23 Weeks! I got a new plant for the mantel! ;-)

How far along? 23 Weeks!

Trimester: 2nd

Days to Go: 119 days! eee!

Baby size:  11.5 inches, or the size of a large mango.  Not just any mango, a LARGE one. lol

Baby weight:  1.1 pounds!

Total weight gain: Not. Weighing. 

Maternity clothes? Oh yes. 

Stretch marks?  not yet. 

Sleep: Better, lately.  I've been able to sleep through the night occasionally!
Best moment this week: Having a romantic dinner using some of our wedding stuff after a long weekend apart!  We won't get to do that kind of stuff so spontaneously after the baby comes!

Oh and I finished my first real crochet project, a small travel baby blanket to match the hat that Becca made!  Turned out pretty cute, even though I didn't mean to make those ruffled edges! lol


Miss anything? Ummmm nothing really!  Just being skinny! haha
Movement:  LOTS!  I can even see my belly move now when she kicks sometimes! So cool!
Food cravings: Ice Cream Sandwiches! Preferrably, Good Humor Giant Vanilla ones! ;-)
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nothing really, only sometimes when I brush my teeth!
Have you started to show yet: I'm freaking gigantic.
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: none
Belly Button in or out? very shallow!
Wedding rings on or off? Welllll, I went and bought a $10 giant CZ ring from Claires on Sunday, because they were feeling pretty tight, but it was too big on Monday, and I've successfully worn my real rings all week.  So who knows! But at least I'm prepared when the time comes!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy MOST of the time, but I have found myself feeling grumpier than normal.  More short-tempered than normal.  But it could just be that time of year!
Weekly Wisdom:  um, lets see, wisdom I wish I'd been adhering to? KEEP EXERCISING!
Current Reads: I'm thisclose to finishing my Ina May book.  About freakin' time!  I just don't read non-fiction very quickly.
Looking forward to: Getting my drawer pulls in the mail! Seeing the dresser soon and getting the knobs on!
On the "Honey Do" list: Well, I thought we were doing really well, but the ottoman came in the mail and it's totally BEIGE, so now we'll have to go back to the drawing board to find another chair. :(  My whole plan was pretty much designed around this chair... so I'm pretty bummed about that.  In the pic, the little pillow matches the bedding, it looks a little bit blue, from the reflection off the walls i think, but you can definitely tell the ottoman color isn't white!

The curtains came in the mail, so now I need to add the ribbon ties to them.  I'm using leftover wedding-ribbon, so that makes it special.  <3

Have to pick up the crib from our friend soon and start getting it painted! Lots to do!

Looking forward to my sister being here next month to help! :-)

Oh another interesting development this week is that I think I might have a weird pregnancy skin problem called PUPPP.  It's like red, itchy whelps on my belly that can spread all over my body... LOVELY!

I'm not SURE that's what it is, but I'm afraid it might be.  I did a bunch of research and got some home remedies (see pic below) that I've been trying for a week or so, but they don't seem to be helping very much.  Seeing our Midwife again on Monday, so hopefully she'll have some insight!  It's not unbearable yet... but I'm scared about if it spreads!  So pray for me and my sanity! ;-)

22 Weeks! Wow! I'm beginning to love being pregnant!

How far along? 22 weeks!  Feeling great!
Trimester: 2nd
Days to Go: 126! wow!
Baby size: 11 inches! The length of a spaghetti squash!
Baby weight: 1 whole pound!!!
Total weight gain: Not. Weighing. :-P
Maternity clothes? Oh yes.  Definitely pants, unless they're PJ pants.  I can still wear normal shirts though! They're just larger or a lot tighter! haha
Stretch marks? no, thankfully.
Sleep: Waking up earlier and earlier! Sometimes I sleep pretty good, but I have been waking up a lot!
Best moment this week: Every moment has been great!  I've really enjoyed ordering nursery items.  I have curtains, an ottoman, and handmade drawer pulls on the way! Maybe the best moment was when Baby Girl's bedding came in the mail after a super long cooking day on Saturday!  It looks great and feels good, which was my biggest concern! My first eBay purchase is proving to be a success!!!  ;-)
Miss anything?  Moving without considering how badly I need/want the item I'm getting up for? lol
Movement: Oh man she is kicking/wiggling like CRAZY!  There was one day last week that was almost Manic! She was kicking just about every second!  Luke can feel her too, but I'm looking forward to other people being able to feel as well!
Food cravings: yes.  any and all.  Fruit!
Anything making you queasy or sick:  no, really nothing.  Only getting too hungry, which I usually don't let happen!
Gender: GIRL! 
Labor Signs: none
Belly Button in or out? Getting super shallow... Luke went to kiss my belly today and said, "Wow, look at your belly button!" It's seriously shallow! 
Wedding rings on or off? On, but snugger! Is that a word?
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!!!  But perhaps more short-tempered or demanding.  (Sorry honey!)
Weekly Wisdom:  "Birth can occur in a (home) setting where calm and confidence reign instead of anxiety and fear (like in a hospital!)." ~Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
Current Reads: Still Ina.  Taking forever, mostly b/c I'm too busy crocheting to read! lol
Looking forward to: Getting the nursery all put together!
On the "Honey Do" list:  We have got to decide on a name!

21 Weeks! Luke finally got to feel her kick!

How far along? 21 Weeks!
Trimester:2nd
Days to Go: 133 days!
Baby size:10.5 inches, or the length of a banana
Baby weight: According to the app, 12.7oz.  But at our sono last week she was measuring 13 oz, so she could be 14 by now! ;-)
Total weight gain: I'm never weighing again. lol
Maternity clothes? Oh yes!
Stretch marks? Not yet.  I saw some sleep-lines this morning that scared me though!
Sleep: Getting better I think.  I am sometimes able to sleep all night without having to get up to pee, but not often. 
Best moment this week:  Luke got to feel the baby kick this weekend!!!  So sweet and exciting!
Miss anything? Ummm no, not really.  I'm starting to settle in to this pregnancy thing! lol
Movement: YES a LOT and Luke finally got to feel her kick too!  So fun!
Food cravings:  Had a random one for Cheerios last night!!! Completely out of nowhere.  Most of my cravings come from a commercial or a suggestion... I don't know where cheerios came from!
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not, lately, thankfully!

Gender: Girl!  and I'm soooo glad!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? On it's way OUT!
Wedding rings on or off? On, but more snug.
Happy or Moody most of the time: I have to admit, I've been a lot grumpier lately than I had been.  But that could have more to do with being cooped up and forced into inside recesses than anything! lol
Weekly Wisdom:  Follow your heart, no matter how much advice you are given. ;-)
Current Reads: Still Ina May.
Looking forward to:  Holding my baby girl!
On the "Honey Do" list: Well now that we have a changing table on the way and the nursery painted, not much right now!  We're kinda at "hurry up and wait!" place.  We're waiting to decide on a crib, we're waiting on our changing table to be finished and painted at Furniture Junk-It, we're waiting on the bedding to arrive from Ebay, we're waiting on me to order some stuff, including curtains, from Amazon.... Lots of stuff is narrowed down, but we're just waiting!  The nursery color is beautiful though!  I'm so glad I went with my gut on the color.  I think it'll be gorgeous!!!   I guess now we do have to decide for sure on the furniture color... black or white... I need to order drawer pulls to match our changing table too!  And find a place to put the last few things that are in her closet also!  OH AND YEAH I GUESS WE SHOULD DECIDE ON A NAME!!!!!!!!!  That's proving to be the hardest part! lol

 Decided to go with the middle color, Valspar Bayside! ;-)

We have some black furniture already, but the white look so beautiful on the color paint, it's hard to decide.

 I'm leaning towards these (above) $4 curved pulls for the new changing table/dresser...

Cute lamp i found at target!

20 Weeks! Halfway, already???

How far along? 20 Weeks! I made it halfway!  Time is flying by!
Trimester: 2nd
Days to Go: 140 - yikes!  When we get to less than a hundred days... I'm gonna gonna flip!
Baby size: 6.5 inches head to rump, but TEN INCHES head to heel! the size of a small cantaloupe, and the length of a banana!!!
Baby weight: 10.6 ounces!  We grew over TWO whole ounces this week!  wow!!!
Total weight gain:  I'm never getting on a scale again.
Maternity clothes?  yup.  The stretchier and the softer the better!
Stretch marks? not yet.
Sleep: not great, but not bad.
Best moment this week: Having our big medical ultrasound with Dr. Mayberry and seeing our sweet baby girl again!!!  Can't wait! 
Miss anything? moving around with ease and agility! And doing so quietly without groaning! lol
Movement: yeah feeling more and more kicks!  I'm still working on discerning which are her and which are just belly things, but I'm noticing more and more that there is a Person growing inside my tummy!
Food cravings: nothing really specific, just cold and spicy!
Anything making you queasy or sick:  eating too much is getting really uncomfortable and will make me gag.  And I'm not necessarily eating more than usual, theres just less room!
Gender: It's a girl!
Labor Signs: none
Belly Button in or out?  Getting shallower each day!  
Wedding rings on or off? on!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!!! In fact, I've had uncontrollable, unexplainable GIGGLES over the most random, and often not really that funny things!!!  It's fun.   
Weekly Wisdom: Committing to nursery themes and names are hard.
Current Reads: Ina May, lots of great blogs: Gentle Parenting, Raising Natural Kids, The Skeptical Mother, Birth Without Fear, (all of which you can follow on FB) and I need to do more research on Vaccinations.
Looking forward to:  Seeing our baby girl again on Wednesday!
On the "Honey Do" list: Clean your office so we can get the bed out of the nursery please!!! ;-)  And then  lets go buy nursery stufffffs! :-)))  Oooh and I ordered some fabric swatches online so we can try to pick a paint color that will match the fabric I want to use!  Deciding on bedding has been tough, especially with trying to decide about the whole Bumpers vs. No Bumpers vs. Vertical Bumpers hullaballoo! I want my baby to be safe!  But I don't want a plain looking crib!  So.... Hmm.  I dunno.  And I'm also wanting a new couch/sectional and coffee table soon, since our coffee table has sharp glass corners, so I've been doing a lot of looking around/dreaming about that.    UPDATE:  Since I typed this Sunday morning, the office and crib are OFFICIALLY clean and organized!  Nursery is empty and just begging for a coat of teal paint! ;-)

19 weeks! Almost half way! wow!

How far along?  19 weeks
Trimester: 2nd
Days to Go: 147
Baby size:  6 inches, or the size of an heirloom tomato, whatever that is! lol
Baby weight: 8.5oz (more than half a pound! wow!)
Total weight gain: ..... I'm not weighing any more.  Ever.   (close to 20 pounds! grr)
Maternity clothes? Oh yes.  I can still wear most of my shirts but I have bought a bunch of things that are either maternity or super giant and long and comfy.   
Stretch marks? no... dreading the day...
Sleep: Not as good as usual... sleeping on my left is difficult.  I end up on my back quite often, which isn't supposed to be good for our bloodflow, and so sometimes I give up and sleep on my right.  But I'm trying!
Best moment this week: Seeing all my Arkansas friends, having dinner at PF Changs, catching up, taking Belly Pics with Leann, and spending NYE with Becca! Miss them! <3
Miss anything? Diet Coke and red wine, real sushi, exercising and feeling skinny!
Movement: Yes!  I felt my first kicks this weekend!  On Sunday, the 1st, I thought I felt her while we were sitting at a gas station in Texarkana on our drive home, but I wasn't sure.  Then on Monday night, we were laying in bed about to go to sleep and I felt another strange feeling, and this time it made my face light up and made me laugh!  I was pretty sure I'd just felt some of the first movements of my precious little one! So exciting!  It feels so ... interesting!  I don't know how to describe it!  I can't wait to feel it a little more pronounced, and I really can't wait for Luke to be able to feel it! So much fun!
Food cravings: Apparently I'm not a creative-craver... I just crave whatever I see or hear about!  OH but Luke did have to go on his first "Craving Run" on Thursday because I was wanting an Ice Cream Sandwich like the delicious one I had in Morgantown, NC on our drive home.  So he went to the store and LUCKILY was able to find the exact same brand.  It was scrumptious!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Getting too hungry, or worse, too full!  And sometimes, but not always, juice.  I thought it was just Orange Juice, but I ended up getting rid of quite a lot of cranberry juice on the side of the highway in Arkansas.... that was lovely.  But at least it tastes the same both directions! lol
Gender:  SOOOO THRILLED TO BE HAVING A GIRL! 
Belly Button in or out? Definitely on it's way to being out.  Which is quite impressive, because I've always had a deep belly button! 
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy! 
Weekly Wisdom: Hmmm... do lots of reading. Most people do more research to buy an appliance or a car than they do on being pregnant and exploring their birthing options and rights...  I just don't understand that, but then again, I am quite the researcher...  BE INFORMED!  It's your body!  If you don't stand up for yourself now, no one else will.  And start this baby's life off right by giving them the best chance of health that you can, whatever that means for you, as long as you're informed and educated about your choices and not just being a "sheep" following the crowds misguided ways, then that's fine with me.   
 Current Reads:  Finished Bradley Method, still reading Ina May
 Looking forward to: having our next meeting with Carol on the 3rd! Hearing our baby girl's heartbeat again!
 On the "Honey Do" list: Get rid of the love seat in the office, and move the bed out of the nursery! oh yeah and the cleaning that has to accompany that too! lol