Our (Temporary) New "Baby"

Rob and I love dogs. They turn us into complete putty, with no willpower to say no.

I guess I shouldn't be too hard on us-- Who could say no to this face?

Now, before I give my parents a complete heart attack-- This little guy is not ours. WE ARE NOT KEEPING HIM!! Every Spring, my theatre has a Gala with a live auction and one of our auction items is a puppy. At eight weeks, this little guy was ready to leave his Mama, but there are still three weeks before the event. So we're his foster family, until he finds his new home.

He's so precious and tubby-- Tate & Chloe (our two dogs) don't know what to think about him! He just kind of waddles around, stopping every so often to pee on our floor. He's a sweet dog with a good personality, but we certainly had forgotten how much work a young puppy is!

I'm sure it's like childbirth and parenting an infant-- obviously people forget how difficult, painful, etc it is, or else no one would have more than one!!

Rob and I have constantly taken in dogs (remember Sophie?) and have drooled over puppies at the Humane Society, but now that Baby Blakely's on the way, I don't feel the need to keep every dog we see. Thank God, we have a full house as it is.

But for the next few weeks... isn't he sweet?

Being Brave

Due to the fact that I was heavier than I wanted to be when I got pregnant, I've been very hesitant about posting weekly Belly Pics.

But, I'm starting to receive comments from friends and co-workers that I'm showing, so I decided to be brave and post a pic.

It's a bit hard to tell the actual size of the belly because of how quickly other things (ahem) have grown, but these will give you a good idea.

The 15 Week Belly Pic:

Be kind. :)

15 Weeks!

Dear 2nd Trimester, Where is this glow and energy I keep hearing about? Still plagued with fatigue and headaches. Still thankful for every single symptom that means that Baby Blakely is growing.

This week, baby is the size of a Kit Kat (Mmm):
And looks like this (filled out a little from last week!):

Baking Baby Blakely

"Although many women don't start feeling the baby move until the 17th week (or later), your baby has been having his own party in the amniotic sac he calls home. If you feel a little flutter in your belly this week, don't discount it as gas or hunger. It could be your babe banging around.

Here's more to look forward to:

Baby's head is now resting on his well-formed neck instead of directly on his shoulders like Igor. He's beginning to grow eyebrows and eyelashes this week. (All the better to give you that "Mom, you're crazy" look when he's a teenager.) The hair on the head also begins to grow and, with some creative styling, you'll be able to turn those locks into a Maddox Jolie-Pitt faux-hawk some day.

Although baby's eyes are sealed shut, he's now able to sense light. His eyes and ears finally look like real baby features now. As your baby practices sucking and swallowing actions, he may actually hiccup. You'll know he's had one too many shots of amniotic fluid by the steady thump-thump you feel.

Over the next month, baby will grow faster than ever, so make sure you load up on enough nutritious food and fluids to support his growth. Your baby now measures nearly 4 inches, about the size of a Kit Kat "finger" (regular-size, not the Big one you get at the movies), and weighs almost 2 ounces."

Sleeping Like A Baby

I've never really understood the expression "sleeping like a baby" because babies don't seem to sleep much. Sure, they sleep often-- but not soundly or for many consecutive hours.

By that definition, I've been "sleeping like a baby" lately-- I'm finding it hard to get comfortable, my back is sore and I'm waking up often during the night. So yesterday, I bought a Boppy Cuddle Pillow.

I'm loving it. The pillow between my knees really seems to alleviate some of my back pressure, the shape encourages me to sleep on my side and I even found that it took some pressure off my bladder. I think I only got up once last night!

That, in itself, is a miracle worth $40.

Haven't Met You Yet.

Secret Sloper's enthusiasm is positively contagious today-- She wrote a great post about that feeling you can only get from singing a great song at the top of your lungs in your car. Today, she heard Michael Buble's song "Haven't Met You Yet" on her way home and it spoke to her-- about her miscarriage, about trying again, and how she WILL have a baby in her arms, sooner rather than later.

I've been listening to the song and tapping my feet all afternoon, thinking about the miracle of this little guy (girl?) that we'll meet in September. It's such a great reminder of where we've been and where we're going.

I might have to wait, I'll never give up.
I guess it's half timing, And the other half's luck.
Wherever you are, Whenever it's right,
You'll come out of nowhere and into my life.

And I know that we can be so amazing.
And baby your love is gonna change me.
And now I can see every possibility.

But somehow I know that it'll all turn out.
And you'll make me work so we can work to work it out.
And I promise you, kid, that I'll give so much more than I get.
I just haven't met you yet.

Such a sweet song.
Now, go over to Park Slope Purgatory to listen to it & wish Secret Sloper some good ole' fashion baby-making luck! She's ovulating!

14 Weeks!

Today marks 14 weeks! Feeling good, but still very tired-- can't wait to experience that glow and energy that everyone talks about having in the second trimester. I slept 12 1/2 hours last night, and definitely could have slept more if I didn't have to get up for work today!

This week, baby is the size of a flip phone:

And looks like this (similar to last week):

Baking Baby Blakely

"Think of it this way: You're a third of the way through and baby's a third of the way cooked. Now that the "big stuff" (like skeletal and organ development) is taken care of, your baby starts a period of rapid brain growth, fat buildup and detail work.

Highlights this week include:

Your baby now has fingerprints! Book 'em, Danno! Believe it or not, he actually created them himself while swimming around in the amniotic fluid. As he moved his hands, the skin on the tips of his fingers formed unique ridges and folds. That's why no one on earth has the same fingerprints, not even identical twins! Cool, right? Baby's arms are now in proportion to his tiny body, but his legs are still on the short size in comparison.

Meconium, that tar-like, sticky first baby poop, is now loading up your baby's intestines, which means you might want to set aside a bottle of olive oil, one of the few things that will get the gooey poop off of baby's bottom.

Your baby continues to gain new and impressive skills such as practicing and controlling voluntary muscle movements (this will help him fling food across the room later in life). Your tiny dancer's movements are no longer the jerky, uncontrollable twitches of yore—he now moves with graceful control.

Your baby is now weighs about an ounce and is the length of a flip phone, or roughly 3.5 inches—he's tripled in size from a mere three weeks ago! Luckily, you haven't done the same."

How do you know it's a Blakely?

My maiden name is Peck.

For people who have known you your whole life, it can be difficult for them to make the switch to a new last name when you get married. I was known as "Stef Peck" for 28 years and people still refer to me that way, a year and a half after our wedding. Rob even uses it as a nickname for me sometimes.

The night I told my dad I was pregnant, my parents immediately called one of their friends who lives down the street and asked her to come over. Judye has known me since I was 15 years old, when my family first moved to South Carolina. (She has a daughter who is a year older than me and we used to carpool to school.) She's always been so sweet to keep up with me through my parents and she even came to our wedding.

When Judye arrived, my parents told her about the baby the same way I told them. They showed her the book. She flipped through each page, looking at wedding photos, commenting on them until she got to the page with the ultrasound pics that said "Baby Blakely" across the top. She stopped and said, "Now, what is this?" My mom said, "What do you think it is?" and Judye started smiling.

She then paused, looked a little confused and said, "How do you know it's a Blakely?"

After an awkward silence, my dad looked at me and said, "It sure as hell better be a Blakely!!"

We all looked at each other and burst out laughing. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life.

Judye forgot that my new last name is Blakely and when she saw "Baby Blakely" she thought that we had already named the baby-- she was confused and wondered how we already knew the sex at only 8 weeks. The way that it came out, though, was hilarious.

Never fear, Judye.
This baby, I know with 100% certainty, is a Blakely.