27 Weeks!!!

Yup, pregnant and barefoot!haha

Beautiful flowers from my amazing husband, as a welcome back from my Walk to Emmaus!

I chose this pic from another app I use, because I liked it better since she is "head down."  Let's hope she stays that way!

How far along? 27 Weeks!  Holy Moly!!!
Trimester: Ummm 2nd Trimester, according to the two apps I use, but according to other sources, 27 weeks is the THIRD TRIMESTER!!! Ahhhhhhh!  It's going by sooo fast! So fast!
Days to Go: 91 days to go!
Baby size: 14.5 inches, if her legs were all stretched out! wowzers! The size of a head of cauliflower!
Baby weight: 2 pounds! And she could be even more, ACTUALLY!  It's just 2 pounds according to my app.  I have a student this year who was only 3 pounds when she was born!  That's kind of amazing to think about.........
Total weight gain: hmph.  And I'm SURE I'm going to be in trouble with my midwife b/c she moved up our appointment to this THURSDAY so I'll barely have ANY time to undo the damage I did by eating myself into oblivion this weekend!!!!!! Argh.
Maternity clothes? yesss
Stretch marks? none so far! fingers crossed!  But feeling like it's GOT to be inevitable at this point! lol
Sleep: not too bad lately.  I am starting to get some leg cramps, especially when I wake up in the morning. As long as I quickly flex my feet and stretch out my calves, I can avoid a true "cramp" but I'm just hoping it can stay that way! I read in my weekly pregnancy info this morning that those cramps are caused by pressure from my uterus pressing on veins and nerves.   I've also been having some shooting pains in my lower back when I walk sometimes.  Especially when I step on my left foot.  That's kind of interesting to me.  Our bodies are miraculous creations!!
Best moment this week: My Walk to Emmaus--- in it's entirety.  I loved growing spiritually, strengthening my relationship with God, working through some deep-seated personal issues I've had for a long time, and becoming a more confident and Godly woman who is moving into a whole new chapter of life, MOTHERHOOD! :-)  I feel more equipped now to provide Tenley with what she needs to feel a sense of belonging in her church home, and for me to be a confident, genuine, outspoken Christian example for her to witness.
Miss anything? sushi, diet cokes, wine!  Bending over easily.  Wearing my engagement ring! Being tan!
Movement: Tons!  I think she had the hiccups tonight!  I LOVE watching my belly bump around.  I'm often sitting here with my shirt all pulled up so I can watch her wiggle! In fact, I missed being able to do that on my Walk, since I had a roommate I was trying not to freak out! lol
Food cravings: Yes.  lol.  Everything!  Nothing in particular.
Anything making you gag: Just brushing my teeth.
Have you started to show yet: Ha. ha.  One of the girls on my walk, (who happened to be 5'10''!) sweetly told me that she was as big when she delivered as I am now... haha.  Thaaaanks!  lol
Gender: I LOVE buying sweet little girl things for her to wear, have in her room, play with.... so sweet.
Labor Signs: none
Belly Button in or out?  Verrrry shallow!  The scar I have from having my belly button pierced USED to be right at the top curve of my belly button, but NOW it's like, an INCH from my existing belly button.  And I've been feeling a lot of tightness/pressure/tenderness around my belly button, top and bottom lately.
Wedding rings on or off?  My fingers are definitely getting too fat for my rings.  All of them.  :(((
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happppppppy!
Weekly Wisdom:  Losing a lot of weight before getting pregnant, while still a good idea, results in gaining too much weight and having size-image issues! lol  I really would've thought I knew better!
Current Reads: Chicken Soup, Hypnobirthing, Adult Children of Alcoholics- a book I picked up on my Walk, as well as Shepherding the Child's Heart, Who Moved My Cheese, and a book of quotes for Moms that one of my table-mates picked out for me! So sweet!
Looking forward to:  What am I NOT looking forward to would be an easier question!!! I guess, this week, I'm looking forward to getting my hair done on Wednesday, and seeing our midwife on Thursday and hearing little Tenley's heartbeat, and then on Friday Caitlin and Colin get here!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yayyyyy!!!
On the "Honey Do" list:  Paint the wooden letters that we got for her name sign, need to move the dresser into the closet and make sure it fits like I'm expecting it will, hang the giant mirror on the wall above where the changing table will go!  Oooh and I got a call this morning from Furniture Junk-It saying they were starting on our pieces!!!  Yay!  I want the furniture now!!! lol  :-)))))))  I need to be working on making the background pieces for her name sign, attaching the ribbon, cutting out the circles for the Family Tree, attaching the ribbons to her curtains and hanging them.... LOTS TO DO!!! So much fun!

26 Weeks! (and yes, I already killed my new plant! lol)

How far along?  26 weeks!
Trimester: 2nd
Days to Go: 98 days!  Holyyyyyyy Molyyyyyy!  Less than 100.... I've been expecting this day to come for  a long time, but it's here... and it feels like 0 will be here SOON!
Baby size: 14 inches long, or the length of a hothouse cucumber
Baby weight: 1.75 pounds!  Wowzers!
Total weight gain: nope.  (Though I've been power walking 3 miles/day and lifting light weights!)
Maternity clothes? yup.
Stretch marks? no! yay!
Sleep: not bad lately!
Best moment this week: Three day weekend?   Ooh or Friday the BabySteals CrazySteals deal that went on allll day and I got to buy cheap baby stuff at 50-75% off!  
Miss anything? I actually miss Weight Watchers! lol
Movement: tons and tons!  And getting stronger and more breathtaking!
Food cravings:  nothing really.  sweets and fruit I guess.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Brushing my teeth.  Getting really tired of that!
Gender: soooo glad it's a girl!
Labor Signs: none yet
Belly Button in or out? still in
Wedding rings on or off? Off today, but on up till now
Happy or Moody most of the time: happpppppy!!!
Weekly Wisdom: Ummmm lets see.  "Eat better, not more" is better advice and "Eat for two!"
Current Reads: Hypnobirth, Hypnobabies, Chicken Soup, blogs
Looking forward to: My Walk to Emmaus this weekend, my sister coming the weekend after that! Disney the weekend after that!  Luke's birthday the weekend after that!  We've got a busy next several weeks!!!!!  And our showers in April! ;-)  Definitely looking forward to picking up our furniture from the place that's painting it!
On the "Honey Do" list:  No "honey dos" right now!  Just things I need to do!  So this isn't a long and thrilling post, but I have family tree circles:

 to trace and cut out and glue on, as well as an addition to our shower curtain to hold my iPhone and allow me to see messages or perhaps listen to music if my speakers are loud enough (pics to follow), as well as sew on the ribbons for her curtains, and as soon as her name letters arrive in the next few days, I get to cut/paint circles for them to go on and attach ribbon to hang them with!  Also gotta finish prepping my My Sister's House stuff to consign!  Lots to do!  The nursery is coming along, and I can't WAIT to see it finished!

Here's just a few more pics for fun:

 The "100 More Days" screen!  eeeeeh!

 Some reallllllly cute clothes I couldn't pass up at Target!

I gotta get her this table! ;-)  Hobby Lobby!  Gotta love it!

Have a great week everybody!

25 Weeks- A little Before/Current photo for comparison!

              

                                Before: September 2011                                          Current: February 2012

How far along? 25 weeks....   Only 15 to go! WOW!
Trimester:2nd
Days to Go: 105 (as of Monday)  Eeeeh!  By the time I post again, it'll be UNDER 100 days!
Baby size: 13.5 inches, or the size of a rutabaga! Whatever that is? lol  See pic above!
Baby weight: A pound and a half! (at least!!!)
Total weight gain: ..................Well, I don't know, but it's a lot.  When we saw Carol (our midwife) last week, I had Luke come to the scale with me, I closed my eyes, and he typed into his phone what the scale said.  Then when Carol asked him for it, he just showed it to her for her to write it down, and I'd never have to know, right?  Well, when he showed it to Carol, she said, "Are you sure?!" lol!!!!  And then she made me go weigh AGAIN so she could look.  :(((  She said it was kindof a lot for one month! ha.  And then she advised me to cut out sugar and white flour, and to be walking for 2 miles a day!!! Crap.  This was especially bad news the week of our big San Antonio trip and also the week before Valentine's Day!!! haha.  So I have made an effort to use my 3Mile Power Walk DVD on the days it's cold out, and I'm trying really hard to do my Prenatal Yoga Netflix, and Luke has been encouraging me to go on walks with him on days that it's nice.  It's just hard because one day, I can do the whole 45 minute power-walk dvd AND 45 minutes of yoga and feel great!  but then last night, we tried to walk around a nice neighborhood here in town and i was DYING!  My feet hurt, my back hurt, my lower belly/round ligament pains were hurting.... it was brutal.  So it's just hard to know when I'm going to feel up to walking/exercising and when it's going to suck.  But I'm making an effort.  ;-)  My motivation, as Carol put it, is that I don't want to have a 10 pound baby naturally!  And if I'm gaining weight, so is she! Eep!
Maternity clothes? Yes to pants, but I can still wear my regular shirts/dresses and that kind of stuff.  I seem to prefer the more snug outfits that show off the belly, as opposed to the loose flowy things that just make me feel fat.  Except when I'm going to bed, and then I don't want anything touching my skin at all! I have ONE tank top that feels good to sleep in and it is quickly approaching the "tight" label too!
Stretch marks?No, not really.  My PUPPP spots are starting to go away thanks to the 6 Dandelion Root capsules I'm taking per day! (None of my other home-remedies seemed to help!)  But before they started to lighten up, I noticed they kindof have a "stretch-mark"ish appearance where the skin looks kinda shiny, but they're still smallish and round and tend to be more horizontal than normal stretchmarks on a belly, so I think that's just a coincidence. 
Sleep:  Oooh sweet sleep.  I have a feeling I'm sure going to miss you once this little girl arrives!  We've been trying to go to bed earlier, b/c it takes us a while to wind down at night.  I usually pee before I get into bed, but then before I go to sleep I have to pee again.  I have to wake up at 3:30am just about every morning to pee, and then when I wake up in the mornings that's number one on the priority list.  So I think it's not really SLEEP that I have a problem with, but just having to pee a billion times! I tried my darndest to catch up on missed sleep in San Antonio this past Thurs and Friday! Thursday I managed to stay in the hotel bed until after 7pm!!!  It was pretttttty glorious!  I was just relaxing and researching cloth diapers and registry items. It was phenomenal.  We've all been pretty snotty/coughing a lot around here lately, and I noticed one night/early morning maybe? in San Antonio, I woke myself up b/c I thought I snorted some how, but then Luke said, "No, you were SNORING!!" lol  He said he almost recorded it.  LOL  How embarrassing!  Pregnancy does weird things to your body!!!  Just a forewarning to anyone who doesn't know!  For example, (TMI warning)  you know how women with children always joke about how they sometimes pee a little bit when they sneeze or cough or laugh to hard?  Well I just figured that's because the baby coming OUT stretched things that just never quite go back all the way, but I hate to say that's happening to me already! lol.  CRAZY!  Especially with this nasty cough going around! It feels really weird when your belly shakes from coughing too!  And then, in San Antonio, one of my boobs started leaking!!!  I told Luke and he goes, "Isn't that supposed to be normal?"  Thanks honey for the support.  And so then I told Becca, and she said, "Isn't that normal?" LOL.  YES I know it's SUPPOSED to be normal, but it's WEIRD for ME! haha!!!  Really weird.  So yeah, probably too much information for the blog, but you know what? People need to know the weird things that happen to your body when you're pregnant! haha
Best moment this week: We decided on a name!!!  Wednesday before we left for San Antonio, we just kind of agreed that at this point, she couldn't possibly be anything besides "Tenley"!  So that's what we're going with!  "Tenley Sue McMillan".  Tenley we got from .... a reality tv show a few years ago! (*cough-the Bachelor-cough*) hahaha (we're totally addicted to that ridiculous show!) and Sue is after my fabulous grandmother, Mama Sue.  We thought that was special, well in and of itself, of course, but even more so because I was born on my grandparents wedding anniversary and my middle name is their last name, so that kindof continues that special little tie.  I love it! ;-)   And it's nice to have that all decided and not have to think about it anymore!!!  It was seriously stressing me out! haha
Miss anything? Free time? lol  I guess I'd better get used to that huh?  I'm trying SO hard to get the nursery done early, and be prepared, but there is just SO much to do and decide on and research!  I have been spending so much time researching and reading and asking questions... I'm enjoying it, and learning a LOT.  I'm just ready for that part to be done with so I can learn more about being a MOM and having a BABY as opposed to just everything I need to be ready to have a baby.  I also miss SUSHI!!!  Like the real stuff, not the HEB kind.  haha.  And wine!  And being able to walk a distance without pains in my belly!
Movement:Tons!  The kicks are getting stronger and stronger!  I love feeling her move, and that will definitely be something I'll miss once she's here.  It was fun at TMEA to feel her kick when we took her to the different concerts.  I tried to speculate on which instruments she might like to play based on how much she was kicking!  If more kicks=liking the instrument, then we might have a violin player on our hands!  (Lord help us!) lol!!!  Or a piano player!  Here's hoping, with long fingers like we saw in her sonogram pics!

I think she didn't really care for the trumpet player though, which is odd since her dad plays trumpet! Or maybe I have it all backwards and she was kicking because she DIDN'T like the violin and she did like the trumpet!? haha who knows!  I'm still pulling for a little french horn player!  But I DO hope she plays piano too!!! ;-)  And can sing!  I hope she has her dads ability to carry a tune and not her moms! lol
Food cravings:  Ohhh ya know, just everything I'm supposed to be avoiding! lol
Anything making you queasy or sick: No, nothing really, just brushing my teeth sometimes still.  So thankful for that.
Have you started to show yet: Ha. I look like I'm nine months preggo already.  I don't know HOW I'm going to get 4 months bigger than this!!!!!!
Gender: So happy it's a girl!  I can't wait to dress her up!  Kristin sent me this picture and said "Too many ruffles!"  But I love it!!!  This is why God gave us a girl!

Labor Signs: no!  Starting to get a little nervous about that though... I've never really been in any kind of pain before... ;-/  But I am going to do some Hynobabies/Hypnobirthing techniques and I am confident I'll be able to do it naturally and at home.  ;-)
Belly Button in or out? Shalllllow!
Wedding rings on or off?Off right this second, but I've been wearing them ok!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but occasionally moody and overwhelmed.  I don't like it when my body doesn't work the way I want it to!
Weekly Wisdom: 
Current Reads:Hypnobirthing, Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother, blogs and interwebz
Looking forward to:Picking up my glider from the store today!!!!!!! I can't WAIT to see it in the nursery! And we dropped off the crib and toy box to be painted with the dresser so I can't WAIT to see that all finished! It was more than I wanted to pay, but I'm glad I'm not the one painting it!  There is just too much else to be done!
On the "Honey Do" list:  Tonight, Luke surprised me and picked up our new rocker and ottoman (and a new bedspread for mommy and daddy's room!!!) that we had shipped Site to Store from Walmart!  Who would have thought that Walmart.com would have such GREAT stuff!!!???  And the exact same brand as others I looked at elsewhere.  So he's off the "honey do" hook for now! ;-)  I, on the other hand, can't seem to finish a night without about 50 things STILL on my to-do list no matter how hard I try to knock them out!  Next up on the Baby List for me is to sew our wedding ribbon on to our new curtains and get them hung up!  Can't wait to see how they look  with the new chair!!!

Emily and Tenley enjoying our new rocker! <3

24 weeks! Got our crib this weekend!

How far along? 24 Weeks! zomg!
Trimester: 2nd
Days to Go: 112.... when it gets to be less than 100 I'm going to freak!
Baby size:  12.5 inches, or the length of an ear of corn!
Baby weight: 1.25 pounds!!!
Total weight gain: la la laaaahhhh?
Maternity clothes? mostly, yes.  I can wear some normal shirts and any pants with a stretchy waist.  I really don't like the wide waist band of maternity pants very much.  I always fold it down past my belly, but then that gives me serious muffin top, so I usually wear a belly band too, but sometimes that is all just too much tightness on my middle!  Lately I've been hunting for loose, soft clothing with no elastic and no cinching!  Especially at bedtime, but Tshirts are too hot around my neck.  Might need to invest in some of those snazzy wide-arm-hole tank tops! lol

Stretch marks? none yet.  My mom didn't get any, but I definitely inherited my dad's skin, so we'll see!
Sleep: Karma got me for saying last week that I was sleeping better.  I'm definitely having to get up around 3-4am to pee, and i really am sucking at sleeping on my left side.  It makes my ear hurt!  So I find myself on my back a lot, which i never used to do, and is a no-no while preggers, so sometimes I'll roll onto my right, but then I have to put my body pillow between Luke and me, and neither of us likes that between us. And my poor little chihuahua HATES that pillow!  The crook behind my knees is HIS spot and the pillow is definitely stepping on his turf!  He'll go under the covers and come right back out again and look at me like, UH HELLO? haha poor puppy.
Best moment this week: Luke actually got to see my belly jumping and twitching on Saturday morning and that was really neat!  She's getting so big in there, and moving so much! I'm hoping she's comfy when she's rolling and kicking all over the place... kinda makes me worry she's not happy! I wonder what she's thinking about in there all day?   I completed doing our Registries too!  We are registered at Target, Amazon, and Walmart!  Here are some links if you want to check 'em out:
Walmart Registry
Target Registry
Amazon Registry

Oh, and we got our crib this weekend!!!  So exciting!  Just needs paint! Ooh and our awesome drawer pulls came in the mail this week!  My first Etsy purchase!  Shopping online is just TOO easy!  And dangerous!  But I LOVE them!

Miss anything? Not really, just being able to pick things up without thinking about it and moving easily.
Movement: TONS!  all the time!  I love it!
Food cravings:  I've been wanting sweet things lately, like donuts, which is odd b/c I'm normally not a huge donut fan.  I haven't actually gotten any donuts, just found myself thinking about them several mornings here lately!  And today I ordered Monkey Bread at Bueno.  Luke looked at me and goes, "seriously?" lol  just because that's pretty out of the norm for me! haha  Guess what they say about "sugar and spice and everything nice" for little girls is true!!!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really, just brushing my teeth, getting too hungry, which doesn't happen often.  That's about it.  THANKFULLY!
Showing:  There's a girl at church due around the same time as me and she's having TWINS and i'm bigger than her!  I guess I am probably a month ahead of her or so, b/c since they're twins she said they'll "take them" at 36 weeks.  But still!  I'm gigantic.    But I'd rather be gigantic than let someone else "take" my baby when they feel like it!  lol
Gender: Girl!  I'm already excited about having future kiddos! lol
Labor Signs: none!
Belly Button in or out?  Verrry shallow! I'll have to post a comparison pic here soon for you! lol 

The day we found out...

24 weeks later, the case of the disappearing belly button! 

Wedding rings on or off? I've been wearing my real rings this week, but today I decided to go for the fake CZ ring.  It's still loose and twists, but better safe than sorry!  So glad I'm in the habit of taking my rings off each night!
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy and physically tired!
Weekly Wisdom: Hmm.  I've been sharing my oil cleansing method of face wash with friends this week and that makes me happy.   I'm getting "crunchier and crunchier" and I love sharing that with people!  For my "Weekly Wisdom" I'll say, don't forget to laugh, and here's a link to help you out with that:
Sh*t Crunchy Mamas Say
Current Reads: About to finish Ina May's Guide to Natural Childbirth, FINALLY.  It's taken forever, though it's a great book.  I'm also reading Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother.  Not sure what I'll be starting next!  Can't wait to see!

Looking forward to: Seeing Carol tomorrow!  She was at a birthing on Tuesday when we were supposed to get to see her, so we had to reschedule. Hoping she might have some insight to this PUPPP thing I've got going on with my skin.  Who knew laying out in the sun would contribute to this!? ugh.  It's really not that bad, but it IS spreading, and none of the home remedies Ive been trying have helped! :(
Looking forward to my baby showers!  Looks like I'm going to have 3!  We are so so so blessed!  Being 100% decided on a name!  I think we are, but maybe 99%.  ;-)   Also, looking forward to getting the crib/toybox/bookshelf painted that we got from friends this weekend.  And after a disappointing discovery that the damask chair I WANTED was not white, but actually a beige-ish color, I think I've decided on a new chair!  So I'm looking forward to ordering that!!!                                                      

White pillow that matches bedding and beige ottoman!  Boo!

This new chair will be way more versatile anyways!  Just have to keep the white pets off of it somehow!

 


On the "Honey Do" list:  We need to unload the back of the truck with the crib and everything, and really that's about it! Need to add the ribbons to the curtains I bought, and decide on a font for the wooden letters we want to hang above her crib.  I need to update my pregnancy journal! Neither of us have been feeling so hot this weekend, sinus/allergy crud, so we've been taking it pretty easy.  Got a short week this week too.  Just have to work on Mon and Tues and then we are headed out to San Antonio for four beautiful days for TMEA, the Texas Music Educators Association conference.  I LOVE San Antonio and we're super excited to be going!  Looking forward to Disney next month too!  I'll take all the "babymoons" I can get! ;-)  Have a great week!!!