The Belly and its Progression to Awesomeness

It took me a long time to look (really) pregnant. This was frustrating because I had been looking forward to the perks of pregnancy. You know, people holding open doors, carrying my bags, and basically going out of their way to acknowledge the miracle of life I was growing inside of me. Of course, in order to get said benefits, you actually have to look pregnant. I did not. Or at least I wasn't that impressively/obviously pregnant until I was about 8 months along (depending on the outfit) because I carried so low. So once I crossed that threshold into looking really pregnant I was quite excited. I would now finally get the preggo props that I had been looking forward to these many months.

Wrong. Yes, people did finally recognize that I was pregnant, but, alas, they really didn't give a shit. Or at least not in the ways you would hope. Lacking were the, polite gestures, maternal respect, and assistance (oh, thank you so much for getting out of my way on the sidewalk because as you can see it is hard to maneuver this wide load I have out in front of me). Instead interactions seemed to bring out the nosier side of people. Conversations with strangers now centered on a string of questions: how far along are you, is it a boy or a girl, do you have a name??? These more begnin questions were often followed up by more specific coaching tips on parenting and child-rearing. Apparently the big belly brought out the Dr. Phil in people.

I think the creepiest moment was when while waiting for Pearce by the bar of a restaurant I looked over and caught a man was staring and grinning at me. When he caught my eye, he gave me a wink and toasted me from afar as if to say job well done preggo! On a funnier note, I only had one stranger, thankfully,  touch my belly.  I was in Target (shocker) when a little girl spotted my big belly and asked her mother if there was a baby in there. Before her mother could answer the girl ran over, put both of her hands on either side of my stomach and started jiggling it while talking to the baby. The mother was mortified, but it made my day. Hysterical!

Despite my burgeoning belly not bringing the mad respect I hoped for, both Pearce and I really enjoy my big Buddha belly. It is just amazing to me that my body is designed to stretch and grow in order to accommodate our little lady. I get great enjoyment strutting around the house jutting it out in all of its glory. Yes, getting up and down is harder than it used to be and yes, I can't bend over as agilely as I once did, but there is just something so wonderful about its roundness.  In some ways, I think that I may actually miss it when PAL is born. I guess I could always work on a beer belly.

So here are just a few(ish) shots of my lovely belly over the course of my pregnancy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! (but maybe not as much as that guy in the bar!)

December 11, 2011 - It Begins

Christmas 2011 - First Heart Beat

New Years Eve 2011 - Atlanta Symphony

New Years Day 2012 - Hiking in N. GA

2- 25-2012 -  Annual Disney Princess Run

22 Weeks/6 months - Brett and Brook's Wedding

25 Weeks - A Prarie Home Companion at the Fox Theatre

 27 weeks - 3rd Trimester 

29 Weeks - Ponte Vedra Shower

29 Weeks - Ponte Vedra Shower

30 Weeks - Colorado Visit

31 Weeks - Chattanooga Babymoon

31 Weeks - Chattanooga Babymoon

31.5 weeks - Pearce's Brithday

34 Weeks - Atlanta Shower

34 Weeks - Atlanta Shower

36 Weeks/9 Months

39 Weeks - One Week Away from Due Date

39 Weeks - One Week Away from Due Date

And I know you REALLY wanted to see the Buddha belly- so here it is in all its glory!!!

39 Weeks - One Week Away from Due Date

39 Weeks - One Week Away from Due Date

39 Weeks - One Week Away from Due Date

39 Weeks - One Week Away from Due Date

xoxoxo,

Me and the Buddha Belly

From Office to Nursery - Finally Getting To Nest

Explore. Dream. Discover. The Nursery.

 August 6, 2012

After confirming that we would be staying in Atlanta we launched ourselves into nursery conversion. Since we have a teeny tiny house, trying to figure out how to fit in the "necessities" that come with having a baby was a challenge. I studied Pinterest, design blogs, and Ikea’s catalog, to see how we could (tastefully) cram all of Pal's belongings in with ours. This was not an easy feat and took an iron will when sorting through our respective wardrobes. In the end we tried to use vertical space as much as possible, while also picking out items that had both form and function.

Nursing Station

Adding to the consignment shop rocking chair we re-habbed, we picked up a Union Jack-inspired dresser from Craigslist that we plan on using as a dresser/changing table combo. Mom/Emme commented that it complimented the 2012 London Olympics that have dominated my schedule the past few weeks. This piece was the inspiration behind having a travel-themed nursery (shocking, I know).

Note- PAL's First Disney Item!

 As you probably know, I love process flow. I have taken a stab at organizing PAL's dresser drawers based on my work as a nanny. Not sure if things will stay this way when we put theory to practice, but I figured it was worth a try to get a system together pre-babe. Right now I have clothes pins marking the different bins (read: Type A) so we can try to keep all her pieces in the right place.

Cloth Diaper Stash - So Pretty!

Tiny Clothes are Too Cute.

Accessorize!

Is it wrong that a not-born-yet-baby has more clothes than me? We may have to reevaluate this when I am not wearing preggo clothes again!

The baby blanket was Pearce's.

Another major piece in the room both for practical and sentimental reasons is PAL's future bed. While she is still a newborn we plan on using a cradle that has been in the family for 46 years and has rocked its fair share of babies to sleep- or at least that it is what I am hoping for! Mom/Emme brought the wooden spindle cradle up from South Florida where John/Papa spent weeks stripping, sanding and re-staining it. I can't wait to put it to use! The baby blanket in the picture was Pearce's, lovingly made by Kate Pendelton so many years ago. Just above it on the wall is where we plan to place pictures of PAL's future travels.






Some travel inspired trinkets and art:

World Poster Print - Etsy, Signarama

Buddha Belly - ROSS

World City Tour - ROSS

 Some ways to control the clutter:

Book Nook - TJ MAX

Toy Bucket - Walmart

Catch-all - TJ MAX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                         

Hope you enjoyed the tour of the nursery! Let me know if you have any questions on any of the other pieces in the room.  Its kind of surreal to think that in a matter of weeks (days!?!) there will be another human being claiming this space. Both Pearce and I are very excited about this!!!


-A&P

3rd Trimester May 2012 - August 2012

Hooray! We reached the third trimester!!!!

When we first became pregnant it felt like time ticked by slowly and then one day we woke up and realized we had finally had made it. Holy crap- we are about to have a baby! We had a lot to do to get ready and it all started with our first shower. The shower was lovingly hosted by the Korbs's friends in Ponte Vedra, Florida. Pearce and I decided to book a last minute flight down to Jacksonville and I am so happy we did. By this time my ribs had started separating (my biggest issue during the entire pregnancy) so by the end of the short flight I had a very achy back, luckily with some rest the pain eased before the shower. 

Yummy Spread

In addition to Susan, Andy, and their friends, my mom was  able to drive up and join the festivities. We had a really great time- they truly went over and above with decorations, food and of course, presents! I believe that with just this shower we got the majority of the things we needed for PAL. Of course, we didn't really have a place to keep them so Susan and Andy generously volunteered to hold them until the next shower in Atlanta when they could bring them up.

 

Grandma Korb

Soon-to-be-parents

In mid- June we headed to Chattanooga for a babymoon, although I cringe at that phrasing. I prefer to think we headed to Chattanooga for a weekend of "couple fun" which we accomplished and then some. Highlights included: great eats - one at an upscale restaurant called St. John's Meeting Place and one at a glorified chicken shack called Champy's Chicken; touring the local sites of the Hunter Museum of Art and the TN Aquarium; and enjoying some leisure time at the hotel's spa (well, I did while Pearce made use of the cable t.v.).

Art outside the Hunter Museum

Street Art in the Warehouse District

Morning Coffee/Tea Stop

Could be the best fried chicken I have ever had!

At the end of this month we finally figured out where we would be post-Fellowship. This had been a major issue for us as a lot of our activities were dependent on it (getting new phone contracts, how aggressively to sell the house, setting up a nursery, etc). After a long process Pearce (and I) decided to stay on in Atlanta and with this decision we raced to get our final things checked off our baby list!

Lemon Cupcakes

July was packed full of PAL-centric activities. On July 14th we had our second shower hosted by Peggy and Michelle Rossman. It took place at Michelle's Buckhead condo building which provided stunning views of the city. The ladies thought of every detail and even had a special preggo-friendly mocktail for me! It was a really great time to be with friends and family including my two sisters who flew in from out of state to partake in the festivities.

Grandma Peggy

Emme 

Auntie Holly

             

 

The ladies!!!

 The next weekend we headed to a suburb of Atlanta to attend an intensive childbirth class. We learned about a number of activities including breathing techniques, acupressure, positions, etc. By this point Pearce and I had read a number of books, including our favorite, Dr. Sears "Birth Book", and felt like it was a good review of that.

Immediately after we headed to the mountains for Pearce's third triathlon which was taking place in Blue Ridge, Georgia. We had a nice evening, making sure that he carbed (and desserted) up for the race at a local restaurant. It seemed to work because he did a great job in the race, especially because he didn't stop and he didn't puke, a marked improvement from last year.

 Baby milestones in this trimester included: 


-By 8 months I finally started looking really pregnant! She is getting quite big and her movement can be seen from the outside quite easily. I spend a lot of time trying to figure what body part is where.

-By the end of July we hit 37 weeks, or full-term, another major milestone that we were excited to hit. That Sunday, we were supposed to take a hospital tour but both Pearce and I forgot. Whoops! We re-scheduled for the next weekend which is the same weekend we FINALLY finished the nursery. We both agree, it is our favorite room in the house now!

-We are currently at 38 weeks - only two weeks from her official due date, August 19th. I feel really good overall. I still walk 3 miles Mon. Wed. Fri at least and would swim, but I stopped in case I have some uncontrollable bodily functions whilst in a public domain. Both Pearce and I enjoy my big belly, I think I may actually miss it once its gone. I may regret those words if I go another month pregnant!

This weekend we spent cleaning the house, getting it nice and clean before the little lady arrives. (We have to at least pretend to be responsible parents. I wonder what the next few weeks will bring?!?

The Korbs

2nd Trimester February 2012 - May 2012

It's a girl and an alien

Moving into the second trimester was a great event--we were through the risky period, our friends finally knew, and I felt wonderful, with the minor ickyness of the 1st tri melting away. 

I started off the second tri by run-walking my way through the Disney Princess Half Marathon with my mom and of course PAL. We were a little worried about the weather (cold/rainy), but it ended up being perfectly overcast keeping me nice and cool. The run/walk method must have worked too because it was by far the best I have ever felt after a race that distance- I wasn't even sore in the days after. Mom and I made sure to make sure to celebrate with our traditional pina coladas (mine a virgin of course). 

For me, this trimester was dominated by my thesis. I spent most of my spring break writing and this continued through April. By the time I had my final draft uploaded I had to start studying for my last final. Luckily, I also had a lot of energy for most of this trimester, although by the end of it my brain seemed to be firing at a slower rate. Of course, this could have also been "senioritis" brought on by the end of the semester. Luckily, I was able to get it all done with the help of an incredible adviser who patiently helped me make my final arguments coherent. I ended up graduating with over a 4.0 which I feel isn't too shabby!

We had a few other big events during this tri: Pearce headed to Las Vegas with Brett and Jason to celebrate the end of Brett's bachelorhood; we flew down to Jacksonville for Brook and Brett's wedding; and then immediately on to New Orleans for the American Association of Neurology's National Conference which we morphed into a good-time weekend for us. I believe that it was after my zealous eating in New Orleans that I gained 12 pounds in a month- whoops! The nurse was quite impressed (read: stunned).

My pregnancy continued to be quite comfortable. For the majority of this trimester I was still not obviously pregnant to people in public. You might think this is a good thing, but in reality was quite frustrating to me as I felt that I should be getting some preggo street cred. You know, people holding open doors, carrying your bags, etc. Alas this was not the case for me. For instance, while in New Orleans, I had a man jump in front of me to get the last seat on the street trolly. I tried to flaunt my modest belly in front of him to encourage him to give up his seat. He didn't notice.

Baby milestones in this trimester included:

-Seeing more detailed pictures of PAL and finding out the sex (female!)

Her tiny stomach (black spot)

Her tiny foot

And her alien face... 

How freaky is that!?! We are hoping she has lost this look by time of birth otherwise, we may have some explaining to do!

It was around week 18 that we first started feeling very tiny movements at the very top of my pubic bone. The movement felt like a "boop boop" if you can imagine what that feel like. Maybe it  could more accurately be described as a tiny tapping. Our OB, I think, thought we were crazy, but sure enough by week 20 we felt stronger (yet similar) little taps in the same place. PAL was officially making her presence known! What an incredible feeling that was. Over the following weeks, her taps became rolls, and shoves, and kicks.

We moved into the third trimester by the end of May.