37 Week Appointment

I'm full term!!!!! This is an amazing feeling. I guess I have spent the entire pregnancy thinking that surely something would go wrong, but here I am, just about to have him. He could come out this second and be perfectly healthy.

I had an appointment with the midwife today which went great. I saw a different midwife than our regular (Tina), but I like this one a lot too. There's actually only 1 midwife I'm not crazy about, and she isn't terrible, she's just a little too mellow for my tastes. It will be my luck she'll end up being the one to deliver Evan. ;-) Anyway, I told this midwife, G, about the bloody show and the cramps and everything. On Monday I had posted on a message board about the bloody mucus and cramps wondering if anyone else had experienced it and how long after that their labor started. Well a bunch of ladies wrote back saying I should call the doctor! I guess it isn't as common as I thought. I called and talked to the midwife on call who said everything should be fine, just wait until my appt today to talk to the midwife in person about it. But G said it's perfectly normal. It turns out that the cramps are contractions!! lol I didn't know that although I have noticed that they come and go throughout the day. The midwife I talked to on Monday mentioned that they were probably were, but I wasn't really sure if that was a 100% fact. G said the contractions are making changes to my cervix, which is causing the blood.

I decided not to have an exam. There's no reason to go through the discomfort. Even if I'm dilated, it doesn't really mean anything. I know some women walk around for weeks halfway dilated. That happened to my SIL actually, she was told by her doctor that she'd probably go into labor 2 weeks before her due date. She ended up having to be induced over a week after her EDD. All based on how dilated she was. I don't think I want to know how much progress I've made because that would make me even more impatient!!

I am definitely ready to get things going though. I hate being in limbo. I want Evan to come so that I can KNOW everything. Like, I'm tired of wondering if I have enough burp clothes or if his clothes will fit or if breastfeeding will go smoothly or if my dad will be in town when he's born, etc, etc, etc. I just want him out so that I can figure it all out! lol I'm also very impatient to meet him. I'm not like some women though, I'm not eager to end pregnancy because I'm tired of it or uncomfortable or anything. I'm actually going to miss it a lot. I love being pregnant and a big part of me wants him to stay in until his due date. I'm actually not even completely ready for him (will I ever be?). The nursery is a mess right now and isn't set up just the way I want (which is why I still haven't posted pictures). I'm hoping it will be completely decorated by this weekend though.

Oh yeah, today the midwife, G, said she doesn't believe there is any way Evan is as big as the ultrasound tech said he was a few weeks ago. I could tell she doesn't think it's necessary to have an u/s next week, but she scheduled one anyways. She felt him from the outside (she really dug in there and felt his head and all over his body!) and said she estimates that he is 7.5 lbs right now. It will be interesting to see who is closest. To me, 7.5 lbs at 37 weeks is still big, but it's better than 9 pounds, so I'm not complaining.

My brother, sister, and I were all in the 6 pound range at birth. We were also all born early. My sister and I a week early and my brother 2 weeks early. My grandma also had my uncle a week early and then she was induced a couple of weeks early with my mom since she had had a c-section with my uncle (he was breech). I forgot to ask Grandma how big Mom and Uncle Ray were...I should have! So I'm kind of hoping that these traits run in the family..... ;-)

35 Weeks & Birth Plan

I can't believe I'm here! Only 5 weeks to go...35 days. Amazing. :-) Evan should be around 5 1/4 pounds and 18 inches long. Most of his physical development is complete, the next few weeks he'll just be packing on the pounds. I can tell he's become a lot bigger (and stronger) this past week. He is kicking so hard that it hurts! There are so many times where it hurts so bad (and surprises me so much) that I actually yell out loud. I also double over in pain at times and when he's really active I have to hold on to my upper abs to try to contain it, it helps absorb some of the impact. I've heard that some women get broken ribs from their babies kicking so hard...let's just say I'm not surprised that happens sometimes! I actually like it that he's moving so much though. It was pretty uncomfortable for a couple of days, but yesterday he calmed down a little and I was sad not to feel him quite as much.

I have still been feeling pretty good except for really bad hemorroids (from the pressure) that my midwife is going to take a look at on Friday since they aren't going away with Prep H and Tucks pads (probably because the pressure isn't going away either). TMI, I know, but hey, it's a big part of my pregnancy right now! lol My stomach has been feeling pretty good, but sometimes at night I wake up and it's very upset, I feel like I will throw up. I always wake Matt up to get me some cold water. That just happened last night. ;-) Headaches are a little better and I'm definitely feeling better than I was a month ago when I was losing weight and feeling so weak and tired.

We've written up a birth plan and will go over it with the midwife on Friday. I'm not sure if I'll add anything to it, I'm hoping my midwife already feels the same way I do about most things, so I shouldn't have to be super specific. However, if it seems like there may still be some misunderstandings with her, one of the other midwives, or the L&D nurses, I may add to it and make it more detailed. For now here it is:

• We would like the mother and father to be together at all times.
• We would like to maintain freedom of movement during labor and request the presence of a squatting bar in our room.
• It is not necessary to offer pain medications, we will let you know if they are needed.
• We do not wish to have continuous fetal monitoring unless it is required by the condition of our son. After the initial monitoring, intermittent checks are preferred as are limited vaginal exams.
• We prefer to have as few staff members in the room during labor and delivery as possible. The father, midwife, and minimum amount of required nurses are all that are needed in the room until after the birth.
• We do not want an IV or hep-loc.
• After the birth, we prefer that all procedures and exams be done with the baby in the room at all times.
• After the cord has been cut and the baby has been wiped clean, we would like the baby to be handed to the mother for skin to skin contact at the breast, with both covered by a warm blanket.
• We prefer not to be woken up during the night for any testing that can wait until the next day.
  In case of emergency: If a c-section is required, we request that the father be present for the surgery, that the baby be handed to him after the cord is cut, for the father and baby to remain in the room with the mother at all times, and that skin to skin contact at the breast take place with the mother as soon as possible.

Yesterday's appointment at the diabetes center went really well. My dietician said that my levels are great and that there is no way the GD is affecting Evan at all with those numbers. She said he shouldn't be large from the GD at all. That makes me feel so much better, I'm even more hopeful that the u/s tech was wrong a couple of weeks ago. Hearing from her that I had a large baby, plus knowing that GD makes babies large had me worried, but I'm happy that the sugar isn't making Evan grow too much! If he is big, it's not the GD that's causing it. The dietician also said I shouldn't have any problems with my sugar levels after Evan's birth. I'll still be checking my levels every once in awhile, I'll have to come in for another appt and to have another glucose test, and then they want me to have a glucose test every year after to make sure that I don't get Type II, although the dietician said she highly doubts I will ever have a problem. I'm so glad my levels have gone down from what they were a month ago! I've discovered the key is extra protein...peanuts and cheese have become my best friends! lol

I haven't gained any weight the past couple of weeks, but that isn't unusual at this point in pregnancy. I've been feeling good, so I know I'm healthy. Back when I lost weight a few weeks ago I felt awful all the time, it was definitely unhealthy. But I feel almost like normal these days. Plus, it's obvious that Evan has gained weight, so the dietician and I aren't worried.

34 Weeks

Evan is the size of a honeydew melon, should be almost 5 pounds (unless he is over 6 like the u/s tech claims!), and is about 18 inches long. I've heard several women say that their doctors would not stop labor after 34 weeks. It's crazy to think that if I went into labor now, my midwife very well might let it go just as if I was full term! According to BabyCenter: "...you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies." Amazing!!! It's a huge relief to be at this point!

I get tired more easily than I did a couple of months ago, but that's to be expected. For being almost a month away from my due date, I'm actually feeling really good! I still forget that I'm pregnant sometimes! I think the biggest deal lately is that I feel like I have an almost constant headache. It does come and go, but it seems like it's aching more than it isn't. I think it's my neck. Last week my chiropractor adjusted it and it was so out of place. However, the next day it was back to hurting and my headache was back too. So I'm not going to go to the chiropractor every couple of days because I know it'll just come back. It's probably just one of those things that pregnancy causes, I'm being strained in new places.

It's so hard to bend over now. I thought it was rough a couple of months ago, ha!! Now if I bend I feel a lot of pressure down there, it kind of freaks me out! Plus, my stomach quickly starts hurting if I do much bending. So it's hard to do a lot of household chores. The past couple of months I've been really careful about vacuuming the baseboards and around the bottoms of the furniture, but last week I discovered that's really not a good idea for me to do at this point, even if I sit on the floor to do it instead of bending. Matt keeps offering to do it, but he's so busy too that nothing is getting done and the house is a mess. I feel so overwhelmed, I want my house CLEAN, but the cleaning process takes a lot out of me. How do other pregnant women keep their houses clean!!??

Today I think I'm going to wash Evan's clothes, blankets, burp clothes, and bibs! It's kind of scary to take the step of cutting off tags and putting stuff in the washing machine. I'm still unsure about detergents, fabric softeners, etc. I've heard you should use special baby detergent, no dryer sheets or fabric softener, etc, but I don't want Evan to get shocked with static!! I'm not using the special baby detergent... I have a dye/scent free detergent that should work fine. I'm still thinking about the whole dryer sheet thing, any advice is welcome! I hear something called wool balls are nice. I've used dryer balls in the past and they did not keep the static away, so I don't think I'll use those. I'm not going to wash all of the newborn sized clothes we have in case Evan really is big. I'm going to wash one new long sleeved sleeper and one new short sleeved onesie, plus the few NB size hand me downs that we have. I'm going to wash all of the 0-3 month size clothes though.

Today I'm also going to go to the store and buy some craft stuff! *gasp* Yep, I'M going to attempt to do something crafty for the nursery. I'm going to buy some more storage bins and baskets at Michael's (they are 50% off this week!) and I'm going to buy some wood spray paint. Then I'm going to paint some hat boxes my MIL gave me, the closet door knobs, a shelf, and a wood letter E to hang on the outside of the door. And possibly some of the baskets that I buy. I've never done this kind of stuff before, so we'll see how it goes!

I've been so busy the past couple of days. All day yesterday and the day before I was out with my mom running errands, so I haven't had as much time as I'd like to organize the nursery and all of the gifts we received the other day. Yesterday we dropped the quilt Mom made Evan off at a monogramming shop to have his name put on it. We pick it up next week, I can't wait to see how it turns out!

I don't have an official 34 week photo yet, but here's 33w5d:

33w4d baby bump

We've been really bad about taking my weekly pictures lately. So I didn't get one for 32 weeks and didn't get one at exactly 33 weeks, so this is as close as it gets. The only reason we remembered to take one today is because Matt was talking to a friend's mom on the phone and she wanted him to email her a picture of me and the bump. Otherwise who knows when we'd get around to taking one!

Tomorrow is my baby shower, I'm excited and nervous! My bridal shower was....awkward. And that's the only shower experience I've ever had. There were a few people there I didn't like (looking back, I should not have invited my mom's and MIL's "friends" to my wedding or the shower, no matter how uncomfortable it would have made them!). Of course one of those ladies had to be super rude to my maid of honor and best friend at the time, so that was no fun to witness. Then someone just showed up who wasn't invited to the shower....or the wedding. Another girl was there who I didn't like (I only invited her because I was inviting her mom and sisters since they were going to help out with the wedding) and she was rude to me (it's MY shower, come on!!) and my mom in front of me. Then just the overall fact that the whole day was about me and I was the center of attention made me uncomfortable. Opening gifts in front of everyone... The shower was at my old church and I had to sit on the stage to open the gifts while everyone sat below and watched. lol That part is kind of funny to look back on actually.

My baby shower is being hosted by the same (wonderful) lady and will be at my old church as well. However, it's going to be much smaller and more intimate. I like everyone who was invited! lol Plus, it's different receiving gifts for Evan instead of myself. I'm also hoping that I won't have to sit on the stage to open the gifts, I'm going to request that we sit in a circle or something so that everyone can see, but I don't have to be up higher.

SO! Hopefully it will go much better than my bridal shower, but I still can't shake off the nervousness. I know I'm complaining about my bridal shower and shouldn't be... It was great other than what I mentioned and even though I felt really awkward about those situations, I'm so thankful that I had a shower at all because it really helped Matt and me out and it was fun to see my good friends who attended.

Whew, help me feel better and tell me about some awkward shower/party experiences you've had!

I'll get back to you on Tuesday to let you know how the shower went and hopefully share some pictures! It's tomorrow evening at 7:00, so I know that by the time I come home I'll be too tired to get on the computer. :-)

31 Weeks & Maternity Center Tour

Today Evan is about 16 inches long and weighs about 3.3 pounds! Here's what else BabyCenter has to say about him: "He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy." And yep, it's true! This morning I could have slept later, but his thrashing around kept me up. :-) The past couple of days he's really taken it up a notch. He's moving more and it is much stronger. He's also taken a liking to my far right side, especially right up against or under my ribs. I have to say, sometimes I want him to stop kicking because it hurts. When I think about it though I'm really grateful that he's moving so much, I know how depressing it is when he doesn't move as often and I also know it means he's healthy. But my first instinct when he's kicking so hard is "make it stop!" Haha, there is no way to make him stop, but I've found that pressing lightly over the spot where he's kicking helps absorb the impact.

I think I may have felt Braxton Hicks contractions last night for the first time. I'm not 100% sure though. Right after I laid down to go to bed it felt like Evan was kicking my bladder or something deep inside me. But after a bit I realized it felt more like all of my insides, at least down low, were being squeezed. It wasn't really painful, just uncomfortable. It felt like if it lasted too much longer it would be painful, but just as it got to that point it would stop. It happened several times over 10-15 minutes, but I didn't start thinking it might be BH until the last 3 that happened. So I think I had about 6 over the entire time period, maybe 2 more if those "kicks" I felt at first were also BH. It'll be interesting to see if it happens again. And like I said, who knows if they were really BH or maybe Evan was just squishing things down there over and over?

The maternity center tour was great! I'm very excited about delivery now! I really liked the maternity center at our hospital better than the others I've been to before (which is a grand total of 2, one hospital where my friend delivered and then the one my SIL delivered at last year). It's a completely separate building, but it's connected to the back of the hospital by a single door. There's separate parking and the entire place has a very comfortable and homey feel. You wouldn't even know you were near a hospital once you're inside! Even the parking lot is nicer, it's removed from the hospital parking and away from all of the roads nearby. The family waiting room was very comfortable and nice. There are several kitchenettes that give away drinks and food to the families. The rooms are all private and you labor, deliver, and recover in them. They all either have patios or bay windows and they all have whirlpool tubs, refridgerators, flat screen TVs, and DVD players as well as fold out beds that come out of the wall for the hubbies to sleep in.

The hospital is very "family oriented," they want the babies to spend as little time in the nursery as possible although you can request that the nurse take them there if you need rest. As a matter of fact, the nursery was empty when we were there because the babies were all with their parents. They do everything in the room like bathing, weighing, tests, etc unless there are special medical needs that can't be provided in the room. They provide birthing balls and other than requiring you to be hooked up to a fetal monitor for 20 minutes when you first come in, you can go the rest of the time off monitors to walk around freely (unless there's a reason that you need to be continually monitored). All in all I am very pleased with it, especially the fact that it doesn't feel at all like a hospital, I was very comfortable in there. And I hate hospitals, the times I've been to visit my friend and SIL I was so uncomfortable and nervous. I figured I'd be that way when having my own baby too, but nope, I liked it there!

30 Weeks & 7th appointment

I can't believe that in about 10 weeks I'll be holding Evan in my arms!! He's about 2.5 - 3 pounds now and about 14.5 inches long. I've gained 19 pounds so far, so about 16 of that is something other than baby. I actually lost a pound last week because of the new diet, so now I'm under orders to eat the max amount of carbs I'm allowed at each meal and snack to keep my weight gain steady. It seems to have worked because I gained the pound back since Friday. So far I'm still right in the middle of the normal weight gain range.

Today I had another appointment with my midwife. She measured my uterus and said it's 29 cm, looking good. Evan's heartbeat was in the 140s, also good. I asked her what she thought L&D would be like now that I have GD and she said that we might induce at 39 weeks, but we'll see how things are going. It sounds like if Evan's weight gain is normal and my blood sugar levels stay steady then it won't be a problem. I was actually surprised that she is considering inducing, I figured that she would have more of a "we'll do it all natural unless something comes up and we have to do otherwise" attitude. I think she's saying the same thing now, but obviously she thinks it's more of a possibility than I was thinking. I'm feeling very laid back about it, if we induce, we induce. There's nothing to fret about. Also, I'm not even sure if my placenta has moved up so I may not even have the natural childbirth I'm planning on anyway! No need to start making firmer plans when I have no clue if it's even necessary.

Speaking of the placenta moving, we have an ultrasound scheduled for the 20th to make sure it has moved up. I'm so excited to see Evan again!!! I'm glad that it will be the day after I get back from Arkansas because that will make me feel more reassured that everything is okay after the flights, driving, etc. My midwife also recommended a group of pediatricians that are right next door to Matt's office and about 10-15 minutes from our house. I'm excited to find out more about them, I'm sure we'll end up going with someone in that practice.

I haven't been feeling so great the past few days. Very weak, tired, and even lightheaded/dizzy. The dietician says that it shouldn't be the diet, but the midwife is thinking that it is. Also, it is normal to experience some of these things the closer I get to delivery. I just think it's weird that I was fine until all of a sudden it hit. I've been working out regularly for months now and on Monday I couldn't even finish my weight lifting because my heart was pounding so hard. The midwife said to take it easy, make sure I'm not in a position where the baby is cutting off circulation of the main arteries, and if it keeps up to let her know. I sure hope it goes away, I hate the weak feeling. Being tired I can deal with, but my muscles feel like jelly, it feels hard to even sit at the computer and type or hold up a book. Very weird. Any of you experience this?

I don't have a 30 week picture yet, so you will have to make due with my 29W2D pic:

28 Weeks!

I'm in the third trimester! Yay!!!! I say this every weekly post, but I can't BELIEVE how fast time has flown by! It's unreal to think that I'm almost there. And I'm glad that it looks like the next couple of months will go by just as fast. I have little things planned here and there for the rest of this month, then there's 4th of July, my trip to Arkansas, my shower, and finishing up the nursery to look forward to as well. That will help pass the time. :-)

Well, as happy as I am to reach this point, I also have bad news. I've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I'm not too thrilled with the fact, although I know it isn't nearly as bad as it could be. I am worried about Evan, it was discouraging to read that so many babies are high birth weight, at higher risk for childhood obesity, at higher risk for getting type 2 diabetes later in their lives, etc. I'm more worried about him than me. The one encouraging thing was that I almost passed the test. If my levels had been 3 digits lower the first hour mark test then I would have passed. The second hour my levels were 10-15 digits too high (how did they not have the exact number???) and then the third hour I passed. So very close. So I'm not too worried and hope that Evan won't experience any side effects since it seems that I'm very borderline. Matt is skeptical of the whole thing. He still wants me to follow the diet/exercise plan they give me, but he kind of doubts that I even have a problem, I wonder the same thing. We have a lot of questions to ask next week at my appointment at the diabetes center, that's for sure. So that appointment is on Tuesday, until then I'm just not supposed to eat any high sugar foods like cookies, candy, etc. Not that I usually eat that kind of stuff anyway.

So much has been going on... I feel very drained. On Saturday we had our AC unit moved to make way for our patio expansion. We were able to get friends of Matt's family to help out and it was very cheap to move it. However, yesterday I noticed that although the AC had been running all afternoon, it was getting steadily warmer. So last night Matt's dad, uncle, and his uncle's friend came over to fix it. I'm glad they were able to, because although it cooled down last night thanks to some rain coming in, it was still very humid and muggy.

Yesterday I had the 3 hour glucose test. Which we all know the results of... I was going to take a nap in the afternoon because I was so lightheaded, but my SIL and nephew came by for an unexpected visit (thankfully she called beforehand and was going to just drop something off, but I invited them in). They stayed for a long time and by the time she left I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. That's also the point where I started getting very hot...wonder why. lol

Then today I met with my mom and sister for lunch and to go shopping. That didn't go too well. My little sister has been very messed up lately. She has a bad attitude, is moody, even malicious. She had a bad attitude about being with us today (then why did she even come!?) and then proceeded to say some very mean things about pregnancy/babies/children. There was really no reason for her to say it, but it hurt my feelings. I just left them early and went and ran the rest of my errands by myself. We (my family) don't really know what to do about her... we even kind of wonder if it's something like manic depression. It's just weird...I can't describe it. But needless to say, it was emotional for me.

I spent the afternoon on the phone with Matt and my mom and researching diabetes after I returned home from running errands. Then I went to Matt's soccer game. One of my friends is now on the team with Matt and his best friend, R. So that's fun, now I know 3 people on the team. And R's girlfriend was here from Louisiana and came so the 2 of us sat together and chatted. She's a psychology major and told me all about it, very interesting! So here it is 9:00, and I still haven't had an official dinner, just a small salad at 5:00. I'm tired and hungry, so I'm going to end this with my 28 week picture.

26 Weeks

And I'm huge!! And I have stretch marks. :-( On my boobs and my butt. :-( Just a few days ago I started using cocoa butter to relieve the itching and weird stretching feeling on my stomach. Yesterday I decided to go ahead and start using it on my legs and butt too to possibly prevent stretch marks. I don't know if anything can really prevent them, but I thought I'd give it a try. Then today I noticed I have them on my butt!!!! I don't think they were there yesterday. Maybe cocoa butter causes stretch marks..... hmm.... Anyway, Matt's co-worker who just had a baby a few months ago recommended cocoa butter to help stretch marks and the burning/itching/stretching feeling. But if any of you have any other suggestions, I'd love to hear them! So far I don't have any marks on my belly, hopefully it'll stay that way. The other ones I have look awful.

Evan is still in the pound and a half weight range and is about a foot long. He's still roughly the size of an eggplant. His ears are forming even more and he's getting more and more sensitive to sound. So far I haven't noticed him jumping at loud noises, but he definitely responds to noise, just like he has the past couple of weeks. His eyes are also forming and apparently soon he'll start blinking. Aww!!

On Friday and Saturday that was a very big difference in the amount he was moving. There were about 3 times that I seriously considered calling the midwife because he went about 4-5 hours without moving at all. Then when he moved it was very light fluttery feelings, no kicking. He didn't always respond to sound or me poking him that I could feel. I read that this happens to a lot of women around 25 weeks, the baby either turns or just doesn't have as much room to kick at that point. However, starting Sunday, Evan picked back up and is kicking and moving more than ever! Last night he was kicking me so hard that Matt could see my belly move through my shirt from across the room! I missed feeling him so much, now every time he moves I feel so incredibly happy, even more than I was feeling before.

And I've realized....I love being pregnant. I know I still have a ways to go and may change my mind, but so far the shin splints, round ligament pains, stretch marks, upset stomach, morning sickness, heartburn, and insomnia aren't nearly enough to make me dislike the condition I'm in. I'm lucky because I don't have those side effects constantly. The joys of feeling him move, seeing my baby bump, and having the satisfaction of knowing I've got a baby inside me overpower the negative stuff.

I feel so much more confident and complete. It's hard to explain, but I guess the past couple of years have been really rough on me. After I graduated and couldn't find a job I felt so much like a loser. I felt (and still do to a certain extent) that people look down on me for not working. I wondered what was so wrong with me that I didn't get a job in spite of the hundreds of applications (sadly, I'm not exaggerating all that much, I really did fill out about 150 applications to all sorts of different jobs) I filled out and the several interviews I had. I haven't been doing what I wanted to do, my dreams didn't come true. But now I feel like I'm where I should be, I'm doing what I really want to do. I feel more grown up and finally equal to the other adults around me.

Last night Matt and his friend R put together Evan's dresser! It matches the crib and it's beautiful! It's also a changing table, so that will save us some space in the nursery. Now the next big step we have for the nursery is to put in a ceiling fan and light. Right now we have to rely on lamps for lighting. It will be nice to have an overhead light. We are also planning on painting the trim, although I have to admit that I'm feeling pretty lazy about that and thinking that maybe we'll just leave it be. I don't know...there are a few places that could use sanding and touchups. So it might be best to just paint it all. After that I want to start organizing and putting up the decor!

Arrr - you can see the splotchy tan on my arm. Ugg! I didn't quite smooth sunscreen all over my arm at the beach and got burned in one place...you can even see the fingerprints where I got some of the sunscreen, but didn't rub it all in! Unfortunately it turned into a super dark tan.... I'm trying to even it out, but it's hard once it's there.

24 Weeks

It's amazing how fast time is flying! I know I say that every week, but it's true! My pregnancy book says this is the last week of my 2nd trimester. However, everything else I have, including my packet of info from the midwife, says that week 27 is the last week of the 2nd tri. Weird.

Evan weighs over a pound now, closer to a pound and a half! I believe it, I'm feeling him move a lot more now. Even when he does kick I can sometimes feel him moving, I don't know if he's flipping around or just wiggling, but I can feel different types of movement. He has active spurts and will kick over and over for a couple of minutes, then I won't feel him for another hour or so, then I feel him moving and kicking for another several minutes. Last night I felt him during the night for the first time. Of all the time I've spent laying awake for hours at a time in the middle of the night, I've never felt him move until last night. Usually it's only during the day that I feel him, or in the late evening/early nighttime hours. I've read that a lot of babies in the womb are more active in the middle of the night, but he hasn't been while I'm awake anyway. I'm also feeling him move even when I'm walking and moving around. Before, I had to be sitting and leaning back in order to feel him. Also this week, I felt him on the left side a couple of times. I usually only feel him kick on the right side and sometimes in the middle (usually lower down). But I was laying on my left side this week and felt him lightly kicking or moving on that side. So cool!

I've been feeling pretty good, except for some minor lower back pain last night and this morning. Woke up with heartburn in the middle of the night a couple of times the past week. My cure for that is to get up and drink some chocolate milk while reading for awhile. Milk has been working wonders. Anytime I have heartburn or an upset stomach in general (which might be mild heartburn, it's hard for me to tell exactly what heartburn is sometimes unless I actually feel funny in my throat or chest) I drink chocolate milk and it settles my stomach wonderfully. I don't know what I'd do without it! I'm already thinking that we'll have to stop by the store when we are over at the beach to buy some chocolate syrup so that I'll have it the next couple of days while we're there.

We're leaving this afternoon and will be back sometime on Saturday. It looks like the weather is going to be nice while we're there, I'm happy to see that the chance of precipitation tomorrow has dropped from 40% to 10% the past few days. I'm eager to show my mom the beach house and the gorgeous island that it's located on. I'm hoping that my shins are feeling okay so that I can do lots of walking on the beach. My favorite things to do while we're there are walking on the beach and riding bikes on the island's roads. I'm not sure that I'll attempt bike riding this year, we'll see! It might be a little difficult with this belly of mine and I know some doctors don't recommend it because of balance issues. I'm not used to riding bikes (It's been 2 years since I've been on one now!) and the roads are sandy which make them harder to ride on, especially if you have to move to the side for a passing car. But I really love riding them....so...we'll see. lol Probably Matt won't let me anyway.

This year my mom will be there though so we're planning on laying out (except I can't really lay down, so I'm going to have to buy a chair) and relaxing on the sand!! That's something that Matt can't do because of his fair skin. Nobody else in Matt's family does that either, probably for the same reason. So if I want to spend time relaxing by the ocean I have to do it alone, which is no fun! So I'm excited that this year I can spend the afternoons outside with my mom instead of cooped up in the house reading or watching TV. Maybe I'll actually go swimming this year too if I get hot enough. I haven't tried on my swim suits to see how ridiculous I look him them.... I am bringing tanks to put on top to cover up, no way am I walking around with my fat hairy belly exposed to the world.

I'll be sure to post pictures and tell y'all all about it when I return! Do you have special plans for this weekend? Have fun and be safe!

23 Weeks

Time is really flying by! Evan is still the size of a papaya and weighs just over one pound. Twice in the past 2 days he's kicked me really hard, it really surprises me! If I had been looking at my stomach those times I probably would have seen it from the outside. I'm hoping that if I get pregnant again I won't have an anterior placenta so that I will be able to feel more kicks and movement. I only felt 2 flutters and just think about how many of his kicks and movements I can't feel because they aren't strong enough to get through the placenta. It's weird to think that I could be feeling him even more! It's funny because to me this is normal, but then I think, actually I could be feeling him so much more and could have felt all those little flutters that most women feel for awhile before the kicks start.

Matt is out of town again. He's been traveling a lot the past month. Every week actually, even last week after we arrived home from Boston. Next week he won't be traveling on business, but we're going to the beach with his family on Thursday. His family will be there the whole week, but my mom, Matt, and I will be going up Thursday evening and staying until sometime on Saturday. It was really nice of his parents to invite my family. Unfortunately my dad won't be able to make it since he's traveling on business, but my mom is coming along. My sister might be, but she's missed a lot of school the past year and "doesn't want to miss another day." I actually think that she wants to stay at home alone because she has more absences she could use and she's already admitted that they aren't doing much in school since they only have a couple of more weeks. She has a boyfriend that she stays out late with and spends every spare moment hanging out with and I have a feeling she'll be with him quite a bit while the house is empty and everyone is gone.

When I was in high school and dating Matt my parents were so strict. I had a 10:00 curfew when I was Melissa's age and the few times I was left alone at night I was too nervous to actually stay out past curfew or have Matt over! Now I wish I had gone ahead and done what I wanted, it's actually really sad how much I wanted to please my parents. Melissa gets away with everything, she goes out late at night with her boyfriend all the time, sometimes even until 2 in the morning and my parents don't care at all. It's frustrating to think of all the stress I could have avoided when I lived at home if I hadn't cared so much about what my parents thought. My sister figured out a long time ago that she should just do what she wants and not care too much because things are the way they are with my parents. Of course, she doesn't get punished when she breaks the rules and I'm sure I would have, so it is different.

I think it's good for parents to be strict and I don't plan on letting my future kids stay out all night with other kids I don't know, but I also don't want to put a lot of pressure on them to where they always strive for my approval and are so disappointed when they grow up and look back and realized they didn't get it even after everything they did right. If I set standards for one child I want to keep those standards for all of my kids and I want to show them my approval and let them know that I appreciate it when they respect the rules I set. I don't want to make them feel like they are going to lose something important if they break the rules sometimes. It must be harder than it looks not to have a favorite child because I know so many families where that's the case (including mine), but I don't want to play favorites either. It's crushing to work so hard and then have another sibling still be the "best" when they don't bother to follow rules or respect guidelines. There's a book called Growing Up Firstborn that I skimmed through a couple of years ago and I was amazed at how well it described my life. I was also happy to see that the author (I can't remember his name) understood that it's important for parents not to put too much pressure on the oldest child, especially without rewarding them in some way. I'm planning on reading that book again before Evan is born and having Matt read it too.

Anyway! As if that wasn't a serious enough topic, Matt and I received some bad news today. My SIL's best friend, whose baby is due a few weeks after Evan, was rushed to the hospital this morning when her water broke. We haven't heard any other news. I'm not sure what that means exactly, I have no clue if there's anything that can be done to save the baby, but I know that it's serious. So if you have a moment, please pray for her. I feel just awful because even though I've never been introduced to her, I feel a kinship with her since we have babies due so close together. Plus I know it must be rough on SIL and her husband (SIL's friend's husband is SIL's husband's best friend too...confused?). Matt was afraid to tell me the news since he thought it would scare and worry me, but unfortunately I've heard so many stories like this. I know perfectly well that there are bad things that could happen now or even later in the pregnancy, but there's no use worrying for myself. I'll update y'all when I hear more news about it.

I leave you with my 23 week picture and hope that my next post will be better:

Boston & New England

I'm back! Our trip was amazing! Not only did we do a lot of fun things, everything went smoothly. There wasn't any stress or getting lost or wondering what to do next. That's my kind of vacation! I love it when we fit a lot in but still have time to relax.

Friday afternoon after going to our hotel and resting, we started down the Freedom Trail, a 2 and a half mile walking trail through downtown Boston that goes by all of the major historical sites. It's marked by a line of red bricks along the sidewalks and in some places by a thick line of red paint so you don't lose your way. We went halfway down the trail and stopped at Faneuil Hall for dinner and to do some shopping (we bought Evan a cute hoodie!). The most interesting site that day was Granary Burial Ground. It's filled with graves of some very important people, including victims of the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock. It rained a little that afternoon, but not too much. The temperature was fine, especially with all of the walking we did.


On Saturday we started up on the trail at Faneuil Hall again. The second part of the trail isn't as "action packed," the only things to see are Paul Revere's house, the Old North Church, and Copp's Hill Burying Ground. It was still worth the walk though because we discovered some beautiful gardens (the flowers and trees there are just now in full bloom there). We ended up at the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat in the world (launched in 1797). They are doing renovations on it, so it wasn't as neat as it was the last time I went (in 2002), but it's still an amazing thing to see and visit. The navy gives free tours of the ship, I definitely recommend going to see it if you're ever in Boston!

(Matt standing by the Paul Revere statue in front of the Old North Church)

After the Constitution, we went to the Public Garden, mainly to visit the "Make Way for Ducklings" sculpture. We bought Evan the book earlier that day and wanted to get some pictures with the sculpture to show him when he's older. The garden was beautiful! The trees and flowers were blooming, there were so many beautiful tulips planted everywhere. The weather was perfect at that point, in the mid-70s. The sun shone more that day than any of the others we were there. We found the statue and even though there was always a crowd around it, we were able to get a few pictures next to it.

On Sunday we slept in and spent the rest of the morning at Harvard, which is an amazing place! We just walked around and snapped pictures, we didn't really have a plan, but everywhere we went was beautiful. There was a festival going on in Harvard Square so we had fun crowd watching and listening to interesting music. Then we met up with Nity!!! I can't describe how fun it was to meet her in person. We had lunch with her and then met up with her husband, who is also a lot of fun. We walked around Concord, which has a lot of very old (and beautiful) houses. One of my favorite things to do on vacation is walk around and look at architecture, so Concord was a treat. We also walked on a trail that went past where the Revolutionary War started and some beautiful fields and woods.

(Harvard)

After Concord we stopped by their cute urban house and I got to meet their dog, who turned out to be really cute and fun. :-) I vote that Nity should post a picture of her on her blog! We went to a great pizza place and even had fun standing in line waiting to get in. It was definitely worth the wait! We took some leftovers to our hotel that night and as soon as we got in I ate more. lol They were so nice and drove us to the car rental place near the airport after dinner. I can't believe that we forgot to take pictures!!! I didn't even realize it until the next day. We had a camera, but I was so busy blabbing my mouth off that I forgot to take pictures, even though Nity and I had already talked about getting belly shots. She's 2 weeks ahead of me and our bellies are about the same size. She looks good!! She's tall and slender so I guess there's a little more room in there for her little boy or girl. As soon as we got to the car rental place and Nity and her husband drove away Matt said, "That was so much fun! I had a great time with them!" And I had to agree. :-) Matt had been a little nervous about spending a day with strangers, but we all got along great. I only wish we lived closer so we could see each other more often.

We spent Sunday night in Peabody, near Salem. Monday we went to Salem and were very disappointed in the main downtown area. It's mainly occupied by new age and witch stuff, which I knew about ahead of time, but I was still planning on parking downtown and then walking around the town to see the historical sites. However, after getting out of the car and seeing all of the not very nice looking people loitering around in the middle of the day, we rushed back to the car and left Salem without seeing anything. We had lunch at a nearby mall and then worked up enough courage to drive around the outskirts of Salem so that we could at least see some of the historical sites from the car. After getting over to the Maritime Site and the House of the Seven Gables (I haven't read the book, but Matt and I watched a film adaptation of it) we realized that area is fine so we parked the car and got out to walk around. I loved getting to see the places Nathaniel Hawthorne had been. We also saw the graveyard in Salem and the memorial to the witch trial victims.

(Salem Maritime Historical Site)

(House of the Seven Gables)

(Salem Burying Ground)

After Salem we drove to Manchester-by-the-Sea to walk around and have a snack. We didn't go out on the beach, but we drove by it and we did get out and walk around the harbor. We also went up to Crane Beach, which is beautiful! It's farther out in the country and we went walking along the beach. Then on to Newburyport where we ate a yummy seafood dinner at a restaurant that overlooked the water and boats.

(Crane Beach)

Monday night we discovered how close we were to Maine and decided to go up there on Tuesday. It was going to be cold and rainy, so we knew we didn't want to walk around much. We drove up and down the coast of Maine and drove through a bunch of cute little towns. We saw the Nubble Lighthouse, which was beautiful. It was actually neat that it was windy and rainy because the ocean was rough and the waves broke over the rocks.

Later that day we headed back to Boston and then on back home to Charlotte!

(22 weeks)

20 Weeks - halfway there! *UPDATE*

Wow! I'm halfway through pregnancy!!! I'm still amazed at how far I've come and how fast it's flown by. I can only hope that the last half will go by as quickly as the first, but I know it doesn't work that way for most women. I am hopeful though because I know that May/June will go by pretty quickly because of all the traveling we'll be doing. In May we're going to Boston the first week, then to my brother's graduation, then to the beach. In June my grandparents are coming for about a week and staying for my sister's graduation. I'd also like to go to Charleston for a weekend sometime that month.

Evan is the size of a cantaloupe. I still haven't felt him move since 17 weeks. I'm getting anxious to feel him. It was great seeing the ultrasound a couple of weeks ago and knowing that he is indeed in there and moving around. Now that reassurance is wearing off and I want to be able to feel him move, a reminder that he's there and okay. I've been feeling pretty good lately. Many days I can go without a nap in the afternoon and still feel fine in the evening. Moving around is starting to get a little harder, my ab muscles hurt when I use them to sit or stand up or even roll over in bed. I don't really know what's up with that, but I guess they are stretched and strained now.

Several of the nursery accessories have come in and our crib should arrive any day now. I'm ready to set the nursery up! I'm not sure about painting. Right now the room is a light tan color. I'm thinking about just leaving it like that. The big pain is that right now there's a large entertainment center in the nursery. We want to keep it and eventually put it in our office and buy a small TV to put in there. Then it can be the gaming room and when Matt has friends over they can stay in there to play! However, there's not room in our office right now because there's a loveseat in there that we're keeping for my brother. So we need to get rid of that before moving the entertainment system, making room for all of the nursery furniture. I'm thinking about having my brother take it up to his apartment sometime this summer, but I feel bad because he'll be moving out in August. Our original plan was to keep it until then and then when he moves somewhere more permanent then he'll take it. But I really want to set up the nursery before then! I guess we'll see how it goes...

I bought my first maternity shirts yesterday. Two plain t-shirts and one tank top. I haven't worn them yet, but I'm already starting to stretch some of my regular t-shirts. They ride up over my bump and I have to keep tugging them down. So it looks like I'll be making the transition to maternity shirts soon. :-)


UPDATE: I keep forgetting to mention that Matt has started a blog! Go HERE to read it.

19 Weeks

And it's off to a beautiful start! Last night Matt and I went to BRU and asked about the bedding we like - Lil Di.no by Lam.bs and I.vy. They called the store in Concord and it turns out they had their floor model display left. We had them hold it. Today I went to pick it up with my mom and sister and it turns out that they had found a brand new set - the last one left. So I didn't have to get the floor model, I was able to get it brand new and at a discounted price. Can't beat that!!! I'm so so so happy to have it because it's our favorite. And that's our first major baby purchase. :-)

After going to BRU my mom, sister, and I went to Conc.ord Mi.lls - a huge mall that has a lot of outlet stores. I bought myself some shoes for $15, a pair of khaki maternity capris for $20, and then discovered the Carter's outlet store. Woot!! They were having a major sale so my mom and I bought a few outfits. When we checked out we discovered the were half what we thought they were going to be on sale. I ended up spending $3 for 2 onesies. I wanted to go back and buy some more stuff, but Melissa was very impatient and so I left. But now I'm kicking myself, wishing I had bought some more clothes and other things. I bought a 9 month and 12 month outfit and my mom bought a newborn onesie. I know that I'll receive clothes at my shower, but I think it's good to buy in advance, especially the bigger sizes. Most of the showers I've been to the mother has received a lot of newborn and 3 mo clothes.

I also found out that the same co-worker of Matt's that is going to give us a swing is also going to give us a glider! He also offered to give us their changing table, but I don't think we'll need that since we're planning on buying a dresser that can double as a changing table. That will save room. At BRU I saw THIS crib that was my second choice...and it has become my first choice. It was beautiful in person and very well made. I'm thinking we'll pay the extra and get that, especially since we're saving on the glider and swing. We're also planning on buying a used stroller. I'm wondering what your opinion on getting a used pack n' play is. That's what we were planning on doing, we weren't even going to register for one. However, the Bab.y Bar.gains book recommends buying it new since there is a danger in used ones just like with cribs. We're planning on using the PnP as a bassinet in our bedroom for the first couple of months when I have to feed more often during the night. I started thinking...it's true my baby will be spending a lot of time in it...maybe I should buy a new one and feel assured he's safe.

Well, Evan is the size of a mango. I have a mango sitting on my counter...that I bought a week and a half ago...it's shriveled and probably rotten (I keep forgetting to toss it since it's sitting in the corner, lol). I hope he doesn't look like that one. ;-) I haven't felt any more movements. I wore my maternity jeans for the first time last week and have been wearing them every time I go out since! They are so comfortable. Technically my regular jeans can still fit with the belly band, but these are much more comfortable. I'm still using the belly band with a pair of my regular khaki pants that are baggier.

Tonight I'm going to Matt's soccer game. He is on a team with his best friend R and R's girlfriend is in town (she's from Louisiana so we don't see her all that much). She's going to watch so I'm going with to hang out with her. They are also coming over for dinner tomorrow night (ahh I have to clean the house!!) and then on Saturday night we're having friends over too. I really don't like hosting dinners and having people over (unless it's just the guys). I hate having to entertain, I'm always uncomfortable and wonder if they are having a good time or enjoying the meal, etc. However, it is worth it to keep in touch with people. I usually make Matt do a lot of the cooking when we have people over for meals. I don't like cooking in front of people. Isn't that weird? It shouldn't make a difference, but I don't like it when people watch how I do things. R's girlfriend will probably bring some food (she always makes amazing Cajun dishes) so that helps too. So anyway, looking forward to that at the same time I'm not looking forward to it. ;-) I promise, I'm going to stop blabbing now! I'm hyper...can you tell?

17 weeks

Now my baby is the size of a turnip or onion. I definitely have a baby bump now! Yesterday I saw my mom and sister and they were amazed at how much bigger I've become in just one week. And Matt saw me leaning over the sink after my shower this morning and said "Preggo Poo!!!" (Poo is his nickname for me....lol). He's so excited that I'm getting a belly (it is much more obvious when I bend over or sit down, it kind of poofs out even more). At this point I still feel like I'm just getting fat. I think I'll start feeling differently when I feel the baby move. I'm happy with my body so far though, it's felt weirder than I thought to start getting bigger, but I'm not unhappy or self conscious about it.

Speaking of feeling the baby move, I think I felt it the other night. It felt like there was a goldfish in there swimming around. Very weird!! I've never felt anything like it before. It was at night just after I laid down to go to sleep. The thing is though, at around 15 weeks I felt the same thing when I was laying down. But that seems awfully early to feel movement. That time I just figured it was something else, but those 2 instances are the only times I've ever felt anything like that. So I'm just not sure, maybe after feeling it some more I can look back and say that it was movement, but I'm not ready to claim that yet. I looked up baby movements yesterday in my book and one description of how it feels is a goldfish swimming inside you! It was funny because when Matt asked me what it felt like right after it happened I said that's the only way I could describe it. So I'm thinking both times may have been movement. I haven't felt anything since though.

I had an acne breakout last week and it's just now fading. I thought my skin was supposed to be clearer during pregnancy! I also haven't noticed a difference in my hair like the pregnancy books said happens during pregnancy. Of course, my hair is so short. Maybe that's why. But it doesn't seem thicker or softer so far. I'm growing it out, but it's going to take awhile. I'm ready for it to be long again though! As it grows out it starts looking like a mullet, so then I have to get the layers trimmed out of it. My hair stylist said that's the way it is, that eventually it will look good as it gets longer, but it's frustrating to be set back. I only get it trimmed every 2 months though to save money.

Remember what I said about having more energy last week? I take it back. I had a few days of feeling energetic and sleeping really well, but since then I'm back to normal. However, I've been sleeping decently (more than 5 hours a night), so I'm happy about that! But I still have to take naps in the afternoon and I still don't feel energized at all. I've been going to bed a little later though, so it isn't as bad as it was for awhile. I guess I'll tell my midwife about it next week just in case I have an iron deficiency or something.

I can't believe that we'll be finding out the gender in less than a week! Matt and I are thinking about making our parents wait until Thursday (the 9th) to find out. We'd like to tell them in person, but Matt has a soccer game the night that we find out. We're thinking that we'll go to my parents' house for supper and then his parents' house for dessert and tell them all in person. And I think my brother may be home on Thursday night so he could hear it too. Anyway, I'm just excited about finding out and telling everyone. :-) Did you do anything special to tell your families the gender or just call them up to tell? Originally I figured we'd give everyone a call, but now I think it would be fun to do it in person even though I know it will drive my mom and sister crazy to wait another day to find out!

Bump and first baby purchase

I had a horrible nightmare last night that my baby was dead at the big ultrasound. :-( For some reason I was so worried last night about that. That happened to my aunt and my mom's cousin, I can't help but think of it sometimes, last night after I went to bed it was on my mind though and then the nightmare didn't help. I guess it all just seems too good to be true. There's no use worrying, but it's hard not to sometimes. I think it will be so much better after I feel movement.

Matt and I went out to dinner when he got home from work and then we went over to BRU and Tar.get to look at baby stuff. He had never been into BRU. We looked at cribs and found one that we might go with HERE. That brand gets pretty good reviews as far as their cribs, but not as great for their dressers. We would like to get the matching dresser/changing table combo (HERE, but in coffee color), but we're not sure. Matt and I talked a lot about spending amounts last night and he really surprised me by saying that he wants everything in our nursery to match and be very nice looking, even if we have to pay extra! lol Obviously we still aren't going to let it get too out of hand (or so we say...), but now I'm thinking that we might just buy a new dresser/changing table to match whatever crib we end up with whether it's this one or not.

And I like THIS bedding set for a girl. It's a little busier than I thought I'd like, but I saw it in person last night and love it. It's also new so I wouldn't have to worry about it being discontinued (that happened to the bedding that SIL had picked out just before her shower). Matt really liked THIS for a boy, but I'm not sure if it's really what I want. lol. Ah!! I can't wait to find out the gender so we can really start making decisions on nursery decor! Only 11 more days.

After reading your replies and seeing the infant car seats and strollers last night we've decided to definitely get an infant car seat, one that will attach into a stroller. Thanks for all of your advice!!!! I really, really appreciate it. Y'all are all I have, I don't have any friends here who are pregnant or have babies to help me out.

Look at the baby bump!! It definitely popped out this week! Jen, you were close with your week 16 prediction. I think it's safe to say that I "started showing" during week 15. Although I guess I did have a little bump last week too. So I don't know, but this week I've noticed my jeans aren't fitting as well (just last week I could still button them, this week, no way).
And we made our first baby purchase last night. :-) The kitties love it (that's Firefly in the picture), but I've kept them off so far. It still has all of its tags and is in the bag with the receipt in a box in the nursery with the few baby things I have where it will safely stay until we start getting the nursery set up. lol! I'm determined to have the nursery completely cleaned out before we start getting the baby stuff out.

15 Weeks

15 weeks! Baby is the size of an apple or orange. I think that I may have an official bump now. My clothes still fit the same, but I've noticed that it's harder to suck in the past week and that there's definitely always a firm bump.

I just found out that another friend of mine from high school is pregnant! That makes 3 that are due in Sept and Oct. Too bad none of them live here though. I don't know anyone who lives here that is pregnant.

I'm still tired all the time, but I've been feeling better overall this past week. Of course, I've had several nights of good sleep. However, I'm still only sleeping 8 hours a night maximum, I don't think my body has really caught up from the many nights of only getting 5 hours. Did I mention last week that my midwife said I could take medications that cause drowsiness to sleep? I am against drugging myself though. So unless I go several nights in a row without sleeping much I won't be taking any although my mom just gave me a bunch of Tyle.nol PM yesterday.

For some reason I'm feeling lonely and kind of down today. I don't know why. I guess it's the first day in awhile that I'm not going out. Monday I had a chiropractor appointment, yesterday I got my hair trimmed and then went to visit with my mom the rest of the afternoon, and over the weekend Matt and I were busy the whole time and went out shopping both days. And Friday I was out with my mom. So anyway, I guess that's what it is. I wish I had a car because I'd go visit my mom again so that we could go out walking. It's a really great day out, but I don't like walking by myself. And right now is especially frustrating because my neighbor got laid off so he's always out in his yard (if it's nice outside).

We don't have much privacy between our yards, so I feel very uncomfortable going outside to sit at our patio table to read and hang out. I had the same problem at our apartment. The first several months we didn't have patio furniture so it was hard to spend time out there. During the summer I bought a patio set with some of my graduation money and was so excited that we could spend the summer months sitting and eating outside. However, right after buying it a man moved next door who was unemployed and smoked. He was ALWAYS outside on his balcony smoking. I couldn't go out because not only would he stare at me, the smoke was really bad. So Matt and I spent the summer inside, not being able to go out and enjoy the balcony (we couldn't even open the doors to let the air flow in because of the awful smell). Now that the weather is nice here and I want to go out I have yet another unemployed man next door who is always outside! At least he doesn't smoke, but it's just really awkward to me. Maybe some women could go and sit and lay out with men around, but I'm not like that at all. I can't even leave the house without this guy seeing me because the only doors to get out are on the side and in the front, in plain view of his yard. I'm looking forward to someday (hopefully soon) having a large patio with a door in the back and a privacy fence to shield it from the neighbor!!!!

Okay, so rant is over and here's the picture:
See the little bump? Ugg..and I just now noticed you can tell my bra is very ill fitting. I had to go up a size, but it's still a little baggy in the cups so sometimes it kind of gapes and sometimes it slips down. *sigh*

14 Weeks & 3rd appointment

So today I'm 14 weeks! My baby is the size of a lemon (I thought lemons were smaller than peaches...I feel like my baby has shrunk. I don't know what kind of peaches the people who make these size charts up are eating...or maybe they eat giant lemons...) and is moving around a lot, but I can't feel it now. I guess that's something to look forward to in the coming weeks! I'm still not showing, as a matter of fact, I think my "bump" got smaller! lol Maybe because my baby went from the size of a real peach to a lemon. I was probably still bloated the past few weeks but thought I wasn't. I can still fit into my jeans. I can button them, but it's very, very uncomfortable if I sit down or bend over! I still wear the belly band, but lately I've taken to looping a pony tail holder around the button and through the button hole to hold the button together. It still gives me some extra room, but I don't have to wear that tight belly band. It feels just like normal!

I had my third prenatal appointment today. Everything is going great! I heard the heartbeat again!! :-) She found it no problem and it was so loud and strong sounding! Much clearer and louder than last time (when I was 10 weeks). Darn, I just realized I forgot to ask what the heart rate was. I was so distracted by the wonder of it and Matt and I were both amazed that it was so much louder and clearer that that was what we were talking about right after. We've seen a different midwife each time, but I think I liked this weeks the best so far. We still have to meet one or two more and then I will start requesting to see my favorite and request her for delivery. Obviously if she isn't available I will have one of the others deliver, but at least I get a first choice.

They took a urine sample and I could.not.pee. It was so awful, trying to go when I couldn't and knowing they were waiting on me out there. I managed to get a little bit out and that was enough for the nurse to do whatever she needed to do thankfully! They didn't take a sample last time, now I know that I should drink more on the mornings I have appointments. I gained 2 pounds since my last appointment, which makes my weight gain so far...2 pounds. The nurse seemed to think that was great, the midwife didn't comment on it and I didn't think to ask.

My BIG ultrasound has been scheduled for April 8! Right now it's scheduled for early in the morning and they have me scheduled to see a male doctor afterwards to go over it. However, I'm going to call and reschedule it later so that I can see a midwife after. If I went in at 7:30 in the morning I could see a midwife, but the 8:30 slot had to go with a doctor. I think we'll just do it later in the morning or even in the afternoon. I don't want to see a doctor, especially a man. That's the reason I'm seeing the midwives at this practice!! I just didn't think to protest when the receptionist scheduled us for that slot (I refused the 7:30 slot...way too early for me, especially if I still have insomnia at that point!). But anyway, it will be on April 8 at some point during the day!!! I'm so excited!!! I'll be 18 weeks exactly then, but the midwife said that will be fine since I'm a little smaller, apparently that makes it easier to see the baby or something. So I'm putting a poll up. Do you think I'm going to have a boy or a girl? vote!

I have to admit, I've been getting some girl vibes. It's not a super strong feeling though. So I won't be surprised if it's a boy, but I'm definitely starting to feel more and more that the baby is a girl. I don't know why, it's just a feeling.

Yesterday I went to Old Navy and actually bought clothes!! I tried to buy things that will work when I start showing too. However, I was disappointed that one of the t-shirts shrank so much that although it fits now, it won't work when I get really big. But I did buy another shirt that is way cute and is baggy and stretchy, so I should be able to wear that over the summer! And I found several other clothes that I will get a little later. They are too baggy for me now, but will fit excellently when I start getting bigger. They also have such a cute maternity section there! I saw the prettiest dress that will fit me now but has a drawstring around the waist so I can also wear it when I have a huge baby bump. :-) But I'm going to wait to see if it goes on sale. I couldn't tell a difference between their maternity tanks and tees and the regular ones. I even compared the tanks. So I just bought regular ones, only $5 each!!

It's still absolutely beautiful weather here. It's supposed to get up to 80 degrees again today! Matt has his first soccer game tonight (last week's was canceled because it was so wet) and I'm planning on going along to watch. If it was cold I wouldn't go, but I'm looking forward to spending time outside this evening. Anyway, I am off to continue proofreading my friend's novel, I want to spend this afternoon outside reading instead of in here on the computer, so I better get some of it done now! I hope you are all having fabulous day!!!

13 Weeks

Wow! I just read that my baby is the size of a peach!!! I'm absolutely amazed! I was also amazed to read that its ears are developed enough to hear me when I talk. So awesome! I don't know if I'm in the second trimester now or not. Some things I read say I am and some say it's 14 weeks. I've also heard that 13 and a half weeks is the official second trimester point. Oh well, either way, I'm really close! I have my next prenatal appointment in exactly a week. And then the appointment after that will probably be the big ultrasound! Wow, time has flown by so fast for me!

I think I seem pretty happy go lucky on here, but the truth is, I'm still so scared of something happening. Thankfully I haven't had any major scares so far, just a few times when I have sharp pains in my abdomen for a little while and it freaks me out. I still go and check for blood sometimes. It's kind of random, but suddenly I'll get this feeling of dread and run to the bathroom to see. So far nothing, no spotting or anything. I know that some spotting is normal, but I think it would freak me out so much, even if it was just a little. I think that's why God hasn't allowed that to happen to me, it would upset me and stress me out a lot. I still have a lot more to go, so hopefully everything will continue to go smoothly.

There aren't any new symptoms. I've been sleeping better the past couple of days, which feels amazing. A couple of days ago I was really moody. I think it was Monday. I couldn't help it, I would be sitting there thinking about how I sounded really stupid getting upset at the littlest things, but I would still say mean things and snap at Matt and the kittens. Everything annoyed me that day. I could barely stand the sight of Firefly during the day (I don't know why, she's the cutest thing..well it might have had something to do with the fact that I cleaned that day and there were cat hairs everywhere...mostly hers). Every time I saw her I had horrible urges to toss her out in the snow or shove her off of whatever she was sitting on at the time. Once she walked by me and I tried so hard not to get upset and ended up sighing really loud in exasperation. She stopped walking, turned around, and glared at me! I think she knew I was being mean to her the whole time. Poor baby! After we put her and Serenity in the office for the night my irritation turned to Matt. It was just the weirdest thing. I would apologize for getting annoyed at him and then he'd grin and say it was okay and I would find myself annoyed at him for forgiving me! lol All I can think is that it was hormones. Thankfully I haven't had much of a problem with that lately. No crying or anger or anything. Just that one day...

No bump progression. I still feel kind of tight and uncomfortable in there, but I don't think I've gotten any bigger since 2 weeks ago when I posted a picture. Matt tries to take a picture of me every night, he wants to put them all together in a video at the end. lol It doesn't always work that he gets one every night. I hate them all. I'm always in my pajamas by then. Most of the time I've already washed my face and put on my glasses. My hair is always ugly looking because I've messed it all up putting on my pajamas. Ugg! Once I get a bump I'm going to try to get the pictures in the evening when I'm still wearing nicer clothes although I have to admit that many days I stay in exercise/pajama pants and a sweatshirt all day. :-( So here's my 12w6d picture, I probably look better in this one than I will in tonight's, so I'll go ahead and post it. You can kinda sorta see a little belly sticking out if you look closely. It would help if I wore tighter shirts, but usually I wear baggier t-shirts when I'm not going out.