So ends the 4th month....

This week marks the end of month four – or in weeks, the end of week 17. The past few weeks have flown by. We’re very excited to announce that we are expecting a BABY GIRL! Shaun and I were both surprised when we found out. Given that he is one of three boys, of his first cousins 6/8 are boys, and his brother had a baby in March which was (you guessed it!) also a boy we thought the odds were heavily weighted on a boy. Just goes to show you! Being one of three girls…I’m very excited. I’m also excited we get to bring a little diversity to Shaun’s family. Shaun is totally outnumbered now -we need to get some pet fish that are boys or something. We would have been happy either way, we only hope for a healthy baby, and we’re excited to know what we’re having. (Sorry, name will remain a surprise for all of you…once we pick one out…). Of the 36 votes we received on our sidebar poll the results were split 50/50 – 18 voted girl, 18 voted boy. (well, actually Shaun voted twice for a boy so the poll really made an accurate prediction).

Sorry to report there is very little bump to show off yet. I’m fortunate that I haven’t gained much weight yet (don’t worry…I’m eating enough for 4 people!) and the doctor told me that is normal. She told me that come week 20, all bets are off. So I figure I have another 3 weeks to wear my regular clothes and then…gulp, gulp, I am headed for elastic waistbands and empire dresses! Cravings this month have included nachos with melted cheese, cottage cheese, and milk – I’m very in to dairy apparently. I’ve also had an almost uncontrollable desire for turkey sandwiches…and while I’m not SUPPOSED to eat deli meats…I won’t lie…I have had a few. It certainly doesn’t help that there is a Subway on the corner of our street. My sense of smell is also ridiculously sensitive…which is great when things smell good (i.e. bakeries)…but not so great when things smell terrible (think – streets of Pamplona during festival, train stations, crowded trains, trash).

I am a bookworm. The day after I found out we were expecting I purchased a slew of reading material. There is so much information out there and it can be totally overwhelming. We’ve also been researching Baby Gear (armed with “Baby Bargains” and “Consumer Reports”)…boy oh boy do these babies need lots of stuff! I think so much of it is optional…so much of it is advertising. But there are some very cool things out there. I’ve also divided the gear into categories and assigned research responsibilities. Shaun has been assigned “Security” (aka childproofing, baby monitors, first aid, crib safety) and "Documentation" (aka video camera). I’ve pretty much taken everything else – which is fine…I like the research. Ok, I’m a total dork. I’m still trying to get over the fact that the baby doesn’t come with a manual! I read all manuals before using products-even the one for my blow dryer- and it has 2 buttons.

I will post monthly to keep everyone updated. Come on December!!! (Seriously, women are pregnant FOREVER!)