We're more than halfway there are time is flying by! I can't believe in just a few months we get to meet our little Ruby girl. Still haven't picked out a middle name (we're liking Delilah, Josephine and Grace), but the first and last will be Ruby Rogers. It's so great to be able to call her by her name. The other day my nephew, Peyton, was playing a video game in which he got to name a pair of dragons. He named them Peyton and Ruby. Too cute for me to deal with.



As you can see, I'm giant. I knew going into this pregnancy that my bump would be larger than average. My family gets big bumps and I'm short, so there's just no helping it. It's still crazy to see. I don't even fit into my heavy-duty winter coat anymore, so I'm really hoping that the weather warms up.


I've been feeling great, baby's growing just as she should, and she kicks all the time. We did get some news at her 20-week ultrasound. I have what's called Marginal Umbilical Insertion, which means that instead of having Ruby's umbilical cord inserted into the middle of the placenta, hers is inserted at the edge. This can result in a lack of nutrition and oxygen, which results in a host of problems (early delivery, lack of growth and development, preclampsia, and a lot of other really scary things). So far she's growing exactly as she should, but I'll be monitored a little more closely than other pregnancies just to be sure she's getting all the goods that she should be. We're just staying as positive as we can (after all, the rate of very serious effects from the condition are relatively low) and doing everything in our power to make sure that she's as healthy as possible.

I had every intention of taking a picture every single week... but you know, life gets in the way. The past month has been one of expansion. Just look at the size of that bump! I'm only 5-foot-5, but I have disproportionately long legs for my height, so my torso is about as short as someone between 5-foot and 5-foot-2. Have you ever seen someone that short pregnant? No space to grow but out! It's so exciting for me to watch my body grow and change--to be honest with you I never realize how big the bump is until I see it in pictures. This is the best relationship I've ever had with my body, and I can't thank this baby enough for the joy that (s)he has brought us in so many ways.


Eating has gotten a little better! I no longer detest most foods... I'm just indifferent about eating. It's made making healthy choices when I'm constantly hungry a whole lot easier. The big news this week is that we went to our 18-week appointment and found out the sex of the baby! We're keeping it a secret until my baby shower (which my sister and very best friends have graciously volunteered to throw for me), so it can be a surprise for everyone. This way I can get the nursery ready and we can still have the surprise element we wanted in the beginning. The other big relief this week is that Grant and I toured St. Luke's-Roosevelt hospital, my dream hospital, and it was everything I'd hoped it would be. We've been dealing with major insurance issues that are too detailed to describe here (Grant is my hero and the best dad for spending at least 70 hours on the phone with insurance companies through this whole process), and it's been stressing us out a lot. At one point we didn't think St. Luke's would be an option and toured a different hospital... it was awful and made me really nervous about the whole birth process. At St. Luke's (so long as it's medically viable) I'll get to deliver in a birthing suite and enjoy a very low degree of intervention. We have nothing but positive things to say about the infrastructure, staff, philosophy and set-up of the hospital after our tour.

 Hi guys! So if you hadn't already figured out, THIS is the reason that my blogging has been so intermittent... we're having a baby! The first trimester I had a lot of cramping and a lot of self-prescribed bed rest, but now I've really gotten into the swing of carrying a baby and I'm loving it!


Look at how huge my bump is! At only 14 weeks I look about 5 months pregnant... but I started showing around 6 weeks, so I guess this is just par for the course for my short little waist. Nowhere to go but out!


The biggest surprise of the pregnancy is how little I want to eat. I was having trouble finding foods that didn't make me totally grossed out during the first trimester, and it hasn't gotten any better--and now I have to eat about 350 more calories than I was before! It's OK though... I just have to be really selective about what foods will pack the most caloric and nutritional punch. Other than that (and some sleepless nights) everything else seems to be going well!

Can't wait to see how big my bump is going to get... I can't even imagine!