Baby A's Week 18 Update

Week 17 was such a BUSY week! I had to attend two conferences for school, and it was the week before Thanksgiving which is always chaotic at work.  Mom doesn't have the Internet at her house (I am LOVING it; being able to disconnect is SO nice!) and I was too busy to journal my updates...seriously it was a crazy week and I'm so glad it's over!

 

I cannot believe it's already been 18 weeks! Time is flying by! 

 

Baby Growth:

Baby A is the size of a bell pepper! From head to rump it's measuring five and a half inches and seven ounces.

 

If Baby A is a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If it's a boy, his genitals are noticeable now. Just like mommy and daddy, he/she's busy flexing his arms and legs, blood vessels are visible through it's thin skin, and the ears are now in their final position.

 

My Symptoms:

 

Still dealing with some serious headaches and sinus drainage.  I helped mom this week rake/blow leaves in her yard and that made it worse, but the Tylenol is still working so I take it as needed.

 

Having a hard time getting my prenatals and DHA down again! I was doing so well for a few weeks, but now it's making me gag when I swallow the DHA.  I'm thinking about putting them in my lunch box and taking them during lunch while I'm eating and see if that helps.

 

Weight:

As of this morning I am at 1.5 pounds gain since my last appointment, which would 6.5-7 pounds total. I worked out several days last week and burned some calories decorating mom's house for Christmas and raking leaves.  My appointment is tomorrow; my goal has been no more than nine pounds total weight gain at this appointment. I feel pretty confident I'll be close. I have a bad habit of weighing myself every day;but I think it helps me keep my focus. 

 

Four years ago I lost 32 pounds by weightlifting/cardio and eating smaller portions. It took me a year to get that off and I've been able to keep off about 28 pounds over the years. During that time I trained myself to listen to my body when I'm eating. When I feel the least bit full I stop eating. We eat out a lot and I only eat about half of what's on my plate and box up the rest for the next day/meal, adn when I want something sweet I try to only eat half or a couple of bites and throw the rest away. I've tried to continue with this throughout my pregnancy. There has been the occasional grub fest, where I've eaten three pieces of pizza or a whole donut, but I try to limit myself.  Brian and mom think I'm not eating enough so I explained to them this week my mindset...there's no reason to eat until you are miserable and can't breathe!

 

Gender:

We find out TOMORROW!!!! Ahhhhhh I can't wait! Every time I think about it my heart skips a beat.  I have absolutely no clue, everyday I change my mind!

 

Maternity Clothes:

This week was Thanksgiving and mom and I always go shopping on Wednesday and Friday.  Most of the stores have the Black Friday sales on Wednesday, without the lines.  After decorating all morning we went to the outlets and hit up Motherhood Maternity.  They were having a HUGE sale. Buy one get one 75% off! I had been saving my birthday money for this special event so I was able to stock up for the winter. I bought three pairs of pants (jeans, khaki, and black cords), four sweaters, two tanks for layering, and four long sleeve t-shirts! I thought I felt ok in my regular clothes but when I tried on the maternity pants it felt amazing!

 

I have a lot of sweaters from last year that are baggy so I can wear those and several regular shirts throughout the winter, but my khaki pants and most jeans were becoming miserable to wear. I actually had a breakdown while getting ready to go shopping, so it was time for some new clothes!

 

Here is a look inside my car after our shopping adventure on Black Friday!

 

 

 

Movement:

Still nothing! I was getting concerned this week because I feel like I should have felt something by now, but I keep reminding myself of what Dr. Cox said at my last visit "unless I am bleeding or having major stomach cramps, everything is fine."

 

Sleep:

I've been waking up at 5:15 every. single. morning.  I usually get up and pee and then go back to bed with no problems, but it is so annoying, especially this week since I was off! I love waking up around 2AM because I know I have four and a half more hours to sleep on a work day.

 

Cravings:

Chicken salad, regular salad, and anything cold. It's been hard for me to drink alot of water this week, and I've still been craving Coke. There's something about the fizzy burning sensation that I love, especially in the morning!

 

Best Pregnancy Moment This Week:

 

Spending Thanksgiving with our families and being able to talk about Baby A!

Mom and Maggie resting after a long Thanksgiving Day!

 

 

All the girls in my family mapping out our shopping expedition for Black Friday! 

 

We also found out this week that Brian's sister is pregnant! She is due on her son's birthday July 15th. Baby A will now have two cousins within 11 weeks of his/her age! That makes the baby total 6 among family and friends from April-July.

 

Buying maternity clothes.   Everyone keeps saying, "you don't look pregant" or "are you sure you're pregnant?" because my little bump isn't that noticeable.  I try to take these as compliments and I'm thankful I haven't blown up in size, but every time it makes me think something's wrong. Something clicked with me when I was trying on those clothes and made me realize this is for real!

 

Finding out the Butler's are having a BOY!!! We are SO excited for them. Our due dates are 13 days apart so Baby A will either have a BFF or a boyfriend with Baby Butler! :)       

 

My Concerns or Questions:

Our big ultrasound is tomorrow where they check for major birth defects (Downs, Limbs, etc.) so we have been praying extra hard for a perfectly healthy baby! I've had some pretty bad dreams about the baby, but I think that is coming from a book I'm reading ("Summer") where one of the characters is pregnant and her baby has a birth defect.  We are trusting that the Lord will take care of all three of us!

 

One night this week I had intense cramps that lasted for about 4 hours.  I finally called the midwife and she told me to take Tylenol (the cure-all!) and get off my feet. There was nothing wrong, probably just my uterus stretching to make more room.  I want to double check with Dr. Lake to make sure.

 

Goals for the Week:

 

 Rest. Exercise 3-4 times.  Eat more veggies and drink more water.

 

Baby A's Week 16 Update

Baby Growth:

This week Baby A is the size of an avocado!

He/she is measuring around four and a half inches and three and a half ounces.  The head is becoming more developed as the eyes and ears are moving closer to their final position. The little heart is pumping 25 quarts of blood per day and toenails have started to form!

My Symptoms:



This week I've had really bad headaches. I've been taking two extra strength Tylenol and that helps a lot. I'm not too crazy about taking medicine while pregnant but the doctor says its fine and I don't take it every day. 

 

I've been waking up coughing, stuffy, and feeling lots of sinus pressure. I read this is "just part of pregnancy" during the second trimester. The sinus pressure is probably the cause of the headaches and a condition of this time of the year. 

 

My nausea is pretty much non-exsistent unless I let myself get too hungry. My gag reflex is still working in over drive! I haven't thrown up any, but I gag constantly: bad smells, anything on tv that looks gross, brushing my teeth, when I cough, and after I eat. It's so strange and my family and friends think its hilarious...Brian keeps saying "stop faking it!" I really can't help it and I pray that it goes away after the baby is born.

 

Weight:

According to my mom's scale I've gained two pounds since my last doctor's appointment; which would put me at seven pounds total.  My goal is to be at 9 pounds or less at my next appointment (19 weeks).

 

Gender:

My family has several hardcore gender test believers...it's so funny! They have been doing them on all the girls for as long as I can remember.  You take a pen/pencil, string, and either a needle or solid gold wedding band, hold it above the woman's belly (while she is laying flat on the floor) and wait for it to move. If it goes in circles it's a girl, side to side is a boy.  My cousin Abby performed this test on me at Clay in Jen's shower this week. Yes, I laid out in the floor...no shame! The results said GIRL! She has a 100% testing accuracy! :)

 

Everyone keeps asking what we "want;" and to be honest I really really do not care! I "want" a healthy baby. period.

 

Maternity Clothes:

Still rocking the belly belt on my jeans. My dress clothes still fit me fine so I'm holding out for Black Friday shopping!

 

Movement:

Brian and I were eating dinner at Loco's on Sunday and I felt something strange near my belly button. It felt like someone had flicked me with their fingers. I immediately thought it was the baby, but it hasn't happened since so I'm thinking it was just gas!

 

Sleep:

Still sleeping like a rock!

 

Cravings:

No new ones this week. I'm trying to make an effort to eat more veggies and Brian is force feeding me an apple almost every night!

 

Best Pregnancy Moment This Week:

We came up with a new girl name; 99.9% sure we will use it! Stay tuned...

 

Clay and Jennifer had two baby showers this week for Reece. They were so much fun!

 

Our family can throw down when cooking and decorating is invovled...

 

 

Reece's Handmade comforter.

 

Diaper cake!

 

 

Concerns:

None this week.

 

Goals for the week:

Exercise and drink more water.

 

Turning 30!

Last Sunday, November 4th, I celebrated my 30th birthday! I've had a really hard time getting used to the idea of being thirty, and saying it makes me feel really old distinguished! I'm not going to complain though, age is just a number and it's definitely better than the alternative.

 

 

 

My family has ALWAYS made a huge deal about birthdays and we celebrate all week long! This year was a little different though because we are living with my mom while our house is being finished, she was working at her side job all weekend, and we had a special church service Saturday night. So we had to split my birthday plans up among my family/friends.

 

 

Friday night mom, Brian, and I went to California Dreaming. I LOVE their salads...soooo good! Mom and I split the prime rib and each got a salad and Brian had a shrimp Po' Boy; it was all delicious! Our salads took a little longer than usually to come out, but we didn't mind as we were talking and laughing the whole time. The waiter was super nice and apologetic and hooked me up with this little piece of Heaven for FREE!

 

 

Me and Mom (all the pictures were from my phone so please excuse the poor quality).

 

 

Saturday afternoon I met one of my good friends, Kim,  at Atlanta Bread Company. She brought her sweet baby Ryann! Kim is one of my go to people about all things baby...she has three beautiful girls under the age of 4!!!

 

Saturday night we had a special conference at our church, the choir sang so I needed to be there.  Sunday after church Brian and I met Clay and Jennifer at Houndstooth Grill (another one of my favorites)! They have the BEST fried green tomato BLTs...Baby A is into unhealthy foods right now!

 

Me and Clay-Dawg

 

 

I seriously have the best brother in the whole world.  We have always been very close and I'm thankful that we still are; and having babies 11 weeks apart will be wonderful because they will be close too! Clay brought me a birthday cake, he knew mom wasn't home this weekend and he wanted to surprise me! See what I mean, such a great guy?!?!

 

 

Me and Jennifer comparing bellies. She looks very pregnant at 26 weeks, I on the other hand look like I've had too many Twinkies!

 

 

Me and the mailman...

 

 

Sunday night we met up with our friends, the Butlers, and went to Bonefish! Are you beginning to see a pattern here??? I love to eat and be with my family and friends! We had a great dinner and tons of laughs. We are all so busy it's been hard to get together so it was great to catch up. Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures. :(

 

It was a GREAT birthday weekend! I'm so thankful for my family and friends. I know this is going to be a great year and am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for me and my new little family!

 

 



Baby A's Week 15 Update

Baby Growth: This week Baby A is the size of an apple! It is about 4 inches long and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces. There is movement in the limbs and joints, developing taste buds, and is sensitive to light.

 

 

I LOVE this image of what the baby looks like this week...

 

My Symptoms:  I still have the acne issue all over my face, back, and chest, but I bought some new Lancome foundation and pressed powder and it has changed my life! It covers so well and has really started to help my self-esteem issues! :)

The gagging is starting to ease up, and I have more energy at night. I'm sleeping pretty good still. We are living at my mom's house until our house is finished and I'm getting used to the bed and pillows there. Smells are really starting to bother me; like I have to hold my nose sometimes in public to keep from gagging!

 

Weight: Unfortunately our scale is packed away so I can't weight myself (which is really bothering me!) When I went to the doctor last week my total weight gain was 5 pounds.  I asked about how I should be gaining during my pregnancy, I saw a different doctor and I wanted to hear his opinion.  He suggested half a pound per week for the first 20 weeks, then one pound per week from 20 until delivery.  Technically I should have been at 7 pounds so I was relieved to be under...leaves some wiggle room for Thanksgiving!!!

 

Gender:  I had a dream last night that we were having a girl! Everyone (except Brian and a co-worker) has said girl.  Because of the Thanksgiving holiday and insurance regulations we had to push our ultra sound out until November 28th. I was super disappointed but it has to be that way to be paid by the insurance company. Oh well, what's another week, right!?!?

 

Maternity Clothes: I can still wear my khaki and black pants but my skinny jeans are not happening.  I bought a Belly Belt and love it! It has three different colors and 2 different sizes. I wore it Saturday with my jeans and it worked fine. I figure there is no point in being miserable in my clothes and I'm sure it can't be good to have my waistline cutting into my stomach. 

 

 

Movement: I have been lying really still when I first get in the bed at night and sometimes while watching tv to see if I can feel Baby A, but haven't had any luck yet.  Everyone has told me between 16-22 weeks I should feel something. I'm super excited to experience this, I can't imagine what it's going to feel like...hopefully I won't be driving because I will flip out!

 

Sleep: Like I said before I'm still sleeping really well. I wake up several times in the night uncomfortable, but roll to the other side and fall back to sleep quickly.

Cravings: Sweet Tea, Peppermint Hot Chocolate, Salad

Best Pregnancy Moment This Week: We closed on our house this week! It was so cool to think about this is where we will bring Baby A home to and will raise our family!

 

 

 

Being able to spend time with one of my BFF's Kim and her baby Ryann. We see each other only a handful of times each year (she has three girls under the age of four!) so every time we get together it's super special. And now that I'm feeling better I hope to see all my long lost friends soon!!!

 

My Questions or Concerns:  None really. I don't feel pregnant and can't really tell in the mirror ( I just look like I haven't worked out in a while, which is the truth) so I am ready to start feeling the baby to know that she/he is ok.  We've been praying everyday for this upcoming ultra sound, because it will show Baby A's organs and be able to see if there are in complications/issues. I feel confident Baby A is growing properly and is perfectly healthy!

 

Goals for the Week: WORK OUT!  WORK OUT! WORK OUT!