Getting Bigger

I'm Pretty Sure It's Not Just Gas

(It's Gus...or Greta...)
Sorry for the delay in staying on top of this blog thing. Matthew is actually insanely busy so I decided to take matters into my own hands.
On getting bigger....
Well now I've gotten to the point where I can't comfortably wear my jeans anymore without undoing the top button. I'm pretty much into wearing stretchy things--I'm thankful that leggings are in style at the moment! My mom has graciously offered to take me maternity clothes shopping in late October and I'm really looking forward to that. It's a bit weird gaining 7 pounds in 3 months (I just discovered that yesterday) and not actually looking "pregnant" but just like I've been eating way too much!!
On having a baby INSIDE my body...
Yes I know this is how we all got here and all that but I must say this is INCREDIBLY WEIRD!!! Now that I've passed the stage of feeling absolutely exhausted, rather nauseous, and wanting Thai food all the time (well maybe I'm not past that stage...I did request it last night as well...) I'm getting into it a bit more. Seeing the little thing inside me a couple weeks ago was so amazing! I wish we could've taken that ultrasound machine home with us! And we've now heard the heartbeat on three separate occasions. The little baby is quite a mover and shaker already--during the ultrasound we saw it kind of kick and jump around, and when we heard the heartbeat at two other times the doctor said "Oh--that's a kick!" When it comes time for me to actually feel those kicks I have a feeling I'm in for a lot of entertainment :-) (and discomfort?)
On having a spouse who's slowly but surely becoming a dad...
Matthew has been great! He's had to endure lots of moodiness and particular requests--and he's perservered. Yesterday at the doctor appointment he got to use the tool to hear the heartbeat! I guess he'll get to do that every time, which is so fun. Oh--and he took the initiative for us to purchase our first "baby thing": a cute little bib. He couldn't leave the store without it.
On going to the doctor more than usual...
This is ok. In fact--I think it's going to be really good. I'm in this pregnancy centering group at the hospital where a group of 6-8 women due around the same time as me meet with the doctor and nurse once a month all together. We do the routine tests on our own with our partners (urine test, weight, blood pressure and listening to the baby's heart) and then begin a session on some topic related to pregnancy. We will all get to know each other pretty well and not feel so strange and weird throughout this endeavor. Matthew and I went to our first meeting like this yesterday and it was so refreshing!!
Well that's all about Baby Bradsher for now. Stay tuned.

Firsts!

Being pregnant, or having a pregnant spouse, involves a lot of first time experiences. Two that I will mention here are recieving your first baby gift, and seeing an image of your child for the first time. Megan and I have now experienced both.

We had speculated that Megan's grandparents, Hope and Harry, would be the first to bestow baby gifts on us. They were the first, and maybe the only, people to give us an engagement gift, so we thought that might mean they would show up first for our baby. Surprisingly, my dad, Paul, came in first. A few days after taking our pregnancy test, we were meeting him down in Seattle and on his way he stopped to buy our baby a rattle and some little caps. By his account, he was all a-grin while making the purchase. To be fair, Hope and Harry did have gifts for us when we saw them a few days later. I think we are going to need a bigger apartment. The best gifts for baby right now are lots of prayers, warm thoughts, well wishes and the like.

Another first that we experienced lately was the chance to actually see the baby. This was not a detailed ultrasound (so the sex is yet to be discovered), but was simply to get a better idea of just how far along we are. The newest official due date is March 24th. I have included the ultrasound image, I think it looks like me.

Hello Friends and Family!

As many of you now know, Megan is pregnant. We are expecting our first child around the end of March. While this is the most exciting thing that has ever happened for us, we are saddened that we cannot have all the people we love around us as we prepare to welcome this child into the world. This blog will be an attempt to bring our experiences during this pregnancy a little closer to your lives, and to let you see pictures and ultrasound images and those kinds of things.
My (Matthew) intention here is entirely pure and good, however it should be noted that I am holding down three jobs, taking a full course load, and trying to participate in our preparations for the baby. This means that my intentions can be taken with a pinch of salt. Hopefully I will have the next post, featuring our first baby gifts and our first ultrasound image, posted really soon...