6 months down and 4 to go???

Okay, I'm back. Robbie can write a 4 million page dissertation with no problems but one pregnancy blog and he breaks out in hives!! I have to admit it was fun to watch him squirm!! :)

So, today we are 24 weeks pregnant, which is 6 months pregnant. We have about 16 weeks left until we welcome baby Charlotte into the world!! We are so excited. We love this little baby girl so much and can't wait to meet her, experience the world with her, teach her new things, learn new things from her, and love her so much until she pushes us away at about age 16 and is thoroughly embarrassed by us!! Can't wait!

So some of you may be thinking, "hey I thought 9 months was the human gestational period?" Ladies, we have been lied to. It is 10 months. I guess the first 4 weeks don't really count because that is the whole conception, fertilization, implantation thingy but I am counting it. You honestly don't even know you are pregnant those first 4 weeks so maybe I shouldn't count it - I don't know! I know we still have some time to get ready and that is all I need to think about right now.

First, the important stuff. Charlie is doing really great. She is kicking, rolling, and living it up in there. I feel her everyday now and I absolutely love it. Every little kick is so reassuring! She doesn't kick much at work because I am moving so much I either do not notice her or the walking lulls her to sleep. When I get home and she gets around her daddy she is a wild woman! I have to say it is probably the best feeling in the entire world to know that she is moving, alive, healthy, and doing well. I can't ask for anything more right now! Robbie is even able to see and feel her move even more - which is great! I feel bad that I get to share this wonderful bond and connection with Charlie and Robbie has to experience it from the outside in...literally. I can tell though that she has a soft spot in her heart for him. It is as though she knows he is around and she tries to increase her movement just for him - I am sure she recognizes his voice!

Regarding her size, I am so confused. You look at one website and last week she was as long as a papaya and this week it says she is as long as an ear of corn - this drives me crazy! I have never seen an ear of corn as long as that papaya! Here is my food analogy - she is about a foot (think of a subway sandwich) and she weighs a little over a pound, possibly a pound and a half (probably a pound and a half because I have had 3 brownies this week!!...and 3lbs of chex mix!...I exaggerate...about the chex mix). Either way she is getting bigger! At this point she should be starting to put on a bit of baby fat so we can squeeze those cute little cheeks when she comes out!

Pregnancy cravings? Myth you may say but I think differently. I really get a strong need for brownies or potato salad topped (covered) with dill pickles or curry or nachos. It is so bizarre. Some of that stuff I would never really eat before, especially the curry, but I really want it! I try to keep it under control but I do give in. The pickle thing I can't ignore - I guess I am your text book prego lady!

This week we have accomplished a few major tasks - we have obtained, in a way, a pediatrician and we have begun the search for day care providers. Robbie, the love of my life and daddy extraordinaire, called the pediatrician, grilled them incessantly, and secured the process of establishing care with our top choice MD. Thank you Robbie. We will hopefully still meet with her before baby Charlie arrives but I feel better about reporting our progress to our OB on tuesday. The day care process is still a work in progress. We have to go visit some to get a true idea of how skanky they really are before I drop the second love of my life off for her care. One thing at a time right! Fortunately, Robbie's funding situation for next year has greatly improved and he may be able to be a stay at home dad thanks to a spring fellowship!

The baby room has made some progress too so that is exciting. The roof leak has, apparently, been fixed. The HOA of our complex wants to wait until it rains before the inside work is started but our landlord said, "NO WAY!! THEY HAVE A BABY TO GET READY FOR!!" Okay, he didn't say that but he is pushing for a water test instead so we can start the inside sooner rather than later. You can imagine waiting for rain in the desert could take a while.

So, as you can see we are moving along. I have been placed on a baby stuff buying hold by her daddy. I still sweet talk him into a onesie here and there but major stuff is on hold until we have a better place to put it all. In response to his post last week. We do not have as many diapers as he says. I am gradually stocking up if they are on sale. I am a bargain hunter what can I say. Also, how can I refuse to buy a $4 onesie that says, "I love my daddy" on it?? Please - 30 of these is not enough! (we don't have 30 outfits by the way he is crazy!)