16 Week, 1 Day Bump Picture

I don't know how I managed this, but I look like I lost a bunch of weight, but kept my pregnant belly. Yay for strategic angles! It's also pretty awkward. But anyway, this is my first picture with maternity jeans on....I finally found a pair (on ebay). YAY! I love not having a zipper to worry about.

16 Weeks

SIXTEEN WEEKS! Or, four months. Or, awesomeness. In my mind, the biggest milestones come when a new month rolls around. We're almost halfway there. :)

Baby is about the size of an avocado now.

Like this, but not cut in half. And who cuts an avocado that perfectly? This has to be CG.

On the next weekly update, we'll know if baby is a boy or girl...as long as (s)he cooperates, that is.

Baby is about 4.5-5 inches now and weighs about 3.5 ounces-almost a quarter of a pound! Baby is now able to hear, and his/her facial expressions are developing. Baby is sleeping and dreaming now. I'm pretty sure I felt a kick his morning when I was rubbing my belly. It kind of hurt, and baby is still small. I'm hoping we don't have a karate baby in there. I still only feel movements when I'm laying or sitting very still, and there is not much background noise. Their heart is now pumping 25 quarts of blood each day. Baby is keeping busy. His/her neck and legs are getting much stronger (maybe that's why I felt the kick?) and toenails are starting to grow-awwww. Tiny little baby feet! Their eyes are moving towards the front of their face now, too. 

Remember when we first found out we were pregnant? That seems like such a long time ago! I look back and realize how much I have worried for no good reason. Baby is safe, healthy, and happy. Look how much bigger (s)he has gotten!

I am getting ridiculously excited for Saturday. Not only to hopefully find out the gender, but because Matt and I will be seeing baby together again for the first time in about 8 weeks. Plus, we'll have Matt's mom, dad, and Brian and Katie with us. How fun! I'm going to have some caffeine before the ultrasound-not a lot, just enough to wake baby up so (s)he moves around. It helps the tech determine the gender....but hey, at my last ultrasound baby's legs were wide open. So maybe it won't even be an issue! :)

Much love!

To our precious baby, you are our world. We can't wait to meet you, but please don't come out until late April or May, despite how much I may complain about how you're causing mommy some discomfort. You are perfect, and we love you more than words can say. Stay safe and warm, little one! 

15 Weeks, 5 Days

My mom flew in on Tuesday (when I "turned" 15 weeks), and we've been busy shopping, baking, and enjoying each other's company! She left last night (sad face), but I'll see her again soon.

Thanksgiving was fun. We were able to spend some quality time with family, and there was an amazing spread of food! Unfortunately, I couldn't keep anything down except a slice of pumpkin pecan cheesecake...but that was delicious! Friday we had leftovers and we made a new recipe-Panera's Macaroni and Cheese! I've tried to duplicate this recipe many a times, but found the recipe on their website and it's truly amazing. As a plus, it's pretty easy to make, and tastes just as great the next day (which is saying something, because normally I won't eat leftover macaroni and cheese because it's more oily and less cheesy the second day). Here's the recipe if you're interested: http://mypanera.panerabread.com/articlestips/article/the-ultimate-macaroni-and-cheese/. I'm also able to keep this down-yay.

Baby is about the size of an apple, but not green:

At the beginning of 15 Weeks, baby was about 4 inches long and weighed about two and a half ounces. (S)he can sense light even though the eyelids are still fused shut, and has the beginnings of taste buds. A big step in baby's life is occurring this week-baby's lungs are developing! (S)he is starting to inhale amniotic fluid through their nose and mouth, helping the air sacs in the lungs grow nice and strong. Our little peanut is growing up so fast already.

Baby is moving around more. :)

We'll be 16 Weeks (16!!!) on Tuesday, woohoo! We will be having the private ultrasound done on Saturday, December 1, so hopefully we can find out if our little one is a boy or girl. I have a gift for Matt if it's a boy and another one if it's a girl. If we don't find out the gender at this ultrasound, I'll have my anatomy scan near the end of December of beginning of January, so we should be able to find out then. 

Matt and I went to Norfolk (MacArthur Center and the Norfolk Admirals hockey game) last Saturday and had so much fun! I love this picture. :)

Happy week, everyone!

14 Weeks, 3 Days

I'm a member of an online forum for mommies, and part of a sub-forum for women due in May. This has been a great resource for me to learn about pregnancy, babies, and motherhood in general. You can personalize your "signature" (what members see underneath each post), and I requested for a graphic to be made. I love this!!! :)

My appointment on Wednesday went perfectly! I got to see baby for about 10 seconds. First (s)he was facing the front (head on), then moved to the side. Baby was very wiggly! I can definitely start to feel him/her now, especially when my bladder is full (gross, I know). The heart rate was 160, which is perfect, and (s)he has gotten so much bigger! The OB referred to the baby as "he" but it's common for doctors and techs to refer to all babies as one gender, so I'm not reading too much into that. All of the testing I've gotten done over the past few weeks came back perfect-woohoo! :) I could've have asked for a better appointment (ok, maybe a picture of the ultrasound would've been nice, but the OB was just doing it to check the heart rate). She said I have carpal tunnel (nothing new, but pregnancy aggravates it), and I will be going to a physical therapy class for pregnant women having back pain in December. I was supposed to go this morning, but my nausea and vomiting was just too bad - there was no way I could be in a moving vehicle. 

We have an ultrasound at the private place down the road December first, and we're so excited to have Matt's family join us! We're hoping to find out the gender that day, as long as baby cooperates, but regardless, it will be awesome to see our little one again. Matt hasn't seen baby in utero since the ER visit a while ago. I'll have another "official" ultrasound at the hospital in mid December, called the anatomy scan, where they will confirm the gender and make sure baby is healthy. My next OB appointment is December 12. 

The 6 weeks will be busy! We have Thanksgiving, my mom is coming on Monday (WOOHOO!), appointments, classes, and friends coming down to visit us. And, of course, CHRISTMAS! We already put up our tree, and it's beautiful. We got a set of four stocking hangers, so baby will have one next year. (Yes, Sirius has his own stocking because he's such a ham.) 

I am really hoping my nausea/vomiting dissipates so I can enjoy all of the delicious Thanksgiving food next week. Matt has been so sweet and helpful. He's the best. I can't wait until he's a daddy. :)

We're going to the Norfolk Admirals hockey game tomorrow-baby's first sporting event! I'm thinking (s)he won't remember much of it, though. 

Happy Friday!

14 Weeks

14 weeks today-woohoo! Oh, baby, you are causing me to feel so many strange things! I've been having more cramping and stretching as my muscles grow to accomodate our little growing miracle. What is baby up to nowadays? (S)he is about the size of a lemon-3.5 inches long and weighing about 1.5 ounces.

In my belly, baby is able to squint, grimace, frown, pee, and suck his or her thumb. Lanugo (a soft downy hair) is starting to develop on their body, which helps keep them warm. Baby's liver is starting to produce bile this week. Their spleen is starting to produce red blood cells, and by the end of this week baby's arms will be a length that's proportionate to their body. The baby is also being more active, although it's questionable whether it can be felt at this point (I say yes!). 

What does baby look like right now? Perfect!

My belly has started to round out more, yay! My clothes are all getting pretty tight, so I'm glad my mom will be bringing some maternity clothes with her next week! I'm having more back pain, but it's a dull ache, not sharp or debilitating pain like sciatica. My nausea this past week (besides last Tuesday) has been great, except yesterday I got sick mid-morning. We had a great weekend-lunch with friends at Olive Garden, a visit from Michele, and we put up our Christmas decorations (early, but we're making up for lost time because we didn't get to decorate last year!). My mom is flying in on Monday and I'm so excited! Then it's Thanksgiving. Mashed potatoes sound so good right now. :)

Happy Tuesday!

13 Weeks

We're 13 weeks pregnant today - YAY!

Baby has developed fingerprints and his/her body is starting to grow to catch up with their big head. (S)he is about 3 inches long and weighs 1 ounce. Bone is starting to replace cartilage and the baby will start putting their thumb in their mouth. (Side note: I REALLY hope this child isn't a thumb-sucker until age 7 like I was.)

Baby is about the size of a peach!

In utero, baby looks like this:

Today was a bad nausea day (triggered by being in the car), but I'm feeling better now. I've been getting more headaches due to the increased blood flow, and I'm hungry all the time. All. The. Time. If I don't eat, the nausea gets much worse. I got some lab work done this morning, and my next appointment is Wednesday, November 14. I've been feeling some fluttering in my uterus that I am 99% sure is baby, but it is still pretty early. It's like a butterfly in there....such a strange sensation! I can't wait to meet our precious little miracle. 

Hope everyone has a great Tuesday! 

12 Weeks, 6 Days

We went to the zoo today! Not only was it mentally and physically refreshing to get out of the house, but we got to see some adorable animals, like...

This adorable red panda! Matt bought baby a small red panda stuffed animal on our way out of the zoo. He was very excited about it. :) Out of all the animals, we watched these guys the most. They remind me of Alissa's cats...playful, silly, and furry with ridiculous tails!

Here is a picture of me (taken by Matt)! Excuse the wild and crazy hair. It was windy. And cold.

Also, we assembled the crib a few days ago. It looks amazing! We are both really impressed with the quality. Plus, we didn't kill each other during assembly. Next step: buy mattress! 

I've been looking at DIY nursery decor, and have a ton of great ideas, like curtains, a crib skirt, hanging wooden letters spelling their name, paining the dresser, fabric pom pom balls, bible verse prints...all-around awesomeness! 

Tomorrow is 13 Weeks! Woohoo! This weekend we plan on going to Colonial Williamsburg (free admission to military service members and their spouses!), and Michele is coming to visit. I can't wait!

Hope everyone had a great Monday. :)

12 Weeks, 4 Days

Guess what I just realized? I'm going to be 20 weeks pregnant on Christmas Day! What better gift could I ask for than to be carrying a baby? :)

Hope everyone has a great Saturday!

12 Weeks, 2 Days

Twelve Weeks! Some consider this the start of the first trimester; others consider it to be 13 weeks, and still others 14 weeks. Either way, I am excited to be three months pregnant!

Baby has double its weight this week and now weighs about half an ounce. (S)he is 2 inches long, and about the size of a....

Plum!

Baby's reflexes are developing (moving fingers, sucking) and is actually beginning to look like a baby instead of an alien. Baby's ears are where they should be by now, and the eyes are moving inwards. His/her kidneys are starting to function, too.

Look at how far baby has come (or just scroll down to the bottom picture to see what baby looks like now). :)

Week 2 (Conception):

Week 3:

Week 4:

Week 5:

Week 6:

Week 7:

Week 8:

Week 9:

Week 10:

Week 11:

Week 12:

My back pain has gotten less acute, but more widespread. I'd rather have it this way, so my sciatica doesn't flare up and cause mobility issues. Heartburn has been rearing its ugly head, and headaches are more common. There are some other not-so-pleasant pregnancy side effects I'll just let you ponder, but overall I'm feeling like I have more energy, sleeping better during the night, and vomiting less. My nausea comes and goes and I still have dry heaving, but it's much better than what it was just last week. Hopefully I won't jinx myself!

Matt and I bought a crib last night. YAY! We are so excited. And, best of all, we got it from the new Target less than five minutes away. Yes. A Target. Within 5 minutes. This could be dangerous, especially considering all the adorable snugamonkey items. 

We wanted a crib that would convert into a toddler bed (this crib also converts into a full-size bed later on if we choose), and has multiple mattress heights. The brand (Delta) consistently receives the highest ratings on amazon. It was on sale from $250 to $175. 30% off? Yes, please! It was our first big baby purchase, and we are going to put it together today. :) 

Also, more exciting news. (I know, there's more?!?!!?) Last night after we got home from said crib purchase, there was a card in our mailbox from Michele, Jason, Eric, Maria, Brian, Katie, Mike, and Candy. There was a folded piece of paper in the card, and Matt opened it up first and his eyes got wide. I looked at the paper annnnnnd....they all went in to pay for our maternity photo session with Jayson & Rachael (the photography couple who are AMAZING and did Brian and Katie's wedding in March, Jason and Michele's wedding in October, and will be doing Mike and Candy's wedding next year). As I write this, I realize that if you're reading this blog, you probably already know all this information. 

Anyway, it was SUCH an amazing surprise! I'm so excited. :) Which is why, after waking up to pee at 5 AM, I couldn't back to sleep. I am so happy! Plus, the cooler weather is just so energizing.

Happy November!