26 Weeks!

How far along are you?  26 weeks
How big is baby?  Measurements are similar to last week since baby is putting on more fat at this point - s/he should be around 13.6-14.8" and 1.5-2.5 lbs.
Maternity clothes?  Most of the time with a few exceptions.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  Around 14-15 lbs.
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  I am SO exhausted, but I toss and turn all night.
Best moment this week:  After I came home from my final last Wednesday, I had a mysterious package.  It turns out that my friend MacKenzie from Dust Bunnies and Baby Giggles sent our little Bean his/her first Christmas present!  It was the Fisher Price Soothe & Glow Seahorse!  It totally made my week :)
Any Movement?  Yes, very consistently
Food Cravings?  Clementines.  Lots and lots of them.
Food Aversions?  None
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Nothing I can think of.
What are you looking forward to:  Christmas this weekend!  I can't believe it's here already!
What was the BEST part of this week?  Taking a half day and spending time with Mike on Monday.
What was the WORST part of this week?  I had a crappy day on Friday.

26 weeks!

Phew, I finally got the blog all caught up!  I apologize to all of you who reminded me (and those of you who didn't) about my delay in getting my posts up the last two weeks.  I wrote them and emailed them to myself, but I never got around to posting them with everything going on at school.  But it's all over now and I'm free!  Now I get to focus my energy on all things baby-related. :)

I know this was in my weekly post, but 24 weeks marked viability for our little Bean and I'm really happy about it!  Ever since I found out I was pregnant, I set little milestones for myself... 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 2nd tri, 20 weeks, and finally viability!  Now I'm only a few days away from the 3rd trimester and I can't even believe it.  This baby is going to be here before we know it!

On my birthday, Mike and I finally built the baby's dresser.  That same day, our crib and changing table also came in, so we built those as well!  I'm so excited that the nursery is starting to come together, and I love to just go spend time in there thinking about the little guy or girl that will be occupying the space in 3(ish) short months.  Now that school is over, I can finally start thinking about decorating and making it perfect for our Bean.

Other than being busy with school stuff, life has been great.  The baby is super active all of the time and definitely growing (because I'm definitely growing!)  S/he loves his/her Daddy a ton already.  I don't know how s/he knows, but every time Mike puts his hand on my belly (EVERY time) s/he flips out.  I just don't know how s/he knows it's him!  So many people touch my belly lately, but Mike always gets the same reaction.  Other than Mike eliciting special movement, the baby has very predictable sleep/wake patterns.  For the most part, s/he is awake in the mornings from 7ish-9ish and then has scarce movements throughout the day.  In the evenings and especially around 9:30-10 p.m. s/he is usually very active.  Today, however, s/he has been a complete maniac!  I have no idea what is going on, but I am feeling kicks and punches all over the place.  I hope that this means that the s/he is flipping head down if s/he's not already.

On Friday we went for our 25 week appointment and everything was great.  Baby's heart rate was 145 bpm and my fundal height (belly measurement) was 25", which is right on target for 25 weeks.  I have to go tomorrow morning for my glucose tolerance test (to check for gestational diabetes) and 3rd trimester blood work.  Friday should be a short day of work, and then we have Christmas festivities this weekend and New Year's next weekend!  The following Saturday (1/7/12) is our birthing/pain management class and hospital tour.  Time is just flyingggg by!

Mike and I keep thinking about how last year all we wanted for Christmas was a baby, and now we're on our way there.  We are so blessed!

25 Weeks!

How far along are you?  25 weeks - only about 15 weeks left!
How big is baby?  Baby is about the size of an eggplant this week, measuring up to 14.8" and weighing in anywhere from 1.5-2.5 lbs.
Maternity clothes?  Pretty much all of the time, with a few exceptions.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  Anywhere from 13-15 lbs, depending on how much I've eaten ;)
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  Yes, please!  I'm back at the point where I could fall asleep at any moment.
Best moment this week:  ...will be tonight after I finish my last final of the semester.
Any Movement?  All of the time
Food Cravings?  Clementines, strawberries, yogurt
Food Aversions?  None
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Clothes that fit well and look nice
What are you looking forward to:  Having this semester behind me
What was the BEST part of this week?  So far?  Finishing my final this weekend and turning in my 22 page paper.
What was the WORST part of this week?  Studying for my final tonight.

25 weeks!

24 Weeks!

How far along are you?  24 weeks!
How big is baby?  Measurements for baby are starting to get more vague, but s/he should be between 10.5-11.8" and up to 20.8 ounces.
Maternity clothes?  Most of the time with a few exceptions.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  Around 13 lbs
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  I'll take all I can get, thankyouverymuch!
Best moment this week:  My birthday :)
Any Movement?  All of the time
Food Cravings?  Nothing really
Food Aversions?  None
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Having a life, although this is unrelated to being pregnant.
What are you looking forward to:  School being over next week.
What was the BEST part of this week?  Spending my birthday with Mike.
What was the WORST part of this week?  All of the tests/stress in school!

24 weeks!

24 weeks marks a viable pregnancy!  Although we want the baby to continue growing as an inside baby, s/he now has a chance of survival outside of the womb.  This is just another milestone that we've been looking forward to and we're so thankful that we've made it this far!

23 Weeks!

How far along are you?  23 weeks
How big is baby?  This week baby is more than 11" long and weighs more than a pound!
Maternity clothes?  Most of the time, though I still wear non-maternity sometimes.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  Ha - I'm not getting on the scale after all I've eaten in the last week!
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  I'm so desperate for some good, quality sleep.  Although, baby did let me sleep in until 8:30 last weekend...woohoo.
Best moment this week:  Thanksgiving was a great day :)
Any Movement?  So often!  Now we've even had family members begin to feel our little Bean.
Food Cravings?  Salad and Thanksgiving leftovers.
Food Aversions?  Still no aversions, but things taste weird lately and most food is very unappealing.
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Sleeping well, not having a constant backache...
What are you looking forward to:  My birthday is on Sunday!
What was the BEST part of this week?  Getting to spend 3 days with Mike, buying the crib, decorating for Christmas... it was a great week :)
What was the WORST part of this week?  My little sister fainting on Wednesday morning and having to take her to the hospital! :(

23 weeks and getting bigger!

I have so much to report from the past week!  First of all, I'm sorry for the delayed posts.  I always start them and then get side tracked... and then I completely forget until I someone says, "hey, are you going to update your blog soon?"  The next 2 weeks are going to be really crazy with school, but after that I should be good with time to update!  Also, I should note that I think I finally "popped."  In the last 2ish weeks I feel like I'm finally starting to look more pregnant and less like I've just been eating too much.  I can definitely see a change in my weekly bump photos, though!

Thanksgiving was wonderful and just what I needed.  I am SO thankful this year.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and of course I'm thankful every year, but this year is special.  Last year at Thanksgiving and over the winter holidays, all I wanted was to be pregnant and have the opportunity to be a mom.  Now here I am.  I can't even type that out without it bringing tears to my eyes.  I have a great husband and the best family in the world and now I get to add my very own little angel to the mix.  Life just doesn't get any better.  I was reading back on old posts and even my very first one mentioned how blessed and thankful I am for this baby.  I don't think a day has gone by where I don't wake up and thank God for this baby, nor do I go to bed without thanking Him again and praying for this little miracle that we have.  However, I know I've said this before and I'll say it again, I do feel a little guilty that Mike doesn't have the same intimate connection with our baby that I do.  This little guy or girl is absolutely everything to me, and I hate that he doesn't get the same moments that I do.  Even though I'm a little apprehensive about having to share the baby with everyone, I can't help but to fantasize about the day that the two loves of my life finally meet.  I can't think of anything sweeter.  Until then, I plan on enjoying every little kick and punch and gymnast move in my belly... except for the ones on my bladder.  So not cool.

After our Thanksgiving feast, Mike and I headed out on our annual Black Friday shopping excursion with family and friends.  This year we decided to switch it up a bit and go out at midnight since so many of our favorite stores were opening early.  We were able to hit Kohl's, Target, Macy's, Bath & Body Works, the Disney Store, Yankee Candle, Toys 'R Us/Babies 'R Us, Hallmark, and Sephora all before 7 am!  I was super prepared this year with my list and coupons and finished most of my shopping!  We also made a special trip to the local TRU/BRU so that we could buy our crib and changing table.  Babies 'R Us was having a Black Friday special and offering both the Graco Lauren crib and matching changing table for $148!  I also had a $10 off coupon, so after taxes it only cost us $147!  A few weeks ago, I ordered our nursery dresser (which also matches the crib), so altogether our nursery furniture cost us less than $350.  Not too shabby!

Our baby's nursery furniture!  (Note: this is not our nursery)  [Photo courtesy of babiesrus.com]

Baby's dresser!  I can't wait to fill it with clothes!  [Photo courtesy of jcpenney.com]

All-in-all it was a wonderful week!  Now I'll be thankful if baby and I make it through the end of the semester and finals!

22 Weeks!

How far along are you?  22 weeks!
How big is baby?  Baby is about the size of a papaya this week
Maternity clothes?  Most of the time, but haven't fully transitioned yet.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +10-11 lbs
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  I am so tired and I sleep terribly!
Best moment this week:  Mike spending so much time feeling the hard baby kicks lately :)
Any Movement?  Constantly!
Food Cravings?  Still salad, but I'm also really looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner.  Yum!
Food Aversions?  No aversions, but very little sounds good/tastes good.
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Feeling rested
What are you looking forward to:  Thanksgiving and 3 days with Mike!
What was the BEST part of this week?  Being pregnant and having my little guy/girl with me all of the time is the best part of every week.
What was the WORST part of this week?  Nothing :)

22 weeks and starting to show it!

21 Weeks!

How far along are you?  21 weeks... already.
How big is baby?  Baby is about the size of a banana this week, 10.5" and over 13 oz. (my pregnancy info says 12.5 oz., but I know my child is bigger than that already.)
Maternity clothes?  Still gradually converting.  I'm wearing them most of the time now.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  Hovering around 10-11 lbs.
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  It varies from night to night.  Some nights are okay, but others have been awful.
Best moment this week:  Seeing our little angel at our ultrasound
Any Movement?  Every day! :)
Food Cravings?  Salad.  All I want in life is salad.
Food Aversions?  No aversions, but nothing sounds good.
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  A good night's sleep.
What are you looking forward to:  Thanksgiving next week!
What was the BEST part of this week?  Having Mike finally feel kicks!!
What was the WORST part of this week?  Finding out the baby has pyelectasis at our ultrasound :(

21 weeks - my nighttime belly

I was going to do a separate post about our anatomy scan, but I couldn't pull it together, so I didn't.  In all it was a good appointment.  We found out our baby is 13 oz already!!  I thought that was huge, and even asked if it was big.  The doctor told us that normal range is 10-14 oz, so we were within those parameters (but still, OMG).  We got to see all of our little angel's organs, body parts, the most beautiful little spine, 10 fingers and distinct toes (they can't count toes yet), and, just barely, the sweetest little profile.  Baby was giving the technician a hard time about turning off his/her belly so that we could get the final few necessary photos (and our souvenir profile shot), so I had to do acrobatics on the table to try and get him/her to flip.  No such luck.  My kid's stubborn... hm, must get that from Dad. ;)  Anyway, the doctor came in to try and get the last shot and baby still hadn't flipped, so after digging into me for a few minutes (seriously, ow!), baby finally gave in and gave us an okay profile.  And by okay, I mean, my child flipped over and then tilted his/her head all of the way backwards.  Did I mention my kid is stubborn?

After the scan, the doctor mentioned that the baby's kidney measurements were a little larger than normal and asked us to meet him in his office to discuss the issue.  Basically, the urine-holding area in both of the baby's kidneys had more urine than they like to see.  The doctor explained that I had plenty of amniotic fluid (essentially the baby's pee), which indicates that there is enough urine output, but there could be a blockage in the urethras that lead from the bladder to the kidneys, or reflux from the bladder into the kidneys.  The condition is called pyelectasis, but he said that we only had mild dilation of the renal pevlis in both kidneys, so not to worry too much.  He also mentioned that it does clear up prior to birth in about 50% of cases.  We have to go back between 34-36 weeks to have a follow-up ultrasound to check to see if the situation is cleared up.

Even though I've had a whole weekend to digest this information, I'd be lying if I said I'm not a little upset.  I know there's nothing I can do (I asked), but I wish there was.  If I had to stand on my head and eat snails for the remainder of my pregnancy, I would do it if it meant my baby was going to be completely healthy.  Unfortunately that's not the way things work.  So, for the next 14 weeks I'm just going to pray that this issue gets resolved... and try not to make myself crazy with worry.

Half-Baked!

How far along are you?  20 weeks - halfway!!
How big is baby?  This week baby is over 10 ounces and 6.5" from crown to bottom OR 10" from head to toe.  Apparently from now on, baby will be measured from head to toe :)
Maternity clothes?  I'm gradually converting to full-time maternity clothes.  They don't always fit well (ugh), but I don't want to ruin my non-maternity clothes either.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  Anywhere from 8-10 lbs.
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  Horrible.  Absolutely horrible.  If I can sleep, I'm waking up a million times to pee, but lately I've been having trouble falling/staying asleep.
Best moment this week:  Feeling the baby move from the outside for the first time.
Any Movement?  Yes, lots of movement now.
Food Cravings?  Salad and orange juice.  I can't get enough.
Food Aversions?  I'm not really loving food right now, nothing (other than the above) really sounds great.
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Not having to pee all of the time.
What are you looking forward to:  I am really looking forward to Mike feeling kicks!
What was the BEST part of this week?  Feeling my little Bean kicking my hand.
What was the WORST part of this week?  How crappy my sleep has been!

20 Weeks!  Our Bean is half-baked! :)

Halfway!!  I can't even believe it!  This pregnancy is flyingggg by.  It feels like just yesterday I found out I was pregnant and now I'm at the beginning of the end of my pregnancy.  It's kind of bittersweet, honestly.  I know that towards the end I'm probably going to be singing a different tune, but I kind of wish that things would slow down a bit.  Between work and school and all of the other things we have going on, I feel like I'm missing my pregnancy.  That doesn't make much sense though, because I still honestly have a moment every day where I stop and feel the baby kicking the crap out of me, and think that I am SO blessed.  This baby really is my miracle.  Not to mention that we have a family full of people who are anxiously awaiting the Bean's arrival.  Plus, I have the most wonderful husband, who is inevitably going to be the most amazing father.  It really is a great support system.  So, even though I am taking the time to enjoy this pregnancy, I still feel like I'm missing it.  I feel like that makes no sense, but makes complete sense to me... if that makes sense ;).

Speaking of feeling the baby kick every day, we have been having some serious mommy to baby talks lately.  For whatever reason (I'm convinced Mike told him/her to do it), my little angel seems to think my bladder is some kind of soccer ball/kickball/football.  I don't know if I have a little punter in there or not, but it's seriously uncool.  To top it off, when I grimace as my bladder takes a beating, I have the always lovely unwelcome advice brigade who tell me, "Just wait until the baby gets bigger and does that."  Mike says that telling people to shut the ____ (fill in the blank) up is not an appropriate response, but I beg to differ.  Do we need another blog post on the unwelcome advice?

We have been waiting for Black Friday before we buy the crib, in hopes we can score a good deal, so it won't be too much longer with an empty nursery!  I think we also found the perfect dresser, too (that we'll also use as a changing table).  I guess that means that either this weekend or next, we will be steam cleaning the carpet and finishing the paint touch ups.  I'm so excited to get some furniture in there, so that I can decorate!

Oh, baby.

Two nights ago, my little Bean was going absolutely nuts.  The more I poked and prodded him/her, the more of a response that I got. (Sidenote: OMG, melted my heart!)  Finally, I put my hand on my belly to see if I could feel anything and I got a huge kick and some sort of roll that went all of the way down my hand!  It was the single most amazing thing EVER.

I can't wait for Mike to feel him/her.  Hopefully, s/he cooperates!

19 Weeks!

How far along are you?  19 weeks!
How big is baby?  Baby is about the size of a mango this week!
Maternity clothes?  I'm loving the length of the maternity tops!  I also bought 2 pairs of maternity jeans, but that was a partial failure.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +8-9ish lbs.  It varies so much that I never know for sure.
Stretch marks?  No
Sleep?  Sleep has been great lately.  I barely wake up to even pee!  annnnd that probably just jinxed me.
Best moment this week:  Celebrating our 3 year anniversary on Saturday :)
Any Movement?  Tons and tons of movement.
Food Cravings?  Wholesome/hearty foods, veggies/salads
Food Aversions?  Nothing I can think of.
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Having clothes that fit properly.
What are you looking forward to:  I am really looking forward to Mike feeling kicks!
What was the BEST part of this week?  Our anniversary on Saturday!
What was the WORST part of this week?  5" of snow in October???  Ew.

19w1d

Someone recently asked me whether or not I was feeling movement.  When I said yes, she responded, "Welcome to the best part of your pregnancy.  Enjoy it while you can!"  I honestly believe she was right.  I'm no longer the sick, exhausted mama struggling to get through every. single. day.  While I'm still very tired, I don't feel like I'm going to pass out at any moment of the day.  Plus, feeling the baby move is the single most surreal/exciting/amazing/weird feeling ever.  For the last 16 weeks I have been thinking about/worrying about/praying for this baby and now I have the daily reminder that s/he is healthy and strong.  It is such a relief!  I honestly feel like I missed out on the "flutters" that people talk about all of the time.  For a long time I was feeling a "brushing" feeling, and now I'm just getting kicked and jabbed constantly!  I have no idea what my little Bean could possibly be doing in there, but sometimes the intensity shocks me!  My favorite movements are when Mike puts his hand on my belly, though.  I don't know how the baby knows, but s/he LOVES his/her daddy!  As soon as Mike puts his hand on my belly, s/he goes crazy!  Lately we've been spending a lot of time with me asking, "did you feel that?" "how about that?" "OMG, you had to have felt THAT?"  Unfortunately, Mike hasn't felt anything yet, but I know it's only a matter of time now.  Sometimes I feel a little guilty that I get more time and a more personal experience with our little guy/girl, but then I remember the all-day sickness. ;)

Right now I'm at a very awkward stage of pregnancy.  I feel pregnant, I feel like I look pregnant, but other people can't necessarily tell I'm pregnant.  Because I'm not sporting a very large bump yet, I've been holding off on buying maternity clothes until I need them, but I finally invested in some tops last week and I'm really glad I did.  I love how long the maternity tops are, especially since I have a longer midsection to begin with.  This past weekend, Mike and I also ventured out to try to find some maternity jeans.  I've heard that if I keep wearing my regular jeans, I will stretch them out so much that they won't fit the same when I'm no longer pregnant.  I've tried maternity jeans at Target, Old Navy, and Kohl's so far, and I wasn't able to find any that fit properly (read: not too baggy).  Gap and A Pea in the Pod were just too pricey (although, I'm hoping to get a Gap sale soon).  I was really hoping that a maternity store would have clothes that fit better, so we hit up Destination Maternity.  Fail.  Epic, gigantic, horrendous FAIL.  Nothing there fit.  At one point I asked the salesperson if I was due to grow another ass in the next 20 weeks because the back of the jeans came up to my bra... and then subsequently sagged.  Everything was huge.  I felt bad for her, because she acknowledged that nothing fit me, but still pulled every pair of jeans in the store for me.  Nothing fit at all.  Of course my crazy pregnancy hormones put me into a tizzy and I ended up crying.  Finally, Mike and I tried JC Penney, where we found more horrendous jeans.  Then, by some miracle, I found a pair that fit relatively well (read: didn't have room for 2 of me in them).  I ended up buying 2 pairs there - the miracle jeans, and another pair that I bought in my emotional state.  I'm sure you've realized by now that the second pair that I bought don't fit.  I took the tags off and tried to wear them, and they're HUGE.  Absolutely enormous.  So, I officially have 1 pair of appropriate maternity jeans now.  Oh, and I should mention that they're the Common Genes brand... just in case anyone else is in the same situation.

Saturday Mike and I also celebrated our 3rd anniversary!  Despite the snow, we had a great day together.  It was strange knowing that this will be our last year just the two of us.  By the time we have our 4th anniversary, we'll have a 7-month old!  Crazyyyy.  Sometimes it's hard to not wish away the time between now and when the baby comes, but I'm really trying to slow down and enjoy the short amount of time I have left during this pregnancy.  Plus, I want to soak up the time that Mike and I have left just the 2 of us.  It'll be gone before I know it!  Nonetheless, it's a really good place to be in.  For now, I'll enjoy time with my baby and time with my husband, but it won't be long until I get to enjoy being a family of three!

18 Weeks!

How far along are you?  18 weeks!
How big is baby? S/he is about the size of a sweet potato this week - almost 6" long and over 6 ozs!
Maternity clothes?  I'm not wearing them yet, but I ordered a ton last week :)
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +6 lbs, give or take
Stretch marks?  No
Sleep?  Has been really disjointed lately.  I wake up a lot to toss and turn.
Best moment this week:  Probably when I gave myself a bloody nose on Friday.  That's talent.
Any Movement?  This morning I woke up to baby acrobatics :)  One of us was really excited to be awake!
Food Cravings?  Wholesome/hearty foods, veggies/salads
Food Aversions?  I feel like there's always foods that make me feel gross, but I can never think of them when I'm blogging
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Not having so many restrictions
What are you looking forward to:  Mike being able to feel kicks/movement
What was the BEST part of this week?  I made it through...does that count?
What was the WORST part of this week?  Not being able to dissect a heart because I'm pregnant :(

18w1d

Whoops!  It looks like I've gotten into a bad habit of not posting my blogs in time.  I've decided that I'm just going to post them as I complete them and worry about the bump pictures later.  I've been taking the photos, but with school and work and everything else that's been going on, I don't always have time to upload/crop/post them.  I'll do my best to get them up before 19 weeks!

18 weeks has been very eventful thus far!  Apparently my little Phanatic is really excited about being 18 gestational weeks old today, because when I woke up s/he was throwing a little party in there.  Either that or s/he is a morning person... which scares me. ;)  Either way, I made sure to enjoy his/her acrobatics performance before getting out of bed.  It's funny because sometimes Mike and I will be together and I'll tell him, "your baby is moving," but of course it's too early for him to feel anything.  I'm excited for the day that he'll get to feel the baby on the outside.  Hopefully it's only a few weeks away! :)

Other than increased/stronger baby movements, I think we may be moving towards the fabled 2nd trimester "energy" resurgence.  Although, I *think* people may use the term energy loosely.  If by energy they mean I don't feel like I'm going to fall into a narcoleptic coma at any moment of the day, then I'm there!  Although, I still think people have no idea what they're talking about and/or are overly optimistic.  But hey, it's better than thinking about the fact that I'm almost halfway to the point where I have to get this baby out.... somehow.  Moving on...

Like usual, our to-do list is growing, growing, growing!  We should be going to do our hospital tour and any birthing classes during second trimester (the OB recommends going during second tri in case you go into labor prematurely), however with school/work schedules and the holidays coming up, that may not be possible.  Oh well, I'll be in the very beginning of third tri come 2012 (omg, am I really talking about 2012???), so it shouldn't be too bad.  We're also on the lookout for baby's crib!  Hopefully we'll be able to get a good deal around Black Friday, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't super excited to get some furniture in the nursery.  Although, it probably won't be a good idea to put furniture in since I haven't steam cleaned the carpet yet.  Yes, it's on the list!  Other than that, I'm still on a major mission to organize the whole house.  With the amount of crap baby items on the registry, we are going to need to make sure that everything has a place.

Other than all of that, this weekend will mark Mike and my 3rd anniversary!  Baby and I are really excited for our anniversary dinner this weekend, although I can't believe it will be our last anniversary just the two of us.  It's crazy how quickly everything is changing, although we wouldn't change it for the world!  What a great gift this year. :)

17 Weeks!

How far along are you?  17 weeks!
How big is baby?  Our little Bean is about the size of an onion now :)
Maternity clothes?  Not yet
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +5-6 lbs
Stretch marks?  No
Sleep?  I can't get enough!
Best moment this week:  Starting our baby registries :)  It's getting real now!
Any Movement?  A little here and there
Food Cravings?  Honeycrisp apples, peanut butter, spicy foods
Food Aversions?  Nothing I can think of
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Not being so exhausted all of the time.
What are you looking forward to:  Finishing the nursery
What was the BEST part of this week?  Being productive!  Getting our registries started and a ton of projects completed at home.
What was the WORST part of this week?  Going home sick from work yesterday because I may have overdone it :-/

17 Weeks!

16 Weeks!

How far along are you?  16 weeks!
How big is baby?  Baby is about the size of an avocado this week!
Maternity clothes?  Still negative, although I think I should start investing in a few for future use.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +5 lbs, give or take
Stretch marks?  No
Sleep?  I have never been so tired in my life.  It is worse now than during first tri.
Best moment this week:  Finishing the majority of the painting in the nursery!
Any Movement?  For the past 5 days or so, I have been having some weird feelings that I think may be the baby.  They are very light and sporadic, so maybe :)
Food Cravings?  Mexican food, honeycrisp apples, cheese, spicy foods
Food Aversions?  Nothing right now
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  With all of these headaches, I would love to be able to take better headache medicine than regular strength Tylenol
What are you looking forward to:  I'm so excited for my 16 week appointment on Friday, even though I know it will be no big deal.
What was the BEST part of this week?  Getting so much accomplished this weekend.
What was the WORST part of this week?  The Phillies losing the NLDS :'(

16 Weeks, 1 Day AND a preview of the nursery color! :)

Blog overload this week.  I have been waiting and waiting for some time to upload my 15 week bump photo (so I could finally post my written, but not published blog post) and now it's already week 16!  Oh well, we got so much accomplished, I don't even care.

As of my last post the nursery had been totally emptied.  On Tuesday night, I vacuumed it out and cleaned the (disgustingly dirty) trim.  Once all of that was done, I did the first coat of paint on the trim, which took wayyyy longer than I had anticipated!  On Wednesday night, my mom came over to help me do the second coat of the trim.  Since it went significantly faster, she suggested that we just roll the paint onto the walls to get a head start.  Even though I was nervous about our paint choice (don't ask me why), the color was awesome!  Once we finished, we realized that the paint itself went on so great and covered so well that Mike and I probably wouldn't need to do a second coat.  HALLELUJAH!  While I was at work on Friday, Mike hung the ceiling fan, swapped out all of the receptacles, and taped off the dry trim and ceiling.  That night, we finished the edging and Saturday morning I did a few touch ups.  After removing all of the tape, there are a few areas that need to be touched up, but nothing significant.  I am so thrilled to cross all of that off my to do list!

Because of other projects we have going on, I may have definitely overdid it this weekend.  I took my usual midday nap on both Saturday and Sunday, but by Sunday afternoon I woke up feeling awful.  My head was throbbing and my body was screaming at me to just go to bed.  I attempted to study and tidy up, but I barely got anything accomplished.  I feel like sometimes it's hard for me to accept that I can't do the things that I could do before.  I can't go go go anymore, and it's a bitter pill to swallow.  Not only am I used to doing everything myself (it's kind of hard not to when you work opposite shifts with your husband), but with a baby on the way, I have more to do than ever.  Ironic, huh?

Other than the horrendous exhaustion (seriously, whoever said you get your energy back in second tri is a liar...at least so far), I have a fun new symptom: burning, watery eyes.  Thankfully one of my "helpful" pregnancy websites let me know that this is totally normal.  Awesome.  Add that to the non-stop headaches and the borderline narcolepsy and you have a party!  I also wake up a bajillion times a night to pee.  It is unbelievable.  Some nights I really feel like I don't even fall asleep between pee breaks.  Of course I do, but it doesn't feel like it.  Oh, and the first person to tell me (on this blog or in real life) that this is just preparing me for life with a newborn is going to get punched.  In the face.  You've been warned.  Please refer to this post regarding your opinion.  In all seriousness, I know these symptoms are no big deal in the long run.  I have had a very easy, stress-free, and happy pregnancy thus far and I really pray that it stays that way.

This may be a weird thing to say, but it's my blog and if you don't like it, I don't actually care.  Anyway, I find it weird that I have such an attachment to this baby already.  Not the fact that I love the baby, I don't find that weird at all.  I love this baby so much I can hardly stand it, but I'm also very attached to him/her.  I get so excited thinking about giving birth and having my baby on the outside.  I wonder what s/he will look like, whose features his/her little face will favor, what color hair s/he'll have, if any.  But all of those thoughts culminate in a bit of sadness thinking that our days together will be over.  In my head the two of us are our own little team.  I like to refer to us as "us".  I always talk to Mike about both of us, how our day went, what we're up to, if one of us is causing the other exhaustion/heartburn/sickness.  I feel like this is normal for a point in pregnancy, but not necessarily now.  For example, we don't really interact.  I don't feel strong, definitive kicks and jabs from him/her.  I don't know when s/he's awake or sleeping.  I can't poke my belly and expect a response.  I don't know what foods stimulate him/her.  Nonetheless, even typing all of that makes me teary-eyed (damn hormones), because I am SO attached to him/her I WANT to know these things.  We're a team, remember?  I may have officially jumped off the pregnancy deep end...

15 Weeks!

How far along are you?  15 weeks!  5 more weeks until we're halfway :)
How big is baby?  S/he is about the size of a navel orange/apple this week, measuring about 4" and 2.5 ounces.
Maternity clothes?  I think the Bean is moving up into my abdomen because I can button my jeans again!
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +5 lbs, give or take
Stretch marks?  No
Sleep?  I am so exhausted, but waking up more and more to pee through the night.
Best moment this week:  Finally cleaning out the whole nursery!
Any Movement?  Still nothing...
Food Cravings?  Lots of Mexican food, honeycrisp apples, yogurt, pasta, anything spicy
Food Aversions?  Nothing I can think of, though I know there are some.
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Lately I've been dying for a long hard workout.  Something that will leave me sore for days.
What are you looking forward to:  I'm looking forward to feeling the baby more than anything.
What was the BEST part of this week?  Meeting up with friends for dinner on Monday.
What was the WORST part of this week?  The Phillies' loss on Sunday.

15 Weeks!

This is going to be a short post because I'm busy working on the nursery!  We finally have everything all cleaned out, a ceiling fan purchased, paint and supplies acquired, and we're ready to go.  This weekend we cleaned out the remainder of the items from the nursery, so I am spending time this week painting the trim and we will do the walls this weekend!  I cleaned everything from top to bottom before painting, so once we're done all we have to do is clean the carpet.  I am so excited :)  Anyway, if I spend too long posting here, I won't have time to do everything I need to, so keep watch for nursery progress soon!

14 Weeks!

How far along are you?  14 weeks (holy crap)
How big is baby?  My little bean is already the size of a lemon - 3.5 inches!
Maternity clothes?  Still just the hair tie.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  I haven't weighed myself since eating my body weight in junk this weekend.
Stretch marks?  No
Sleep?  Yes, please.
Best moment this week:  "Officially" making it to second tri!  We're 1/3 of the way there :)
Any Movement?  Not yet, but I'm getting anxious!  Only a few more weeks!
Food Cravings?  Lots of Mexican food, honeycrisp apples, yogurt, pasta, anything spicy
Food Aversions?  I'm doing pretty good with eating now
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Honestly?  Not looking so chubby.
What are you looking forward to:  Feeling baby kicks, our 20-week ultrasound, getting the nursery painted
What was the BEST part of this week?  Spending quality time with Mike :)
What was the WORST part of this week?  My no-good, very bad Thursday.

 

 

14w1d

Finding my voice

Something I've always struggled with is telling people no.  For whatever reason I roll myself out like a welcome mat for people to come and go across as they please.  There are people who don't take advantage of that, of course, but many who do.  In that same way, I find difficulty in telling people when they are upsetting me, offending me, or are generally out of line.  Since being pregnant, this is an even bigger problem.  Why you ask?  Because everyone has an opinion that you MUST know.

I can't even begin to express how obnoxious it is to constantly have everyone telling me what I should/shouldn't be doing, how I should/shouldn't be doing it, and why I'm wrong.  It doesn't matter that I discuss things with my OB, because apparently once the second line appears on that pregnancy test, everyone you know becomes an expert.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are many valuable things I can learn from people who have been there and done that, but (BUT) that doesn't mean I need to be told what do to all of the time.  The thing is, I DON'T CARE what you, your sister, your friend did while they were pregnant.  That is not my life, my child, my pregnancy.  The only opinions that really matter to me are mine, my husband's, my OB's, and/or any other professional that can give me insight.

In that same way, everyone who is pregnant at the same time with you wants to be pregnancy buddies.  They want to compare what's going on with them and what's going on with you...even if it's totally normal for things to be different.  Just like opinions, I don't WANT a pregnancy buddy.  I already have a pregnancy buddy - s/he is growing up a storm and sucking all of my energy.  We're good.  We don't want you to compare yourself to us friends.  I don't understand why this is a foreign concept.  I don't want you to touch my belly (uhh, hello, you're not going to feel anything), to tell me I'm looking bigger (well, you look like a whale yourself), to explain to me what's going on with my body since this isn't your first time (yeah, I can read WTE too), or anything else for that matter.  We're pregnant together at the same time.  Pure coincidence, and not something I ever in a million years would have planned.  So here's my excitement.  You ready for it?  Really ready?  Whoopie.  That's the best you're going to get out of me.

Now mix all of that with the boatload of hormones I'm dealing with and you'll see my dilemma.  Some days I want to break out into a complete sobbing mess.  Bring on the tissues because the flood gates are opening.  Others days I'm literally thinking of the best way to hide the body from the cops (oh, I've thought of a few good ones).  Seriously, I'm going to sell my tips to gangsters for extra money on maternity leave.  Most days, though, I'm dreading my next interaction with someone who is going to start with me.  I really need to find the best way to tell people that I don't give a crap about what they have to say, and my quota of pregnancy buddies is full.  Thankyouverymuch.

Once that happens I'll write a book and be rich forever.  Until then, I may very well be plotting your death.

13 Weeks!

How far along are you?  13 weeks
How big is baby?  Baby's about the size of a peach this week!
Maternity clothes?  Nope, still using the hair tie mostly.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  Still around 2-3 lbs depending on the day
Stretch marks?  No
Sleep?  I'll take as much as I can get!
Best moment this week:  Hearing the doctor tell me I have a nice healthy baby on Thursday :)
Any Movement?  Still too early, but it won't be long now
Food Cravings?  Lots of Mexican food, fruit, and protein
Food Aversions?  Pretty much the same
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Not questioning, or being questioned about, everything I do.  I want to do everything perfectly for the baby, but it's hard to balance perfection and real life.  I just wish people would keep their criticism to themselves.
What are you looking forward to:  Having a real bump, feeling the baby move, second trimester (woohoo!!)
What was the BEST part of this week?  Just getting to spend some time with Mike.  He's such a great husband and he's going to be a great dad!
What was the WORST part of this week?  My mother-in-law going into the hospital.

13w1d - I think I feel much larger than I look!

SO, I'm not "officially" in second trimester until Friday, but let's just throw caution to the wind for a second and say I MADE IT!  I am so excited!  I don't know why second tri is so important to me though.  I mean, I've heard the Bean's heartbeat more times than I can count, I've seen him/her on two different ultrasounds measuring perfectly, and I just had my OB tell me that as of right now, everything is great.  All I know is that I'll take any milestone (no matter how small) when it comes to our baby, because I don't think I'll breathe a sigh of relief until s/he is in my arms... and even then I'll probably check constantly to see if s/he's breathing!

As far as symptoms go, I am relieved to say that I haven't gotten sick in over 3 weeks now!  Although I've heard sickness can return in the third trimester, I'm thankful to see it gone for now.  I do still have days where I'm nauseous or where I think I'll get sick, but luckily nothing more than that.  I still really miss my energy as well.  I always know when 3:00 rolls around because I get hit with a terrible wave of exhaustion and I can barely keep my eyes open.  It's hard going from being the type of person who's always on the go, to being the type of person who can barely function, but I'm learning to adapt.  I've cut back on volunteering to do stuff/help people/attend things and I'm trying to keep my scheduled functions to a minimum.  Now instead of a day's worth of plans, I'll only agree to one activity so that I have time to rest.  I have also been taking advantage of time I have available to nap.  Even though I usually see it as time wasted, (I have things to do, people!) it's much easier to take an hour nap in the afternoon/early evening, than it is to be so exhausted I not only can't function, but have to go to bed insanely early.  On top of all of that, I've noticed my hunger has really increased.  I used to be able to get away with maybe eating 1 or 2 larger meals and then snacking on fruits and veggies and other stuff throughout the day, but I've been noticing that some days my "snacks" aren't meeting my appetite demands.  So now instead of apples for throughout the day, I'll do apples and peanut butter and add additional extra protein to help keep me full.  I'll figure it out.

Mike and I also "came out" on Facebook this week since our 12 week appointment went well and all of our close friends and family know.  I'll admit that it's still pretty scary to me that everyone knows now.  Some days I just want to take it all back and keep the Bean our little secret for awhile longer.  Don't ask me why, I think I'm just paranoid.  Mike also told all of his coworkers, making me feel like the bad parent! ;)  He's so excited for his son/daughter to come and it just makes me so happy (and emotional).  Plus, I know he really loves a lot of the people he works with, so it was only natural to tell them the good news.  I finally got up the nerve to start telling people I work with today...okay, I told 3 people, but it's weird to talk about yourself!  I kind of hope the news just gets out at work and everyone kind of finds out.  I really don't want to make a big announcement.

In other news, we finally decided on a wall color!  We decided to ask some family members and they were no help at all (thanks a lot, guys!)  Some thought one color was too girly, others thought it was too boyish, some thought one was too dark, the other too light - what a pain!  My mother-in-law told us that she didn't like either color and that we should pick more classic colors.  Yeah, it was a GREAT idea asking for opinions! ;)  In the end we finally chose, and we're both happy since we liked both anyway.  We also bought the ceiling fan for the nursery, bought the paint for the trim, started to plan the nursery setup, and began looking at furniture we like.  This weekend, we'll probably finish cleaning out the stuff from the nursery and hopefully I can start painting the trim!  Very exciting!  I keep getting asked about our registry, and even though I think it's early, we'll likely start registering after our 16 week appointment next month.  My mom NEEDS the registry done before Black Friday, so that will give us about a month to tweak it and ask for opinions.

Appointment Update

Today was our 12 week appointment!  I met with an OB at the practice I haven't seen before since they want you to meet all of the doctors (because you'll never know who will be on call when you go into labor).  He was very nice and the appointment was short and sweet.  A few questions about how I was feeling, asked whether we're doing the Sequential screen (we're not - our insurance doesn't cover it), and whether we're doing the 20 week ultrasound (we are).  Then we did a quick listen to the Bean's heart beat, which the doctor said was "nice and strong in the 150's."

Other than that, I found out that my blood work all came back normal and then I asked about if I could paint the nursery with low VOC paint.  The doctor looked at me like I had 15 heads and told me that it was fine as long as it was lead-free and the windows are open.  I also asked about stretching for my iliosacral joint pain, but he said it's just trial and error, so keep trying to find something that works.

That was it!  Quick and painless.  I scheduled my 20 week appointment (holy crap!) and I'll be back on October 14th.  Now we're off to second tri :)

12 Weeks!

How far along are you?  12 weeks
How big is baby?  At around 2" long, the baby is now about the size of a plum.  S/he's really growing now!
Maternity clothes?  I tried wearing maternity jeans, but they were just too big.  I must have been having a chubby day when I tried last week because my regular jeans fit fine with the Be Band or a hair tie.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +2-3 lbs
Stretch marks?  No
Sleep?  I have never been so tired in all of my life.  I overslept my alarm twice in the last week!
Best moment this week:  Realizing how close I am to second tri!
Any Movement?  Too early, but I'm really looking forward to feeling it
Food Cravings?  I'm not really craving anything in particular right now, just eating things as I want them
Food Aversions?  Pretty much the same
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  My energy, not being tired all of the time
What are you looking forward to:  Having a real bump, feeling the baby move, second trimester
What was the BEST part of this week?  Having it hit me that in a few short months I'm going to have my own child.  It seems so unreal!
What was the WORST part of this week?  The awful migraine that I had on Sunday.

12w1d - morning picture

12w1d - night picture

[I posted 2 pictures this week to show how different (and large) my bump looks at the end of each day.  A lot of people tell me how much I'm "showing" when they see me in the evenings, but when I wake up each morning, I don't feel that big!  When you're pregnant, your food digests slower than normal so that your body can uptake as many nutrients from it as possible.  With slowed digestion also comes a larger belly at night.  All of my bump pics so far have been taken at night, so it's funny to me to see just how much my stomach changes every day.]

12 weeks is such a big deal - the unofficial end of the first trimester!  I can't even believe we're finally here.  For so long I set goals.  I just wanted to make it to 4 weeks, 5 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 10 weeks, 11 weeks, and now I'm at 12 weeks.  It is so crazy to me that I'll be in my second trimester by the end of next week!

Last night I laid in bed thinking about how we need to schedule our hospital tour for second trimester.  No big deal, I told myself, I'll schedule it after school's over.  School ends in December, then I'll hit second trimester.  But when will I hit third trimester?  I kept doing the math over and over in my head.  December is about three months from my EDD, so how can that only be second trimester?  Then it hit me... I'll be in second trimester next Friday.  As in, 10 days away.  As in, December will be too late to schedule our hospital tour.  (Yes, I know, the pregnancy brain has a terrible hold on me.)  I just can't believe it.  There is so much to do and so little time to do it in! 

Despite feeling like we've gotten nothing done, Mike and I have actually been quite busy in the past few weeks, especially lately.  We narrowed down our paint colors to 2 choices, we complied a list of first and middle names to take to the hospital, we purchased our travel system, we researched cribs and nursery furniture, we discussed baby items we will likely be registering for, we started looking for gliders, and we're attending a local consignment sale this weekend to see if there's anything we could use.  Hopefully this weekend we will be able to narrow down a paint choice, buy a ceiling fan for the nursery, and start cleaning out the nursery.  I'm so anxious for it to be the baby's own space!

11 Weeks!

How far along are you?  11 weeks
How big is baby?  This week, the Bean is about the size of a lime!  I feel like that's SO big.
Maternity clothes?  I'm in that awkward stage where some of my jeans are a bit tight in the hips, but maternity jeans are huge.  I need to go through my closet to see what fits :(
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +2 lbs
Stretch marks?  No
Sleep?  I'm still exhausted and trying to get all the sleep I can get.
Best moment this week:  Telling our extended families :)
Any Movement?  Too early 
Food Cravings?  Lots of protein, potatoes, strawberries, baby carrots
Food Aversions?  Tacos, coffee, sweets
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  My energy
What are you looking forward to:  Second trimester - it's right around the corner now!
What was the BEST part of this week?  Spending a long weekend with Mike
What was the WORST part of this week?  Starting back to school last Wednesday :(

11w1d - The bump is growing!

We finally told our extended families this weekend and now just about everyone knows!  It's so exciting to not have to keep a secret anymore and it makes me feel like I'm really pregnant now.  Thankfully everyone was really excited for us and we only had to deal with a small amount of unsolicited advice.  We were also able to get the paint samples on the nursery wall this weekend, but of course we still can't decide what color we like best!  Mike and I were joking last night that we'll end up having to pick out of a hat, but that actually might end up being the solution, considering neither of us can make a decision.  At least we still have some time.

School started on Wednesday, but luckily I only have 1 class on campus and didn't have to go until Thursday night.  With how exhausted I've been, it was hard to keep my eyes open for the 3 hour lecture.  Thankfully we got out a half-hour early, but I'm really not looking forward to the full 3 hours tonight (I will also likely be taking my weekly bump pics a day late from now on due to Tuesday night class).  I am thrilled that my sickness has eased up lately, and at least I don't have to deal with that along with class.

I am also wearing maternity jeans today, even though they are still big on me.  I tried on a pair of my regular jeans yesterday, but they were a bit tight in the hips and I wasn't sure if it was from eating too much this weekend, or if I am expanding already.  I guess I have to go through my closet to see what fits and what doesn't.  Hopefully it was just a fluke, but with all of the iliosacral joint and hip pain I've been having, I don't think it's out of the question that my hips may have expanded.  Either way, I've still only gained 2 lbs, so if I'm growing, at least I know it's the baby and not too much junk food.  It will be nicer when I have a cute pregnancy belly, though. :)

Other than that, there's not much more to report.  Mike was able to hear the Bean's heartbeat on the doppler on Friday, but our little swimmer was definitely moving in and out of the area, so we could only hear for about a minute before searching over again.  Even though we don't use it very often, it was nice to be able to check in before we told all of our extended family.

10 Weeks!

How far along are you?  10 weeks
How big is baby?  S/he is about the size of a prune this week, weighing a little more than an ounce!
Maternity clothes?  Still just varying between the Be Band and a hair tie
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +2 lbs
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  Still really struggling with the exhaustion and trying to get through each day
Best moment this week:  Hitting 10 weeks!
Any Movement?  Too early 
Food Cravings?  Mostly the same - potatoes, goldfish, cheesecake, soup
Food Aversions?  Chocolate, most sweets, coffee, hot dogs, certain burgers... there's a lot more!
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  A good night's sleep
What are you looking forward to:  Telling our extended family this weekend :)
What was the BEST part of this week?  1/4 of the way through the pregnancy!
What was the WORST part of this week?  Dealing with Hurricane Irene

10 Weeks

We're a quarter of the way through this pregnancy already!  I can't even believe it!  Thankfully I haven't gotten sick in a week (knock on wood) and I may be starting to feel a little better.  I don't feel quite like myself, but I'm getting there.  Other than that, things have been relatively uneventful.  I'm still exhausted most of the time and have very disjointed sleep.  I honestly never realized how intense pregnancy exhaustion is.  There have been plenty of times where I have been tired or I haven't gotten enough sleep (or even pulled an all-nighter), but I can't believe that I'll be so incredibly exhausted in the middle of the day after a full 9 hours of sleep.  It's insane!  I'm also surprised that I don't look as huge as I feel in my weekly bump picture.  Lately I feel pretty large, but (thankfully) my weekly picture doesn't look all that big.  The scale has stayed pretty even at +2 lbs, so I'm still assuming it's mainly bloat.

In other news, we bought our travel system last night!  Of course we are going to do a registry, but we had an opportunity to get it 25% off, so we decided to go ahead and purchase it ourselves now.  Mike and I test "drove" quite a few strollers/travel systems, but we eventually decided to go with the Chicco Cortina KeyFit 30.  I've had my eye on that travel system for awhile, so I'm glad it lived up to my expectations.  Mike and I had looked at a few different colors online, but after seeing them in person, we decided on the Miro pattern.  I'm so glad we both agreed on it, because it was one of my favorites!  After our discount, we ended up saving over $80!

 

Our Bean's travel system!  Photo courtesy of Chicco.com

After we left the store with the travel system, we went to the hardware store to take a look at paint swatches.  Since the Bean is due in March and it's usually cold from late October - March, we really want to get the nursery painted in late September/early October, so that we can open the windows and let everything air out.  After choosing several different swatches, we narrowed our choice down to 2 different colors.  We will probably pick up some samples this weekend to figure out which one we like the best.  Even though it seems early, we have a lot to do before we can even start to paint.  We need to reorganize our basement in order to move the bookcases from the nursery down there.  After everything is moved out, Mike is going to hang a new ceiling fan and repair the wall (from the ceiling fan wiring).  Once all that is done, we can even prep the room for paint.  So much to do!

Even though it seems so surreal, we have really gotten the ball rolling on preparing for the Bean's arrival.  With the new school semester starting tomorrow, we really need to make sure that we leave ourselves enough time to get everything done in time.  By the time the semester is over, I will be closing in on third tri!

9 Weeks!

How far along are you?  9 weeks
How big is baby?  Baby is the size of a grape or green olive this week - about 1" long.
Maternity clothes?  I bought a pair of maternity jeans on sale yesterday, though I don't plan on wearing them for awhile.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +2 lbs
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  The exhaustion from early on has returned, but I still don't always sleep well.
Best moment this week:  Seeing our little Phanatic again and hearing his/her heartbeat :)
Any Movement?  Too early 
Food Cravings?  Potatoes, goldfish, Yoohoo, cheesecake, chili
Food Aversions?  Too much to list!
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  I'm still really wanting a hoagie.
What are you looking forward to:  Telling our extended families in the upcoming weeks.
What was the BEST part of this week?  Seeing the baby again today at our dating ultrasound
What was the WORST part of this week?  I started throwing up :(

9w1d

I feel like I just started this blog, but here I am at 9 weeks already!  I can't believe all of the changes that have taken place since I found out I was pregnant almost 6 weeks ago.  Mike and I had our dating ultrasound today since I have long cycles and the baby wasn't measuring correctly based off my LMP (last menstrual period).  Since we were charting, we knew the baby would measure a week behind, but the OB requires a dating ultrasound for an official measurement to give our estimated due date.  We got to see our sweet baby again this morning and even got to hear the heartbeat!  It was the most amazing (and fast) sound!  The heartbeat clocked in at a rapid 178 beats per minute.  According to my pregnancy information, the heartbeat will gradually slow down prior to birth.  The ultrasound tech also confirmed that there was, in fact, only one baby, which I think resulted in another sigh of relief from Mike!  Our little Bean also measured between 9 weeks and 9 weeks 1 day, but since the main computer was reading 9 weeks, the Perinatologist used that estimate.  That means that our EDD is exactly what I calculated - March 27, 2012!

The newest picture of our Bean

In other news, we told our immediate families!  We decided that we aren't quite ready to tell our extended family yet, but we wanted to finally let our families in on the secret, especially since my symptoms were getting so hard to hide.  We told Mike's brother and his family first.  We wanted to wait until we had our first appointment last Monday, but they were coming over for dinner the Friday prior and I was so sick that we were worried they'd raise suspicions with other family members.  Once Mike told them, they both kind of looked at me to make sure he wasn't joking!  It was funny.  His brother gave me a huge hug and they said how excited they are for us.  After our appointment on Monday, we tried to surprise Mike's mom with the news, but she wasn't home!  We waited in her driveway for nearly an hour and a half to no avail.  In that time, we called both of his sisters (one of whom asked if he was kidding), and they were both thrilled as well.  They both said they had dreams someone was pregnant, but they weren't sure if it was me.  I didn't know they were psychic!  Finally, I had to eat, so we left a copy of the ultrasound picture for Mike's mom with a note telling her to call us.  Even though we wanted to see her reaction, she called us over dinner absolutely ecstatic!  We were so thrilled the secret was out on one side at least.

We decided to wait until our niece's first birthday party on Saturday to tell my family.  All of my siblings and parents would be there, and we really wanted to see their reactions.  I tried my best to wait for everyone to be in the same room, but since we didn't want everyone coming to the party finding out, I finally had to break the news with almost all of the family there.  We were missing a few significant others, but all the siblings were there at least.  Before the party, I asked my sister if she was excited that my niece's new cousin would be at her party next year.  At first she asked me what cousin, and I told her the new cousin.  It either clicked or sunk in for everyone at the same time because they all kind of freaked out at once.  It was really exciting!  Everyone said they were surprised, with the exception of my older sister, who said some of my recent actions (drinking Yoohoo, for instance) had made her suspicious.  As exciting as it was, we couldn't celebrate for long because guests started arriving.  After the party was over, we were able to sit down and answer everyone's questions.

Symptoms have gotten progressively worse as my hormone levels continue to rise.  My all-day sickness has progressed to throwing up as well, so I am pretty bummed about that.  I was kind of hoping hoping that the sickness would gradually start easing up, but it looks like I'm not in for relief quite yet.  Mike told me that his dad-to-be book said weeks 9-11 are usually the worst (which is what I've heard as well), so I'm hoping to get through these next two weeks as painlessly as possible.  The exhaustion from my early pregnancy seems to have returned, leaving me fatigued most of the day.  Most days I am ready for bed by 8:00, and I spend a lot of the weekend laying around.  My back has also begun to ache pretty badly, which seems to be posterior pelvic pain (per Dr. Google).  The pain is very low in my back (near the sacral region of my spine) and sometimes I can feel it in my legs as well.  It mainly causes pain to walk or stand for long periods of time.  I am also experiencing round ligament pain (RLP), which is felt in the front of the pelvis as a result of stretching of the ligament that holds the uterus in suspension with the abdomen.  Fun stuff!  Thankfully, Mike bought me a body pillow to help keep my knees in line with my back while I sleep and it seems to be helping with both my sleep and back pain.  Despite my ailments, everything I'm experiencing is very normal and could be a lot worse for me.  I am definitely blessed not to have any serious issues!

All-in-all things have been going very well.  We have seen the baby's heartbeat twice, which is an excellent sign!  Everything looks great and our Bean is growing healthy and strong so far.  Right now we are both so excited to have the support of our families and to know that the baby is doing well.  I know I say this all of the time, but we couldn't be happier!

8 Weeks!

How far along are you?  8 weeks
How big is baby?  He/she is about the size of a raspberry this week and growing about a millimeter a day!
Maternity clothes?  Not yet, but I bought a BeBand.  I am in love!
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +2-3 lbs, depending on the day.
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep? Still variable.
Best moment this week:  Seeing my precious baby on the ultrasound.  I have never been happier in my life.
Any Movement?  Too early 
Food Cravings?  Potatoes, veggie pizza, soup, goldfish crackers, and cheesecake.
Food Aversions?  Most everything else.  Ugh.
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  I miss things I never really wanted before, like hoagies (deli meat).
What are you looking forward to:  Telling my siblings this weekend!
What was the BEST part of this week?  Seeing our Bean.
What was the WORST part of this week?  Heaving in the car, in my office, in the grocery store, in the OB waiting room...

8 weeks - s/he's growing!

Introducing...

Our little Bean :)  Just one!

7 Weeks!

How far along are you?  7 weeks
How big is baby?  About the size of a blueberry.  Baby is about .25" long already!
Maternity clothes?  Nope.  Still using a hair tie on my jeans, but I don't need much room.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +2 lbs
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  It varies from day to day, night to night.  Some days I have no energy, and others I feel pretty good.  At night, I either sleep great or terribly.  Some nights I really struggle to fall asleep.
Best moment this week:  Making it to 7 weeks!
Any Movement?  Too early for that
Food Cravings?  Salad with lots of veggies and Zesty Italian dressing.  I've had it for dinner the past 2 nights!  Also, pizza, spaghetti-oh's, potatoes, and boardwalk fries. :)  Oh, and water with lemon!
Food Aversions?  Pretty much the same, it varies daily.
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Nothing
What are you looking forward to:  Our first appointment/ultrasound on Monday.
What was the BEST part of this week?  Getting away with Mike and seeing our friends at the beach.
What was the WORST part of this week?  Being nauseous the whole ride to the shore on Friday.

7 weeks!  Notice my beach tan and my boardwalk food belly ;)

Another week down!  I feel like time is simultaneously flying and dragging by.  Lately I've been really wishing time away so that we can get to our first appointment, so today I called and changed the appointment to Monday!  I am excited that we don't have to wait so long, but I'd be lying if I said I'm not terrified.  I'm sure that I speak for both Mike as well as myself when I say that I just want to know that everything is okay.  It's so strange because we've never met this baby.  We've never held him/her in our arms, never rocked him/her to sleep, or snuggled together, but we love him/her so very much!  Mike has never even felt the effects of this growing baby, but I know he worries just as much as I do.  It's insane that you can love a little person that you've never met as much as we do.  I'm sure it goes for all parents-to-be, but it's new to us and it still blows my mind.

When I called the doctor's office to change my appointment today, they asked me why I was calling.  Is everything okay?  Do you have any bleeding or painful cramping?  Any loss of symptoms?  I answered honestly, nothing is wrong other than my desire to know something concrete other than what I'm feeling.  No bleeding, cramping, or loss of symptoms.  It really made me realize how blessed Mike and I have been thus far.  While I had two days of light brown spotting around 4 weeks, we have had no other issues.  Thursday will mark 4 weeks since I first found out I was pregnant, and not a day has passed that I haven't prayed for this baby and thanked God for our continued blessings.

My symptoms have stayed pretty consistent through the last week.  Nausea, fatigue, heartburn, indigestion, and food aversions top my list of regulars.  The heartburn and indigestion definitely caught me off guard.  I always thought heartburn was a burning sensation around your heart (duh), but for me it's much more of a stabbing pain through my chest.  Thankfully Tums alleviate the pain quickly for me.  The nausea is still most prevalent in the morning and evening, and although I haven't thrown up, I gag on a daily basis.  Even though it sounds crazy, I worry when I have days where my symptoms are less awful than others.  I always question whether my symptoms are less than another day.  I'm obviously insane, but I'm hoping that I will have peace of mind on Monday.

I feel like I always say this, but I am just so thankful.  I still have days where I can't believe I'm pregnant.  I can't believe it finally happened for us.  I can't believe that next spring we'll have a sweet baby to bring home.  We are just so blessed!