Yup, I said it. I am constipated!

Although this is a bit personal, I don't care. I must share and those of you who know me well, probably aren't shocked that I would talk about this on the internet. Pregnancy has enlightened me with a new experience – constipation.

Typically, I am pretty "regular" and proud of it too.

Once a day, everyday. Yes!

Not when I am prego though. Ugh.

Supposedly, prenatal vitamins have more iron in them thus the clogging effect. Also, a pregnant lady's hormones are going insane and the body produces more progesterone which slows digestion.

WHATEVER. I miss my regularity. I feel gross and bloated otherwise. I have a few things that have helped me with this problem. Maybe the other new mommies or pregos can put in their two cents too!

Bran Muffins – this recipe I found on Epicurious.com and it is pretty good and simple to make. It is low calorie also! Woo hoo!

1 cup oat bran
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (spoon into a measuring cup and level top)
2/3 cup whole wheat flour (spoon into a measuring cup and level top)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup raw sugar crystals (such as Sugar in the Raw) or granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce or mashed up bananas
1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°.

Lightly spray twelve 2 1/4 x 1 1/2-inch nonstick muffin cups with oil. 2. In a medium bowl, whisk the bran, flours, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, using a handheld eletric mixer set at high speed, beat the buttermilk, sugar, applesauce or banana, egg, oil and vanilla until frothy, about two minutes. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Using a spoon, stir just until combined. Do not overmix.

Divide the batter equally among the prepared muffin cups. Bake unti the tops spring back when pressed gently in the center, about 20 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from the cups. Serve warm or cool completely on the rack.

Activia Yogurt – works well in smoothies or with some fresh fruit and granola.

"P" fruits – peaches, pears, prunes etc. I don't like prunes but bring on the peaches and pears!

Tons and tons of water – Seriously, drink a lot of water. Like at least 3 liters a day.

Baby stuff...

There is A LOT of it! I started a registry on babies r us this weekend and I spent hours on the computer looking at baby things. Literally, hours.

We have to make a shout out to Lily's b.f.f. , Zoë, and her parents, Lisa and John. They generously gave all of Zoë's newborn clothes to Lily! You guys are so awesome!! We will definitely "pay it forward" and pass on your kindness when Lily gets bigger. My parents have also given us so much - a crib, maternity clothes...

What would we do without our family and friends. We love you!

Guy's Perspective

I couldn't believe it when Heather told me we were having a baby. I think I said "You're f-ing lying!" about 20 times before I was able to understand that she wasn't playing a joke on me. I was in shock. I couldn't believe I was going to be a dad.

Heather was out of town when she told me she was pregnant, so I had several days to process this new information. I suppose it was a sort of guy instinct that whispered to me, telling me that I should get in as much video game time as possible before Heather came back, because that's basically all I did while she was gone. I had a hunch things would not be the same once Heather returned... and I was right.

I had a hard time, to be honest, during that first trimester. I had just spent a week and half going on all of the walks with the dogs while Heather was gone, and I was very much looking forward to her return so she could take care of at least one walk per day. The trouble with that idea was that when Heather got back, she was so tired that she was physically unable to muster the energy to take the dogs out. I responded in typical male style, I felt frustrated, not at Heather, but at the circumstances that had now changed so drastically, and I swallowed my frustration. I knew from reading the books that she really was extremely exhausted all the time. I knew the hard work her body was going through to create a safe healthy incubator for our baby. All of that knowledge didn't help quell those initial frustrations.

I eventually came to the realization that the major changes in my life that this baby was bringing had already begun. I shared my frustrations with Heather, as well as my new realization (perhaps a bit delayed in her mind) that life was going to be very different from now on. I started thinking more about money and things that I can do to be a supportive husband and a prepared dad. I remember sitting up until almost 3 a.m. one night reading and thinking about retirement and how my retirement and net worth will affect my child like 20 years from now. Nuts.

I think the initial frustrations are normal. For those of you men with kids, I'm wondering if you experienced similar feelings. For you men planning to have kids, don't be scared. It took me probably a few weeks too long to understand that I have a new set of priorities, but once that realization came, the cross was easier to bear. Also, at the risk of sounding unmannish or whatever, whatever problems we think we have as males adjusting to a pregnant wife, they really are going through a ton of $#!+ that we cannot comprehend.

We are now halfway through our pregnancy, and it is very exciting. Heather's energy is back, and Lily is starting to make her presence known. Right now, I'm looking forward to being able to feel Lily move. Heather has been feeling Lily move for probably a couple of weeks now, but I won't be able to feel our little girl for another 2-3 weeks. For now, I'll have to settle for listening to Lily's hearbeat on the Doppler device, and hoping she's listening when I talk to her.

I'd like to echo Heather's thanks to all of our friends and family. I don't know what we'd do without your love, support, and encouragement. We love you all very much.

Til next time...

It's a girl!

Dave and I decided to start this blog so we can share our experiences about our baby with our family and friends. We are a bit late starting this since I am just over 20 weeks along in the pregnancy. It has truly been an amazing ride!

If I could summarize the first 3 months in one word I would say, tired. I felt like I was in a coma and Dave was tired because I was in a coma. Dave has been a perfect daddy-to-be and husband. He has been working overtime with chores and taking care of the dogs. He pampers me with presents and flowers here and there. What a guy!

About 2 weeks ago, Dave and I found out we were having a baby girl. We really didn't have a preference either way. We just want a healthy baby. So far our wish has come true. The baby is doing well and I am feeling more energetic and I am definitely "showing"!

A few weeks into the pregnancy had a dream that we were going to have a girl and Dave had named her Lily Artichoke. The baby has been named Artichoke every since. Now we know we are having a girl and Lily is the only name that had made the cuts. So Lily it is for now! As far as Artichoke, I found a Greek root word for global artichoke - Cynara (we like to pronounce it sin-are-uh). It was meant to be! Lily Cynara McDonald...our baby girl!