15 Weeks

[ Tom could have told me I was half smiling and looked like a dope before I put my ten layers of clothing back on! ]

How far along?: 15 weeks

Total weight gain: 6.5lbs.+ [ we'll find out at the midwives on Friday ] 

Maternity clothes: Just the Bella Band and my Gap leggings but I think maternity jeans are in my near future since my regular jeans are wicked uncomfortable even with the bella band.

Best moment this week: Having a day off of work even if I was sick.

Symptoms: Not as tired but still congested pretty badly which is now worse as I'm getting over being sick.  

Miss anything?: Being sick I didn't even miss wine!

Movement: A little early for that.

Food cravings: I had a craving for chicken riggies [ minus the chicken ]!!!

Have you started to show yet?: I had a meeting/party for a fundraising committee I'm on for a local pediatric rehabilitation program and people could definitely tell and pointed out my bump!

Gender prediction: Girl. Tom thinks its a girl too!

Mood: Happy, and a bit overwhelmed thinking that 15 weeks have passed and there are only 25 to go.

Looking forward to: Finding out the gender...5 more weeks!

One more thing: Do you think it will be a boy or a girl? Leave your vote in the comments please :)

7 Quick Takes

Once again linking up with Jennifer and once again I'm a few days late!

1. I started to get sick on Monday and had a sore throat on Tuesday so I took Wednesday off of work in hopes of kicking this cold before it got bad. I felt worse on Wednesday and slept for a majority of the day. I woke up on Thursday and my throat felt 100% fine, I was just horribly congested still but felt fine. I feel way better now and I'm just a little congested. 

2. I woke up today and realized I was 15 weeks, which is only 25 weeks to go and only 5 more weeks until we're half way there!!! I feel like these next 25 weeks will fly by, especially since we have SO MUCH going on.

3. It is also 5 weeks until we find out the gender :) :) :)

4. Here are some of my latest Pinterest pins that are on a private board of mine since it isn't quite public yet on social media that we're expecting. 

5. I've always wanted a little boy first but now I'm also kind of hoping its a girl because I found a bunch of organic clothing companies that have wicked cute girls clothing that isn't all pink and cheesy. It was grays and salmons and just adorable.

6. We're starting to figure out my shower(s) so that we can plan on dates for Tom and I to come home since we have so much going on with so many weddings we need to have dates solidified soon. My mom has been looking into places to have it and the one place she was thinking of doesn't open until June but that's too late so we're thinking of having it at the F.X. Matt Brewery! I know it sounds crazy to have a baby shower at a brewery but we love beer and Tom homebrews [ really good ] beer all the time so it's kind of a part of who we are. We even brewed our own beer and wine for our wedding and gave them out as favors. So hopefully they have the date we want open and that we can actually have the shower there during the day on a Saturday. 

7. I've run out of things to be quick about - I've been sick and I guess a bit boring, I hope you enjoyed the rest :)

Week 14

How far along?: 14 weeks

Total weight gain: 6.5lbs. [ totally thought it would be way more, but exactly where it should be ] 

Maternity clothes: Just the Bella Band, but leggings have become my best friends as they are way more comfortable. I did order a pair of GAP maternity leggings and they should be here soon - I can't wait! They are the best there are according to moms and I got 30% for MLK day.

Best moment this week: Meeting up with Amy and Chris in NH and catching up!

Symptoms: Not as tired but still congested pretty badly.  

Miss anything?: Nothing really although I felt like such a pain when we went out to breakfast and I had to order my eggs "very very well done and dry."

Movement: A little early for that.

Food cravings: So that whole "not wanting sugar" thing is completely gone and now its all I want! I've been trying to be good but I gave in and had a little too much candy this weekend...whoops!

Have you started to show yet?: I think so but with heavy wintry clothes its hard to tell in general.

Gender prediction: Girl. Tom thinks its a girl too!

Mood: Happy, and not getting as annoyed as easily, but I've become even more forgetful than normal and I get upset easily when I don't remember where I've put something.

Looking forward to: Finding out the gender...6 more weeks!

On a side note: I think I'm starting to get sick with the same cold I get almost every year. I have a slight sore throat right now so I started to take zinc in hopes it goes away and doesn't get worse. That has always worked in the past so I'm hoping it still does!

One more thing: Do you think it will be a boy or a girl? Leave your vote in the comments please :)

7 Quick Takes

Linking up with Jennifer for a 7 quick takes post even though I'm a few days late!

1. TODAY IS UBU's BIRTHDAY!!! He is 1 year old today and we gave him a femur bone and a frosted cookie - what a treat!

Isn't he just the cutest puppy ever :) He loves going for winter hikes up Pico with Tom.

2. We spent the weekend in North Conway, NH with Chris and Amy, two of our best friends who we don't get to see often enough. The boys hiked Mt. Adams and reached summit [ second highest in the north east ] and Amy and I shopped, ate lunch and sat at our table catching up for a couple of hours until the wait staff glared at us and we began to realize they might need our table. Next time we see them we will be celebrating their wedding at their shower in April!!!

And they're off!

             

At summit on Mt. Adams!!!!

3. I purchased our very first baby clothes this week [ and yes they are both made with organic cotton ]  :)

Aren't they sooo cute?!? For those of you who don't know, An Inconvenient Poop is a pun off of Al Gore's documentary about climate change and environmentalism, "An Inconvenient Truth." I purchased the "Not a Meat Eater" onesie since those who don't know - Tom and I are both vegetarians. Tom still eats fish once and awhile but I don't and I've never really liked it anyways. We've decided to raise our kids as vegetarians too but if one day they ask us for a chicken wing we'll let them eat it and decide for themselves. It's something we both believe in but we also believe our kids will be able to decide if they do or do not want to eat meat. 

4. Tom and I got excited and started a registry, hehe! We decided to make one where we could add anything from any website we wanted. We figured that most of the things we would want on it are from so many different websites that it would be ridiculous to create one at each different website. Plus, mostly everything we want is only available online since big box stores don't tend to carry organic products so an in-store registry is kind of out of the question. 

5. We have been talking about names recently....but we're not telling :)

6. I am in two weddings in June this year which means I will be 34 weeks for one and 36 weeks for the other and I'll be massive. I had to order my dresses this week and I'm praying they both fit when the time comes. I'm normally a size 2 or even a 0 normally so I ordered a 10 and 12 just to be sure they fit over the huge bump I have then. I'm thinking it will be fine but I'm sure once they come in I will be trying them on once a week to make sure they still fit...eeek!

7. So on our weekend away we were driving and using the map app on my phone when all of a sudden my screen went black but the phone kept talking. I could receive text messages and calls but no screen so it wasn't helpful. I went to verizon and they couldn't fix it so I had to go through insurance and get a new one....for $169!!!! Holy crap, what's the use in having insurance if the new phone costs more than what I paid for the original??? I'm buying one of those indestructible covers for both Tom and I [ he is notorious for loosing/breaking/dropping phones in water ] since $169 is not exactly affordable right now. 

Using a Midwife

Tom and I decided awhile ago that we would use a midwife once we were pregnant. Personally the only time I have been in a hospital is when I was born and to visit others [ mainly my younger brother who is fairly accident prone ]. I also watched the movie "The Business of Being Born" and although every documentary should be watched with an open mind, knowing there are two sides to every story, it made a lot of good points. The one thing that really upset me was that the c-section rate in the US is over 30%!!! Mostly due to the fact that doctors are on a time schedule and therefore your birth is on a time schedule. Also, being someone who hates needles and has never had surgery, the traditional hospital setting was not something I ever wanted and I'm honestly more scared of an epidural or a c-section than I am of having a natural birth.

Birth is a natural process in a women's life and a midwife not only understand that but supports it as well. There are no unnecessary procedures that impose on the natural timeline of labor and they know that every woman is different and labors at a different rate. "National research shows that midwives achieve the same outcomes as physicians without disrupting the natural birth process as often. Research also shows that midwives have reduced cesarean section rates by more than 50% with no compromise in safety. In fact, care from midwives has significantly lower rates of induced labor, episiotomies, and forcep births." - Midwive's Association [ but I'll write another post on why we chose a natural birth another time ]

[ Ina May Gaskin is considered the "Mother of Authentic Midwifery" ] 

After researching more about mid-wives I was convinced a natural birth was perfect and began to look for one in our area. The closest was in Vergennes, VT - a little over an hour from us. Plus they had a birthing center at Porter Hospital in Middlebury, VT - about 45 minutes form us - which made both Tom and I more comfortable in case there was a true emergency there were Ob-Gyn's on call. We had our first appointment with Tapestry Midwifery that lasted 1.5hours and they answered every question we had and talked to us about what to expect and made us feel important. We never felt rushed and we have never waited forever for the midwife. Here's a short list of why we are using a midwife:

• Midwives see you as a person. They do not see pregnancy as a disease that needs to be solved. 
• Midwives give you more time - a lot more. You only see the midwife during your thirty minutes or hour appointments so there is no see a nurse and then waiting another thirty minutes to see the doctor who only stays for maybe 15 minutes. 
• Midwives believe in informed consent. They never force you into "routine" tests or procedures as they allow you to make informed decisions by giving you all of the information you need. 
• Midwives want you to have a natural, healthy birth as much as you do. They have many different, holistic ways of keeping you as comfortable and as calm as possible during labor.
• Midwives allow you to eat and drink during labor. During the first appointment our midwife said "How would you like to run a marathon without ever eating or drinking during it?" This made complete sense especially since exhaustion is one of the main reasons births stall in a traditional setting. 
• Midwives allow you to birth in whatever position you want. laying with your legs in stirrups is the most inconvenient way to give birth but is very convenient for a doctor. Midwives believe you should give birth whatever way is most comfortable which is usually squatting or on all fours - both positions use gravity and make birthing "easier" and you are less likely to tear. 

Those are the main reasons we decided to use a midwife but there are many, many more! It's not the conventional way to give birth in the US but it is in Europe and most other countries. So feel free to ask any questions you may have!!!

Week 13

[ i don't think its gotten any bigger, but I also think I'm not a bloated this week ] 

How far along?: 13 weeks

Total weight gain: 4lbs. + [ haven't been weighed since our last midwife appointment ] 

Maternity clothes: None yet but I did by a Bella Band so that my pants last longer. Most of my jeans fit when I first put them on but after I eat they are very uncomfortable so I have to unbutton them.

Sleep: Still only waking up about once during the night.

Best moment this week: Sending out our holiday cards that were our way of telling our friends and family that we're expecting a little Poole soon!

Symptoms: Still tired and congested, hopefully I'll be getting some energy back soon!

Miss anything?: Still wanting a glass of wine at dinner but now my drink of choice is seltzer water with a little bit of cranberry juice, I actually love it now!

Movement: A little early for that.

Food cravings: None out of the ordinary still although I did ask Tom to go get me a Reeses Cup the other night, but that's it.

Have you started to show yet?: A little bit but with my regular clothes on it still just looks like I've had a few too much to eat, but hopefully it will turn into an actual bump soon.

Gender prediction: Girl. Tom thinks its a girl too!

Mood: Happy, and not getting as annoyed as easily.

Looking forward to: Finding out the gender...7 more weeks!

Nursery Inspiration

We already painted the nursery a light mint color but thats about it. I'm thinking all white furniture but I haven't quite decided yet. I'm so excited to put it all together and find a bunch of cute things to put into it. Tom is going to be painting a mural which I am probably most excited about :) Here are just a few of the ideas I have so far...

Modern and Vintage Mix

Mix of Old & New

Trafalgar's Square 

Pops of orange

DIY

Let Her Sleep

This website has an awesome collection of real nurseries and I haven't even gone through half of them yet!

7 Quick Takes

Linking up with Jennifer for a 7 quick takes post!

1. So I had said on Sunday that all of my regular clothes fit me, well that changed yesterday when my jeans would button when I was standing but sitting was a whole different situation...off to buy a Bella Band this weekend!

2. Tom and I sent out "Holiday Cards" [ see picture below ] on Wednesday to all of our close friends and family informing them that Baby Poole is on its way in 2013. We asked everyone not to post anything on facebook quite yet as we want to keep it personal for now. Not because we are scared of a miscarriage [ after 12 weeks your risk reduced dramatically, so we're "in the clear" ] but because it is so special to us and its nice that not everyone in the world knows - we can share it just with the ones we love. 

3. I told everyone at work on Monday and one of the other girls I work with said she may as well tell us too that she's expecting two weeks after me with her second. It's kind of exciting to be able to share this with another woman especially one that can answer any questions that I have. Oh and a third girl at work is pregnant and due in March so that makes 3 pregnant women in an office with 5 women and 8 employees total!

4. Tom and I are heading to Burlington tomorrow so that I can go to the one bridal store that carries the two bridesmaid dresses I need for this summer. Hopefully they have dealt with a situation like this before because I will be 34 weeks for the first wedding and 36 weeks for the second wedding so I'll be a whale by then. 

5. I made it to the gym three times this week, the second week in a row thats happened! I'm excitd because the last month or so with the holidays I'd slacked...a lot. But when I say that I still go to the gym I mean that I go for about 45mins tops when I use to go for 1-1.5hours at leats 4 times a week. I also run [ now more like a jog ] much slower than I use to since my body just doesn't seem to go that fast anymore and the congestion symptom is not helping. Anyway I hope to keep going for as long as I can and I hope to run for as long as I can. It's my stress reliever and just makes me feel better, so until it doesn't anymore I will keep running. 

6. I've been looking at zulily.com on a regular basis now looking at baby and maternity clothes and I've had to use all of my strength not to buy all of the cute organic clothes for baby. I want to wait until we find out the gender to start buying clothes. Not because I want to buy blue for boy and pink for girl, but there are some wickedly cute dresses for girls that aren't overly pink and annoyingly girly. This baby will be better dressed than me :)

7. So this is something that happened last week but Tom and I purchased three adorable prints for the nursery that we had seen awhile ago and both agreed we loved. They are Trafalgars Square and Tom is even going to paint some big mural of them in the nursery as well. 

Check back next Friday for another 7 Quick Takes about 7 things that happened that week.

My Favorite Natural Products

For the those of you who know me well know that I am an environmentalist at heart and try to buy all of my products - makeup included - as organic as possible. This may seem excessive and expensive but to be honest its actually really easy nowadays to buy organic products and they actually seem to last longer than the normal ones. I figured I would list a few of my favorites and what I love about them. 

Now there is a difference between organic and natural - anything not created in a laboratory is natural but it is not necessarily organic and can still contain toxins that are very harmful. Organic on the other hand is non-toxic and causes no harm to the environment and those who use the products. I only put natural in the description because it just sounds better and is a little less frightening to those who not familiar with organic products!

The only thing I use that is not organic is deodorant. Although I do use Dove for sensitive skin which is the best of the worst for you toxin wise because lets face it organic deodorant just doesn't work [ I know I've tried them all ] and I don't want to smell like a dirty hippie!

1. Giovanni, FrizzBe Gone Serum - I have been using this for about three years and it works really well without leaving my hair greasy which the traditional kinds I've tried have - at least for me. I also have VERY frizzy hair if there is no product in it or it is not straightened plus it makes my hair feel super soft - which I always wanted as a kid [ I was the one at sleepovers who woke up with a rats nest that was pouffy and uncontrollable ].

2. Terra Firma Cosmetics, HydraSilk Loose Mineral Foundation - I love this company! I found them about 5 years ago when I was first switching over all of my makeup to be non-toxic. I starting off loving their bronzer/blush mix - which seems to last forever since you don't need nearly the amount you would with the traditional stuff. Then I started getting the ever annoying adult acne and needed to start using coverup but I was terrified I would look like a cake face but this stuff is awesome and no cake here! [ also, adult acne has completely cleared up with pregnancy - can I be pregnant forever please! ] 

3. Seventh Generation, All Purpose Cleaner - We take the "All Purpose" very seriously in this house using it to clean up spills, counter tops, dog messes, cat messes - you name it we've cleaned it with this stuff. Plus there's no horrible smell and if you get the lemon scented it smells like actual lemons, not the fake kind. 

4. Jason Natural, Brightening Apricot Scrubble - This was another one of my first ever purchases that I swear by. I have pretty dry skin in general and it gets worse in the winter and this stuff makes a huge difference. And even though its a scrub its very light and you can use it everyday. 

5. Seventh Generation, Natural 2x Laundry Detergent - Tom and I just started to use this about two years ago - we were poor college kids before that and it seemed like an outrageous price working part-time, minimum wage [ plus beer and wine beat out the laundry detergent ]. It smells so much better than any detergent I've ever used and the fact is you're in your clothes all day so they should be as toxic free as possible since they touch your skin, the biggest sponge for toxins. 

6. Reviva Labs, Hypoallergenic Mascara - I have tried my fair share of organic mascaras and most of them are horrible - everything you don't want in a mascara. Then I stumbled upon this about three years ago and fell in love. When I first took the wand out I thought I had been duped again by the organic mascaras as it looked sticky and messy. But boy was I wrong, it is the best mascara I have ever used and not only that I swear my eyelashes are longer and fuller than they have ever been. Plus, I buy it at iHerb.com for half of what they sell traditional mascara for at the store and shipping is very cheap. 

These are only a few of my favorite organic products and I will share more along the way. Oh and you better bet that we'll be using all organic products on this little bean too!!!

Week 12

How far along?: 12 weeks
Total weight gain: 4lbs.
Maternity clothes: None yet and luckily all of my clothes, even my pants, seem to fit exactly the same...for now!
Sleep: Only waking up about once in the middle of the night to pee and I'm starting to get use to the vivid dreams although they still wake me up out of a dead sleep every night.
Best moment this week: Seeing baby Poole move around on the ultra sound and he/she now looks more like a human instead of a blob!
Symptoms: Still tired but I feel like I have a little more energy during the day now and I'm extremely congested still and that hasn't gotten any better. Its the one symptom I never knew about and its hit me the hardest! Apparently it's fairly common and it doesn't help that I get congested easily when I'm not pregnant, but hopefully it clears up soon.
Miss anything?: Beer and wine! Our friends and family know we love trying new beers and wine and it is just a part of who we are so of course all I want is a good wine with dinner...but this little bean is better than any wine!
Movement: A little early for that.
Food cravings: None out of the ordinary although I have actually not been wanting as much ice cream and chocolate as normal which is definitely out of the ordinary for me!
Have you started to show yet?: I think so but to most people I probably look like I have been skipping the gym and stocking up on the breads and pasta.
Gender prediction: I think its a girl although I'm hoping for a boy since I always wanted an older brother when I was younger and we plan on having a couple more of these. Plus, their clothes are so cute!
Mood: Happy in general but Tom may disagree on this as I've been a little moody lately and very easily annoyed.
Looking forward to: Buying maternity clothes! Sounds weird but that will mean my bump is growing and hopefully more noticeable.

I realized as I was writing this, that I wanted to end each sentence with an exclamation point since it's all so exciting, even the not so good stuff :)

Weeks Past

Since you all missed out on the first bump pictures we took I figured I would share. Here are weeks 9, 10, and 11 for your viewing pleasure!

[ the smallest of bumps which is probably all bloat and no baby ] 

[ oh, those bags? they are new and ever present and never seem to go away! 

the bump seems bigger but so was my dinner! ] 

[ this must have been before dinner. and fyi, Tom is our resident artist and draws all of our fruit since I lack any artistic ability that does not include a computer and InDesign! ] 

Check back on Mondays for the newest picture along with some details of how everything is going.

Welcome!

We are so happy to finally share with the world that Tom & I are expecting our first baby! The little bean is due at the end of July 2013. We wanted to wait until we reached the 12 week mark to share with everyone and it has been a very hard secret for us to keep! 
Tom and I have known since I was 4 weeks and we shared our amazing news with our family over the holidays. I will be 12 weeks tomorrow and the time has flown by.
Because we are so far from all of our family and friends I decided to start a blog to document this amazing time in our lives and share it with the ones we love the most. 
We had an ultra sound this past week and saw our little bean moving around which was an amazing and surreal sight to see!
I hope you all enjoy our blog and feel free to share it with any other friends and family.
Love, Shannon & Tom