Buster's 8th Birthday!

I'm really behind on this post, but back on October 29th my little Buster Bear celebrated his 8th Birthday! Luckily we had power when we sang happy birthday to him but lost it shortly after for a full week due to Hurricane Sandy. After that we went our our trip to London and Paris, came home and were in the full swing of the holidays. That's why this is going up nearly two months later.

Below are a few photos of Buster's birthday cupcake celebration. I found this great doggie bakery in Boonton called the Bubba Rose Biscuit Company that had really awesome homemade treats - everything from cupcakes to real cakes and even cannolis and a variety of cookies. He absolutely loved this cupcake (I think it was made of carrots and peanut butter with the carob topping). So cute!

Poor Buster has had bad weather on his birthday for the last two years. Two years ago it was a freak snowstorm and resulted in us losing power for 4 days. This year it was Hurricane Sandy that left us cold and without power again (well, we had a small generator to keep the fridges going and some lights) for a week. Hopefully next year our little baby will be good luck and Buster will have good weather, power for his birthday, and a little brother to share the treats with!

New Recipes: Honey Balls and Pignoli Cookies

As part of my 2012 new years resolution to try new recipes, I was able to tackle two for Christmas by making pignoli cookies and honey balls (Struffoli). I thought they came out pretty good but next time would recommend making them the day of, or at least coat the honey day of, so they keep that pretty shine.

  

20 Week Sonogram. It's a... ?

We went to the doctors on Christmas Eve Day and received the best present of all: getting to see our baby and hear reports that he's growing healthy and strong. At 20 weeks, our little miracle weighs 13 ounces and had a heart rate of 146. The examined the heart, brain, fingers, feet, kidneys, distance from the eyes, placenta, blood flow and much more, and thank God all looks good so far.

We also found out we're having a BOY! Here's a picture of our little guy :)

Things NOT to say to a Pregnant Woman

Although I'm starting to slow slightly, I'm amazed at what two people have said so far - one of whom was my darling husband: 

• "How's it feel to be getting fat?" 
• "You're getting huge" - Rob isn't very tactful with pregnant people since he recently told one of our friends who is pregnant "You're ginormous!" This poor girl also had people asking her if she was having twins when she was clearly only having one baby. Some people are so rude!!
• "You're so cute pregnant.. like a little elf!" - I'm guessing the connection is the height because Im' short and have been wearing flats lately, but really? You a) know elves and b) have seen them pregnant?

Didn't your moms ever tell you if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all? Granted pregnant women want to maintain a healthy weight gain but as long as we're having a healthy, normal baby who cares if you look like an elf or having twins?

Weeks 18 & 19

Weeks 18 and 19
How far along?: 19 weeks

Total weight gain: Between 7-9 pounds.. slowly climbing

How big is baby?: Week 18 - Bell Pepper or Sweet Potato, Week 19 - Mango

Sleep?: Still sleeping but some nights it's hard to fall asleep, or fall back asleep after getting up in the middle of the night

Best moments?: Feeling the Bambino move. I don't think that will ever get old

Movement?: Yes and I love it :)

Other symptoms: The occasional heartburn, which has been happening more than usual lately, and feeling a little winded

Food cravings?: Today I wanted biscuits and raspberry lemonade from Cracker Barrel, but I think it was more because we were talking about what to do for dinner and I was thinking of what I'd order wherever we went, and was aiming for someplace close

Food aversions: Luckily, no

Labor signs?: None

Belly button in or out?: Innie

What I miss: Maybe being able to sleep on my stomach but it's not the worst since I sleep with lots of pillows

Milestones: Telling more people, knowing we have the big ultrasound on the 24th, and starting to browse at baby furniture and gear today

Gender Predictors

Being that I'm nearly 20 weeks and we go for our big ultrasound on Monday, Dec. 24 (yay!) I figured I'd do some little predictors before to see how this pans out for boy vs. girl:

• The Lunar Chinese Gender Precdictor, which calculates my age and time of conception, says girl
• The other Chinese Gender Predictor on The Bump which uses my actual age rather than some Chinese age chart says boy
• Madam Z's Birth Predictor, which asks a lot of very random questions, said: "The day you deliver, outside will be cold. Your baby will arrive in the late evening. After a labor lasting approximately 16 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 10 pounds, 11 ounces, and will be 17 inches long. This child will have dark violet eyes and a little patch of brown hair." - First off, if it's that cold in May, that stinks. Second, a nearly 11-pounder? I know I keep saying all I want is a healthy baby but ouch, that's like a toddler!
• The Old Wives Tale Boy or Girl quiz said boy

It's a boy if:You didn't experience morning sickness in early pregnancy 
Your baby's heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute (The last few dopplers have been pretty steady around 155-ish)
You are carrying the extra weight out front
Your belly looks like a basketball (Too early to answer, but its definitely in front so far so maybe a deflated basketball?)
You are carrying low 
You are craving salty or sour foods (Nope!)
You are craving protein -- meats and cheese (yes!)
Your feet are colder than they were before pregnancy (This one is iffy since they've always been pretty cold)
The hair on your legs has grown faster during pregnancy (n/a - I'm Italian.. enough said.)
Your hands are very dry (n/a - I've always moisturized a lot especially since it's winter)
Your pillow faces north when you sleep (don't really have a compass handy to tell..)
Dad-to-be is gaining weight, right along with you (not sure..)
Pregnancy has you looking better than ever (I think I look about the same)
Your nose is spreading (No I don't think so)
You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves in circles haven't tried this)
You are having headaches (just a few, I think more in the first trimester, but nothing crazy)
You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an even number - no

It's a girl if: 
You had morning sickness early in pregnancy
Your baby's heart rate is at least 140 beats per minute
You are carrying the weight in your hips and rear
Your left breast is larger than your right breast
Your hair develops red highlights
You are carrying high (Too early to tell)
Your belly looks like a watermelon (Too early to tell)
You are craving sweets (I'm surprised definitely not!)
You are craving fruit (yes!)
You crave orange juice (yep, but more so milk than OJ)
You don't look quite as good as normal during pregnancy (I think I look the same)
You are moodier than usual during pregnancy (I was moody? lol)
Your face breaks out more than usual (Since getting off the pill I've always had bad skin)
You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread (no)
Your pillow faces south when you sleep (again, no compass so n/a)
You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves from side to side
You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an odd number - yes

So that's 3 quizzes that predict boy and 2 for girl. I'm guessing 60-40 boy, so we'll see what Monday tells us!

We have a mover.. Weeks 16 & 17 Update

Weeks 16 & 17
How far along?: Today is my last day at 17 weeks. Tomorrow marks 18 weeks - and two weeks until our next sonogram!

Total weight gain: Between 5-6 pounds.. slow and steady

How big is baby?: Week 16 - Advocado, Week 17 - Onion

Sleep?: Yes but my back is starting to hurt in the middle of the night

Best moments?: Feeling the Bambino start to move :)

Movement?: Yes!! I'm pretty sure I first felt the baby move in between week 15 and 16. It was actually on Thanksgiving Day as I was laying in bed. It felt like a little piece of popcorn popping. Since then, the baby has definitely gotten more active and for the first time tonight - Dec. 9 - Rob got to feel a kick. It's hard to concentrate on anything else once I feel the first one since I'm patiently waiting for the next kick/punch to come

Other symptoms: The last few days I've been getting heartburn on and off, with it actually waking me up in the middle of the night. The more annoying symptom is "pregnancy brain." I am definitely forgetting a lot more these days, like misplacing my cell phone or going to a different floor/room for something and forgetting what I needed to get. I always prided myself on being organized and now I feel like I'm loosing brain cells by the minute. Hopefully that means the baby will be a smart cookie!

Food cravings?: It's not really a craving but I enjoy orange juice (no pulp) or a cold glass of milk

Food aversions: Although food doesn't turn my stomach for some reason a particular mouthwash makes me feel sick

Labor signs?: None

Belly button in or out?: Innie

What I miss: Nothing really.. maybe a turkey sandwich or cup of coffee but not like crazy

Milestones: Besides feeling the baby move, last weekend I bought my first pairs of maternity pants. I'm officially short and fat... a size small petite in maternity!