A Little Announcement……

My mom and dad thought it would never happen. Most of our friends thought that it would never happen. Even as recently as a few years ago, I’m not sure that Eric and I thought it would ever happen.

Well, it is indeed happening. Coming this October to the Las Vegas Hession household: a baby girl!

At first, I said that I wasn’t going to do some big blog or social media announcement, but then I reconsidered, thinking that it would be weird to show up in photos with an unexplained bump. True, people might assume that I went a bit nuts at the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars, but probably not. And while I could simply show up on-line one day with a new baby, that too would be a bit odd.

So, consider our happy news announced via true Peanut Butter and Julie style: themed decorated sugar cookies.

A week or so ago, one of my fellow pregnant bloggers at Keep it Sweet Desserts did a Q&A post on pregnancy, which I really enjoyed reading. So, I am copying her idea, answering some of the questions that I am most commonly asked, a format that will keep my disorganized thoughts organized and prevent this post from turning into an 86 paragraph affair.

How far along are you? 18 weeks yesterday — almost halfway there! Yikes.

When are you due? See cookies above: October 9. I’m looking forward to a third trimester in the triple-digit Las Vegas summer temperatures. Yay.

Baby bump? While I was hoping to be the only pregnant lady ever who didn’t develop a bump…..no dice. I didn’t have one for a while, but about two weeks ago it started forming, and I’m not quite used to it yet. According to one of my favorite resources, TheBump.com, our baby is now the size of a sweet potato.

Weight gain? Ironically, I lost weight during the first few months of pregnancy. I don’t know if that was due to an extra-healthy diet or lack of wine and margaritas…….probably the latter. The third month I returned to my regular weight, and I have a feeling that when I head to the doctor next week I will have gained several more pounds. I haven’t weighed myself at home in years, so I don’t have a current number. I hate scales.

Cravings? So far, I haven’t had any wild and crazy midnight cravings for odd combinations like sardines and Klondike Bars, so in that sense Eric has really lucked out. I have found myself spending a greater than average amount of time at my favorite local Mediterranean place, Crazy Pita, ordering their chicken skewer platter, hummus and fresh pitas. I’ve also been eating lots of seaweed salad after purchasing three bulk containers at Costco last week. Hey — don’t knock it until you try it. It’s really good. Oh, and somewhere along the way I developed a taste for Goldfish crackers. Sweets haven’t appealed to me at all so far, something that I hope eventually changes. I was looking forward to doing a doughnut tour of Las Vegas.

Have you experienced “typical” pregnancy side effects? Knock on wood! So far, I have been very lucky! I had no morning sickness, nausea or fatigue during the first trimester, and the only real change that I have noticed during the second trimester is an occasional need for a nap. The naps are real naps though. Like 90 minute deals as opposed to my former 20 minute power naps. I love a good nap, don’t you? I haven’t noticed a significant change in my appetite. I thought that I would be hungry all the time and have an excuse to eat all the time…..bummer.

Have you been able to work out? Fitness has been a huge part of my life ever since my late teens, so I feel very fortunate that I have been able to keep up my general routine so far. I think that I would go crazy, otherwise. I’ve been doing my daily treadmill walking workout and am fitting in my Physique 57 DVDs whenever I have a chance. Once the doctor advises me to “slow down,” I’ll cry, and then I’ll likely take down the intensity on the treadmill or swim. Or maybe I’ll just sleep. From what people have told me, I should sleep while I can……..

Baby name ideas? Yes, I have a short list. No, I don’t know if I am going to reveal the name once we make a final decision. I’m just praying that the seemingly endless list of pregnant celebrities, like X-tina, Mila, Scarlett and (God forbid) Snooki or J-Woww, don’t “steal” my #1 choice first.

Have you started shopping, yet? Is the sky blue? Is seaweed salad delicious? Yes, I might have picked up a few things….only because they were on sale, of course. I mean, what baby girl doesn’t need a pink snowsuit with leopard trim? Baby clothes are just so darn cute. I will need to exercise restraint moving forward. My mom, who became the World’s-Best-Grandmother-In-Training on the day that Eric and I got engaged (11 years ago), has also been shopping, as have my friends, my aunt, my cousin…….apparently people like to send you adorable baby stuff when they find out you are pregnant. Trust me, I’m not complaining!

Have you started designing the nursery? Eric and I must like to take on a lot at once, because we are moving into a new home at the end of the month. It’s only about four miles away, but moving is moving, and moving is never easy. So, no, the nursery decor process has not even begun. At this point in time, I’m not even sure what I need for a nursery. Seeing as my design skills are minimal at best, I have enlisted my mom to come out and help me with the process. Decor is her thing, so I know she will do a great job. Moms are the best, aren’t they?

Reading anything interesting? At first, I wasn’t going to buy any pregnancy books, because I was afraid that all of the information would be overwhelming. As I started to come up with more and more questions, I did some research and purchased a few books that had positive reviews. To date, I have only used them for bits and pieces of information, and my current favorite is Pregnancy Day by Day, which gives you a daily rundown of what is happening throughout the 40 weeks.

Any plans to take a “babymoon”? They say that they best time to travel when pregnant is during the second trimester, so we decided to book a trip to Virgin Gorda at the beginning of June. We haven’t been on a proper vacation in years and years, so we figured that now was the time…..and I am super-duper excited. I already have my reading pile ready to go for hours on the beach: Gone Girl, The Fault in Our Stars and Paris. I never seem to get past the Wall Street Journal and my culinary magazines at home. The process of finding cute island-appropriate clothing has been a bit of a challenge, but I think I will be taking the column maxi-dress approach for most evenings since every store I go to seems to have those. Finding the right bathing suit will be another major task altogether….can’t I just swim in a maxi dress? At the very least I can have pretty toes. It’s amazing what a good pedicure can do for a pregnant girl, so I’ve been treating myself to those on a regular basis. My new favorite colors are Chanel’s summery Sweet Lilac and Tutti Frutti.

Anything else to add? Well, my attempt at brevity didn’t really work, so I’ll keep this portion short and sweet. Nothing else to add at this point except that we are both very excited for this (excuse the cliché) new chapter in our lives, probably a little bit nervous about the unknown and most of all grateful for the love and support of our family and friends.

Thanks so much for sharing our news! Time for some seaweed salad……:)

XO — Julie