26 Weeks

After Hubs took this picture he said, "You look SO pregnant! Hehehe!"

Bebs: The network of nerves in baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both my voice and Jason's voice! She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. Bebs now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.

I googled what an English hothouse cucumber looks like....it looks like a regular, ol' cucumber!



 

 

One thing I've learned about myself while being pregnant is my love of researching. I loved to research before--anything from fact-checking the news stories I used to write at the newspaper to making sure a pug was the best dog breed for my family to Facebook stalking (guilty)--but now it's safe to say I'm obsessed.

 

It seems each week there is one specific thing I obsess about. Although, in this case, it's been about the past two weeks--I am completely obsessed with finding a daycare. And not just any daycare. It needs to be perfect...and this perfection needs to come with a nice price tag that Mommy and Daddy can afford.

 

So far Hubs and I have visited one daycare that I'll call ALL. It was nice; we both felt that Bebs would be safe and cared for if this is what we chose. Then I called daycare #2, which I will call CLC, and I immediately fell in love while talking to the director on the phone. We are going to stop in to see that one tomorrow night for a tour. So look for a post next week comparing the two daycares, as well as tips that--I think, anyway--were helpful while looking at daycares.

 

In addition to our birthing class, Jason and I also got more of the nursery finished! The walls are completely primed and ready for our green "Crocodile Smile" paint! Hopefully we will finish that this weekend!

 

Hubs finishing the ceiling

Good-bye purple walls!

Ready for the Crocodile Smile paint!

 





23 Weeks

23 weeks! Only 17 weeks to go!

Bebs: Time to turn on the radio and sway to the music! With her sense of movement well developed by now, Bebs can apparently feel me dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), we may be able to see her squirm underneath my clothes. (No luck with that yet!) Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that baby's ears are picking up on are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as Dexter barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb!

What's going on in there?

Favorite maternity outfit for the week?: Tara's maroon cowl-neck sweater with Christi's khaki pants that I wore to work on Tuesday
Stretch marks?: nope! (knock on wood!)
Sleep: Sleeping between the body pillow and my husband pillow. Somehow I've been ending up on my belly, though, which isn't good!
Best moment of the week: Spending the day with my parents and getting some amazing deals at a Mother's Market on Saturday!
Miss anything?: My girlfriends and actually seeing them. I haven't hung out with my girlfriends in what feels like forever. Ok, in reality it's been over a month. But still. I miss them, Rachael's brownies, sharing our hilarious stories, and just really "being there" for each other. I hope I can see them soon.
Movement: Hubs, Schlupp and my mom got to feel some baby kicks this past week!
Food cravings: I'm not really a huge beer drinker or anything...but for some reason I could really go for a Blue Moon with an orange slice!
Anything making you queasy or sick: The thought of eating meat off a bone. I don't think I'll be having wings any time soon.
Labor signs: Tuesday morning at about 1:30 a.m. I had the most intense pain in my belly. It felt like the baby had a knife and was slicing her way out. I actually woke up screaming "ow! ow!", scared the crap out of Jason, and thought I was going into labor. Braxton Hicks contractions, maybe?
Symptoms: Falling asleep on the couch by 9 p.m., cramping, and irritability. Fun!
Belly button in or out?: In-between! lol
Wedding rings on or off?: On
Happy or moody most of the time?: Unfortunately, moody. :( There are times when I'm happy; overjoyed actually. But mostly I am just so irritable I'm getting to the point where I am annoying myself.
Looking forward to (aside from the obvious!): Finishing up the painting project in the guest room!

My BFF Jess texted me that she missed seeing me and the bump.
So I texted her this picture so she could see us!
Her response: "Shit just got real!!!!" LOL

List of Gratitude
1. My awesome parents for giving up their Saturday morning/afternoon to take me to the Mother's Market. We got some GREAT deals that I am super excited about! A Snap N Go stroller, lots of little outfits, seat cover for under the carseat, books and a heartbeat listener were some of our finds! If only we had seen the brand new Vera Bradley diaper bag that some lucky lady got for $8, we would have been ecstatic! hehe. On the look-out for a glider at our next Mother's Market!

Baby ballerina socks!

2. A shared sense of humor with Hubs. I have a feeling that everything--relationships, marriage, pregnancy, parenting--is roughly about a million times better if you and your partner have the ability to laugh at yourselves. Our guest room painting project is taking MUCH longer than anticipated. All Jason and I can do is laugh it off...and re-paint the ceiling for a third time.

3. Fall premieres of our favorite TV shows. We were going through some major TV withdrawl, and thankfully a few of our favorites--Parks and Recreation, New Girl, The Office--are back! The TiVo will always be full of stuff to watch in the evenings and this makes me happy!

4. Indulging. Mmmm cheesecake. Thanks for telling me I didn't have to share, Hubs! :)

I'm pretty sure I could feel the fat go straight to my butt after eating this!
Totally worth it.

17 Weeks

Check out that bump!

Bebs:  Baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — the lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Bebs weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and s/he's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. S/he can move her joints, and his/her sweat glands are starting to develop. I've definitely felt a lot of fluttering and "bubble" sensations! Bebs is definitely wiggling around in there!

Yum Yum donuts!

Hubs and I had quite the busy weekend! Friday night we went to Musikfest with our friends Jeff and Dom. Jeff was kind enough to bring one of my favorite foods--donuts!--to help fatten me up. :) That was very sweet of you; thank you Jeff! :-D

When I woke up Saturday morning I wasn't feeling too hot. I was too dizzy to get out of bed myself, so Hubs helped me up and I darted into the bathroom. More morning sickness. After that, I continued to get ready for yoga. (Nothing was standing in the way of me and my yoga class!) My yoga buddy/co-worker/friend/life partner Schlupp kept an eye on me during class since some of the moves were making me feel a bit nauseous again. After class Schlupp and I asked our yoga instructor, Charlyn, for advice on gaining weight in a healthy way.

Charlyn had a ton of great tips and basically pulled all the food out of her cabinets! We talked about avocados (ok, I guess I seriously had to give them a real try...other than Jess's famous guacamole!), nuts, quinoa, hard-boiled eggs, Clif bars, and making smoothies with frozen fruit, Greek yogurt and some brown rice flour. I was inspired after talking about nurtrition with Charlyn and stopped at the store on my way home. (Can someone please tell me on the days when you are unshowered, sweaty, and have disgusting hair...that those are the days you run into literally everyone you know at the store??)

Organic tomato from my friend Dave's garden and the dreaded avocado!

While shopping I picked up some quinoa, Clif bars, frozen fruit, avocados and spinach in addition to a few other necessities we needed. I was excited to give avocados a second try when I got home. I have to say, they're not that bad. I enjoyed eating it. Of course I had to cut it into bite-size pieces, try not to "mush" it up, and covered it in coarse salt--but hey. I ate it and it was good. The organic tomatoes from Dave's garden were absolutely delicious!

Saturday afternoon our friends Jeff and Dom came over to help us finish up our bedroom painting project. They were able to help Hubs install the new ceiling fan/light fixture!

New fan/light fixture!

I will write another post later this week on the new bedroom, but I just wanted to give a shout out to Jeff and Dom to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of the help they gave us! I hope the lasagne and beer were good enough for all the hard work you did! :)

Saturday night we had a few friends come over to sit on our deck and enjoy some munchies and beers. As you can see, Dexter got a little carried away... ;-)

Dexter, the party pug!

Sunday Hubs and I woke up incredibly motivated to FINISH PAINTING! We gave a second coat to the trim, window frames, door frames, and doors while listening to some of the best music our CD collection from the '90's had to offer.

Last night I had the second part of my sequential screening test. I had one vial of blood drawn, and that was it! We thought we were going to get a second ultrasound, but no such luck. We will get the results in 3-5 days if it is discovered the baby has any genetic abnormalities. The first ultrasound and blood draw looked good according to the OB/GYN, so I am not worried.

Oh! One more thing! Yesterday I received a gorgeous flower arrangement from my cousin Katelyn who lives in Maryland! I was completely surprised and felt so loved.

Gorgeous flowers from Kate!

Bebs and I have been thinking about (and missing!) you, too, Kate!
I'm not sure if Dex misses Lilly, though... hehe ;)

Thank you Katelyn! They are beautiful! :)

The times, they are a-changin'

Hi everyone. Dexter here.

 

Mommy has been sick lately, so I volunteered to write her blog post for this week.

 

I don't know how Mommy can be so tired. It seems like all she does is lay on the couch with her eyes closed and an ice pack on her head. She seems pretty lazy if you ask me. And Daddy waits on her hand and foot! He is always bringing her water and rubbing her belly and asking what he can do for her. I don't get it. They should rub my belly more!

 

Sometimes when Mommy is being lazy I like to snuggle up with her and chew my bone. Mommy likes this and pets me and sometimes I fall asleep. Other times, I get mad that Mommy is being lazy and I have to bite at her hands so she knows I'm there. Then Daddy gets mad at me and puts me upstairs. Hrmmph!

 

Things have been happening in my house. Some things are disappearing, while new things are coming in. For example, Mommy and Daddy got these great stuffed toys for me, or so I thought. They haven't let me play with them yet! There is a little stuffed tiger and a stuffed musical giraffe just sitting on the table being wasted! I could have ripped them both apart by now.

 

Don't these animals look ready to be chewed on?

 

 Mommy and Daddy also got a lot of books and cards, but I think their birthdays were awhile ago? Mommy also got a cape from Nana, but she wears it backwards. I'm not sure what's going on with that.

 

Nursing cover made by Nana!

 

 

Also, Pappy Marshall came to the house to paint an empty room for Mommy and Daddy. They were very excited about it. I followed them in there to sniff around, but I didn't notice anything except it smelled funny!

 

Mommy and Daddy said this will be their new bedroom. Maybe I can sleep with them now?

Mommy said I look possessed here!

 

 Oh, and one more thing! Those little squeakers are gone. I'm not sure what they were, but they were furry and stayed in a cage. Usually I just ignored them, but sometimes I liked to get close to their cage and sniff around. Mommy was talking about "steam cleaning the carpets" soon, buying new furniture, and wondering where they could put a "pack and play." A pack and play sounds like something fun for me! I can't wait!

 

Merry, one of the "squeakers"

Pippin, the other "squeaker"

 

15 Weeks

The belly is definitely out!

Bebs:  The baby now measures about 4 inches long and weighs about 2 1/2 ounces--the size of an apple! Bebs is busy moving amniotic fluid through his/her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in his/her lungs begin to develop. Legs are growing longer than his/her arms now, and s/he can move all of her joints and limbs. Although Bebs' eyelids are still fused shut, s/he can sense light! If you would shine a flashlight on my belly, s/he's likely to move away from the beam. (Yes, I tried this last night!) Bebs is also forming taste buds.

What's going on in there?

Hebs: H is for Headaches. Oh man. This past weekend was absolutely horrible in terms of headaches and morning sickness. All day Saturday was spent taking Tylenol, icing my head and neck, using a heating pad on my head and neck, having Hubs massage my neck, drinking a TON of water, running to the bathroom, and trying to rest in a cold, dark room. I've been prone to severe headaches and migraines my entire life thanks to my horrible vision (yes, I was the little girl in third grade with coke bottle size glasses!), but this was something different. I don't know if I've ever felt this sick in my life. Thankfully my mom was texting me advice, and I got some great advice from my mommy friends on Facebook after I posted a desperate status asking for morning sickness remedies. Ginger Ale, saltines, tea, pretzels, fruit, etc. just weren't doing it for me. However, drinking Gatorade on Sunday morning, after my headache had died down a bit, seemed to help immensely. I think my headache stemmed from dehydration (my fault) and lack of sleep (again, my fault).

It's funny, because prior to this past weekend, I had been seeing a chiropractor for my headaches and it was/is greatly helping! I am still a strong believer in chiropractic care and will continue seeing her. I always feel better after being adjusted. I think it was the lack of water that caused what I explained to Hubs as "all of the blood has been sucked from my brain, and now my brain is crushed on the inside of my skull." Ouch. Hopefully I do not have a repeat of that pregnancy symptom!!

Paleo chili simmering on the stove. Yum!

Oh, one of my weird food adversions is getting better: meat. It depends on what it is, but it is definitely getting easier to eat meat again. I don't think I could cut into a steak and eat it yet, but I survived eating some chicken, a hotdog, and some chili made with ground beef!

Can I talk about how amazing my parents are for a minute?

Diddy and Mom with the poppy seed packet that announced they were getting a grandbaby!

Mom and I went shopping on Sunday for.....wait for it.....MATERNITY CLOTHES! I was so excited! I am still so excited! I can't wait until I need to wear my new outfits for real. We picked out a bunch of things at Old Navy, which has a surprisingly nice and affordable maternity section. I got a few tops, capris and jeans. Yes, the jeans have the "belly band," and yes....it is amazing. They are SO comfy! Thank you so much, Mom! :) I had a great day with you!

I'm not sure most people can handle the sheer awesomeness that is maternity pants. ;)
(That is a "belly panel," not my bare belly!)

Diddy was caught red-handed earlier this week by the Hubs. He came over (when he thought no one would be home) and decided to weed our atrocious looking flower beds. Our yard seriously looks like a mess. I guess when your weeknights are full of running errands and appointments, and your weekends are spent either feeling sick, or at family parties....the whole taking care of a house and yard thing just kinda falls by the wayside. We are incredibly thankful that Dad came over to help us out. I think all we'll need to do is mow the lawn and clean off our patio furniture (for the millionth time) and it might actually look acceptable for a cook-out sometime this month! Thank you Dad! We truly appreciate it!

Hubs and I finished priming our new bedroom last night. All that's left to do is paint (we picked out a warm, neutral cream/tan color), paint the trim and doors, and caulk! Oh, and then move all our furniture down there, pick out curtains, buy and install a new light fixture/ceiling fan, hang up pictures, etc. ;) Can't wait! We're going to start painting the nursery next!

My handy hubby covering up the old blue paint!