I've been reluctant to admit it but there's no denying it now, I only own a few dress pants that I can still button all the way up! I had read that I wouldn't need maternity clothes until my 5th month but the little bulge is enough to force me into some creativity.

I've tried just not buttoning my top button but it seems a little risky and I don't think my co-workers would appreciate it if my zipper fails! So lately I've been using an elastic hair tie to solve the problem and bridge the gap where I'm just a little bigger in the middle.

My first trip to Motherhood Maternity made me feel like a fish out of water but the sales associate at the Wausau Center store just gushed about how much she loved being pregnant. She is definitely working in the right place! I bought some "secret fit belly" pants and jeans with elastic on top that are sooooo comfortable. Last weekend, I went hunting for pregnancy shorts for a vacation I'm taking next month. I never wore those super short shorts but they really won't work now!

I've worn the same size since I graduated from college, so, as much as I am excited for baby to grow, I admit, it's hard watching my waist disappear and reaching for the next bigger size. Sure makes me wonder what size I'll be wearing by summer!
Carrie

Besides the #1 question I keep getting asked, "Will you find out if it's a boy or a girl?", I keep getting questions about my name choices. I'm not sure how early other pregnant moms started thinking about names? It seems pretty early to nail down a name with more than half a pregnancy still in front of me.

In my position, I am often asked to proofread pages of the paper which has given me a chance to read dozens of names of children. I actually have one in mind for a girl I jotted down from an honor roll list (it begins with an M). Boys names are somehow more difficult, do you agree?

There are all kinds of ways you can find out your "naming style". This quiz promises to do just that: http://www.babycenter.com/0_quiz-whats-your-baby-naming-personality_3646956.bc?intcmp=Nav_HP_Hero3

Does anyone have some good stories about how you finally decided on a name and when it happened? My mother had called me Shawna throughout her pregnancy and only changed it to Carrie when I was born!

All for now,
Carrie (Lynn)

Baby is about the size of a peach. It's growing well enough that my due date was bumped up a week. That's a relief because I don't always think I'm doing the best job I could with nutrition.

I have had a couple of crazy days lately when I've been preoccupied enough with work to not snack or drink much water until I'm past the point of hungry. Yesterday afternoon I made a poor decision not to bring any water along to the Hillary Clinton rally. The campaign entourage arrived more than an hour late from De Pere. I tried to sit down as long as possible before her speech. Toward the end though, after 4 hours cooped up with hundreds of people in one room, I was clammy and hot with hunger pangs and did not know if I'd make it. A colleague spotted some water bottles and saved me!

I'm glad I didn't get sick in front of Hillary's secret service! It was a good reminder for me to be more aware of my needs. It's sometimes easy to forget you're pregnant and just push yourself like before. I'm sure it won't be so easy not to focus on the baby when I can't see my toes!

By the way, have any other pregnant ladies noticed that not too many places will make you a N/A pina colada!?

Carrie

I've had the chance to get an early look at the baby in an ultrasound yesterday. It was truly unbelievable how fully formed it is already (at 12 weeks), with a visible brain, heart and kidneys and you can even make out the 10 fingers and toes. I can't distinguish any resemblance to me or Pete yet!

I have to say it is still surreal watching this tiny little person bouncing around and realizing it's mine yet I can't feel a thing. I'm in for a shock once I can finally feel those movements. He/she waved and kicked his legs while I tried not to cry in front of the ultrasound tech. I can't wait for the next time I get to watch! Carrie


In this one, baby is giving the thumbs up:

When you first found out you were pregnant and then realized just how tiny the embryo was, what did you call your growing baby?

I jokingly referred to it as "the alien" when it still had a tail, webbed hands and eyes on the sides of the head. It just seemed appropriate, although a little cold!

My husband corrected me whenever I mentioned "the alien" and suggested we call it something else. I have decided instead to call it whatever fruit equivalent web sites like webmd and Babycenter give me that correspond to the week of pregnancy.

It's a small lime or fig now and according to what I read, he/she looks human now. Did you have any silly nicknames for your first trimester?


Carrie

I guess I'm a bit old fashioned because in this time of medical advances in every field and early information accessible about babies in the womb, I still have no desire to learn whether I'm having a boy or girl. It is a question I get asked a lot and I almost feel guilty saying "no, I don't want to know." I don't think that the majority of parents wait for the big labor surprise anymore.

I can be very impatient in other respects-- behind slow drivers or in long lines- but I simply want to wait for that moment to have the suprise of my life. I wonder why more people don't want to wait?

My other predicament is that my husband does want to find out the sex. He can keep a secret but I hate the idea of him knowing when I don't, even if he doesn't tell our family. My doctor assures me that she has had couples split on this decision and it can work.

I have many weeks to make a decision. How did you make yours?
Carrie

Hello there cws moms!

I am stepping into really unfamiliar territory. I am certainly ready (mentally at least!) to enter the world of motherhood but even in my (almost) mid-30s, I admit I still have plenty of fears about being responsible for another human life. Husbands kind of count though, right?!

I am 11 weeks pregnant and that means my co-workers have known just a couple of weeks and our family was notified super early (week 5!). I feel great except for the late afternoons when I'd really love to take a nap. I'm told I won't likely have morning sickness in the last two weeks of the first trimester because I haven't already. I am grateful and very lucky in that respect I know.

It just hasn't seemed real to me until this week. We heard the little one's heartbeat on Monday and it made me cry INSTANTLY! I have worried over every bite of food I've eaten, how often or not often enough I've exercised and whether I will miscarry because that has run in my family somewhat. I am trying not to over-worry.

My first aggravation was finding out that my insurance provider won't cover prescribed prenatal vitamins. I was shocked they don't understand the medical importance of a preventative measure that is supposed to prevent more medically expensive conditions like birth defects. I hope it's not the start of more fighting about insurance benefits during pregnancy. Maybe they'll tell us we can just deliver at home because the hospital costs too much!

Well, I hope you can relate to the many fears and unknowns facing a new pregnant mom. What do you miss and what are you most afraid of in pregnancy? I'll start... I miss red wine and sushi!

Carrie

Test posting in the blog