Half Baked! (Aka: 20 Weeks)

We had a wonderful Christmas full of family, food and of course running around. It was almost halfway through the day when I realized I was 20 weeks on Christmas day! Even though I got a lot of wonderful presents for Christmas, I was thrilled to get that one too. After that realization it was absolutely surreal to spend the rest of the day knowing that nect Christmas, we will have a seven month old son crawling around.

I got a lot of belly pats and touches because Peanut is definitely just making himself more and more known these days. I am still fighting through this stupid cold or sinus infection or something. I might actually bite the bullet and go to the doctor since it has been three weeks and I seem to feel worse than ever right now. Otherwise I feel okay, pretty exhausted from all the festivities of Christmas but nothing too crazy. The one weird thing that has been happening repeatedly is the feeling of passing out I've been getting. I only get it when I am standing up doing something and I have to sit down immediately. My arms feel heavy and tingly, my head starts pounding and I feel faint and a couple of times my vision has started to go black at the sides. When I sit and drink some water it clears quickly, but it still  kind of freaks me out. I know feeling lightheaded or dizzy is normal in pregnancy, but I am still going to have to make an appointment I think. It could be bad circulation, low blood sugar or even anemia. Who knows?!

Josh is absolutely going to be the best daddy ever. All weekend long, anytime anyone new walked in the door, he was already greeting them with our ultrasound pictures showing off our boy. Seeing him like that and interacting with our nieces and nephews just makes me completely relax about us as parents. He is going to be phenomenal. We got several new things for the baby for Christmas which just keeps making this all the more real. My mom surprised Josh with the cutest little sleeper outfit that is covered in footballs and says, "Daddy's Little MVP" on it. He was so cute when he opened it. I can tell he has so many wishes and dreams for our son and I know that boy will never be deprived of any vital childhood experience. When Josh and I talk about the future, we don't talk about money or furniture or what our baby will own...we find ourselves talking about all the things we will do with him, teach him and let him learn on his own. Josh keeps saying he can't wait til May but I'm already feeling the mommy tug of, "no! Let him stay in there a little longer!"

Somehow I ended up in the same shirt this week as last week for my bump picture. It's my pretty green Christmas sweater, I guess. Sometimes, I feel more chubby than pregnant but everyone keeps telling me that they can only see a baby bump...no chub.

19 Week Bump Update:
How far along:  20 weeks!
How big is baby: We have a cantaloupe baby in there and you can tell! Baby should be right about 6.5 inches from crown to rump still (at 22 weeks, they'll start measuring him from crown to toe!) and around 11 oz. Based on my last appointment, we were pretty close to that.
Total weight gain: Despite all my fears of the doctor's office scale, I have still only gained 4 pounds total. It looks like more when you see that belly, but numbers don't lie!
Sleep: I have finally gotten to the point where I pretty much have to stay on my side. If I wake up on my back, I am usually dizzy and nauseous and light headed.
Best moment of the week: Christmas! Seeing all of our big family and hearing all the excitement about the new grandbaby.   
Food cravings:  Still loving salad and water. (Ha Ha, that makes me sound a lot healthier than I really am.) Josh took me to sushi for my birthday and it was *so* good. I just like California Rolls (cooked crab meat, avocado, cucumber, rice) with lots of wasabi in my soy sauce. I could eat that like every day and be happy.
Food aversions:  The smell of onions has been getting to me lately, but only if it is really strong. Otherwise, nothing really...maybe I'm over that hump finally?
Symptoms:  Still fighting the cold so there's those. I already talked about the fainting feeling, charlie horses in my calves at night, lots of bloating which adds to the huge bump!
Movement:  We felt one big thump together on Christmas morning while we were still laying in bed. I felt Peanut squirming around so I put Josh's hand on my tummy and about an inch to the left and below my belly button was just a quick bump and it was over. I'm not fully convinced yet but it was the biggest thing I've felt so far!
Gender:  BOY!!!! Finally one answer I will know without a doubt the rest of this pregnancy! Yay!
What I’m looking forward to:  Getting out there with Josh and creating a baby registry. I am not even sure we'll have a shower, but it will be nice to have a compiled list of all the things we want and need to help us stay organized. Finding a nursery theme we agree on should be fun ;)
What I miss: Being able to sit on the floor and get up easily! It should not be this hard this early on but it really is!
Next apt:  January 17th I believe. I'll have to check. It's funny how the beginning of pregnancy is so exciting with so many big appointments to look forward to but then after the 20 week anatomy scan, there's really nothing too major coming up. Well, besides childbirth and all. :)

oh, BOY!!!

We had a magical day today. It was my birthday and I got the most amazing present I could ever ask for at our anatomy scan. The whole thing felt like a whirlwind but here we are and I am so happy to say...

we are having a SON!!!!!!!!!

The appointment was routine enough. I really did not like our ultrasound tech. She was very bossy and her know-it-all attitude got to me pretty quickly. She was also not very thorough in explaining exactly what it was that she was doing. She printed us some pictures but did not label them the way the girl at our NT scan did but that was a little disappointing. Anyway, before we got started she asked us if we wanted to know the sex. We both emphatically told her yes. She quickly scanned through all the body parts, I guess just accounting for everything. Then she basically blurted out, "okay ready..there's a penis." And just like that...in one vulgar second, our lives changed forever.

Unlike our last ultrasound, our little Peanut was wiggling around like crazy in there! We saw HIM wave, blow bubbles, make kissy faces and at one point completely roll over. It was so odd seeing that happen because I did not feel a thing! He hid his face with his hands for a little while then showed us how flexible he is by stretching his toes all the way up by his face. The tech said Peanut is measuring exactly on track for our due date. He's 6.5 inches and a little chubbier than normal at 10 oz.

We had a follow up appointment with a new doctor in the practice afterwards. He is the one male doctor in the practice and he seems nice enough. He's older, kind of cheesy but whatever. He told me I was only up 4 pounds but did not say anything else about it so I guess he's not concerned. My blood pressure was a great 117/70 so they are not concerned about high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia at all which is good news. Peanut's little heart was beating nice and strong (though much slower than in the past!) at 146 beats per minute. The doctor said the normal range is 120-160 and that it slows down after about 12 weeks so that's right on track too.

Our original plan was to wait until Christmas for the big reveal, but once I heard the word "boy" I knew Josh would not be able to contain his excitement. We made several happy phone calls to his dad and mom and then went and bought a big bouquet of blue balloons to surprise my family with. We walked in the door holding them and my mom screamed! It was so much fun. Almost everyone was expecting a girl but this is such a fantastic surprise. Even though I must admit that I had a little moment of mourning over the pink, frilly girly things I'll be missing out on, the truth is I always wanted a boy first. That way, if I ever do have a little girl, she'll have a big brother just like I did.

We are keeping names to ourselves for the most part. I know our immediate families have a general idea but I am just not interested in hearing anyone else's opinions about it! Here's a couple pictures of our little BOY!

His cute little nose still gets me every time. Here, he was making kissy faces and puckering his little lips. You can also sort of make out his knees tucked up by his belly.

After the somersault, Peanut was face down for a little bit!

This one is kind of creepy because of the detail of the ultrasound and the baby's face but at one point, Peanut literally put up a number one sign for us!

A Perfect Little Foot!

19 Weeks!

Phew. This has been a long week. Between this cold that will not go away and keeps relapsing over and over and all the Christmas Crazy-ness going on right now, I was so ready for the weekend. It honestly felt like the weekend did not even exist though. I still have quite a bit of Christmas shopping and baking to do and I just don't WANNA! Hmph. I am convinced that all this Christmas shopping is why I am still sick. People are gross. Even though I carry hand sanitizer with me, I still can't get rid of all the germs. Yuck.

Anyway, complaining aside there were some fun moments this week. At work on Saturday, the shirt I was wearing was really emphasizing the bump. I got my first two stranger comments one right after the other. The first was a regular customer of mine. She had been giving me the side-eye for a couple of weeks but was too nice to say anything in case I was just getting chubby. Then on Saturday she finally said, "you can totally smack me if I am wrong...but you're expecting right??" I just laughed and told her yes. She was so relieved. She said I was carrying all out front in the belly so she thought so. The next one was an older gentleman who I'd never seen before. I was just giving him his change when he nonchalantly asked, "when's your baby due?" I have to admit I was a little shocked that I got two comments in one day. I made some joke about how I must really look pregnant because he was the second person to comment and he told me that he used to be an Army doctor and that he had delivered over 8,000 babies in his career. He was such a sweetheart. He told me congratulations and said I looked like I was doing well and then he told me "there is absolutely nothing more joyful in the world than having a baby." He is so right. What a sweet man he was. He even wished me a Merry Christmas before he left.

Josh and I had his company Christmas party on Saturday night. I really was not feeling well but I was glad I went. A co-worker of Josh's has a wife that is also pregnant and it was nice to be able to commiserate with her about all the yuckies. I did get a fair share of people touching my belly even though it is still pretty little. Thankfully, I am not really a squeamish person about physical boundaries so the touching doesn't bother me. It kind of makes me smile that other people are excited for me and our baby. My mom loves to touch my belly and I like it too! She is so ready to feel little Peanut moving around in there.

My bump is definitely noticeable now (obviously) but it thankfully has shifted down a little bit so I can at least breathe now. It seems peanut is resting right around my belly button which is a lot more comfortable than all up in my ribcage! Here's a picture:

Please ignore the lame hand on the hip pose...it was the only way not to block the way the bump sticks straight out!

19 Week Bump Update:
How far along:  19 weeks!
How big is baby: The size of a mango! Six inches from head to rump...and growing by the day. My belly doesn't seem big enough to hold something that big inside it but it is amazing to think about.
Total weight gain: Last time I checked around 4 pounds. We have a doctor's appointment this week and doctor's office scales are always a lot meaner (aka: more accurate, lol) so we shall see.
Sleep: The comfort level has been better this week. I have not been having all the abdominal aches and pains when I roll over but the pregnancy insomnia is going strong. I have no real reason for it, I just cannot fall asleep.
Best moment of the week: Getting my first stranger comments for sure. Makes me smile. :)  
Food cravings:  Still on my salad kick. That's all I've been wanting and I've had salad twice this week. Both times they were yummy loaded salads full of olives, mushrooms, avocado and other good stuff. Mm. I want another one! Also, water. I just want to drink it all day long....it tastes so good to me right now. Can't complain about that!
Food aversions:  My sister made the mistake of talking about spaghetti-os which made me want to vomit. Also, my family eats a traditional sauerkraut meal on Christmas Eve and the thought of the smell of that is not too appealing to me either.
Symptoms:  This week, mostly cold symptoms! I feel awful. The nasal issues have moved down into my lungs now so hopefully it's on it's way out. Otherwise, some headaches, tiredness, leg cramps and abdominal fullness.
Movement:  Still just feeling the typical flutters. I am sad that there's been no big bumps yet but I know it is only a matter of time.
Gender:  I just don't know anymore...but I don't have to wait too much longer!
What I’m looking forward to:  My birthday! Not only do we get to find out the sex, but Josh and I have big plans to create a fun little announcement to use to tell our families.
What I miss: Margaritas. We had mexican food the other day and a frozen salty margarita just sounds amazing right now.
Next apt:  Tuesday!

Sick and Embarrassing...

Somehow over the past couple of days, I have come down with some kind of icky cold virus. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It's that time of the year. I work face to face with customers all day. And I spend 8 hours touching all kinds of dirty shopping cart handles the other day trying to knock out some Christmas shopping. Over the weekend I was mostly just feeling worn down, kind of dizzy and weird. I knew something was coming but I had no clue what.

Yesterday at work it finally hit with full force. The big giant sneezes, the dripping snotty nose, the watery stinging eyes. YUCK. This was all made worse by the fact that the only material available to blow my nose in was the cheapest toilet paper imaginable...you know...the kind that basically feels like rough tissue paper and doesn't absorb any moisture whatsoever? By the end of my shift my nose was raw and stinging. I knew I needed to get to the grocery store immediately for some orange juice, soup and medicine.

As I'm walking around an unfamiliar grocery store (the closest one to my work), I was mindlessly throwing things into my basket that I thought might make me feel better. Cambell's chicken noodle soup: the kind you ate when you were 5. Little tangerines. Soft Kleenex. Vicks Vaporub (hate this stuff but it works!). I was *almost* to the medicine aisle when I felt it coming on: a giant sneeze. When you're sick the sneezes turn evil. They are so huge they bend your whole body into some crazy contorted torture pose. Well, I felt it coming on but I couldn't stop it. I sneezed in the middle of this store...and totally peed my pants. Welcome to being sick while having something the size of a sweet potato lying on your bladder. :(

Thankfully, my pants were black so the wet spot was not noticeable. I grabbed the closest medicine I could find that was on the pregnancy safe list and booked it out of there as fast as I could. Walking out to my car in the freezing temperatures with soaking wet pants was really fun. As was sitting in them for the 15 minute drive home. Looking back now I can only laugh, but last night it was just sick and embarrassing.

18 Weeks...and POP!

If you consider that 36 weeks is technically full term, I am halfway done with this pregnancy today. I know most first babies are often late but the simple idea that I am nearing the halfway point of this is baffling to me. I went from having a teeny little baby bump to popping straight out in a matter of a few days. I first noticed it the other night when after eating a few bites of pasta, I felt like I could not breathe for a good hour. I went to bed that night and woke up the next day to see a complete and total transformation in my body.

I am not sure if it is actually the baby, or if it is all my other internal organs being pushed up by this baby...but I am carrying HIGH and straight out. I always knew this would be an issue with my teeny torso, but the visual impact is actually stunning. As I was showing off the bump to my mom, she noticed that my ribs which usually stick out pretty far are no longer noticeable because of the hard baby bump. Because I am carrying so high already, I am noticing the difficulty breathing, rib pain and hiccups! See for yourself:

I might start including my face in these pictures because I finally got my hair done! I still feel skinnier everywhere else but my big belly.

18 Week Bump Update:
How far along:  18 weeks!
How big is baby: Today, Peanut is the size of a sweet potato! The actual measurements are 5.7 inches and almost 7 ounces...no wonder I'm having trouble breathing!
Total weight gain: I hopped on my mom's scale the other day and it looks like I'm still riding the line of 3-4 pounds gained. I know I am going to get in trouble for this at my next doctor's appointment. I swear I'm not TRYING to starve my baby. I think my body just did not need to gain any weight yet. I'm going to trust it...it seems to know what it's doing.
Sleep: I've definitely noticed in the last couple of days that I am very uncomfortable on my back. All the pressure from baby pushes on my spinal cord and it is definitely not fun. I'm normally a side sleeper anyway, so that's good!
Best moment of the week: Josh felt our little Peanut for one brief second the other day. I'm convinced this kid does somersaults in there...I will never forget the smile on his face and how wide his eyes were.  
Food cravings:  Still really *needing* lemony pasta. I haven't gone to the grocery store yet so that's definitely on my to do list. I am thinking angel hair pasta with lots of lemon juice, garlic and some fresh parmesan cheese on top. DROOL. Also, house salads from restaurants. Just a simple lettuce, cucumber, carrot salad with a few croutons and ranch dressing. It's never the same at home!
Food aversions:  Still not really wanting meat ever. I'll eat it but I definitely don't want it.
Symptoms:  Congestion, difficulty breathing, rib pain (almost like a stitch in my side from running), abdominal aches, exhaustion!
Movement:  After less movement last week, I am starting to feel stronger baby movements although they are still less frequent than those early flutters. When Josh felt the baby move I had been feeling rolling motions from one side of my abdomen to the other for about 5 minutes. I grabbed his hand and he felt it for a second and then Peanut was still. Daddy calms the baby apparently. :)
Gender:  Still getting pretty strong girl vibes. I honestly have no idea though. Now that I'm carrying high more people have told me they think it's a girl.
What I’m looking forward to:  Watching our little one on the ultrasound to see if it really is as active in there as it feels like! I hope we get to see some movement but I kind of doubt it. This baby likes to move around more after dinner and before bed and my appointment is early in the morning.
What I miss: Seeing my ribs! Still having some trouble standing up if I'm on the ground...it is difficult to maneuver around this hard lump in my belly!
Next apt:  Still waiting til my birthday. 9 days!

Flutterbies

I don't know where the word Flutterbies came from but I think that me or one of my siblings accidentally called a butterfly a flutterby when we were little. Either way, I have been having lots of them here and there. In the last week or so however, I've noticed them less and less. Even though my belly keeps getting rounder, the flutters have been fewer and farther between. Of course, this is a reason for me to overanalyze and panic.

With my anterior placenta, I knew it was very possible I wouldn't be able to feel baby kicks until later in the pregnancy. Think of it as an air bag protecting the baby from the front. While most women's air bags are in the back, mine is completely cushioning the area in front of my abdomen and the baby. I was just assuming that since I was getting bigger and progressing right along that my placenta was probably growing too and making baby's movements harder to feel. Everything else has been going fine: no cramping, no bleeding, etc. So I was trying not to worry.

This morning, I caved in to a recent impulse buy and ate a huge bowl of Fruit Loops (it was my breakfast and my lunch!) Within a couple minutes my entire abdomen felt like it was full of fluttering wings. I breathed the biggest sigh of relief and literally told my tummy, "thank you for letting mommy know you're okay!" This part of pregnancy is so odd: it's a sort of limbo between the horrible symptoms of the first trimester and the big kicks of later pregnancy so it is hard to know that everything really is okay. At least now I know for the future: this baby loves sugar!

Just for fun, a new picture of Peanut and mommy's new blonde(r) hair!

17 Weeks!

All of a sudden, I feel like time is dragging and my attitude has switched from "whoa! I'm already 17 weeks!" to "oh my gosh, how am I only 17 weeks?!" I know the reason for this switch is the fact that our anatomy scan is in a couple weeks and I just cannot handle the wait!!! I know the time will probably fly because I have so much going on between now and then but as I sit here typing this, it feels like it is so far away!

I have been feeling great for the most part. The newest and most constant symptom is that I am always achy and sore in my low abdomen. It is obvious that this is from my belly stretching out but it is a little disconcerting. I have taken to constantly having a heating pad on when I am at home, which seems to help. Also, I have definitely popped out a little bit more. I have been getting comments. My favorite so far? From my dear brother who stated ever so lovingly, "whoa! Look at that belly! You're rocking the beer gut!" :) I love him but all I wanted to do was smack him! Lol.

It's true though, the belly has arrived. Mostly after eating it pops way out and my previously deep belly button is getting wider and wider. Not really that attractive. I like to wear tighter clothes to show off the bump but the wide open belly button is not that cute!

Here's the bump!

17 Week Bump Update:
How far along:  17 weeks!
How big is baby: This week, peanut is the size of a large yellow onion from root to tip. This is about 5 inches and 5.9 oz. Getting bigger all the time!
Total weight gain: I honestly have no clue! I haven't been to the doctor since 15 weeks and I have had a little appetite return since then. I'm hoping I put on a couple more pounds though I don't necessarily feel like I have.
Sleep: Still having trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep. When I DO fall asleep, I sleep really deeply and it is awesome, it's just getting there that's the issue.
Best moment of the week: Walking around the store with my mom I noticed that my bump was really lopsided! Peanut must have been hanging out on my right side or flipping around or something. We started prodding and poking and eventually my tummy was back to normal, but that was a strange reminder that there is really someONE growing in there!
Food cravings:  Lemon pasta. I have been wanting it sooooo bad and restaurants just don't make a plain garlicky, lemony pasta. Guess I'll have to make it myself!
Food aversions:  Nothing I can really thing of. Still struggling with nothing really sounding that great though.
Symptoms:  Abdominal aches, back pain, worse allergies, feet falling asleep! Feeling so full after just a few bites, to the point where I feel like I cannot breathe. Dizziness.
Movement:  I have actually felt less movement this last week but I am guessing that the placenta blocking baby is just getting thicker. I still feel the little flutters late at night after dinner but no big kicks yet, hopefully soon!
Gender:  Don't tell Josh, but I have been getting some serious girl vibes lately! I took a test recently called the Chinese Gender Predictor and it guesses the sex of the baby based on the mother's birth month and the month the baby was conceived. It said girl. I tested the theory by entering me, my brother and my sister and it was right all 3 times. Spooky!
What I’m looking forward to:  Still looking forward to that big baby kick. And a big pop! I have a little belly but nothing screaming pregnant yet.
What I miss: Putting my socks on/getting up off the ground easily. It sounds strange but with this hard little knot in my belly, it is getting harder to do simple things !
Next apt:  My birthday...16 days away!!! Go quickly days!