16 weeks

This week is brought to you by water cravings, baby flutters, and a prolonged stuffy nose & sore throat.

Weeks Pregnant: 16 weeks 3 days
Weight: Total Weight Gain: 153.5, I am still down from my original starting weight of 158.
Waist: (at the belly button) 38", up 4.5 inches
Bust: 39.5", up 5 inches
Butt/Hip: 44"
Average number of times up to pee per night: 2 times per night but that's only out of sheer lazyiness. I could probably go more often if I didn't force myself to hold it until morning so I could get just a few more hours of sleep.
Size of the baby bean: 5 inches, the size of a turnip!
Weight: 4 oz
What baby has been up to: Baby's reflexive movements are increasingly developed and the baby caan now grasp things with its hands. A funny fact, baby adds to the amniotic fluid by peeing about every 40-45 minutes, about the same time I am rushing to the bathroom. :) Baby might also be able to start to hear sounds at this stage. My books say that if I sing a song now in the shower each morning, it is likely that the baby will recognize the song after he/she is born. So cute!!
Other pregnancy related stuff
Emotional: This week has been a little more rough for me. I am SUPER sensitive! The lady that I work with made me cry at work! I cried watching a TV show about birth, I cried when I heard a sweet song on the radio. Bascially I cry really easily and get offended really easily. Be warned. ;-) Poor Jeff has had to watch what he says so as not to make me cry over something silly. On the bright, I have been feeling little baby "flutters" and those completely melt my heart!! I have dreams almost every night where I am holding the baby and kissing it. I know it sounds silly, but I get a little bit of jealousy when Jeff kisses my tummy because I so wish I could kiss the baby. I know that's just really odd.
What I want to devour: Chicken and Grapes! YUMMY! I want chicken at least once a day and grapes all the time! I also really really crazy COLD freezing cold water. Oh, and diet coke! I am so over Sprite and Lemonade at restaurants or in public. No places have caffeine free diet coke. I'm not a fan of Rootbeer either so I'm basically stuck with water most of the time.
What makes me gag: Nothing!!! Thankfully, nothing in particular makes me want to gag.
Activity: Although I have energy, I have taken several naps this past week! As for activity, I'm still taking Bear on his weekly walks and enjoying walking around the school campus that I work at. I try to park far away from places so I have longer to walk. I am planning to try to ride my bike some more this week with Jeff at night when he's off work.
Boy? or Girl?: Last night I had a dream that baby was a boy. I have all kinds of strange dreams but in this dream baby was a normal healthy baby boy & I just couldn't get enough kisses. I just kept holding him and kissing his sweet little face. Ironically, this morning Jeff said he too had a dream that baby was a boy. Only a few weeks left until we know for sure!!
Names: Before we even got engaged we had our names picked out. We have several we both like and agree on, but we definitely KNOW the first boy and girl name we want to use. However, we aren't going to share it with you just yet... Once we know the sex of the baby we will announce the name. You only have to wait until December. :) We've known people to keep it a secret until the baby arrives, but we want to be able to refer to the baby by name & specialize the nursery, baby blankets, and such with his or her name.

Daddy's Thoughts:
Boy?....  Girl?....  Not sure, but I did have a dream that I was hanging out with a son...  I think about it a LOT.  Sometimes I think about the moment when we will actually find out, and wonder how I'm going to react.  I just REALLY want to know!  I'm very patient by nature, but I catch myself sometimes checking the calendar, or just gaging the amount of time left until we find out.

Who knows at this point, but I'm really excited...

I'm also really excited that Brianna and I are going to Missouri to see my extended family this Christmas.  It's meaningful in a couple different ways:  First, my mother's side of the family hasn't had the opportunity to meet Brianna yet, and secondly, I want them to meet her before Baby is here, so they both get their own individual introductions.  I think Brianna is going to look really cute all bundled up in winter clothes and pregnant.  Is that weird or endearing?  :)  I've seen her wearing the big sweaters and scarves in the snow, and she just looks so adorable, I just imagine adding a baby belly to the mix, and I like it...

Truth be told, I'm getting a little overwhelmed with all the logistical and financial stuff we have to make decisions on right now.  We've got to work out our insurance plans now that we're married, AND having a baby, plus we have to move into a new place, which means FINDING a new place.  I've been on the phone, emailing, and searching all over the internet for the right place for us.  We've looked at a few places that came close, but still haven't really felt confident about any of them yet.  I know we'll end up in a great home, and that once we get everything situated and decorated, it's really going to feel like home.  Until then, we're keeping our search up for a place that meets all the things on our 'wish list'.

For now, our wish is still just to have things continue to go as well as they have been, and we definitely appreciate all prayers for that!

Photo:

New darker hair, it feels so good to have pretty hair again!

Jeff decorating our very first Christmas Tree together! 

Dressed up for a Date Night, standing in front of my mom's tree.

Standing in front of my mom's tree. Notice the cute red tricycle she bought for the baby. Yes, we know baby can't use it for a few years but mom couldn't help herself.

Watching TV and feeling little baby kicks...

Check out that belly!!! 

Thanksgiving baby bump standing in front of our tree! 

Baby Kicks... A video and story

Check out this sweet little video clip from our ultrasound CD of the baby stretching out his/her legs. So stinkin' cute!

If you look at where the little white arrow is pointing you can see the baby stretching out his/her legs. 


Also, speaking of baby kicks, on the evening of November 6th I was laying in bed tossing and turning to the sound of my super tired hubby snoring. He only snores when he is getting sick but after 4 attempts to get him to stop I thought up a new approach. Maybe, if I just lay really still and take deep breaths and focus on relaxing, I will just fall asleep, in spite of the snoring.
Well as I was trying this, I felt the baby move for the first time!!! It felt like a very gentle little tickle or stroke inside, on the bottom left side of my belly, just above my ovary. I can only think to compare it to a gentle finger tickle on the inside of the palm of your hand. My eyes popped open and I just thought "oh my gosh! I think I just felt the baby!!" I put my hands on my tummy a little tighter and just waited, after a few seconds I felt it again. EEEEK! It was just the greatest!! I shook Jeff awake to tell him the exciting news!!!

Since that day I have felt a few "flutters" here and there every few weeks. Today I was actually woken up to the feeling of little baby kicks and I have felt them several times during the day at work. I can't wait until the kicks are strong enough that Jeff can feel them simply by placing his hand on my tummy!

15 weeks!

I just realized we never got around to posting this... I was waiting for the "Daddy's thoughts section" and now I'm already in week 16 so here is last week's post.

This week is brought to you by a runny nose, sore throat, cough and little baby flutters. 

Weeks Pregnant: 15 weeks 3 days (Due date is still set at May 4th)
Weight: 155 on the button
Total Weight Gain: Still down from my starting weight at 158... I feel like I should be gaining by now... I will be sure to ask my doctor about this when I see her on Dec. 5th
Waist: (at the belly button) 37.5 inches, down an inch from last week... but my tummy is definitely looking more round and pregnant than just bloated.
Bust: 40 inches, up another half an inch, starting to feel like I just might tip over!!! 
Butt/Hip: 45 inches, pleased to say my extra walking this week has kept these bad boys from getting bigger. 
Average number of times up to pee per night: like a bazillion. Or at least 2!! 
Size of the baby bean: 4.5 inches, the size of a naval orange 
Weight: 3 ounces. Oh my goodness, this little one is sure growing!!! 
What baby has been up to: This week baby has been working hard practicing breathing, sucking and swallowing in preparation for life outside my womb. Baby is also doing gymnastics, kicking, curling toes, moving arms and legs. Baby's legs are now longer than his/her arms! Baby is also now covered in Lanugo, the fine hair that forms on many areas of its skin, but this will most likely disappear before baby makes his/her debut. Baby's eyebrows and hair patterns are also forming! And the cutest part of all... baby's muscle control is better developed and baby can now smile and frown! Baby can also be caught sucking his/her thumb! EEEP, that's just too cute! 
Other pregnancy related stuff
Emotional: This week has been a funny one for me. I have cried a few times about the silliest thing, like not getting the condo we were hoping for, to listening to a sweet song by a Christian band Shane and Shane. I cried telling someone I really liked my job. I teared up when Bear willingly snuggled me the other day. Also this week, my poor sweet husband has had to deal with some major mood swings. I will be totally fine and then just snap at him for no apparent reason other than I'm just annoyed. Poor, poor, sweet, patient, Jeff!
Physical: This week started off great with bursts of energy and excitement! I was feeling great about substituting the last half of the week and I even got to run two really exciting Chemistry lab experiments. Then on Saturday, everything changed. I woke up with a terrible sore throat and severally chapped lips that were basically sewn shut! As the day continued on I added a runny nose and dry cough! I tried warm steam showers, vapor rub, Tylenol to keep away the fever, orange juice, emergenc-e's, tons of water, and long naps. It only continued to get worse until today when I spoke with my Doctor and she said I could take sudafed! One dose of that & my world was all better! I just giggled while reading my weekly notes in What to Expect When You're Expecting. It says, "This week the mucous membranes of your nose may also start to swell from all the pregnancy hormones circulating in your body, which also increases the blood flow there." Well I think that pretty much explains it! In other news, I have been experiencing ligament stretching pains in my lower abdomen, and they get worse when I cough or change positions while sleeping. I'm told this is just my uterus stretching and causing the surrounding ligaments to stretch in a way my body never has before. Ooooh but the plus side to this week... I FELT THE BABY MOVE for the first time! It was like a light little flutter or a tickle inside. Just very subtle and soft. Today after several glasses of Orange Juice I felt a few more flutters. I will post another blog post about this in more detail, because it's just so special that is deserves its own post!  
What I want to devour: Anything sweet AND anything salty. Also, CHICKEN! YUMMY YUMMY CHICKEN! I've had it almost every day this week! I'm also really loving grapes, cheese and vanilla yogurt! Ooh and ice cold water, I can't get enough of freezing ice cold water! 
What makes me gag: Heart burn. Bleh! Yuck! It's the worst it's been the entire pregnancy. TUMS take the edge off but for the most part, I think I'm going to have to start sleeping at an incline. 
Activity: Walking. All.The.Time. I walk a ton at work and go up and down stairs all day. Going down stairs hurts a little in my lower abdomen where those stretching pains are, but other than that I love waking. I am still walking Bear every day after work for at least 20 minutes. 
Boy? or Girl?: I've said boy from the start but now I'm thinking girl. I don't know, I'm never very good at guessing genders anyways. Jeff still thinks BOY. Our ultrasound is scheduled for Friday, December 2nd, but we have a really unique and fun way that we are going to find out. We'll tell you more about that later... We won't officially know until around Christmas. 
Names: Before we even got engaged we had our names picked out. We have several we both like and agree on, but we definitely KNOW the first boy and girl name we want to use. However, we aren't going to share it with you just yet... Once we know the sex of the baby we will announce the name. You only have to wait until December. :) We've known people to keep it a secret until the baby arrives, but we want to be able to refer to the baby by name & specialize the nursery, baby blankets, and such with his or her name. 


Daddy's Thoughts: 

My super cute and adorable husband.

Taken at exactly 15 weeks while at work. 

Watching TV and hoping for more baby flutters.

All dressed up for the Xavier Holiday Auction.

14 Weeks

This week is brought to you by bursts of energy, a sweet tooth, and longer, stronger finger nails. 

Weeks Pregnant: 14 weeks 5 days (I know, I know, I'm very behind on my postings!) At our doctor's appointment on Monday the doctor set back our due date from May 1st to May 4th. She said since the ultrasound tech guesstimated the due date during the the same week as my EDD of May 1st, we will just keep it at May 1st.
Weight: 155.4 pounds 
Total Weight Gain: up 2 pounds from last week, but still down from my starting weight at 158.
Waist: (at the belly button) 38.5 (up 5 inches so far, yikes that's so exciting!)
Bust: 39.5 (up 4 inches so far, I thought these weren't supposed to change until the milk came!!)
Butt/Hip: 45 (up 1.5 inches)
Average number of times up to pee per night: 2, but average times during the day is about every 20 minutes!!!
Size of the baby bean: about 4 inches, the size of an apple.
Weight: 2 oz
What baby has been up to: Baby's ears have moved from his/her neck to the side of the head. Baby's taste buds are now present so baby can taste my food!!! I'm sure baby really enjoyed the Indian Fry Bread I had at the State Fair this weekend. hehe
Other pregnancy related stuff
Emotional: This week I have felt my best! I joke that I have a new lease on life. I've been in such a happy mood and feeling really excited about being in the 2nd trimester. I did have a few incidences where I teared up thinking/talking about baby, just being sentimental I think. For the most part I'm just super happy and enjoying the pregnancy. 
Physical: NO MORE NAUSEA!!!! Yippie!!! I have the burst of energy everyone is talking about!! I have to remind myself to rest after work because my body doesn't feel tired, but I know not to over do it. The past few weeks I've been going to work earlier and keeping busy after work and not rushing home to nap. The only problem is my body isn't telling me to take a break so by the time my head hits the bed around 9:30, I'm beat. I'm getting more uncomfortable while I sleep, I find myself tossing and turning several times throughout the night and don't get more than a straight hour without having to reposition. I'll take any tips on how to get comfortable rest. I have a giant body pillow and that seems to help. A pregnancy perk, y hair and nails have REALLY grown thanks to the prenatal vitamins!! I am loving these little perks as well as the so called "pregnancy glow" my skin has. 
What I want to devour: Anything sweet!! Oh, and guess what!? I actually ate chicken four times this week!!! It no longer makes me gag, as long as I didn't cook it or see it raw I'm not grossed out by it. I also really like cheese and grapes this week. 
What makes me gag: Surprisingly, nothing. Smells still gross me out, but not any foods in particular. 
Activity: Thanks to my sudden burst of energy, I've been able to take Bear on a nice long walk every day after work & I even went on 2 bike rides this past week with Jeff!! 
Boy? or Girl?: Our ultrasound is scheduled for Friday, December 2nd, but we have a really unique and fun way that we are going to find out. We'll tell you more about that later... We won't officially know until Christmas, but I am starting to think it's possible baby might be a girl. I have my sweet tooth back and baby's heart beat was 167 during our first ultrasound and 158 at this week's appointment... There's only a few weeks left until we know for sure! :) 
Names: Before we even got engaged we had our names picked out. We have several we both like and agree on, but we definitely KNOW the first boy and girl name we want to use. However, we aren't going to share it with you just yet... Once we know the sex of the baby we will announce the name. You only have to wait until December. :) We've known people to keep it a secret until the baby arrives, but we want to be able to refer to the baby by name & specialize the nursery, baby blankets, and such with his or her name. 



Daddy's Thoughts:  Ode to joy in response to the sudden energy and happiness that my wife has found once again... It's even more fun to get to be our silly fun selves again during this time.  Not that it has been a drag at all, but being able to be funny and funky again is, well, fun and funky.  And familiar.


I've got to say (famous last words) that this has not been so horrific of an experience as pregnancy movies would lead me to believe.  I mean, nothing has gone flying through the air, the room hasn't grown menacingly dark, my wife hasn't sprouted horns, I haven't had to run out in the middle of the night searching for watermelon ice cream and Ramen noodles, and I can only count one major freakout we had to manage (which coincided with the only bout morning sickness).  Gotta hand it to my cute wife, she's doing fantastic at handling everything and not getting panicked, which is saying something considering the strangeness that comes along with the first 14 weeks and 5 days.  But we're moving right along, and I'm lately just really enjoying all the changes and upgrades we get to make at this point.  Here's to the future!

Practicing holding the baby! 

Baby's first onesie, of course Jeff is a fan of it! 

Taken at work a few days ago. 

Belly bump close up! 

FINALLY got our ultrasound CD to work, I can't save the images or videos to my computer, so these were taken with my iPhone of my computer screen. Look at those long legs!!!

When I asked my mom's 2 year old godson Robert what my baby was doing in my belly he responded "praying, for God" This ultrasound picture shows that Robert's theory might be right on. This picture is taken from above the baby's head and shows the baby is holding his/her hands together in front of his/her body! SOOOO cute! 

Thanks to my prenatal vitamins, my nails and hair have REALLY grown! 

See, longer hair!!!