now, I have six months to go and it's just flying by.  
• I'm scared that we're going to keep calling little Nacho "Little Nacho" when it's born, regardless of whether it's a boy or girl.  Hopefully, we'll be able to snap out of it and call it it's name so that the nickname doesn't stick throughout it's life ("Nacho?  Why do your parents call you Nacho?  That's weird.")
  

Gender quiz (bets can be taken)

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Reaction Posts: Sergio and Melanie

When my mother told my stepdad, Jorge, he started crying.  It was really sweet.  He was very excited and I guess felt that it was "my time" to have a baby.

Anyhow, in his exuberance, he let it slip to my brother and sister-in-law that I was pregnant.  He did it after we had made plans with them to visit and break the news but before we were able to do it.  So, my mother calls and tells me that he might have told them over the phone but that she wasn't sure.  I didn't want to ask Sergio outright because I wanted to surprise them together if they hadn't heard.

We arrive at their house and shoot the breeze for a few minutes.  Then, Billy and I pull out the tickets we had been giving to everyone.  They open the envelope, look at the tickets for a while, comment about how cool it is that knocked up is being turned into a musical, and then get it.  Melanie this whole time is smiling and comes over to give us a hug and say congratulations.  Sergio, however, seemed kind of shifty and nervous.  He kept saying, oh...that's cool...that's great.  But in a way that was not heavy with meaning.

Finally, after a while, I asked, "Serg, did Jorge tell you that I was pregnant?"  He looked away, thought about it for a moment, then said, "yeah." 

We laughed for a while and then Melanie brought up some crackers, mint tea, ginger candy, and peppermint scented oil to help me with my nausea.  It was so sweet.  She went out and got everything for me in anticipation of my coming over.  It was such a much-needed gift especially since I was flying out the next day to pittsburgh and would need them on the flight. 

On another note, just wanted to mention that our baby is going to have 6 really cool uncles and 3 really great aunts.  We're very excited and lucky to have such a great big family to help us with raising this kid :)

Rumination

I love my mother.  To death.  She's one of the best, strongest, most generous women that I know.  However, she and I don't have what you would call a very touchy-feely emotional relationship.  Ever since I moved out to SLC, I've called her nearly every day (partly because I knew that she'd forget to call me.)  Now, my mother is being so, so, so nice to me!  She asks me questions about my eating habits and my weight gain, my level of fatigue and school, etc.  If my mom keeps on acting this way, it makes me wish that I could be pregnant for much longer than 9 months.

Reaction Posts: Tabitha Quiggle

Tabby and I have grown up a lot together and we've been through a lot.  I was planning to tell all of my college girlfriends that I was pregnant over dinner while I was in Pennsylvania visiting my family.  However, I ended up getting really sick and without being able to take any medication, I was worried that i would transfer whatever virus I had to my friends' babies.  So, I told my friend Annie and asked her to tell the others.  Tabby was one of them.

I called Tabby and decided to tell her, again, this time coming from me.  She was so sweet and we had a wonderful hour-long conversation.  Even after that, she sent me this note (truncated):
 
I just wanted to make sure I said a few things to you that I overlooked during our conversation: I am so glad you called and that we got to catch up. I really hope we stay in touch a little better this year...And the most important, I am so happy for you and your pregnancy. If this is what you want, I support you 100% and want nothing but the best for you. You are a truely blessed friend to me and I hope this brings great joy and satisfaction into your life. I love you and I hope to hear from you soon. Tell Billy I said hello and congrats to him as well.

Reaction Posts: Scarlett's Extended Family

We were really scared to tell my extended family.  My grandmother is very old world and old-fashioned and has lots of values that Billy and I don't exactly share.  I knew that she would be upset about the fact that Billy and I weren't married.  So, my mom and I thought it'd be best if my mother broke the news to her. 
She actually took it pretty well.  Everyone did.  My uncle and aunt were very excited to hear the news and my uncle, who's known for his dry sense of humor, told me that he was excited to have a great-niece-or-nephew. 
So, everything actually went pretty well.  Billy spent the holidays with my family in Pennsylvania and they all really, really liked him. 
Here's proof:

Reaction Posts: Christina Kaip

Oh, Kaip.  My dear BFF Kaip. 

So, Kaip has a knack for knowing that something's wrong right away, even though she's thousands of miles away.  I've had to tell her EVERYTHING in the past few years because she knows when I'm lying or when I'm sad or when I'm super excited. 

So, I call her up one night and we're just chatting about our day and the funny thing so-and-so did and there's a pause. 

Kaip: "What?"
Me: "Ummm..."
Kaip: "Oh God."
Me: "I'm pregnant."
Kaip: "(sigh) Who can I tell?"
Me: "No one."
Kaip: "Why does everyone always do this to me!  I hate having to hear people's stories over and over and not tell everyone that I know already."

I told her she couldn't tell anyone and she agreed, but grudgingly. 

She's been a great friend and even though she claims to be so exasperated about it all the time, she's truly happy for us.  She is one of the best friends we could have and although she's not thrilled about having another friend who is going to have a baby shower and then a baby (she spends lots of money on gifts for the thousands of friends and friends' babies she has), she is genuinely very happy for us. 

10 weeks, baby!

So, I guess technically our little baby is now considered a fetus, whereas before, it was only considered a little embryo.  Since we are NOT going to find out the sex of the baby (and yes, I AM OK with lots of yellow and green), we didn't just want to call it "IT."  We also aren't big fans of calling it our "little miracle," "peanut," or anything like that.  Since I love food and since Billy's favorite cuisine is Mexican, we decided to call our little baby Nacho the embryo.  So, we refer to it as Nacho.  Weird, I know.  We were going to call it Cletus the Fetus once it graduated to fetushood, but we've gotten rather attached to Nacho.

Currently, little Nacho is about 1.22 inches long and weighs about .14 ounces.  Even though its teeny tiny, it's little heart is beating as fast as it can.  We went to the midwife for our second prenatal visit and were able to hear our baby's heartbeat for the very first time.  We had tried to listen to the heartbeat when I was about 6 weeks along, but the baby was too small then.  Billy and I both knew that the fetal heartbeat could be detected from 10-12 weeks.  I didn't want to get my hopes up just in case we didn't hear it that day. 

Leissa, our midwife, pulled out the little doppler radar machine and poured a dollop of that blue gel on my lower belly.  She turned the machine on and moved the hand-held device across my uterus.  The sound was like a TV turned on to a bad channel.  Leissa seemed to recognize that all of the sounds were coming from me.  I tried listening really hard but couldn't tell what was what.  Until I heard it.  It sounded like a persistent "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" going at about 160 beats per minute.  It was definitely distinguishable from all of my background noise.  The minute I heard it, I was stunned and the absurdity that there were 2 hearts beating inside of me briefly crossed my mind.  And then, even before I knew it or could prevent it, I started crying. 

Ok, so I cry a lot.  Even more so now.  And not about my feelings or stress or anything like that, but about Sylvan Learning Center commercials, the Biggest Loser, or pictures of malnourished babies and children.  However, I didn't get the customary nose itch and lower lip shake that I normally do when I cry.  It was the most spontaneous, I-don't-know-why-I'm-crying cry. 

Billy's not a crier.  The only things he cries at are familial shows of support on TV (like in American Idol) or movies like "Rudy."  He did not cry when he heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time.  But no worries, I'm going to force him to watch Rudy or a similar movie right before I give birth so we could have him primed and ready for the big event.

Reaction Posts: Sherrie Staley

A while ago, before we got pregnant, Billy and I decided that it was time that he meet my dear mother and beloved family in West Palm Beach, Florida.  As soon as we found out I was pregnant (2 days after Thanksgiving), we decided that our trip would be a great time to tell my family.  Our flight was very early in the morning, so we asked Sherrie, our lovely friend and frequent housesitter, if she could take us to the airport and housesit for us.  She obliged.  She drove up to our place at 6:45 in the morning, bleary-eyed and tired, and started driving us to the airport.  We started just chatting about the weather, our trip, etc, and then I finally spit it out:

Me: "Guess what?  I'm pregnant."
Sherrie, driving, turns over and looks at me: "What?"
Me: "I'm pregnant.  About 6 weeks along."
Sherrie, still looking at me: "You're ****ing kidding me.  You're ****ing kidding me."
Me, a little scared: "No.  I promise."
Sherrie: "But you never wanted any kids!  Now I know why you had all those pregnancy books and magazines lying around."
Me: "I wanted you to start getting used to the idea."
Sherrie: "You know my mom always said it would have been a waste if you never had kids."

Scarlett's family reaction

We flew down to Florida in the middle of December so that Billy could get to meet my family and so that we could tell them together of the impending arrival of a new member of the family.  We gave them the pregnancy announcements that we had made.  Although they were all really happy about the news (my step-dad Jorge, especially.  The second my mom told him, he started crying), they, my brothers especially, seemed to be kind of bummed that there really wasn't a musical based on the movie "knocked up."

The reactions, in no particular order

The most nerve-wracking people to tell the news to is your parents. Here's how it went with mine:

Donna (opening the envelope): "Retain for 9 months?? I could have a baby in that time."

Bruce (quietly reading and mumbling aloud): "Knocked up...(inaudible)...historic Maternity Ward theatr---(long pause) Oh boy."

Donna (shocked): "Really?? Wait...really?? I never thought this would happen! No, I mean, I just never thought I would be a Grandma..."

Donna (after several confused minutes of discussion and reassurance that it was happening): "So...did you do it on purpose?"

Reaction Posts

Ok, so I always love (and admittedly tear up a bit) when I watch people's videos of them telling their parents, friends, etc that they're pregnant.  I think it's a great thing to have so that you could show your future kid how much everyone loves him/her and finally convince/guilt trip him/her to call their grandparents to chat for a while (so I won't have to!). 

So, the next few blogs will just be posts about people's reactions.  Since we have what some may call an unorthodox relationship and timeline and are having a baby out of wedlock (or, as my uncle kindly calls it, a little bastard), we've gotten a whole variety of reactions.  We chose to tell (most) everybody by using little tickets that we had Alexis, one of our coworkers, make.  She did a fabulous job and everyone got a kick out of it.  

The ticket includes the name of our street (Wall Street), our due date (the red number on the side of the ticket: August 4th, 2010), and mentions that our wonderful little one-eyed pug, Pirate, is going to be a big brother!  Ha!  On the back of the ticket, Alexis had put "Please retain for 9 months."  I loved it and am so glad we chose to tell people this way.  We were going to do the whole, "OK, everyone line up for a picture?  Okay!  Ready?  1.....2.....everyone say 'Scarlett's pregnant'!" but realized that we may not want to keep any pictures of grimaces or wide-eyed looks of horror for our photo album. 

So, without further ado, here is a compilation of the reactions we got from you guys!