Week 6 Kolleen, meet week 14 Kolleen

Tickled from the inside out

I'll be 15 weeks on Saturday, which supposedly is too early to feel movement.  That may be the norm, but I swear, this week I may have felt the baby move.

Lots of people attribute the feeling to gas bubbles, but I never, ever, have a gas (I'm a lady) so I'm sticking with the baby moving theory.

It kind of feels like a goldfish swimming around really low on my belly.  I can't wait until the baby gets big enough to really feel and even see when he/she is moving.  

I had to travel this week for work and was really busy, pretty stressed out and didn't sleep a lot.  A friend of my Mom's lent me an at-home doppler, so I gave it a whirl this morning and right away I could hear the baby's heartbeat.  What a happy, relaxing sound. 

In only 5 weeks from now, we'll know if baby Mooren is a mini-Damon or mini-Kolleen.

I can't wait!!!

2nd Dr. Appointment

We had our second Dr. appointment this past Friday.  My forgetfulness is really kicking in... I had 3 questions I wanted to ask the doctor and I told them to Damon in the elevator on the way up.  As soon as the doctor walked in the room, I could only remember 2 of them.  They took my blood pressure and weight and then we got to hear the heartbeat.  The doctor warned us that it might take a little bit to find it, and the one second of silence we heard when she put the machine to my belly was deafening, but then it was thumping loud and clear.  I could hear both my heartbeat and the baby's, which is a lot faster than mine.  The doctor said it sounded strong and normal, so that was a relief. 

I'm starting to show a little bit, especially after meals when my little buddha belly comes out to say hello.  I've got a couple pairs of pants that I can't zip or button, so I'm thinking my belly band is going to come in handy soon.  I've been trying to wear dresses or skirts because they're more comfortable and in this heat, that's really all I want, comfort.

We made the ultrasound appointment to find out the sex... 9/8.  We could have done a blood test this week for $400, but we decided to practice our patience.  Plus, I can think of a lot more things to buy with $400 than a needle prick to my arm :-)

Belly pics to come soon! 

Baby Mooren's First Photo Shoot

This was at 8 weeks and 5 days (June 17th), which is why the baby resembles a gummy bear.  The bright light on here is just the flash from my camera.  If you look really hard you can make out the head, arms and legs.

Guess Who's In Charge Now

"Here's a hint, it's not you."  That's what the card said that I gave to Damon after I found out I was pregnant.  Ironically, the day I found out was exactly 5 years to the day from the first time Damon and I hung out.  I didn't realize that until later, but that's pretty cool.

Before we got married we always knew we wanted to have a family.  The question was always, "when?"  It's a hard question to answer because as I've been told and read, you're never really ready.  Another way to spin that though is that anytime is a great time.  We decided it was time when we were in Italy, the Trevi fountain in Rome, to be exact.

The trip wasn't meant to be our last hoorah or anything, but during that trip we just realized, what are we waiting for?  Sure, we could wait until we had more money, or a house instead of a condo, or until we were some magic age.  But for what?  We've got each other and a decent sense of humor, that should be enough, right?  So far that has proved to be more than enough. 

I feel blessed to have dodged morning sickness and mood swings (so far).  The exhaustion isn't horrible, I love my bed, so going to sleep earlier isn't so bad.  Damon has been great with helping out, even more than usual, around the house and not letting me lift anything -- even though I totally can he just won't let me.  It's been hard not telling everyone, but as the 1st trimester comes to an end, Damon and I are enjoying sharing the news with family and friends.

I've got my next appointment on Friday, but probably won't have another ultrasound until 20 weeks.  At which point we can, and most definitely will, be finding out the sex of the baby.  I know it's cliche but I really don't care if it's a boy or a girl, I just want a happy, healthy baby. 

My baby brain made me forget the ultrasound pics that I was going to scan and post, but I will do that hopefully this week.   For now, I'll just share Gnarly's way of announcing the news.

Love, love, love...

The title of this blog, as well as this post, comes from The Beatles song "All You Need Is Love."  That same song was the processional at our wedding and will forever spark the memory of the beach, the sun, smiling faces and a snapshot of, what I consider to be, one of the best days of my life.

Sure, there were plenty of momentous occasions and monumental occurrences in our lives leading up to our wedding day, but the way I see it, February 9, 2008 was the start of my life as I now know it... a partner, a wife, a best friend.

The amazing thing is, that as picture perfect and memorable as that day was, we've already created other amazing memories and fun times with each other, with our families and with our friends.  Now we're both excited to continue to make new memories with another momentous occasion... the arrival of our first child.  Baby Mooren is scheduled to make his or her debut on or about 1/22/11.  We couldn't be happier.

I've heard and read so many stories about how hard it is, yet how rewarding it is and with that, I refer back to the trusty Beatles and their song lyrics, "love is all you need."

I'm excited to share the experiences of the growing Mooren family with our family and friends near and far.  If you are far away, I hope that this blog helps you feel a little bit closer.  I'll do my best to keep up with updates (blogs and photos).  I'm happy to have such supportive and loving family and friends to share this with, especially my husband.  Thank you Damon, for everything.