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.