19 weeks

How far along: 19 weeks

Baby's size: A Mango

My little action figure is already choreographing his own Matrix-like moves this week. Arms and legs are finally in proportion, neurons are now connected between the brain and muscles, and cartilage throughout the body is turning to bone. All these upgrades combine to give baby more control over limb movements. This totally explains all the kicking, stretching, and body surfing (or rather belly surfing)) I've been feeling! Something not so appealing (sounding) is happening this week too. Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil, and dead skin cells now coats baby's skin, shielding him from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense!)

Symptoms: I can definitely feel that my ligaments are starting to relax and joints are loosening - my lower back and shoulders haven't been feeling so great, and I can definitely notice that my abs are not as strong lately! Still feeling those round ligament pains every now and again.

Sleep: Crawling into bed at night has become one of my favorite parts of the day! I'm still sleeping pretty well, which I am very thankful for. Just this week I've started to notice that it is slightly less comfortable to sleep on my stomach. It's still ok in my comfy bed, but forget laying on the floor or outside on a beach towel! My little bump doesn't quite get out of the way like it used to! Side sleeping is becoming my new favorite position.

Total Weight Gain: I jumped 2 more pounds this week! 12 pounds

Maternity clothes: I got a whole laundry basket of maternity clothes from hubby's cousin and sister this week. Most are way to big (at this point anyway) but I'm thinking even those will come in handy late in my pregnancy. There were a few cute tops in there that I'm excited about though.

Best moment this week: Feeling the baby move Sunday night. That is by far the coolest thing yet!

Movement: Yes, finally! It feels like a little quarter flipping over in my stomach. I mostly feel him on the bottom right side, but sometimes in the middle too. Which is the same places Dr. B found his heartbeat!

Food cravings: I was really craving pancakes last weekend at the hotel, but room service wasn't serving breakfast at 2am. Go figure!?


Gender: We find out (hopefully) on July 9th! Place your vote in the sidebar!

Labor signs:

What I miss: Buttoning my pants.


What I'm looking forward to: Finding out if we're having a boy or a girl.

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): 

Milestones: Feeling the baby move.

Emotions: I'm loving the 2nd trimester of pregnancy. I feel great, people are starting to notice my growing baby bump, and every week seems to bring something new! There are still so many things to look forward to, but I'm just really enjoying everything as it comes.

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we have movement!

The coolest, most amazing thing happened last night! Hubby and I spent the weekend in the city - Saturday hubby's sister had a big 30th birthday party and then hubby and I celebrated our three year anniversary by staying at an amazing hotel downtown.

We stayed much later than we had planned, and started our three hour drive home about 10:30pm. Hubby was my hero and drove all the way home - with the assistance of a couple energy drinks. I did my best to stay awake and keep him company.

We were talking, he was in the middle of telling me something (who knows what), and suddenly I felt this really strange feeling in my lower abdomen. My stomach wasn't growling, it wasn't gas, it wasn't a cramp or the round ligament pains I've become oh-so-familiar with lately. No. It was something completely different. I interrupted hubby (very uncharacteristic of me, of course) and told him, "I think I just felt the baby!"

I had no idea if it was actually the baby I had felt. I have been watching and waiting to feel him, but had no idea what it would feel like. The rest of the way home I kept feeling the same thing every so often. With each time I become more and more convinced that it was indeed the baby. Hubby of course was so excited and wanted to feel it. He kept his hand on my stomach for probably half an hour but was never able to feel it. They are suck quick little movements, that even I have to be paying attention or I sometimes miss them.

I've continued to feel him move throughout the day today. Once I even thought I felt him from the outside, but it is so hard to tell if the feeling is coming from the outside, when you are feeling it inside as well! Hopefully hubby will be able to feel him soon! I think it would be so cool for him to experience that.

Feeling him move is by far the best feeling yet. There is nothing that makes it feel more real than actually feeling the baby move inside of you! So cool, and so strange all at the same time! Love it.

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baby has a bin!

I have been so blessed by people's excitement for us, and their out pouring of gifts already. Since we don't necessarily have a 'nursery' set up yet, all of these wonderful gifts have been simply placed in the living room, until I can figure out what to do with them. And now it has grown to quite a pile:

So I finally decided I had to do something about this pile. I first grabbed my MacBook, opened up an Excel document and recorded everything I've gotten and who it is from. I don't want to forget any of these wonderful people and their generosity. I also want to make sure I get thank you notes in the mail asap so they know how much they are appreciated.

Then of course I had to take pictures of everything so I could share them with all of you!

This adorable blanket & picture frame are from hubby's cousin and his wife.

These song CDs and Winnie the Pooh board books are from my mom.

Just look how cute these are!

We still haven't solved the issue of the nursery (more on that someday) but I figured the least I could do was organize everything in a bin, even if it is still sitting in the living room. So now the baby officially has a bin of stuff!

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wordless wednesday: 18 week bump

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18 weeks

How far along: 18 weeks

Baby's size: A Sweet Potato

Baby's becoming amazingly mobile, passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking, and swallowing. He is finally big enough that, hopefully, I'll soon be able to feel him move! Baby's nervous system is maturing rapidly too. Nerves, now covered with a substance called myelin (which speeds messages from nerve cell to nerve cell), are forming more complex connection. And those in the brain are further specializing into the ones that serve the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. His hearing is growing more acute, making him more conscious of sounds that come from inside my body.

Symptoms: Still feeling those round ligament pains every now and again - sometimes getting pretty strong. Also had more back pain this week. Thinking a chiropractor visit may be in order soon. Or at least a back massage from my mom.

Sleep: Sleeping fine. Still getting tired a little earlier at night than normal.

Total Weight Gain: 10 pounds

Maternity clothes: Still loving my hair tie solution for my pants. Some of my shorter shirts no longer feel appropriate. Maternity shirts aren't far off, but my longer shirts are great for now.

Best moment this week: I was in bed the other night pressing against my stomach to alleviate some round ligament pains I was experiencing when suddenly I discovered a round bump. I realized it must be my uterus that I was feeling for the first time! Of course I had to have hubby feel it too. He was so gentle about feeling it, it was so cute. Apparently it is now the size of a cantaloupe, something I despise - but it's exciting when it's my uterus we're talking about!

Movement: Hoping to feel them soon!

Food cravings: Still none, but I get lots of questions about them.

Gender: We find out (hopefully) on July 9th! Place your vote in the sidebar!

Labor signs:

What I miss:

What I'm looking forward to: Feeling the baby move and finding out if we're having a boy or a girl.

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): 

Milestones: Feeling my uterus.

Emotions: 

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happy father's day!

Hubby isn't really a dad yet, but I wanted to get him something for Father's Day anyway. We're big NFL football fans, and I really wanted to get him a jersey of our favorite team for the baby. However, I was very sad to find out that 12 months is the smallest they come in! Baby won't be here until near the end of the season, so he'd definitely need a newborn are at the most 3 month size. I could go ahead and buy the 12 month size anyway, and just have it really big or save it for next year. But who knows what size baby will be then, my luck it would be too small already. So sadly I walked away.

My next thought was to just get a baby onsie with the logo on it. I found a couple, but most of them don't come in very small sizes either. And if they did, I didn't like them. So I was kind of striking out on the Father's Day gift ideas.

I was at Target on Thursday and just 'happened' to be walking by the baby section and spotted this:

I fell in love.

I've been so good about not buying anything since we don't know if we're having a boy or a girl yet. But I just had to have it. The little elephants and the colors are just so darn cute! Plus hubby's nickname when he was young was elephant feet since he had such wide feet (it wasn't a mean nickname, he embraced it) so I thought he'd get a kick out of it too.

So Father's Day to my hubby! I cannot wait to see you as a dad!

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update on hubby and iPood

We finally heard back from the lab yesterday with hubby's test results. Everything was negative. As in no infection. Part of me is relieved. He is ok. He's starting to feel better too. The other part of me wishes they had found something. Then we'd have a concrete reason for why he was feeling the way he was feeling, and then they could fix it. He's had stomach issues on and off for years, and they never seem to find anything wrong. But for now he is ok, and I am happy for that!

Monday night - after spending most of the day in the clinic, and then trying to go to work for a few hours - hubby was in a lot of pain and not a very good mood. I left him on the couch and went to fill his prescription. I came home with more than just Vicodin, I found this:

Hubby and I are both huge Apple fans, so this little shirt is perfect for us. I can just imagine our little 6 month old sporting this shirt with a cute little pair of jeans ....

It made him smile, and that was all I wanted.

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17 weeks

How far along: 17 weeks

Baby's size: An Onion

Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. Body fat is also starting to accumulate, and will continue to through the end of pregnancy. By the time baby is born, body fat will make up about two-thirds of his weight. He is most certainly listening up by now. In fact, loud noises - a dog barking, the doorbell ringing - can actually startle him. His eyes (which have now finished their migration to the front of the head) are making small side-to-side movements and can even perceive some light, though the eyelids are still sealed. His umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes now feature one-of-a-kind prints. Amazing!

Symptoms: Still feeling those round ligament pains every now and again - sometimes getting pretty strong.

Sleep: Sleeping fine. Still getting tired a little earlier at night than normal.

Total Weight Gain: 9 pounds

Maternity clothes: Still loving my hair tie solution for my pants. Some of my shorter shirts no longer feel appropriate. Maternity shirts aren't far off, but my longer shirts are great for now.

Best moment this week: 

Movement: None yet, but I'm definitely starting to watch for it.

Food cravings: Still none, but I get lots of questions about them.


Gender: We find out (hopefully) on July 9th! Place your vote in the sidebar!

Labor signs:

What I miss: After cold weather at the lake this past weekend, I'm really missing the hot tub! 


What I'm looking forward to: My first ultrasound, obviously.

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): 

Milestones: 4 months! 

Emotions: 

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an ultrasound ... but not for me

Well hubby ended up getting an ultrasound before me! It's been an interesting week already, and it's only Monday.

Hubby woke up with such severe stomach pains this morning he could barely walk. I'm a bad wife and didn't realize the severity of the situation so I left for work anyway. Luckily we were staying at the lake cabin with his family, so his dad brought him into the clinic. They were concerned about his appendix and his gallbladder. He ended up spending most of the day there getting an ultrasound, a scan, and hooked up to an IV in the waiting room.

The ultrasound showed such a high white blood cell count that they were concerned he may have appendicitis, which would have meant surgery this afternoon to take out his appendix! So they wanted to confirm that with a scan. That meant sitting in the waiting room for several hours, hooked up to an IV for fluids, drinking a little cocktail about every 1/2 an hour. Thankfully the scan did not confirm appendicitis. So no surgery today!

But with white blood cell counts as high as he his the doctors are pretty sure he has some sort of infection. They want to do a few more tests, including e coli and Crohn's disease. So they took a blood sample and sent him home to get a stool sample. We're currently waiting to hear back from the lab.

*** Happy he's ok for now and praying it's nothing serious! ***

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16 weeks

How far along: 16 weeks

Baby's size: An Avocado

Tiny bones are forming on baby's ears, which means he can now pick up my voice! Baby's busily boning up in other ways too. For one, the backbone (along with the back muscles) is stronger now - strong enough, in fact, to enable baby to work on straightening his head and neck even more. A few other little changes this week: eyebrows, lashes, and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming.

Symptoms: Still feeling those round ligament pains every now and again - sometimes getting pretty strong.

Sleep: Sleeping fine. Still getting tired a little earlier at night than normal.

Total Weight Gain: 8 pounds

Maternity clothes: Still loving my hair tie solution for my pants.

Best moment this week: Hearing baby's heartbeat again, and finding out we get an ultrasound at our next appointment!

Movement: None yet, but I'm definitely starting to watch for it! 

Food cravings:  

Gender:   

Labor signs:

What I miss: Not feeling hungry all the time!  

What I'm looking forward to: Totally looking forward to the ultrasound and finding out the gender of our baby. Obviously I just want to know what we are having! But I also can't wait to start planning - nursery, clothes, etc. Oh so fun! 

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): Go to doctors appointments prepared and full of questions. You are your own best advocate! 

Milestones: 4 months! 

Emotions: 

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another visit with Dr. B

We met with the OB - let's call her Dr. B - for the second time on Friday. It was a pretty uneventful appointment. She mostly just asked how I'd been feeling; any cramping, bleeding, etc. Then she brought out the doppler, and found the heartbeat right away again - which was still just as amazing to hear!

I must have misunderstood her at my 10 week appointment. I THOUGHT she said that I WOULD get an ultrasound at the next visit, but IF she could find a "medical excuse" she would do one at this visit.

Turns out, she has to have a "medical reason" to do an ultrasound. Period. Apparently some company did a study a few years back that looked at low risk pregnancies, and whether or not the 18-20 week ultrasound made a difference in the end. They found it didn't. So of course the insurance companies jumped all over that, and now don't cover ultrasounds unless there is a medical reason to perform one.

In other words, you could technically go through your entire pregnancy without ever getting an ultrasound!?! I don't know about you, but that just doesn't sit well with me. That means they basically just go on what you say. Well, that and finding a heartbeat I guess. But there is so much that the ultrasound shows that you can't get any other way!

Thankfully, Dr. B said I'm "measuring small" so I will be getting an ultrasound next time! Phew! (I don't know if I actually AM measuring small, but I'm thinking no since she didn't even measure me ...)

We're not in love, so to speak, with Dr. B - but today we like her because she's giving us an ultrasound next time! Don't get me wrong, she's a great doctor and I have full confidence in her abilities, she just doesn't offer up a lot of extra information. Being new at this, and not necessarily the most outgoing, I would really appreciate that. But if I ask, she is more than happy to answer. So I guess I just have to come better prepared, and be a little more forward with my questions in the future! I've never been very good in the doctors office. (Part of me wishes I could still have my mom come with me!)

My ultrasound/check-up are schedule for July 9th - when I'll be 20 weeks. Again I have to wait 5 weeks between appointments, instead of 4, because of the holiday weekend. But if baby cooperates, we should be able to find out if he's a boy or a girl next time! The heartbeat was right around 140 bpm this time ... so there's another clue!

What do you think we're having? Place your vote in the side bar! Voting will stay open until July 9th at 3:15, when hopefully we'll be finding out the sex! Vote now and vote often! haha, but only if you want to.

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boy or girl?

From the very beginning hubby and I have known we would find out the sex of our baby as soon as possible. It was never really a question. Being a planner type, this is essential information for me! And, well, we just are not very patient.

This afternoon is our next dr. appointment. I'm 15 wks 3 days. She said they normally don't do ultrasounds at this stage, but if she can find a "medical reason" she'll try to find an excuse do do one!

I'm still pretty early to be able to determine the gender based on an ultrasound. But I thought IF they do one today, maybe, just maybe they'd be able to tell.

So, being the planner that I am, I thought it would be fun to use some of the Old Wives Tales that I found here, here and here to try and predict the sex! This is totally just for fun, but let's see what the Old Wives think we're having!

Photo Credit

Chinese Gender Chart: thebump.com says Girl and a few others say Boy

Baby's Heart Rate was 150bpm at our 10 week checkup: Girl

Carrying the extra weight out front (rather than hips and rear): Boy

Craving sweets, like fruit and orange juice: Girl

Besides a little nausea, I didn't have much morning sickness: Boy

Increased acne during pregnancy: Girl

Pillow faces north when I sleep: Boy

My first intuition: Boy

Hubby really wants a boy. I want a girl, but I want a boy first! So looks like we may both get our way.

What do YOU think we're having? Vote on the sidebar!

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mrs. independent

Photo Credit

I am a very strong and independent woman. I grew up on a farm, and will always be a farm girl at heart - even though I've fully embraced the city life. I had two great parents who believed in teaching us how to do things for ourselves, rather than do everything for us. They by no means left us to our own devices; they were always there to help. But they believed in us, so we believed in ourselves.

My dad taught me to change my own oil on my car. The result? I taught my hubby how when we were engaged.

When my parents moved me into my freshman dorm at college my dad said, "Ok, now set up your computer." Never mind that I had never done it before, he wanted me to try and if I had questions he would be there. The result? All the girls on my floor came to me when they had computer questions.

When I got a flat tire in high school, my dad told me to fix it myself. He'd taught me how and he had full confidence that I could do it on my own. The result? Well that time it backfired on my dad, a nice man saw me trying to get my spare out the trunk and came and did everything for me. He wouldn't even let me help.

The real result? I am a strong and independent woman who likes do do things for herself, rather then let people help me. And yes, people includes my husband. I'm not the kind of woman who sits back and waits for her husband to carry in her bag for her. (Though I love it when he does!) When getting ready for trips, I'm typically the one to load the car. In fact, just this morning hubby yelled at me for carrying in his golf clubs last night while unloading the car from the weekend. He's starting to get protective of me in my pregnant state.

Just a little side note: this does not mean that I'm a bold and outgoing person. Really the contrary is true. I'm pretty reserved and introverted. I'm fully happy letting hubby do things that involve talking to people. Calling the cable company, taking the lead in social settings, dealing with mechanics, even calling to order pizza ... all fall in hubby's duties.

But back to the independence thing. A lot of my independence comes from how I was raised, and a pride in my abilities. But a big part of it also comes from a desire to keep attention off of myself. I don't like people to fuss over me. And I certainly don't want people to think that I am incapable.

What's my point? Well being independent is great! It's not that I want to change that about myself. But it doesn't always jive so well with married life. Marriage is all about being partners - not doing everything yourself.

So it's something I've been working on for the past almost three years. But, I'll be honest, a lot of the time it's just plain easier to do things myself than to ask hubby. But with this whole, "I'm going to be a mom soon," thing I'm thinking that isn't going to be the case forever.

I'm having a hard enough time keeping up with my "wife" list of duties. And soon there will be a whole new set of "mom" duties added to that list. I'm simply going to have to learn to let hubby help with things.

Sidenote: I just realized that this makes it sound like hubby just sits on the couch watching sports center all day and night. Really that couldn't be further from the truth! He is one of the hardest working men I now! This is really more of a mental thing than a physical one.

This isn't really an earth shaking discovery. Just something that has been on my mind lately. I have a coworker who's husband never helped her with their kids - and she never asked - and to this day she resents him for it. I certainly don't think hubby will be an absent father. It's more something I want to be intentional about for myself. The last thing I want is for hubby to feel like he isn't needed, or capable, because both are so far from the truth!

Kind of an anti-climatic ending. But can anyone relate? Or have a few words of advice?

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wordless wednesday: 15 week bump

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15 weeks

Happy Memorial Day everyone! We had a great weekend at the lake with the family. Had lots of family around, including my niece (2 yr) and nephew (7 yr) yesterday! Got lots of sun time, painted the deck of the cabin, and got together with friends. Today is my SIL birthday, so we're heading back out there tonight after work to celebrate. Then this weekend we're having a big family garage sale. Should be a busy week, and a short one at that! And on to the update ...


How far along: 15 weeks

Baby's size: An Orange

Continuing the march toward normal proportions, baby's legs now out-measure his arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. His ears are positioned properly on the sides of the head now, and his eyes are moving from the side of the head to the front of the face. Baby is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though I haven't felt the movements just yet. But he's busy practicing; practicing breathing, sucking, swallowing, kicking, curling toes, and moving those little arms and legs.

Symptoms: Still feeling those round ligament pains every now and again. Other than that, feeling pretty normal.

Sleep: Sleeping fine. Still getting tired a little earlier at night than normal.

Total Weight Gain: 8 pounds. 

Maternity clothes: Still loving my hair tie solution for my pants. I did buy basic black and white maternity shirts - mine were getting a little short for my preference. I also bought a Be Band maternity white tank and black leggings. Both are great whether your pregnant or not! So comfy. We're preparing to have a big family garage sale this weekend, so I've also inherited a few summer dresses that I think will work great! Not necessarily maternity, but plenty flowy.

Best moment this week: Other people, besides immediate family, are starting to notice my baby bump! 

Movement: None yet, but I'm definitely starting to watch for it!


Food cravings: none really

Gender:  

Labor signs:

What I miss: Clear skin. My pregnancy acne just may be STARTING to clear up. But I don't want to speak to soon! **crossing fingers** 

What I'm looking forward to: My OB appointment on Friday afternoon! Hoping we'll get an ultrasound!

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): 

Milestones:

Emotions: Not so much emotional this week, as I am just overwhelmed. We have been so busy lately, and looking at the calendar for June it is just going to be plain crazy! Between work business trips and training events, friends and family coming to visit, our big garage sale this weekend, helping throw a bridal shower for a friend, and just daily life - I'm just not sure if I can keep up with it all. Not to mention that my house is seriously feeling the affects of my busy schedule. It's all stressing me out a little.


*** 15 week photo coming tomorrow! ***

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