Crazy Pregnant Symptoms!

Hulk Hunger
So this chick must be growing this week! I have been so incredibly hungry at all times of the day. I find myself fantasizing about food!

Today, between 6:30am and 10am I ate:

• a pancake on a stick
• a glass of chocolate milk
• a drinkable yogurt
• a cinnamon bagel
• a cup of hot tea
• a bag of pretzels
• 32 oz of water
• Ham and cheese lunchable with 2 cookies. 

Who does that?? It's not even "fake hunger" from boredom. It's real, stomach growling, feel like I'm turning into the Incredible Hulk hunger.

Dumb Dreams
I've also been having crazy, insane dreams!

Last night I was a princess and my dad (the king) was going to have a man killed. The guy had scars all over his back from being beaten. I whispered for him to run and I was distracting everyone so he could get away!

Then I was at my grandma's old house for someone's party. I was standing in the kitchen and some guy offered me spicy Cheetos... I remember eating them and then I felt Nora kick. The guy grabbed my belly and found Nora's foot. He was trying to pull her out of my belly by her little foot! I screamed for help, but no one came :(

The other weird part was that I was immortal, but if I "died" I started over at a checkpoint like in a video game... but if Nora was hurt, she wouldn't come back.

What is going on with my crazy body!!?? These dreams freak me out! They're so detailed... and WEIRD.

Horrible Hormones
I'm a crabby beast most of the time. I'm usually so tired after working all day that I get home and want to collapse! I get angry/upset about the weirdest things. Bryan has been wonderful and has gotten me flowers and apologized for things he didn't do... just to make me happy. Poor guy. I don't mean to be crazy.. but most of the time it's coming from the exhaustion! I'm ready for Spring and some sunshine. I'm tired of being locked up inside all day!


Nora is moving around and kicking all the time. I've started to try to figure out her "sleep schedules" this week and I realized she doesn't really wake up until around noon when I eat lunch! I feel her a lot at night, but not in the middle of the night. When she's bigger this will all be a little more clear!

Bryan and I are now on the house hunt! We looked at a house last night which was PERFECT except it had foundation issues.... so we are still looking! We are hoping to have a house before Nora is born, but if not, we will make things work! Our lease isn't up on our apartment until November so we have time!

Week 20

How Big is Baby: Baby weighs about 10.2 ounces and measures about 6.5 inches.

• She has working taste buds.
• Now, she's gulping down several ounces of amniotic fluid each day -- that's significantly more than before. 
• She can also hear sounds. She can cover her ears with her hands if the sounds are too loud, and she may even "jump" inside your womb if any sounds startle her. 
• The hair on her scalp is also growing.
• She is also moving around a lot. I might be becoming aware of her sleep cycles

Weight Gain: I've only gained 2 pounds total

Gender: We're having a little girl :)

Names: Lenora (Nora) Quinn

Symptoms:

• LOTS of back pain. It's not lower back pain... it's in my ribs! From what the doctor said, the muscles between my ribs are getting stretched and pushed. It kinda feels like knives in my back, but after I lay down for a little while, it feels better. 
• I'm also still very sick in the morning. 
• My fingers swell at night so I take my ring off to sleep



Gettin bigger!

• RLP at night

Sleep: I wake up a lot in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and because I am so conscious of my RLP. If I don't pick my body up to roll over, I stretch too much and get the CRAZY pulling pain. This probably also wakes Bryan up because I'm throwin myself everywhere trying to get comfortable!

Movement: She was crazy wiggly for our ultrasound! In order to get her to stay still long enough to find out the sex, she had to lay me on my side. Bryan JUST felt her move a few minutes ago. It wasn't a kick or anything, but movement is movement!

Maternity Clothes: I should just take this off now because I'm wearing maternity clothes all the time

Food Cravings: MEAT and SEAFOOD. Weird because I'm not a steak person and I don't ever eat fish. I went to a brazilian steakhouse and ate my body weight in medium steak, crab legs, shrimp, and fish! So weird! Nora was so happy afterwards though

Halfway there!

Food Aversions:Everything makes me sick when I'm hungry!

What I'm Looking Forward To: The baby shower! I'm so excited to start nesting

What I Miss: Sleeping on my belly!

Next Drs Appointment: March 20th

Best Moment of the Week: The ultrasound! It was so nice to see Nora healthy and active! It's wonderful to know we're expecting a daughter!

Hey everyone else has a picture like this!

We're excited to be expecting a GIRL!

It's a......

Here's Bryan holding up two different sets of clothes in Kohls! Which one will it be?

Well, from all of my "training" from The Bump, I could tell the baby's sex before the ultrasound tech pointed it out in the end! Muahahaha.... thanks ladies!

I'll tease you with some pictures before I tell you! The pictures kind of stink because I didn't have good lighting anywhere in the apartment!

This is the baby's head!

The baby is crazy! The butt is up at the top left with the legs stretched out and the head down in the bottom right corner. The black spot is the heart beating at 143 bpm!





Well, ladies..... it's a GIRL!

Well, it's kind of blurry, but the ladies on TB know that the tell tale sign of a girl are the 3 lines!  The tech was 100% sure!

Bryan is so excited to buy "I love Daddy" stuff :) He's so excited to have a daughter!

Nora is healthy and growing right on track! Her heartrate went down, but that might be because I consciously tried to NOT eat or drink anything too sugary before the ultrasound so she wouldn't be too wiggly. That might have slowed her HR down a little bit. She's right on track with 143 bpm. She likes to curl up in the fetal position with her hands up on her head! When the tech was trying to measure the skull, Nora's little fingers kept poking up and getting in the shot!

I am healthy with good blood pressure and fluid levels. I have only gained 2 pounds total this pregnancy and I just gained them this last month! I knew weight gain was coming when I woke up one day and none of my shirts fit. She grew overnight! The doctor said, "Whatever you're doing or eating, keep it up!" and in my head I was thinking "Hmm.... pizza lunchables... the 1lb of gummy bears I ate in bed the other day... the ENTIRE bag of Cheetos I ate last week...." Hahaha... I do have those crazy cravings, but with my nausea, I have to eat all the time so I bring healthy snacks to work with me. I drink those drinkable yogurts, I'm addicted to pasta, and I try to eat veggies when possible! Hey... I try to eat healthy... but it doesn't always happen!

Little outfits so she doesn't have to wear pants in July!

More outfits to show off those chubby little legs!

This is the other shirt that came with the pink long sleeved one with the pants with the heart on the butt!

Bryan is happy because they don't have any girls on his side. He always said from day one that his mom always wanted a girl so she would watch over us and help keep our little GIRL healthy. So far so good :) We have all girls on my side so we're used to girls!

We're excited to start decorating her room and to start bonding with her! Everyone is so happy for us and it's nice to know they're sharing our excitement!

Week 19

How Big is Baby: Baby measures about 6 inches long and weighs in at about 8.5 ounces. She's developing a protective coating over her skin, called vernix caseosa. It's greasy and white, and you may see some of it at her birth (gross lol).

This is a very important time in terms of sensory development. Inside your baby’s brain, certain areas are being specialized for smell, touch, taste, hearing, and vision. Another big development in the last week, hair may finally be sprouting from his scalp.

The uterus is developed in the female and the testes and penis are easily identifiable in males.

Weight Gain: We'll see on Wednesday! I have a new Cheeto addiction so I'm sure I gained weight

Gender: I was convinced I was growing a little boy... but now not so much. Everyone who looks at me says "Girl"... so we will see. 4 more days!

Holy belly! Where did this come from!?

Names: Greyson Alexander or Lenora Estelle/Irene/Quinn (Haven't decided on a middle name yet)

Symptoms: BACK PAIN! I have knots in my shoulders and it feels like the ribs in my back are bruised. Yikes it hurts. I'm also still sick, VERY tired this week, and feeling big!

Sleep: I have been SO TIRED this week. I have been getting 10-12 hours of sleep a night. It seems fitting because I feel like my belly grew huge overnight!

Movement: Baby LOVES hot Cheetos. She kicks and moves every time I eat them. This week I felt her from the outside! There was tons of pressure in one spot so I rubbed/pushed it and she kicked/punched back! It was so crazy to feel

Maternity Clothes: We just went out and spent $100 at Old Navy because I needed new shirts. Since I feel like I grew overnight, the regular shirts I was wearing last week don't fit anymore! I just bought new stuff so I don't have to constantly pull my shirt down over my belly

Food Cravings: Pizza lunchables, Queso Salsa Cheetos, and anything spicy!

Food Aversions:Everything makes me sick when I'm hungry

Stretchmarks: Existing ones... and new!

What I'm Looking Forward To: This week we will find out how little one is developing! I can't wait to see her wiggling on the screen again. I'm also so excited to find out if we have a daughter or a son! I will be SO surprised if it is a boy, but we will be so excited either way!

What I Miss: Having a beer at a sporting event!

Next Drs Appointment: Wednesday for our 20 week OB appointment and our anatomy scan!

Best Moment of the Week: Before we headed out to the Blackhawks game with Bryan and my best friends, he proposed! He was nervous and excited... and it was wonderful. It's a Vera Wang engagement ring with a sapphire on the side (both of our birthstone). I am so happy and so lucky :) We did things a little backwards, but hey... we love each other and this little one will be loved... so that's all that matters to me.

Side view 

Blackhawks game!

I love him!

Old Wives' Tales

Our anatomy scan is one week from today! Even though we really don't care either way, I'm getting very impatient to find out... why? I don't know! I think I'm just ready to bond with this baby. I'm ready to call him/her by name. I'm ready to get the nursery ready (even though I have 20 more weeks for that). I'm ready to look at little boy or girl clothes :) So here are some old wives' tales just for fun....

1. If you're carrying low, you're having a boy.  If you're carrying high, you're having a girl.

• Someone told me I was carrying high and I didn't believe it.... but then looking at my WTEWYE book and we decided that yeah... I guess I am carrying high. Girl

2. If you're carrying more horizontally, it's a boy.  If you're more out in front, it's a girl.

• I feel like I'm not getting wider (my butt is!) haha.... but I carry out in front. Girl

3. If baby's heartbeat is on the low side, it's a boy.  Higher heartbeats are supposed to indicate girl.

• Both times we heard the heartbeat it was high (they say anything higher than 140s is the marking point). Girl

4.  Salty cravings indicate a boy but sweet cravings indicate a girl.

• I have always been a sweets person until I got pregnant.... now all I want is chips, sour things, and fried food. Boy

5. There is an ancient Chinese Gender Prediction chart that supposedly has great accuracy in predicting what you will have. 

• The chart tells me Girl.

6. The Mayan gender prediction says that if the mother's age at baby's conception and the year the conception happened are both even or odd numbers, the baby will be a girl.  If one number is even and the other is odd, the baby will be a boy.

• Age: 24 Year:2012 Both even. Girl

7. Some people say that if you've had only a little morning sickness, you're likely to have a boy.  But if you have a lot of morning sickness that lasts beyond your first trimester, this indicates girl.

• Uhhh.... Girl

8. If your feet feel much colder during pregnancy, this suggests a boy.  If they feel normal temperature, then this suggests a girl.

• Holy moly I'm a human furnace. Every part of my body is warm. Girl

9. If you prefer to sleep on your left side, you're having a boy.  If you prefer to sleep on the right, you're having a girl.

• I know I'm supposed to sleep on my left side, but I usually sleep on my right because it's facing the wall. Girl

10. If you ask a pregnant woman to immediately hold out her hands, if she holds them out with palms down, baby is a boy.  If she holds them with palms up, it's a girl.

• I feel like I would always put my palms up if someone told me to hold out my hands. It seems odd to me that anyone would have palms down.... Girl

Well people, 9 girl and 1 boy. That's an overwhelming majority! It will be interesting to see if these are right. When people close to me are pregnant I feel like I can just look at them and KNOW if they are having a boy or a girl. I've been pretty good at it! Now... people are coming up to me and saying "GIRL" so maybe I'm just giving off girl vibes. The girl clothes are SO CUTE, but having a momma's boy would make me so happy too. 

7 days left!

Week 18

How Big is Baby: She's about 5.6 inches long and about 6.7 ounces now and she keeps on growing rapidly. Baby’s skeleton, which up until this point has been made up of flexible cartilage, is now hardening into bone. Myelin, a protective layer covering his nerves, has begun to form. Baby’s skin is still thin and transparent, so to help protect her, something called the vernix caseosa develops.

She's yawning, hiccuping, sucking and swallowing. So crazy :)

Weight Gain: None yet!

Gender: We're pretty sure it's a girl... but we will be happy either way!

Names: Greyson Alexander or Lenora/Norah Estelle/Irene/Quinn (Haven't decided yet!)

Symptoms: SO HUNGRY! It's funny because I'm also extremely sick most of the time too. Food usually make me sick, but it happens when I'm not eating. The solution? MOAR FOOD! Hahaha :D

Also, growing belly, frequent bathroom trips, being tired all the time, and some sweet mood swings

Sleep: I've been sleeping better this week but I think it's because I have a cold so my body is a little more worn down than usual.

Movement: I feel the baby moving around more and more now. I feel her wiggling around after I eat when I lay down.

Maternity Clothes: I just bought some maternity undies and a wireless bra. HEAVEN. My butt has been growing right along with my belly! Thank you, baby... thank you.

Food Cravings: Seriously... lunchables have become a staple in my everyday diet. I've also been craving spicy things. It doesn't feel good with my heartburn, but it makes me happy!

Food Aversions: About anything will make me gag: Fresh air, cold air, garbage, the refrigerator, thoughts of something smelling, moving in the morning... shall I go on?

Stretchmarks: No new ones that I know of!

What I'm Looking Forward To: I'm hoping my mom can come with us to the A/S on the 20th. I think it would be special to share it with her! 11 more days until we know boy/girl and if everything is still going well. I can't wait to see the wiggly baby!

What I Miss: Bryan got a beer last night and my mouth was watering! I know some women drink while they're pregnant (and their doctors okay it) but I just cannot bring myself to even think of it. I eat sushi, don't drink enough water, and I drink caffeine occasionally.... I do enough to push it without alcohol in the mix

Next Drs Appointment: February 20th for our 20 week OB appointment and our anatomy scan!

Best Moment of the Week: Last night after eating BW3s, Bryan and I came home and played Mortal Combat and Scene It until 1am. It was so much fun. We don't always get a lot of good time home together. We both work 40 hours a week (sometimes on opposite schedules) and when we do get home, we're both exhausted, and I'm sick.

Munchkin's Closet Full of Clothes

The Crib with all of munchkin's miscellaneous things

18 Week Belly

Bryan and I went over and spent some time with my sisters. We brought the xbox and played Rock Band and all kinds of Kinect games. So much fun!

Bella cuddling with Bryan

Me and Megan playing a Kinect game

Bella cuddling with me on the couch

Week 17

How Big is Baby: This week she's about 5.1 inches long and weighs about 5.9 ounces. Her rubbery cartilage is now turning to bone and she's growing some meat on those bones -- putting on some fat. She's growing a stronger, thicker umbilical cord, too.

Weight Gain: According to the doctor, I actually lost a pound since last month (she isn't concerned) but I feel huge

Gender: I was convinced I was growing a little boy... but now not so much. Everyone who looks at me says "Girl"... so we will see. 17 more days!

Names: Greyson Alexander or Lenora Estelle/Irene/Quinn (Haven't decided on a middle name yet)

Symptoms: Where do I start? Cramps, Extreme nausea all day, Bloating, Headaches, Peeing my pants when I laugh/cough/sneeze, RLP at night, Fatigue, Crabbiness

Sleep: I can't get comfortable at night so I sleep like crap. I wake up 4-5 times a night to pee which is annoying... but I have to stay hydrated!

Movement: I feel the baby moving around more and more now. I feel her wiggling around after I eat when I lay down.

Maternity Clothes: I LOVE my maternity clothes. My jeans and yoga pants have a full panel so I don't have to wear the bellyband anymore. I love wearing tighter shirts because of my bump! I'm so proud of showing it off :)

Food Cravings: Pizza lunchables and crab meat!

Food Aversions:Everything makes me sick when I'm hungry

Stretchmarks: Existing ones... and new!

What I'm Looking Forward To: I'm so excited for Feb. 20th. We have our anatomy scan ultrasound scheduled for the same day as our 20 week appointment. It will be a really exciting day!

What I Miss: Sleeping soundly and not feeling so huge.

Next Drs Appointment: February 20th for our 20 week OB appointment and our anatomy scan!

Best Moment of the Week: WORST moment of this week was last night when I was barfing my guts out. Bleh... food poisoning? Flu?

Week 17 Belly!

Week 16

How Big is Baby: She's about 4.6 inches long and weighs about 3.5 ounces. Her heart is now pumping 25 quarts of blood every day, and her bladder is emptying every 45 minutes. Her limbs are even more developed and her movements have become increasingly coordinated. She doesn't have any hair yet, but the patterning of her scalp has begun.


She's listening to my voice, thanks to tiny bones forming in her ears. She's growing lashes, fingernails, and eyebrows. And she's forming taste buds.

Weight Gain: According to the doctor, I actually lost a pound since last month (she isn't concerned)

Gender: I'm beginning to think we have a daddy's girl! I'm not sure why I think one way or the other, but we will find out in less than a month!

Names: We're waiting to think of a few names once we find out the sex!

Symptoms: I'm still sick in the morning, but it's controllable with peppermints. My lower back gets cramped, belly cramps, and I pee every 5 seconds. I have also been getting RLP once in a while. MAN those hurt. Doctor said the pain compares to pulling your groin muscle... only its in my belly.

Sleep: I can't sleep lately. I took a couple Benedryl the other night and slept like a baby for the first time in idk how long. I just toss and turn ALL NIGHT and I get up 3-5 times to pee.

Movement: I feel the baby moving around more and more now. I feel her wiggling around after I eat when I lay down.

Maternity Clothes: I LOVE my maternity clothes. My jeans and yoga pants have a full panel so I don't have to wear the bellyband anymore. I love wearing tighter shirts because of my bump! I'm so proud of showing it off :)

Food Cravings: No big cravings lately!

Food Aversions: I don't know.... I feel sick when I'm hungry and then everything sounds gross.

Stretchmarks: Existing ones... and new!

What I'm Looking Forward To: I'm so excited for Feb. 20th. We have our anatomy scan ultrasound scheduled for the same day as our 20 week appointment. It will be a really exciting day!

What I Miss: Sleeping soundly and not feeling so huge.

Next Drs Appointment: February 20th for our 20 week OB appointment and our anatomy scan!

Best Moment of the Week: It will probably be tonight. I'm excited to hang out with friends for a change and see my little Brody!

16 Week Belly

Baby B's Strong Little Heart!

Well, I just had my 16 week appointment today! 

• I didn't gain any weight (I actually lost a pound) so my doctor was really happy about that. She doesn't want me to gain much weight so the fact that I haven't gained any in the first 16 weeks is going to make it easier on my L&D
• Blood pressure is perfect
• Pap came back normal
• Need to get an update on my MMR vaccine after delivery
• She felt my belly and said everything was on track
• The baby's HR is in the 150's which means he/she is active and awake in there (she said it's because I just ate!)
• We scheduled our Anatomy Scan for February 20th at 2:30 with our 20 week OB appointment right after. I'm starting to think this is a little girl! My family is starting to influence me!

This is a video of the heart beat, but there's nothing visual about it! You can start to hear the HB around 8-9 seconds. We're in the 150's... nice and strong!

Setting Up Baby B's Room!

Well, Baby B finally has a room fit for a little one! Bryan's sister is letting us borrow a crib (thank you so much!) and it looks wonderful in the room. Bryan and my dad got it all set up and secure this weekend so when I got home.. we had a baby room! The crib is a light color wood just like the glider, nightstand, and bookshelf so it all matches really well. We arranged and rearranged the room a bunch of times and finally decided on a layout that we both like. We have HUGE windows in the rooms of our apartment with radiator/heater things under them... so placing furniture (especially the crib) was a little bit difficult.

The start of the baby's room. We still have plenty to do!

The crib with the cute sheets :)

The bookshelf (we're not sure we're keeping) with all kinds of random baby stuff on it until we find a permanent home!

We went out yesterday and bought a new mattress for the crib, a set of bright green chevron sheets (to give the room a little bit of color), and some things at Target that we found on sale. I was really excited because tucked away in the back on the bottom shelf was the EXACT diaper bag that matches the travel system, highchair, pack n play that I want... with a clearance tag! It's normally $29.99, but I got it for $8.98! What a steal! I snatched it up so quickly I'm sure I almost smacked Bryan in the face with it. I was so excited because what are the chances? We also found a pack of 4 receiving blankets on clearance for $4 so we bought those too. They are more geared towards boys, I think but even if we have a girl, I don't plan on buying EVERYTHING pink and purple. She can have some blue, orange, and green too.

I enjoyed my long weekend off of work with Bryan. Last week we barely saw each other because we were on opposite shifts so it was nice to spend some time with him. We took the train up to Chicago, caught a cab, and saw a Bulls game Saturday night! It was our first game and man we were excited. I HAD to have a bunch of overpriced food, of course. We had a great view of the game, but I couldn't bring myself to stand up to cheer. I felt like if I stood up, I'd plummet to my death. The seats were so steep! We had a lot of fun, but I was EXHAUSTED by the time we got home. I felt the baby moving a little at the game... s/he was all hopped up on the Pepsi I had!

Pretty cool shot!

Bryan took this with a cool feature on my camera

Us at the game!

The rest of this weekend was good. I got to see my family and spend a little time with Miss Evelyn who is a funny little booger. Bryan got to bond with my dad a little bit and realize he's not as scary as he looks (haha... it's the 'stach!) I've been having more and more issues with sleeping at night. I am just so uncomfortable most of the time and I just can't seem to get enough steady sleep. Bryan bought me a wedge to use for my back and between my knees... and it seems to help, but I toss and turn so much that I don't always want to adjust it in the middle of the night. I wake up 2+ times to use the bathroom, plus my weirdo dreams, plus being a human furnace, plus lower back pains and restless legs... ugh. I also had the worst headache for 6+ hours yesterday. I have no idea what was wrong, but I took Tylenol, Bryan rubbed my neck and shoulders, I drank tons of water, I ate... and it still wasn't going away. Luckily it's gone today or I'm not sure I would have been at work!

My monthly appointment is Thursday with a different doctor in the OB office's "team" so I hope she's very nice! I'm hoping to bring my camera and catch the heartbeat on video so my mom and Bryan can hear it. I have to say, I'm very jealous that everyone is finding out the sex of their baby so soon! We probably won't get our anatomy scan until 20 weeks which will be around the end of February or beginning of March. I'm ready to pick out names and start mentally preparing for either a son or a daughter. It seems like time is going by slowly until I realize... I will be 4 months pregnant this week! Before we know it we will be in our childbirth classes, touring the hospital, and attending our baby shower. I want to start preparing now and have everything ready, but I have to wait for the baby shower! It's killing me to wait!

We picked up a prescription for a prenatal that my doctor gave us samples for. The original price was like $78 for 2 months. My insurance picked up all but $12... and then I had a $10 coupon. Talk about savings! I really learned this weekend how much my insurance covers and how extremely GRATEFUL I am to have great insurance. The prenatal smells like vanilla (so it's easier to take), has a stool softener in it (which means I don't have to take anything separate for that), and it has made me feel so much better. I'm not sure if my morning sickness has just died down for a few days or if it's because of this prenatal, but I'm feeling much better, nausea-wise, than I have in a long time. I don't want to jinx myself or anything so I'll just leave it at that :)

Hopefully we will have a strong heartbeat Thursday and a boring routine appointment! I will update on Saturday with my week 16 check in!

Week 15

How Big is Baby: Your little one is now roughly the size of an orange. She is about four inches long, and weighs about two and a half ounces. Her legs are now longer than her arms, and her bones are getting harder and stronger! His skin is still thin and transparent, but he has developed a thin layer of hair to help protect his body.She is also moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract. This action helps the primitive air sacs, in her lungs, begin to develop. And even though her eyes will remain fused shut until approximately 26 weeks, she can actually sense light in your womb!

Weight Gain: I feel bigger, but we will find out next week

Gender: We really don't know! We were set on a boy, but man the girl clothes are SO cute

Names: We're waiting to think of a few names once we find out the gender!

Symptoms: I've been sick in the morning and while I drive, but other than that, I've been feeling better for the most part. My belly feels bigger and bigger everyday. I've also been SO tired. I've been sleeping a lot lately. Lots of hiccups and crazy out of control hormones!

Sleep: I have been very tired lately. It's been rough being on my feet 40 hours a week. It's been hard to sleep at night because my arms fall asleep!

Movement: I felt baby a couple times this week. It's very infrequent

Maternity Clothes: I LOVE my maternity jeans! :) We just went to Old Navy and spent $80 in the maternity section. I bought a bunch of really cute shirts!

Food Cravings: No big cravings this week.

Food Aversions: I don't know.... I feel sick when I'm hungry and then everything sounds gross

Stretchmarks: I'm getting some in some pretty strange places!

What I'm Looking Forward To: Finding out the sex next month and getting the baby's room all set up!

What I Miss: Sleeping on my back and stomach

Next Drs Appointment: Next week! January 24th

Best Moment of the Week: Staying home from work for a mental health day. I got so much done!

Bulls game tonight!

It's getting bigger!

Flu Shot, Bills and Registries, Oh My!

Today was pretty eventful! I took the day off of work to get a bunch of stuff done. I scrubbed this apartment down.... washed dishes, cleaned the sinks and counters, and floors. I dusted the bedroom and living room, scrubbed the bathroom (even the floor!), and vacuumed. Then I went to the grocery store, got $100 worth of groceries, and realized I forgot my debit card at home.... had to drive back to the apartment and back to the grocery store. I got a doctor approved flu shot at Walgreens and then made some calls!

I signed up for 6 weeks of Childbirth classes which includes a tour of the hospital and a breastfeeding class. We're signed up to go from the time I'm 31 weeks to 36 weeks. They had another class starting next month... but I figured that might be a little too early. If I'm going to be learning breathing and pain management techniques, I want it fresh in my mind for labor! I think I'm going to sign up for an additional free breastfeeding class through my OBGYN. It wouldn't hurt to get some extra help!

So with all of my research, my OB appts for my entire 9 months including paying her for delivery will be under $300. Surprisingly, all of my $600 of blood work for my first appointment were fully covered. The Childbirth class is $60 out of pocket (which is worth it to me!). Then the hospital stay.. as long as everything goes according to plan.. will be between $600-$800. With my insurance, I have a cap on my Out of Pocket expenses of $1,000 so even if something unexpected comes up, I won't have to worry about money. I cannot imagine how women do this without insurance. I am so incredibly lucky to have such wonderful insurance.

A couple of nights ago we went to Target and looked at the big ticket baby items. I want to register at Babies R Us, but there is no reason to buy the same exact stuff for $50-$100 more. Here is the travel system we found. We also found a highchair, pack n play, diaper bag, and swing in the same pattern!

We will probably register for everything else at BRU and call it a day! We won't start that until we find out the sex of the baby next month. It seems kind of soon, but then I'll be 5 months along and it will give me 3 months to tweak my registry before the baby shower. Plus, I'll be working full time until the first couple weeks of June so I won't have much time or energy. I think I'll be thankful I did some of this stuff in advance!

Well my arm is all bruised up from the flu shot and my back hurts. Pregnant girl PROBLEMS! Ha :) I'm going to lounge on the couch and hopefully I'll feel some movements today! 

Baby... Not Fat!

I got my baby bump recognized as a baby today rather than fat! Yaaayyy! It made me feel good even if it was from a 6 year old. I feel like adults don't really ask if you're pregnant or not until you get to be really big... but kiddos just don't have a filter!

A first grader (that doesn't speak English very fluently) came up to me today when I was reading with another kiddo and he goes, "Baby in there?" pointing at my belly. I smiled and said, "Yes, yes, there is a little baby in there!" He smiled and said, "Mom has baby in her too".

He was so sweet and he made me feel so good. I'm feeling huge today for some reason... maybe gas? My belly is just so hard today and I feel things stretching in there. Ugh it's getting a little uncomfortable. I can't wait to hold my little monkey though!

Week 14

How Big is Baby: My little munchkin is 3.4 inches and 1.5 ounces; he's almost doubled in weight since last week and keeps on growing. (Maybe that's why I've been so sick this week!)  Right now, baby is probably sucking his thumb and wiggling his toes! And he's growing lanugo, a thin, peach-fuzz-like hair, all over his body -- it will help him keep warm.

Her body also starts to even out this week, as her arms and head are finally proportionate to the rest of her body. Her hands and feet now measure about a half-inch long, and are actively punching and kicking inside you. Little one is also busy making facial expressions by week 14. He can squint his eyes, and his lips can turn into a frown. His neck has grown longer, and his chin has started to take shape.

Baby's kidneys can produce urine, and his liver has begun to produce bile. His spleen has even begun to help in the production of red blood cells. Your baby’s placenta is fully functioning now, supplying oxygen, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals, and is removing and filtering waste materials

Weight Gain: I feel bigger, but I don't know!

Gender: We really don't know!

Names: We're waiting to think of a few names once we find out the gender!

Symptoms: I had a really rough, sick week. I couldn't even eat a full bowl of cereal this week for breakfast without it all coming back up. Today is the first day for as long as I could remember that I wasn't sick! I ate a taco meat egg burrito with salsa :)

I've also gotten lower back pain more frequently this last week. It felt more like a pinched nerve... or maybe the baby was sitting on a nerve because my entire lower left half of my body hurt. I've also been getting more headaches and hiccups! I have no idea if the hiccups are pregnancy related, but I think I've hiccupped more in the past few months than I have my entire life!

Sleep: I have been SO tired this week. This was my first week back to work: getting back on a normal sleeping schedule, waking up at 6am, being on my feet all day, etc. It's been uncomfortable to sleep on my back now so I sleep on my side... the only problem is, I wake up 5 times a night with dead arms!

Movement: I felt baby a few times this week. A couple times when I was sitting forward and squishing my belly (sounds pretty awful) and once while I was in bed! When I'm sitting, it feels like something is lightly brushing inside me (sounds creepy!) and when I was laying down after a big meal and lots of lemonade, it felt like waves. It felt like the baby was turning around in there or something. It's so weird and amazing all at the same time :)

Maternity Clothes: I still love my BellaBand, but my mom helped me pick out a couple of pants with elastic waists to wear to work and they're amazing. It's nice to be comfortable at work because I'm used to wearing yoga pants and pj pants!

Food Cravings: I ate a big spinach salad with grilled chicken and italian dressing for lunch 4 days this week! It was surprisingly filling and amazing!

Food Aversions: I don't know.... I feel sick when I'm hungry and then everything sounds gross

Stretchmarks: I'm getting some in some pretty strange places!

What I'm Looking Forward To: Finding out the sex next month and getting the baby's room all set up!

What I Miss: Not baby related, but I miss my Christmas break. I miss sleeping all the time and being able to spend a lot of time with my family

Next Drs Appointment: January 24th

Best Moment of the Week: Seeing our wiggly baby on the ultrasound, announcing to our friends and family on Facebook, and buying a glider for the baby's room!

Too lazy to get dressed and look cute today!

Hello baby!

It's All A Flutter!

Well, last night after I got home from my mom's, I turned the TV on in the living room and started surfing the internet. I was on the couch leaning forward on my left side to reach my laptop and I felt 5 or 6 little flutters. They were so crazy feeling! Like... a hand lightly brushing the inside of my belly. They were really low and stopped when I leaned back. I think the baby was like "GET OFF ME, MOM! YOU'RE SQUISHING ME!". Hahaha. I think he/she is still too small for me to feel when I'm laying down, but squishing him into a more compact space lets me feel some kind of movement!

Bryan and I are going to check out a glider that was posted on Craigslist tonight so hopefully we will be coming home with something to put in the nursery!

I'm going to try to feel the little one again tonight when we get home. I know he/she is growing fast!


PS: I just got a letter in the mail telling me that my insurance will cover 90% of my delivery! Woo hoo! I have NO IDEA what we would do if I didn't have insurance. I'm so happy I do!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions....

Cloth Diapering
I have noticed that many women on The Bump (and a few of my friends) cloth diaper their kiddos so we decided to look into it! After tons of "How To" websites, I copied and pasted a "manual" together to help us understand what this entails. There are different outer layers, inner layers, different ways to clean and store dirty diapers, the rules when washing them, which diapers work best overnight, and more and more and more stuff! We ordered 3 cloth diapers with microfiber liners from eBay that were only $3. They probably leak or something because they're so cheap, but we're going to try them anyway! I think it will be helpful to see and feel a CD to help understand everything! We might just use sposies when the baby is a newborn and when we have a babysitter. It's definitely something to look into and think about!

Co-Sleeping
I have no issue with putting the baby to sleep next to our bed when he/she is first born. After that, I want to keep the baby in his/her own room in the crib. We bought an Angel Care motion detector monitor that will sound an alarm if it doesn't detect any movements within a certain amount of time... and that will be the reason I will be comfortable leaving the baby in his/her crib without a constant watchful eye (after he/she is 2 months old or so). I just want to be able to sleep when I can and I want baby to be able to soothe and comfort him/herself.

Breastfeeding
After doing some research, I probably will not breastfeed. I don't know anyone who had an easy time doing it.. and I'm just personally not comfortable with it. If other women can, then all the more power to them! I will try it, but if it makes me miserable, I am not going to push it. I feel like everyone has their own opinion about it, but I just don't think it's for me. No amount of shaming or guilt tripping will make me feel bad for formula feeding my baby!

Labor and Delivery
I will be delivering baby at St. Anthony's in Crown Point with an OBGYN. I applaud the women who choose the more natural path, but again, I don't really think it's right for me. I want medications to be given to me as needed to make delivery as safe and simple as possible for me and little one. I do want an epidural though!

Nursery
We are currently trying to figure out if we should put together a gender neutral or a gender specific nursery. We can't decide if our next child should have his/her own room theme or if it's okay to keep the same nursery stuff to save on costs. The gender neutral is more practical... but the gender specific stuff is so cute!! We love monsters for a boy and pink owls for a girl.I already started putting together an Amazon.com registry for the fun of it!

Gender Reveal
My idea was that when we get our anatomy scan next month, I'm going to ask the ultrasound tech to NOT tell us the sex of the baby... but to print the revealing ultrasound and put it in a sealed envelope. Then, I would take it to a bakery and ask them to put pink or blue frosting inside. With both of our families gathered around, we would take a bite of the cupcake, find out boy or girl, and celebrate together! My other idea would be to give the results to someone and have them fill a box with pink or blue helium balloons. Then, when we open the box, they all fly away! I'm so excited to find out!

13 Weeks

I'm 13 weeks 4 days and I'm STILL NOT DONE WITH MORNING SICKNESS. I have been so sick all day today. I had a salad with chicken and Italian dressing for lunch and I feel better for now... but it's just a matter of time before I'm gagging my brains out. I just came back to work yesterday and I'm dragging.

I got my energy back over Christmas Break so I was staying up until 2:30am and sleeping in until 11am! Now I have to force my body to get back in the routine of getting up at 6am. We've also had a busy past few days so I just haven't been able to get to sleep at a good hour. When I do get to lay down, I get resless leg syndrome so bad and then when I fall asleep, I'm up 3-4 times a night to pee!

I'm only going to complain for a little bit. I'll take sleepless nights and aches and pains over feeling nauseated ANY day. Seeing this little wiggle worm on the ultrasound yesterday made me realize I'm blessed to have this baby and I need to just take things day by day. I always imagined what it would be like to be pregnant and I SWORE up and down I would absolutely love it. There are days I don't want to get out of bed because I'm sick and exhausted and other days where I cry because nothing fits me anymore.... but there are many days when I look down and talk to my wiggle worm and remember this is all worth it. I just have to remember... my body was made to do this. I just need to shut up and let my body do its job!

Ultrasound

We went in for our ultrasound to date my pregnancy. I already had an idea of where I was at, but I left my phone at home at the time of the first appointment and completely drew a blank when she asked for my last period! She suggested an ultrasound... and hey... I wasn't going to fess up after that!

Bryan and I held hands as we watched our little baby wiggle all over the screen! She dated baby at 13 weeks 2 days (which is 6 days sooner than we had thought!) so now we know we have a big healthy baby! He wiggled and squirmed and kicked all over the place. It was hard to get him/her to stay still for long enough to snap a picture! At one point, he/she kicked so hard that he/she was standing up on his/her head and then laid very calmly on his/her belly.

I drank some orange juice and ate some food before the ultrasound so I think that might be the reason he/she was so crazy in there! We have a very active baby with a heart rate of 154 bpm.

Seeing that little tiny human squirm and wiggle was so amazing. I laid there holding Bryan's hand and cried tears of happiness. I'm so glad I got to see an ultrasound. It really makes everything a little more real. It's crazy to think that little crazy tiny human is inside me... and he/she depends on me for everything. I couldn't be more excited!

The picture we announced with!

<3

Goofballs

Ultrasound and Onesie

Close-up!