Pregnancy Calendar

With the pregnancy's absentmindedness and a deficiency with mathematics (ha!), keeping up with my weekly progress and counting out what month and trimester I've entered is tough to do... even with the help of my Outlook calendar reminders.

I visited Smith's Variety Toy & Gift Shoppe this past Saturday and found this Pregnancy Calendar to my delight!

It has a great calendar format with stickers to insert for each week, pregnancy firsts, Dr. appointments, and note sections.

Maternity Leave Proposal & Announcement to Work

What a tremendous blessing!

I disclosed my pregnancy news with my workplace and they were extraordinarily gracious and ecstatic for me. Definitely answered prayers!

My favorite thing shared with me was this from my National Director,
"there's an old Yiddish saying, 'Man makes plans. God laughs.'"

That rings true throughout my life...and goodness knows I'm thankful for it!
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One very helpful resource I wanted to share was WorkOption.com's Max Maternity Leave Planner & Proposal It assists to strategically position your maternity news in a positive light as Corporate America as a whole does not look favorably on women who become pregnant during their careers.

There is often the misconception that pregnancy by default entails reduced work ethic, a drastic change in work commitments (moving from full-time to part-time), or major career changes (as in "retirement"). And while these are real concerns of an employer, I appreciated the fresh approach from Max Maternity Leave that helped me communicate reaffirmation of my commitment to the workplace, the continued investment of time/skills/resources to further a career with my employer, and my intention to use this life changing experience to enrich myself as both a mother in my personal life and an employee in my professional life.

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My next challenge is outfitting my growing belly with work-appropriate attire. I'll be flying to Orlando for a work Conference in a few weeks and will debut the bump to colleagues and clients alike. It is certainly top-priority to be the best lookin' preggers professional ever!

Images from Isabella Oliver

14 1/2 Weeks

Stroll in the Park

Albee Baby has free Ground Shipping on order over $100 (gotta love that!)

I was searching for strollers and here are my top 3 favorite from each category: Strollers; Travel System Strollers; Jogging Strollers

Quinny Zapp Stroller in Bright Pink @ $200


Safety 1st Acella Sport Travel System in Mediterranean @ $120

Baby Trend Expedition Jogger with Swivel Wheel in Pink @ $110

Rockabye Baby

For rocking Baby...
For nursing Baby...
For burping Baby...
For holding Baby...

These glider chairs are the greatest inventions since Diaper Genies (oh man, do I already sound like one of "those moms"?). They also appear to be safer than rocking chairs (of which us Smith kids tipped over many as mischievous hooligans).

Dutailier 150103 Upholstered Glider @ $370

Anna Swivel Glider Chair @ $780

We Hear Baby!

What a blessing! Mom was in town early for my brother Josh's wedding and my third prenatal appointment was scheduled for today. We heard Baby's heartbeat on the Fetal Doppler and it was registering at ranges from 164-172 bpm.

I adore the nurses at my doctor's office. Especially since I've become pregnant, they're particularly cheery. I suppose it's always endearing/sweet/cute to see glowing preggers. Mom was able to meet my Dr. and nurse and thanked the nurse for her advice regarding screening tests. I had already concluded that unless any of the tests would aid in preventing harm/illness/poor health to Baby that there was no need to undergo them. It would only make me worry the remainder of the pregnancy and wouldn't change the health of the child anyway.

The Saturday prior, Mom and I found a great stationer's boutique in Homewood and she picked up this trinket for me. Although, of course, we already know that I'm pregnant...so that wish has come true!

It Was Made For Me!

I haven't yet decided if it would be a good investment to purchase this lovely Pottery Barn bassinet as it would probably only be used for Baby's first few months. I went to the store first-hand and with the bassinet's strong construction, it would definitely become an heirloom piece.

Pottery Barn Bassinet & Bordered Pique Bedding @ $450

Although when I saw Pottery Barn's bedding color options Online, I was floored to discover that there's a chocolate brown choice (see bottom right) that would make this bassinet a perfect match to my Master Bedroom's linens (see left). Was this fate?