Maternity Photos

If you remember, I was debating whether to get maternity photos taken.  Well, our very close friends Kim and Jeremy offered to take them for us.  We were obviously thrilled - they had taken some engagement photos of us 3 years ago and seeing how much we loved those, we were super excited and took them up on the offer!

I just got a preview...and I have to say, I am SO happy with them!  Here are a few from the preview that I'm pretty in love with!

37 Weeks - Full Term

If you have not guessed when baby girl will make her debut, do so now!  Please click on THIS LINK, and leave a comment with the date and time of baby girl's debut.  Also, please include your guess for her height and weight (the height and weight will be used if there is a time for the date and time of delivery).  Note that you do not need to be a blogger to win - just make sure your name is included and voila!  The guessing game will close at 11:59 on Friday, July 2nd!

At 37 weeks pregnant, baby girl is considered full term (meaning that anywhere between now and 42 weeks, if I go into labor, they will do nothing to stop it because she isn't considered premature).  I'm grateful we've made it this far considering how scary prematurity can be for families.

It's funny the reactions I get from people now that I'm this far along.  Some people say I don't look ready to go in 3 weeks.  Others say I look ready to go now and she'll come early.  Maybe it just depends on the day they see me?  I tend to waddle more when I'm wearing a dress because it's so damn hot out that it makes the tops of my legs stick together.  When I'm wearing capris or leggings or pants, I don't think I walk much differently than normal.  Maybe that has something to do with it?

The past couple days I've been feeling more uncomfortable.  Not anxious for her to come out - but just kind of feeling off.  For the past week, I've been taking a nap once during the day.  Sleeping has become more difficult as now I'm peeing about every 2 hours.  Last night in the span of 9 hours, I woke up to pee 5 times.  Getting back into a comfortable position and falling back asleep are increasingly difficult (probably explains why I'm taking more naps).

Late last week, I had some spotting.  I talked to my midwife and apparently that can happen when the body is progressing (dilating normally).  So I take it as a good sign!

Baby girl is as active as ever.  Her movements are often painful for me now.  And I swear last night she was trying to stretch her way right out the side of my belly.  I'm sure she's feeling crammed in there.  In growth, I know her brain is still rapidly growing, and she's packing on some chubbiness.  Hopefully, not too much chub - I don't want a ginormous baby coming out of my hooha.

Bump Photos:

36 Weeks

I have lots of updates from the weekend (including many pcitures).  But I'll save that post for later.

Today, I'm 36 weeks pregnant.  I had a check-up this morning, and the group B strep test done.  Check-up went well - blood pressure and weight are both good.  In total so far, I've gained 20 lbs.  I'm sure I'll gain a few more before baby girl makes her debut.  Baby girl is measuring a week ahead, and is guestimated to be about 6 lbs 4 ounces at the moment.  She also is extremely low, head down, and ready to rock and roll.  My midwife kind of insinuated that she doesn't think I'll make it to 40 weeks - we shall see.  I'm not banking on anything at this point.  I am 50% effaced, my cervix is extremely soft, and I am dilated slightly, but not enough to even say 1cm.  We shall see when this little one decides to make an appearance!

Speaking of when she'll make her appearance, I would love to get a little guessing game going.  Whoever guesses closest to when our love arrives, we'll send a little something to you.  Just leave a comment with your guess as to the date and time of delivery.  Also, please leave in your comment how big you think she'll be, and her height at birth (I'll use those two factors in case there's a tie)  I'll close the guessing game Friday, July 2nd at 11:59pm.

People keep asking if I feel ready.  I'm getting her stuff ready, and we finished buying the necessities this past weekend.  Once we get all of those things set up, I think we'll feel "ready" in a logistical sense.  But ready emotionally?  I'm not sure anything we do can really prepare us for when we greet our daughter for the first time.  I don't think anything anyone says or does can prepare us for what it's going to be like those first few weeks at home, or what it's truly like to become a parent.  I am thrilled that we'll be meeting lovey in a few weeks.  I am ecstatic.  I am nesting like a maniac.  But emotionally, I have moments of excitement, moments of anxiety, and moments of holy shit, we're having a BABY!  I hear that all of these feelings are completely normal. 

Am I ready for labor?  Yes and no.  I am ready in that I think I can do this.  I know my body is busy preparing.  I have very little fear about the labor and delivery in general.  In fact, there's a part of me that is excited for it!  But I think about what I'd do if my membranes released (otherwise known as the water breaking) today, and I think I might freak out for just a moment.  I just can't believe we're that close to going through it!  But I'm hoping that in that moment when I realize that I am in labor, that my instincts will kick in and I will go into automatic.  I just need to finish writing up our birth plan and then I'll be more ready.

We need to pack our hospital bags.  We need to write up a plan for Tessa while we stay in the hospital (someone will be staying at our house with her while we're in the hospital).

So, we still have quite a few things to do.  But once those few necessities are finished, we are totally ready for baby girl to make her debut.  We can't wait.

*I just reread this post and am realizing that I'm having a major case of pregnancy brain - so sorry it's so jumbled!

34 Week Bump Photos

This is my "holy crap look how big this belly is" face:

And finally, a bare belly photo that I think looks gross, but I'd like to have a record of.  Oh, and notice those pesky stretch marks that have emerged.

33 Week Bump

Didn't get a chance to upload them yesterday...

And this photo makes me laugh - look at Tessa waiting so patiently!

30 Weeks

10 weeks until d-day, and 7 weeks until baby girl is considered full-term.  Incredible how quickly this pregnancy has gone by.

I am so excited because for the first time, I can sit back and completely put all of my focus on baby.  School is finished and as long as my BIG paper gets approval to be considered my scholarly paper (we have to write one of these during our 3 years in law school), then I can sit back and relax and prepare for our little one's arrival.

At 30 weeks pregnant, she is still the size of a butternut squash and her size hasn't changed much in the past week.  But her brain - yeah that's growing a ton right now.  Grow, brain, grow!  I'll be sure to eat lots of healthful foods this week to make sure she gets all the nutrients to keep on growing.  She weighs just about 3 pounds and will be gaining about 1/2 pound per week until she's full-term. 

And I thought she was active weeks ago.  I guess that was a 1st time mommy thought - because now that I'm 30 weeks, it's incredible to me that she has somehow become more active.  As in, she's active the majority of the day. 

As for me, the heartburn is still my biggest complaint.  Otherwise, moving right along!

I have my first appointment with the midwife today.  If you missed my post on this, I switched providers very recently.  You can read that post here. I'm super excited to see how it goes.

And tonight, we have our first birthing class!  It is about an hour from our house which is a little bit of a pain since we'll have to drive separately - Ian will just head there straight from work.  I am so excited to get started on truly preparing my body and mind for this baby girl's arrival.  I'll let you know how it goes!

(all the photos from this week are blurry...bummer).

29 Weeks

UPDATED with Pictures!

Baby girl is growing, growing, growing!  She weighs almost 3 pounds now, and is about 17 inches long.  That's a lot of baby in my belly!  She is officially curled up in the fetal position now as she's run out of room to stretch out.  She's graduated from eggplant to a large squash (although if you look at the picture of the squash, can someone tell me what kind of squash this is??!). 

As she's getting bigger, her kicks are feeling a little less powerful (because she can't wind that foot or arm up).  Her movements feel more like somersaults, like my belly rolls with her movements, or bulges if she's moving a limb.  She has days where she is incredibly active with only a few short breaks of quiet.  Other days she stays quiet for huge periods of time and seems calm.  I hear that this is completely normal, but it sometimes makes me nervous on the days she's not quiet as active.

Me, I'm feeling pretty good.  I've been getting a lot of sleep, and especially during exam week I'm focusing on getting enough sleep.  I do not want my body to get run down.  I've been really careful about what I eat and that's helped the whole heartburn/indigestion issue.  I think garlic is on my list of foods not to eat.  Sad face - I love garlic.  But I can eat it again in 11 weeks!

Mentally, we're just trying to wrap our heads around the fact that we will have a baby girl in our arms in 11 weeks.  Even though we're buying things for her, and preparing for her arrival on a daily basis, it's still hard to comprehend just how much our lives are going to change.  I've always, always, always wanted to be a mom.  I absolutely adore kids.  I've always said "I can't wait to have kids."  Now that it's approaching, it feels surreal.  All this time I've been dreaming about it, and it's finally becoming a reality and sometimes the thought just makes me too happy that I somehow get a little overwhelmed.  How did I get so lucky? 

Then, I look at people around me who are desperately waiting for their turns, and I ache for them.  It sometimes makes me feel guilty.  I so want everyone who wants to experience this to be able to do so.  It truly is a gift and I don't ever want to lose sight of that.  No matter how much I complain about these minor pregnancy symptoms like heartburn and feeling big - at the end of the day, I wouldn't trade it.  So today, I'm feeling incredibly grateful.

Now, I hope I can stay that grateful when I'm ginormous and not sleeping, waiting for this baby to make her debut?!

You can see I still very much have an "inny" belly button.

28 Weeks. 7 Months Down. Enter 3rd Trimester.

We have reached the 3rd trimester and are now considered in the homestretch!  I remember thinking when we first found out we were pregnant that we had plenty of time to prepare, and I remember being grateful that I would be pregnant for such a long time, to give us time to adjust and get ready. 

Well, my friends, we're 12 weeks away from my due date, and 7 weeks away from my personal goal of being completely ready to go for baby girl's arrival, and we still have a LOT to do.  I'm pretty sure we can meet my goal especially since I will be finished with exams in less than 2 weeks - and then I can devote a lot more time to getting her nursery ready, buying the rest of the necessities, etc.

Baby girl is still being compared to the size of a large eggplant.  She now can open and close her eyes.  She also has become a moving maniac in my belly (although she has been a maniac since I first started feeling her at 17 weeks) - but now because she's so much bigger, my belly rolls and shifts whenever she does. 

In terms of this mama here - I'm having trouble making it through a full day without a short nap.  Also, I have become increasingly uncomfortable over the last week.  I'm having more difficulty maneuvering my body, getting up and down from the couch, and changing positions in bed.  I also am noticing that I get very antsy when I've been in the same position (sitting or laying down) for too long, so I'm constantly trying to shift to find a better position.  I'm not sure if this is a little bit early to be feeling uncomfortable - but I am so who knows.

It's amazing how a little fresh air and quick walk can help me though.  On nice days, I try to get outside for a 30-45 minute walk.  I love working on Tessa's training while we walk, and otherwise I just lift my head, listen to the birds chirping, and breathe. 

28 Week Pictures - I have gotten really big - does this seem big for 28 weeks?!

Neighborhood Social and 27 Week Pictures

For those parents (expecting or not) living in the Baltimore area, I highly recommend becoming a part of the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance.  I joined our neighborhood's listserv and it has proved very valuable for getting my questions answered, finding used items, finding out about local kid-friendly events, getting info. on available nannies and different daycares, etc. 

Last night, we attended our first event that is hosted by the organization.  It was a social for new and expecting parents held at Langermann's in Canton.  There was free food and (non alcoholic) drinks.  And most importantly, there were lots of people in our position - either pregnant or have a newborn at home.  I think it was a better social if you alread have a newborn at home.  I only saw 3 other pregnant ladies there.  I think this was the case because the majority of people don't realize they need a resource like this until after the baby is here.  But it was helpful to talk to some of the people helping out at the event to get some of our questions answered.  I also chatted with someone about the OB practice I am currently with, and thinking of switching out of.  So that was a great thing.  Overall, we'll definitely be hitting up these socials in the future - there are 4 per year and the next one is in July, right before I'm due. 

And here are my 27-week pictures, taken right as we got home from the social (Ian is totally making me laugh in the first picture, and the 2nd picture is me desperately trying to not laugh for the pictures).

27 Weeks - 3 Months to Go

Baby girl is due 3 months from today!  I can't believe I'm considered full-term in just 10 weeks. Wowsers.

Baby girl is still about the size of a large eggplant.  But this week she is no longer measured by crown to rump - but instead from head to toe.  This week she's about 15 inches in length and a little more than 2 pounds.  15 inches?!  No wonder why it feels like I have an octopus in there - she's getting so big!  Keep on packing on the lbs baby (but not too big!).

I think the exhaustion that normally accompanies the 3rd trimester has started hitting me the past week.  I've just been incredibly tired and have to take a short nap during the day.  We're one week away from entering the 3rd trimester, so I guess I'm getting a taste of the exhaustion a little early.

Zantac has been working its magic at keeping my heartburn away.  I'm not thrilled at having to depend on taking it twice a day from here on out in the pregnancy - but I think it's better for me to be able to eat since I'm eating so often!

Sleeping has become increasingly difficult.  I had been getting up once during the night to pee, but I barely remembered getting up each time because I fell back to sleep so quickly.  The pee breaks have now increased to about twice per night, and I'm finding it difficult to get back into a comfortable position to fall asleep.  I also find myself tossing and turning more.  I wake up feeling exhausted.  But I have to say, I've heard from some fellow preggers that this is how bad they've been sleeping for most of the pregnancy, so I'm so incredibly grateful that I'm almost through the school semester when this is kicking in.

I have to take a 27 week picture, but in the meantime, this picture was taken of me at my bachelorette get-together almost 2 years ago:

Who would've known that two years after this picture was taken, I'd really be knocked up!

26 Weeks

Interesting tidbit - baby can dream when she sleeps in my belly!  How cool!

I've kept the heartburn away with zantac twice per day.  I hate the thought of needing to take it all the time - but I know the alternative is to have trouble getting food/drink down and being unbelievably uncomfortable, so I'm sticking with it for now.

I also am going to mention that my face has finally cleared up over the past few weeks - I've been so cautious about saying anything for fear of jinxing myself.  I've been really good about using the same bar of soap at least once per day, and then exfoliating about once per week.  It seems to be working.

One weird symptom that has crept up is that my left lower ribs feel tingly - like they are moving or something.  And they are sore when I push on them.  Any of you ever experienced this?  Is it that they are expanding for the uterus to move up under them?

Anyways, according to people around me, I've really popped overnight.  I actually saw a reflection in the mirror at school and thought, wow that girl is pregnant too, then realized it was my bump.  It's really crazy how quickly our bodies change in such a short period of time.

26 week picture (once again, forgot to have the hubs take them - hopefully he'll take some tonight because mine are blurry!).

25 Weeks

Well - food stayed down comfortably yesterday.  I was super scared to eat which means I ended up eating very little.  I was cautious, making sure to chew my food well, drinking plenty of water to make sure it went down, and took Zantac every 12 hours to keep the acid away.  So far, so good (thank goodness!!).

Otherwise, I'm still feeling great!  My feet get just slightly swollen on some nights.  Although I'm thinking the weather has something to do with it - it's been beautiful and very warm, and add into that that our A/C is not working, it makes for a very warm house. 

With how much this belly is growing, I've been lotioning up everyday to keep my skin hydrated.  Baby girl is growing very rapidly now.  She's graduated from a papaya to an eggplant, and weighs about 1.5 lbs.  Any day now, Ian can put his ear to my belly and hear her heartbeat (he tried it a few days ago with no luck).  Also this week, her vocal cords are officially working so that she may begin having hiccups soon.

Her crib will be delivered tomorrow which means Ian will be excited for the weekend to get here so he can put it together!  Still trying to stick to our goal of being completely ready for her arrival by the time I'm 35 weeks.  That gives us just 10 weeks to get ready. 

Now, back to sitting and sweating on the couch (the house is currrently 82 degrees).

And this week's pictures aren't the best because I forgot to have Ian take them before he left.

24 Week Check-up

I had a check-up with the doctor yesterday and everything is going well!  Baby girl is measuring right on schedule, heartbeat was good in the 130's (except he couldn't get her to sit still to listen to it for very long).  Talked with him about our birthing plan and was happy to hear that it was already in my chart from my last appointment that I want to go natural. 

I am not sure if I mentioned this after my last appointment - but I wasn't thrilled with the way that particular doctor had handled the whole natural birth conversation.  It's not that she said anything that wasn't promising - but rather she didn't sit back and really want to listen and talk with me about it.  She did recommend some things if I want to go natural which was good.

So I wanted to bring it up with this doctor today to see if he gave me a similar reaction.  His response was much more welcoming.  His entire approach isn't as hurried which is awesome.  He always sits down and addresses any questions I have before we get started.  So I brought up that my goal is to go natural - he said he fully supports that as long as baby's heartrate is looking good.  That sounds completely right on to me.  I also mentioned that I do not want to have the IV hooked up so that I can be free to move about.  He is completely fine with that as well.  His request is that they are able to listen to the baby's heartrate for about 10 minutes per hour.  Outside of those 10 minutes, I am free to walk the halls, move within the room, try different positions, etc. to make myself more comfortable.  I don't know if this seems like normal protocol to other moms out there??  But according to my reading, I am feeling comfortable with that plan.  Obviously, I want them to monitor baby periodically!  I just don't want to be tied to the bed very much.  He also reiterated that I should labor at home as long as possible - increases the chances of me going to the hospital closer to when I need to start pushing.

The rest of the appointment was fairly uneventful - he gave me some things to try for the heartburn and said that the swelling of the feet (which just started three nights ago) is pretty normal but to increase my water intake to try to flush all of it.  Sounds good!

Lots of baby related things to do this weekend.  And somewhere in between that stuff and school work, I am going to be outside enjoying this amazing weather.  Enjoy it and Happy Easter to others celebrating it!

24 Weeks Pregnant

Holy crapola - I am 6 months pregnant (if you're going off of the 40 weeks is 10 months calculation). 

I don't have time for a long post today because I have a draft of my huge paper due in 6 hours and I'm working off of about 5-6 hours of sleep (I normally get about 8-9).

Baby girl is about 1.5 lbs, and is packing on about 6 ounces per week.  From crown to rump, she's the size of standard size paper - 8.5 inches.  At 24 weeks, if she were born anytime now (but little one, let's wait at least 13 more weeks), she would have a chance of surviving with lots of medical help.  Let's not think about that.  Let's think about her getting cute and chubby for the next few months.  Because that's where those 6 ounces of weight gain per week will be going  - most of it is her gaining some fat.  We're in the last week of her being compared to the size of a large papaya.

I am feeling okay.  I had been feeling great, but over the weekend I started with some bad pains in my right hand side - I thought it would go away and that it was just those pesky stomach muscles pulling and stretching out.  But it seems to have gotten worse.  No other symptoms besides the pain.  My next appointment with my OB is Thursday so I will ask him about it then, assuming it doesn't get worse between now and then.

Other than that, still loving my best friend Tums.  Still sleeping pretty well - waking up between 1-2 times to pee per night and able to fall back to sleep immediately, even when little girl is wide awake and making her presence known.

Oh, and I think I've officially gotten BIG.  I know I keep saying that - and maybe it's just me - but I am so shocked at how quickly my body is changing. I wonder if any other pregnant ladies out there feel this way?

23 Weeks

Time is flying by (I think I say that every week now).  I have lots to get done because I want to stick to my goal of having everything ready by the time I'm 35 weeks.  That gives me exactly 12 weeks.  On our immediate to do list, we have the following:

• interview and finalize a doula
• sign up for a birthing class
• interview/select a pediatrician
• list of questions for OB regarding birth plan
• finish reading Pushed
• finish reading Hypnobirthing
• return pre-registration packet to hospital
• tour hospital's labor & delivery section
• go to daycares to check them out for January enrollment

So yeah, that's a lot.  But we'll get through it!

How am I feeling? Pretty good.  Still have heartburn (I think this will just continue throughout the rest of the pregnancy).  I'm feeling pretty big.  And I think I'm gaining weight everywhere - not just in the belly.  But I hear this is much more common carrying a girl so hopefully it'll come off once our little girl makes her debut.  In the meantime, I'm trying to wear slimming colors that make me feel a little less huge.

How big is baby?  For weeks 22-24, baby is about the size of a papaya, between 10.5-11.8 inches and between 12.7-20.8 ounces.  That's a super wide range for the weight.  She was about 10 ounces in between 19 and 20 weeks, so I'd probably venture to say she's in the middle of that range, maybe around 15 ounces or so.  She can officially hear us, so we're encouraged to talk to her.  She will be able to recognize our voices when she's on the outside. 

Also her face is fully formed!  Holy crap, I can't wait to see what she looks like.  I hope she has Ian's nose (as opposed to mine!), mine or Ian's eyes but Ian's good sight, my lips, Ian's butt/legs, Ian's normal everyday health (not my asthma or allergies), my dental good luck.  Sounds like funny requests!  Honestly, as long as she's happy and healthy, I don't care.  She is going to be the cutest little girl that has ever walked the planet to us no matter what.

Ian felt baby girl many times over the weekend and was impressed with how strong her kicks are.  We've also been noticing some sleep/awake patterns.  She's normally very active around 9-11am, 2:30pm she's wide awake, 6:30-8:30pm, and 10:30pm-12am.  Sometimes it varies a bit - but it seems like these are her big times to be moving around.  I have no idea what she's up to while I'm sleeping because thus far, her movements don't wake me or prevent me from falling to sleep going to bed, or each time I have to pee in the middle of the night either. 

Pretty soon I will grace you with a photo of my bare belly, but in the meantime here are a couple regular pictures.

I also have a post coming later so stay tuned!

22 Weeks

I have oh-so-much to update you on.  But today will be a post about being 22 weeks pregnant.

The pictures taken for week 22 aren't so great because the shirt I was wearing just kind of masked my entire body.  It was comfy and I wasn't changing into something else at 10 p.m. last night, so it'll have to make do.

And even though the following picture is blurry, I think it shows what I'm looking on from the front (and holy cow batman, my boobs are ginormous).

I'm feeling pretty good!  I've been trying to get back into going to the gym more often.  I tried running on the treadmill a couple weeks ago and it was a complete failure.  I felt like I could feel my baby bouncing around and then coming back down onto my bladder - it was not comfortable.  So I just walk on the treadmill for 20-40 minutes, then do some weights and lunges.  And even that workout exhausts me.  I certainly have energy in the 2nd trimester, but I get worn out much more quickly.

The only thing that is really a complaint is the heartburn - but I've just been making sure to always have some in my purse and I'm good to go - easy fix!

Baby girl's movements are continuing to gain strength.  Ian felt her move several times over the weekend and loved it.  I think soon enough the movements won't become quite as strong because as she gets bigger, she won't have as much room to be knocking my belly around.  Nothing painful - still an amazing, and weird feeling every time.  There really isn't an hour that goes by that I don't feel her now.  That part is incredibly reassuring, to know she's alive and moving and apparently quite active in there.

Speaking of getting bigger, she's now reached a pound and is about 11 inches long, about the length of a spaghetti squash.  Her tooth buds are developing underneath her gums, her eyes have formed (although irises have no color yet). 

I have 126 days to go.  That hardly seems like very much time! 

Up next, a post about our weekend full of making baby product decisions: registering and picking furniture.

21 Weeks

I cannot believe we're only 19 weeks away from seeing our little girl.  I know the first trimester seemed like it took forever to get through, but I have to say that the last 9 weeks have flown by.  I think it has a lot to do with me being so busy at school.  And they say the 2nd half of pregnancy flies by - I guess we need to get moving on our registry, furniture shopping, and house preparations!

This week, baby girl is about the length of a banana from crown to rump.  And she weighs in at about 11 ounces.  She is now able to taste - so when she takes a drink of amniotic fluid she is getting a taste of different flavors of whatever I've eaten recently.  I'm trying to make sure I eat lots of different foods as babies tend to like whatever they've tasted in the womb.  Also, baby's arms and legs are proportion and cartilage is turning into bone which will make baby's movements more coordinated (and probably make it more certain that I feel all of those movements!).

People keep asking how I'm feeling and truly, my only complaints at this point are less mobility and horrible heartburn.  Tums now accompany me everywhere.  And the less mobility part - it's difficult to get up if I have to get down on the floor for something, and I just generally feel pretty immobile in my upper body. 

Oh - and another unpleasant pregnancy symptom has emerged.  I pee so freaking often - but now, on very rare occasions when I sneeze or laugh too hard, a few drops of pee come out.  EWWWW!  I've been doing kegels everyday and that seems to be helping.  I cannot believe I just shared the fact that I pee myself a bit on a public blog.  But hey, I promised you'd get the good, bad, and ugly of this pregnancy.  So there you go.

Baby girl has become very active the past few days - now her movements aren't as random, and are happening more regularly throughout the day.  And they are becoming much stronger - when I feel them strong, I can't help but sit and stare at my belly.  Our little girl is also proving to be quite stubborn because every time she starts kicking hard, Ian rests his hand on my belly to feel the kicks and she immediately stops.  Then he'll wait a few minutes and take his hand away, frustrated, and she'll start kicking again.  Well, last night was a good night.  She was kicking a lot, and stronger, so Ian sat with his hand on my belly for like 10 minutes.  Finally, he felt a kick!  He got excited like a little kid...it was so cute.  He encouraged baby girl to do it again, but she decided that was enough excitement for the night. 

Here are two pictures (sans makeup and with hair up) - the first one is of me sucking my belly in, the 2nd is when I'm just letting it hang out comfortably.  There's a slight difference - but honestly I think it just proves that I can't hide it.  That, and I have a lot of ab work to do after this little girl makes her debut.

19 Weeks

Baby has been much more active the past couple days, which I'm loving (I am sure I will feel differently when Baby is active on my ribs or something).  Yesterday, I counted how many times I felt baby kicking in a span of 5 minutes.  I had just had my breakfast and a glass of juice so I'm sure the juice woke the baby up and got her/him moving.  I counted 13 kicks in those 5 minutes.  That's the most active I've felt baby!  Ian is anxiously waiting for when he can feel the baby.  When were you able to start feeling the baby move from the outside?

Cravings the past week: pastries, sweets, basically all bad food!  But as part of Lent, I am trying to incorporate more veggies into my diet for the baby.  So far, I've been very good about it, trying to focus one meal around a salad or veggies.  I also need to try to cut down on sugary things.

Symptoms: baby moving more.  Still having heartburn, but some of you ladies who suggested trying Tums were right on the money.  Tums have become my new friend.

Baby is now the size of a mango, about 6 inches from crown to rump, and weighs in at about 8.5 ounces.  This week, baby is growing a thin coating of white stuff all over to protect itself from becoming all wrinkly from bathing in amniotic fluid for the next 21 weeks. 

I wanted to try taking our pictures during the day time to help with the light issue - but unfortunately it was super cloudy this morning so we still needed the flash.  Oh, and I have sopping wet hair because I'm not normally ready before Ian leaves but I hurried up and got up and got somewhat ready before he left.  I think we need to invest in a different flash for our camera!  Here are our 19 week pictures:

Tired of hearing me refer to baby as him/her and even "it"?  Well, in 6 days, we will know whether baby is a boy or girl.  In preparation for our BIG ultrasound, I thought I'd create a little poll to see what you think we're having. Do you think we are having a girl, or boy? Here is some information for you:

• I've been thinking it's a girl since I was about 7 weeks pregnant
• Ian has gone back and forth between the two - he thought for a long time it was a girl, but the past couple weeks he's been thinking (probably secretly hoping) that it's a boy
• I've had girl baby dreams. But one dream I had recently was that I had just given birth, and the doctor announced that it was a boy. My response (in the dream) was "but it was supposed to be a girl!"
• It looks to me like I am carrying kind of wide - I have extra chub on my sides
• Almost all of our friends think it's a girl
• Chinese Gender Predictor says boy

So tell us, what do YOU think we're having? Go to the box on the right hand side and vote!

18 Weeks

I am still feeling good, people!!  And I'm now positive that the little bumps I have been feeling that started over a week ago are in fact the baby, saying hello!  It has been happening everyday now which is so exciting.  It's not constant, just a couple times per day I'll feel a little tap.  Every time it happens, I immediately announce it to Ian, and then I start talking to baby.  He keeps asking what it feels like, and the only way I can describe it is that it feels like someone is tapping me, but from the inside. Weirdddddd, but so freaking cool.  It's mostly on my lower left stomach, which makes me think the baby's legs/feet must be in that region.  Ian is anxiously awaiting the day when he can feel the baby's movements by putting his hand on my belly which shouldn't happen for another several weeks.  But hey, I didn't think I'd be feeling the baby at 17 weeks for a 1st pregnancy, but our little guy/gal is apparently a strong one.  I keep saying baby is either dancing or playing some soccer - Ian is hoping for the latter.

New symptoms:  I have been getting annoying headaches - I have just tried drinking more water when this happens, although it doesn't seem to always work.  I hate taking tylenol - it doesn't really work well for me, and has been making me feel some nausea.  Also, I've been getting horrific heartburn where I feel like I might throw up.  I've been trying to take smaller bites, chew more, and eat more slowly.  Doing so has helps so far.  Finally, I'm having major dry eyes, which is why I haven't been wearing my contacts very often.  So, I've been looking dorky in my glasses.  I'm thinking it might be time for some new ones.

My cravings over the past week: chocolate milk, lime sherbet, chinese food, wine.  I indulged in all of them - except the wine.  But man, I could really go for a glass right now. 

Speaking of wine, I think wine is the thing I miss most - I normally am a wine freak - I love Friday nights when I could come home, open a bottle of wine, and have a glass or two while we made and ate dinner.  There's something so soothing about that.  Instead, I am experimenting with other drinks (non-alcoholic, obvi).  We found a mexican soda and bought that and it tastes special enough to make me feel like I'm having something other than water or juice.  I also have been trying out different sparkling juices.  I've been putting all of these drinks in champagne glasses, just to make me feel special.  There's something about champagne glasses - it makes me feel all happy like there's some big occasion to celebrate.

We have less than two weeks until we get to see baby again - I can't imagine how much he/she will have changed since we saw him/her at about 8 weeks.  And I hope at that point, we can finally feel like this is real, like we really are this lucky to be having a freaking baby!!  Oh right, and we'll find out whether I have a penis or vagina floating around in my belly.  That's kind of weird to think about actually!

Baby is currently the size of a sweet potato: about 5.6 inches from crown to rump, and about 6-7 ounces.  Baby is now able to yawn and hiccup, and has his/her own fingerprints on the fingers and toes. 

My belly is starting to bulge out a bit, and fill out. I think I'm carrying it more all around instead of looking like a basketball, which makes me think girl.


I promise at some point, the pictures will have some consistency.  But Ian and I are still learning to use our camera better, and trying to find a good spot for the weekly pictures.  I've either been looking washed out from the flash and there's a major shadow from my body on the wall, or it's been too dark and blurry (without the flash).


See here: without flash (I prefer the first picture - it's more natural looking I think)

Here is with the flash:

Those with DSLR cameras, suggestions pleaseeee!

17 Weeks

In some ways, it seems like this pregnancy is flying by, but then I think about it, and I'm not even halfway to the finish line and holy crap, that's a long way still to go.  I'm just happy I'm feeling pretty good!!

The only update I have is that I *think* I'm starting to feel the baby.  Just some little flutters here and there.  But when I feel it, it is so incredibly exciting.  When we lay down for bed, I pull my shirt up above my belly and Ian sits with his hand on my belly, urging the baby to kick hard enough for him to feel it.  I think we have quite a few more weeks until that happens - but he's desperately wanting to feel the baby.  Awwww.

I've been having a sweet tooth - anything fruity or citrusy that is also sweet - yummmmyyy. Lemonade, lemon bars, fruit popsicles.

I know I mentioned a couple weeks ago that my belly just felt chubby, well it feels even chubbier now.  I'm still waiting for it to look like a baby bump instead of chub!  When did you officially look like you had a baby bump?  I'm pretty positive that people would just think I have a belly right now - nobody has asked how far along I am.

I haven't weighed myself the past week - I'm pretty sure I've gained another lb or 2.  But I've decided I'm going to hold off on updating my weight progress - it feels a little overwhelming to me to be consistently gaining weight, especially after the unexplained weight gain that occurred during the year prior to getting pregnant. 

Baby is now about the size of a large yellow onion - about 5 inches from crown to rump, and between 5-7 ounces. 

Here are my 17 week pictures (and most of the ones Ian took, I hated for some reason, so I took some myself).  They're all from different angles, with me doing various things to the shirt to try to show it more or less.  And holy crap, my boobs take up half my torso.