Bumpdate!

Wow - so much to write about today I don't even know where to begin. I guess I have to start with the huge milestone that Baby D hit today. Baby D is now 16 weeks old!! Can you believe it!?! And s/he had a wonderful check-up today. The doctor found the heartbeat quickly and it was beating loud, strong, and fast at 155 beats per minute. As usual, the beautiful sound brought tears to my eyes. What made today's appointment even more special than usual was that my mom came along. My parents have been in town for the holidays, so it was really special being able to share the magical sound of the heartbeat with her. I also finally put some weight on. Since my first appointment two months ago I've put on 2 1/2 pounds! 

So many amazing things are happening to the baby now as s/he develops. The baby is now about the size of an avocado! Adam and I have to start watching what we say because amazingly Baby D is now able to pick up the sound of our voices! I also need to quit poking my stomach so much, because I guess now the baby can feel it and it causes him/her to squirm. :) I should start to feel the first movements from Baby D in the next few weeks.

Another amazing thing that has happened in the past week is the growth of my baby bump! It seems to be getting bigger every day, and I'm finally starting to look pregnant instead of like I ate too many tacos. Also, I know it's not tacos because of how hard the bump is. Adam and I can't stop touching it!

On January 25th at 8am, Adam and I will FINALLY be finding out the gender of our precious child. Less than a month! Time to start taking bets - boy or girl?

Baby D had a great first Christmas, so I have to show off some of the presents from our amazing families! And yes, I'm also going to show pictures of "the bump" taken first thing this morning. Please notice how I said "first thing this morning" when you see my outfit choice. I think I'm at the point where I should start having Adam take nice, weekly belly progression photos. We'll start those next week now that I actually have a bump to show off.

Christmas present from GG (Great Grandma), Aunt Holly, and Aunt Katherine

Video camera from Great Grandpa George, Diaper Bag from GG, and book from Grandma and Grandpa Donat

I've officially "popped" at 16 weeks cooked!

Beer Gut or Baby Bump?

Well, something seriously happened over night. Generally by morning I have just a small pooch, but I think I actually have some semblance of a baby bump finally!!! I still think it looks like a gut, but Adam's promising me it doesn't. He's such a good husband. :)

What do you think it looks like? Beer gut or baby bump? (Oh, just so there's not any confusion, I am not actually drinking beer...)

This is at 14 weeks, 2 days. 

It's Official!

There is a lot of debate as to whether the second trimester begins at the start of the 13th week or 14th week. Regardless, everyone will  now agree that I have finally made it to the second trimester!! Baby D officially turned 14 weeks old today! Less than 6 months to go until this precious child enters the world. I made it through the first trimester without throwing up once! I really felt great and only experienced a few symptoms. I was definitely one of the lucky ones. 

Baby D is already the size of a lemon and is busy sucking his/her thumbs, wiggling all wee little toes, and has even started making urine. Okay, that urine part isn't necessarily adorable, but totally amazing. 

I still feel great. I am still able to exercise regularly and have pretty high energy for the most part. I do find myself getting a little more tired at night than I used to, and I'm not ashamed to say that 8:30pm has become a fairly regular bedtime for me. I weighed myself at the gym yesterday and I still haven't put on weight since my first doctor's appointment. Weight gain really varies in pregnancies, so I don't think it's anything to be concerned about yet. I'll see my doctor in less than two weeks and I'll ask her about it. The major weight gain comes in the second trimester, so I'm sure I'll have some weight gain to share sooner rather than later.  I am definitely noticing a bit of a pooch in my stomach that gets progressively larger throughout the day. My jeans are still fitting...albeit tightly, but I still don't have the belly for maternity clothes yet. If I'm feeling brave this weekend, I might update with a new baby bump photo. Be prepared, the bump looks more like a beer gut. 

Instead of exchanging Christmas gifts this year, Adam and I decided to invest in a glider that we will be able to use with Baby D. We found what we liked at Babies-R-Us, but ended up purchasing through Amazon. It finally showed up today. I think we'll go ahead and put it together this weekend so we can break it in for Baby D. 

Baby bump photos coming soon.... 

199 Days to Go

Can you believe it!? Less than 200 days left to go in my pregnancy. I will be 12 weeks pregnant on Thursday. It's amazing to know I am already a 1/4 of the way through.

I had a perfect appointment today. I saw a midwife instead of my doctor because the office was so busy. She was fantastic! I'm probably just saying that because she said if I was going to be graded on my pregnancy so far I would receive an A+! She started the appointment by going over all of my blood work from my previous appointment. All my levels came back great and most importantly my iron levels were perfect. It's not unheard of for vegans/vegetarians to have low iron levels and be anemic, but mine were right where they needed to be. She said it seems like I'm doing everything right with my diet and to keep up the good work. I've only put on 1/2 a pound since my last appointment, but she didn't seem concerned with that. When you're active and eating well, it's okay not to put too much weight on during the first trimester.

Next was my favorite part of the appointment and I've been giddy ever since. With a small handheld Doppler machine I was able to hear Baby D's heartbeat again! No pictures, but I got to hear the heart, and boy did it sound good. Just writing about it brings tears to my eyes. I have had such a seamless pregnancy so far that I often wonder if there is actually a little person growing inside of me. Hearing that beautiful sound was so reassuring.

My next appointment is on 28 December. It will be a basic exam where my vitals are taken and I will be able to hear Baby D's heartbeat again. Also, the midwife told me that because of my size we should be able to schedule our gender scan a week early (at 19 weeks)! When I see my doctor next month (at 16 weeks), she'll make the final determination on when to schedule the scan. It's so exciting to know that in possibly less than 2 months Adam and I will know if we're going to have a baby girl or baby boy.

Not a day has gone by since my positive pregnancy test where I haven't felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Thus far, I have had an incredibly happy, and healthy pregnancy. I feel great, my baby is thriving, and I am married to a man that will be the perfect father. Life is good... 

Our Little Duke Dog

Sharing the news of Baby D with Adam's family yesterday was more joyous than I could have imagined. Everyone was so happy and excited. Grandma and Grandpa Donat even brought Dom Perignon and sparkling grape juice to toast the good news! If that wasn't enough of a surprise, they also surprised us with some wonderful baby gifts. We now have our first baby picture frame and probably one of the greatest onesies and pair of booties ever!

Duke Dog in the making

My next doctor's appointment is on Monday! Hopefully I'll have more updates then! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

While everyone else is busy cooking a Thanksgiving feast today, I'm busy cooking something else! Officially 11 weeks cooked today, and I think I might have some sort of baby bump starting...or else I just ate too much at dinner last night. 

11 weeks

Today we will tell Adam's extended family about our little bundle of joy! It's going to be an amazing moment when we share the news with his grandparents. 


I have never been more thankful for my life than I am this year. I have an amazing husband, a great new  job, a supportive and wonderful family, great friends, and I am already in love with my child.


Happy Thanksgiving!!! 

My Vegan Pregnancy

When Adam and I first began trying to conceive, I immediately purchased the only two vegan pregnancy books on the market. I also started countless hours of internet research on both the pros and cons of a vegan pregnancy. Anyone that knows me knows how seriously I take my vegan diet. I always knew I wanted to remain a vegan throughout my pregnancy if it would be healthy to the baby, but knew that if I was going to do it, I needed to have my facts straight.
I have read nothing but positive things about vegan pregnancies done the right way. Doing it right is the key. Since becoming pregnant I've started thinking more about the foods I’m putting in my mouth every day. Instead of having rice cakes for breakfast, I eat a bowl of oatmeal. I snack on fresh fruit and nuts throughout the day. I always eat a large portion of raw vegetables with my Tofurky sandwich at lunch, and I am eating lots of veggies and protein at dinnertime. I’ve even switched my nighttime sweet treat for a glass of chocolate soy milk fortified with tons of vitamins for the baby and me. Full disclosure – there is a pint of vegan chocolate coconut ice cream in my freezer and I’ll totally eat it soon I’m sure . I have to cheat sometimes and eat the unhealthy stuff!  I am currently taking a vegan prenatal vitamin that has been approved by my OB and she has also blessed my diet which made both Adam and me feel completely comfortable about the way ahead.
A lot of pregnant woman use pregnancy as an excuse to eat anything they want and "eat for two." They will eat ice cream, pizza, and French fries to extremes. Ok, full disclosure again – I’m totally going to eat the heck out of some French fries during this pregnancy…but in moderation. Because I have to be so cautious to ensure I'm getting enough protein, calcium, and certain vitamins, I believe I will have a better chance of having a healthy, happy, and normal-weight-gain pregnancy than that of many of my omnivore counterparts. I realize this is a sweeping generalization, but I’m saying it anyway.
I am also convinced that my 17+ years of vegetarianism and 5+ years of veganism are allowing my body to kick this pregnancy’s butt. True, I’m only nine weeks cooked, and the morning sickness still has a possibility of coming on, but to this point I have probably had a total of 8 hours of queasiness and have not thrown up once.  Most research I’ve done says the morning sickness hits around the 6-7 week mark, so there is a good chance I am in the clear. I could just be one of those super lucky ladies that doesn’t experience morning sickness, but because this is my blog, I’m attributing my throw-up free pregnancy to my vegan diet. :) 

Here is a great article on super foods for vegan pregnancy that I’ve found very helpful: http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-pregnancy/super-foods-pregnancy-lactation.htm . This article came from this superb resource: http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-pregnancy/index.htm.
Also, in keeping with the theme of this post, I have to post the coolest little onesie that my sister bought for the baby.

We are no’t planning on raising the baby vegan (I will save this discussion for another post), but because this is for a newborn, the message holds true for the first few months of Baby D’s life anyway.