0 week 22 - another belly pic. I think I am on a roll

Its been a very busy week this week. I will hopefully have ultrasound pics to upload as soon as Mark sends them to me on email. We made it through Christmas. I was thinking that would never happen. I was pretty worn out, but in the end, it was worth it. 5 Christmas celebrations in 4 days and lots of running doesn't make for a happy mama. Yesterday we hit the 22 week mark. The time is just flying by. I am feeling more movement, but most of its internal and not external. Just a few more weeks until Mark can feel it. I am excited to share it with him, but know it is going to be a little weird and painful at first. I think its all relative. Here is a recap of the week!
Christmas was on Saturday of last week - we had the my mom's family on the 23rd, my parents on the 24th, Mark's mom and my step mom's family on the 25th and then my dad's family on the 26th along with Aunt Kat's 21st birthday. All family activities were nice, but I sure was tired by the 26th. Mark and I spent the entire day on the 27th packing the house, getting all the clothes I dont fit into put away in storage and Mark finished cleaning like a mad man while I had to go back to work. He is so much better at getting rid of clutter than I am. New Years Resolution for sure... lets see if I can do it.
Kat's bday is a big one and since I couldnt drink and was very tired, I wasnt much of a big sister. I did take her to Fridays for a drink and some apps which she loved, but its still hard to believe that she is 21. Here are some pics from our outing.

I am sure she will hate that picture, but we all were beat. We did breakfast at Joe's Diner in the am (always yummy) and then went to Grandma's for dinner. Fun stuff. I am glad the week is over, and looking forward to the new year. 2011 is bringing all kids of excitement for Mark and I - so we will see how it goes! Excitement to come.
For now- here are a few pics from our week including a terrible belly shot... at least I took one.

Belly pic 22wks 1 day

Lazy cat in bed during the snow

Snow from our Bedroom window

Jack playing in the Christmas tree- his favorite

Snow on the ground right before Christmas

Jack in his Christmas Hat (and me looking dreaded)

0 20 week ultrasound -- well 21 weeks

Today was probably the best Christmas gift a girl can get. We had our 20 week anatomy scan even though we were not finding out the gender they still check all of the organs to be sure that everything is developing just fine. We took my mom with us which was super cool and we were simply amazed at everything we saw. I will upload video as soon as Mark pulls it off the phone. The ultrasound tech was AMAZING. She was playing beautiful Christmas music, was very relaxing and just made us feel like family. We were able to see its cute little face right away and we could see every organ, the brain, and lots of very cool things. The video will show all of the parts more, but the baby is measuring right on track, healthy and full of energy. We could see it move its hands and feet and even put its hands in its mouth. This is simply the best Christmas gift a girl can get. Being able to say I have a healthy baby is amazing. Most people ask me what I want for Christmas and I can truly say that I have everything I could ever want. I cannot want anything else in my life after today. I cannot wait to meet the little one and get to actually see all of these parts in person!

0 Week 20 - and a baby belly pic!

Mark is gone this week in London- doesnt make for a great week with snow, but it is kind of nice to get extra sleep. I do miss him quite a bit. I really wish we had more movement in the baby front, but only a few more days until our next ultrasound so I am pretty darn excited. I also took baby belly pics this week. Only two to compare right now- more to come when Mark returns.

Left side was taken 11/1/10 the right side was taken today 12/15/10. Not a huge change... but with better fitting clothes you can tell the difference. Its actually nice to feel somewhat pregnant now.







How far along: 20 weeks 1 day - size of banana or cantaloupe - is it me or are these items VERY different.

Total weight gain: Still about the same. We will see what the doc says on Monday- I should be between 1-3lbs from the last few weeks which puts me still a few lbs under where I started. I am sure that will end soon.

How big is baby?: we are measuring the size of an banana from Babycenter, this week on the Bump we are the size of a canteloupe.

Maternity clothes?: Mark bought me some much needed tops. They are treating me very nice. I still love leggins now that my legs are smaller.
Stretch marks?: none here. Still using Cocoa butter to keep them away.
Symptoms? not a lot- hard to feel pregnant without any symptoms.
Sleep?:better. I am limiting the amount of fluids I drink at night which seems to really help how well I sleep. With Mark gone it does make it difficult.
Best moment this week?: It will be Saturday when Mark gets back but if we are going back a week, meeting Icky Woods and him giving the belly a big rub!
Movement?: I think I feel fluttering, but its too inconsistent for now.
Food cravings?: I say nothing - Mark says chicken wings. I guess its more of a reason to eat them now.
Labor signs?:none
Belly button in or out?: still in - just growing,
Gender? its a surprise.
What I miss? dancing- we had Mark's Christmas party this past week and I miss dancing...
What I am looking forward to: Mark coming home, preparing for Christmas and seeing the baby in a few days.
Milestone: half way point!!!

0 And we have movement

I posted the other day about week 19 and as we roll along I kept wondering when I was going to feel the baby move. The docs always say 16-20 weeks but some say it can take longer. When you havent heard or got to see the baby in almost 10 weeks you wonder what is going on in there. I realize its still early so I wasnt too worked up about it, but did plan to talk to the doc about it if I didnt feel anything soon. We have our ultrasound scheduled for the 20th of December so its coming up soon - not too much more time to wait.
As I was preparing for my workout yesterday I was running around the office like a mad woman trying to get everything finished for the day. Side note :man sometimes I wish I didnt feel so obligated to do these all the time because I was seriously tired- just feel too good after I finish them to stop. As I was finally settling down to relax, I noticed what felt like gas bubbles in my stomach. As I looked through the items I ate for the day, it just didnt make sense. As I sat still a little longer I realized it wasnt gas bubbles but actual movement. I thought i have felt some movement before, but we will write down 12/8/10 as the first official time I knew it was the baby moving. I cant wait for Mark to be able to feel it move. SO exciting.
I dont have much more to add now. I want to upload bump pictures, but Mark keeps hogging the camera- until I can snatch it away I will have to start taking my own pics in the bathroom mirror.

0 week 19 - and we keep rolling on

The weeks are flying by and I cannot believe how time is flying. We are getting closer to Christmas and we are getting excited at how much closer we are to meeting our little person. This week we are an heirloom tomato. As I look at it and realize how big it looks... kind of scary. I am finally showing on a regular basis and its getting more exciting. I cannot wait to fee the little one move. Here is my week update. (and to catch up from the crazy last two weeks).

 

How far along: 19 weeks - size of mango or heirloom tomato

Total weight gain: I think I finally gained a lb.  you will never hear me say that again.

How big is baby?: we are measuring the size of an heirloom tomato from Babycenter, this week on the Bump we are the size of a mango.

Maternity clothes?: oh how I love them. I still slip in some regular clothes, but I love maternity clothes.
Stretch marks?: none here.
Symptoms? besides the growing belly and the start of round ligament pain, it is going great.

Sleep?:still having crazy dreams. Trying to stay on my side is harder than I think.

Best moment this week?: I am hoping to have a great night sleep this week.

Movement?: I think I feel fluttering, but I cant tell yet.

Food cravings?: I say nothing - Mark says chicken wings. I guess its more of a reason to eat them now.

Labor signs?:none and hopefully none for a long time.

Belly button in or out?: still in - just growing,

Gender? its a surprise.

What I miss? sometimes I miss a glass of wine, other times my energy.

What I am looking forward to: seeing the baby again in two weeks,

Milestone: almost half way through.

0 Baby purchases thus far...

So we didnt plan on purchasing much for the baby this early, but some things kind of fell in our lap. Our first purchase was a stroller. Our friends have the Quinny 3 Buzz stroller and after throwing that in my car I realized I actually really liked the way the stroller worked. Its easy to open and close, easy to pack and it seems as if we have plenty of options for the way it faces. The main problem was it was expensive. Well, after stopping to do some shopping we found one on sale with all the fixings WAY cheaper than we would have in the store. I love it and cant wait to use it. We purchased it in a dark Teal color but I couldnt find a photo online to match. Here is the stroller we purchased:

This thing is super easy to fold and unfold and I can wait to use it. We also were able to get the attachments with it including the bassinet. Here is the color of the one we purchased:

We had to quickly wrap it in a plastic bag because the two kittens think its a new bed for them. Oh the fight we are going to have when it comes down to opening the crib and the other fun cuddly items they will want to sleep in.  We ended up getting the rain covers, the conversion kit for the carseat, the stroller, the bassinet, bug nets and extra straps for less than we would have gotten the stroller. Take that for bargain shopping.

Our other recent purchases have included things for the baby bedroom. We aren't planning on getting a bedding set since most of the pieces they will not use. We plan to use the mobile, the sheets, the crib dust ruffle, and that is it. We were browsing Kenwood mall one Friday night and decided to stop in Pottery Barn kids. We walked in, found a crib we loved, and decided we would love to have it. We didn't make the purchase that day, but we did take a swatch home to match the wood with the items we already have. We were lucky enough to still have a baby dresser from when I was a child. It is still in excellent condition, just needs some new drawer pulls and we should be set. My dad volunteered to make the changing table (with a little coaxing from me) so we have a full bedroom set. Here is the crib we purchased:

We did manage to find some art pieces to start our decorating process as well. We found ABC letters and a map to frame and put in the babies room. We cant wait to see how it all looks together. Here are the art pieces:

We cant wait to find a permanent place to live and get this stuff out of boxes. I am excited to see how it all comes together.

How far along: 15 weeks 5 days -
From Baby Center we are an apple :

From The Bump we are an orange:

Total weight gain: nothing has changed - I am still down about 6lbs from the starting point.

How big is baby?: see above

Maternity clothes?: depends on the mood- I purchased maternity jeans and one pair of pants and they are just much more comfortable than the others that I currently have. I can do the belly band to help, but I prefer maternity clothes. The shirts are still WAY too big, but the tanks are nice for the extra room.

Stretch marks?: nope -thank the Lord and plan to keep it that way - cocoa butter is my friend.

Symptoms? Morning sickness is gone, heartburn is present when I don't eat correctly but that is controllable. Other than that the second trimester is much better than the first.

Sleep? Great now - I bought the boppy full body pillow and its a dream!

Best moment this week?: Hearing the heartbeat again and knowing we get to see the little one before Christmas - best present I can get.

Movement?: I thought I felt something - but I could be imagining things- soon enough.

Food cravings?: well, not many cravings- i just eat when I can since I cant eat very much at one sitting.

Labor signs?:none

Belly button in or out?: still in

Gender? not finding out

What I miss? high heels - not the same as they used to be.

What I am looking forward to:the ultrasound in a few weeks.

Milestone: almost through 4 mos.