How quickly we forget! This is no joke. Today I was going to blog about baby names, I had a few fun things to bring up that I'd been thinking of all week long. As I sat down to write it on this Friday morning I could not come up with a single one. Very upsetting! At a recent family gathering I forgot a story I was going to tell after the introduction. Don't worry - I have lots of people around me during the news, it seems to only happen at home. It's pregnancy fog!

That is why I am SO thrilled to learn about another study showing that pregnancy causes forgetfulness. Wow, and just this week my mother was trying to tell me that I am getting to the age where you start really losing your memory. What a relief and I have scientific proof to show my mom. :)

The study by Australian researchers of more than 1,000 women showed that pregnant women do have a slight loss of memory, which can continue up to a year after birth.
I can see the real fun is just beginning in my journey! I hope I can remember to buy post its for the many lists I will now have to make.

Friends keep asking me and my husband if we are going to take a "babymoon." Have you heard of this? We now have. It's a take on the honeymoon - meant to give us a getaway before the baby arrives. I know my life is about to change forever and I am thrilled, I have waited a long time for this. But I have decided to pass on the trip. Instead I am sending my husband on a golf trip with his Plainville High School buddies who now live all over the country. I hope that he has a great time and plays well.

I have no hard feelings at all. I will have leave after the baby is born, but he will not. He is already a hands-on dad to two sons and I know he will be there to help me in so many ways.

I am trying to use my time every weekend to shop for baby items and prepare. I thought I had plenty of time, but a few people have told me I'd better get going, ordering the furniture, the crib, etc! And the thought of travelling right now isn't appealing to me. Hey I can wait four years for a Disney vacation. I'm joking, I am already thinking of how flying south with a baby would be next fall and winter!

My excitement when meeting other pregnant woman can be overwhelming at times and I get a bit carried away. Unfortunately a little too carried away on two occasions. At a recent NBC 30 blood drive I found myself walking down a hall searching for a ladies room. I noticed a woman in her 20's doing the same thing. Her blouse was untucked and she also seemed to have an urgency about her so I asked "Are you pregnant too?" One guess what her answer was....and it was not yes. I felt absolutely awful. I explained to her how sorry I was, that I get excited when I meet someone going through the same thing. She was lovely and we ended up chatting, still I realized I had now become one of those people who made that silly mistake.

Fast forward to 6 weeks later in a maternity store. My mother had been there previously and referred to a girl working there who was expecting. On my next visit I went to check out and a clerk kindly asked me when I was due, I told her and then guess what I asked her? Again - the answer was no. My mom and I had figured it would be a great place for a pregnant woman to work for the discount. We guessed wrong.

I have now vowed not to ask another woman, unless she is sitting next to me in one of the "Preparing for Baby" classes I've signed up to attend at the hospital or wearing the t-shirt shown above. That HAS to be a safe bet!

As a mom-to-be of what my doctors call "Advanced Maternal Age" I know I will get it back someday when a 25 year old mom asks me if I am the child's grandmother. Then maybe I will understand.

:)

I started feeling the baby kicking around week 20 and she has been active ever since! I was getting worried because so many women feel kicks a lot sooner, but being a first time mom my doctor had told me it would probably take a bit longer. What amazes me is that the kicking I feel most isn't during the day when I am active when you would think the baby would be awake hearing lots of noise. I feel it most at night when I am still and during the night. It is always exciting.

I did rent a heartbeat monitor which is fun to use (sparingly). Waiting a month between doctor appointments can be a long time. Being a high-risk pregnancy I had several ultrasounds in the first few months and got spoiled seeing the baby almost every week.

Thank you for all the great advice on the rocker/glider for the nursery. I decided to buy a set that is more like furniture, very comfortable and picked out some nice fabric.

Question for moms out there - I would love to hear about your experience with bassinets. How long did your baby last before going to their crib? Did they sleep well in the bassinet? I see bassinets come in all price ranges.

"BIG BABY"

IT'S A GIRL!

My husband and I have learned that we are having a girl. While having a healthy baby is the most important thing, a girl in the family will be a change. My husband's side of the family has lots of boys, and he has two sons, so this will be a new and exciting experience for all of us!

Now I'm noticing dollhouses and paying more attention to stories about baby names. We just ran the top ten list for 2007 on our newscast the other night. For girls they are: Sophia, Isabella, Emma, Madison, Ava, Addison, Hailey, Emily, Kaitlyn, and Olivia. They're all so pretty.

I really don't think I'll be giving the name a whole lot of thought until May draws closer! I am also holding off on decorating a nursery and buying any of those unbelievably cute baby girl outfits. I've got to worry about maternity outfits right now - anything that fits. (I popped two buttons on a jacket last week, fortunately it happened 2 minutes after the news ended!).

I am very close with my mother who I am hoping will volunteer for babysitting 5 days a week (joke to see if she reads this) and also my grandmother who is 87 (she's off the hook.) The thought of another girl in the generations is exciting for us. My sister-in-law and mother-in-law are also as close as can be. There can be a certain bond between mothers and daughters.

I know lots of people like the gender to be a surprise and I think that would be fun too, I just couldn't wait :)

It's true, you heard right, my husband and I are expecting a baby in the spring!

I have decided to start a blog about my pregnancy because I have so many questions. I have found that other women have given me the best advice, and I'm sure dads and grandparents also have a lot of practical knowledge to share! No worries - I promise not to get into too much detail.

I don't have any children of my own so this is very exciting, friends ask me how I can possibly concentrate! That is getting easier now that I am in the second trimester and feeling more like myself.

I will be writing more in the days and weeks to come. For women who have tried to get pregnant for years let me tell you miracles really do happen, trust me. More on that later.

Lisa