20 weeks!

We are half way there! I can hardly believe how quickly this is going. And it's only going to go faster with Fall, Thanksgiving & Christmas on the way. So much to be thankful for & excited about. The Lord has truly blessed us and we are just overwhelmed by His blessings!


How far along: 20 weeks!

Total weight gain: I have finally gained weight! I'll give credit to all the delicious food in Hawaii, but I am up 2 lbs from when I originally started. Never thought I would be excited about gaining weight!

Maternity clothes: Love them! Especially the cute dress my Mom & sister got for me this week!

Stretch Marks: Nope!

Sleep: Other than my CRAZY dreams, I am sleeping pretty well for the most part.

Best moment this week: Getting to see our baby again at the appointment! It was amazing to see how much growth has taken place over the last few weeks. To see actual fingers & toes, the spine, the nose! It is just so amazing to me! God is so creative and this process is too amazing for me to comprehend!

Miss anything: Probably my cute normal bras :)

Movement: Possibly, although nothing for sure. But baby was definitely moving around like crazy during the ultrasound.

Food cravings: Nothing really sticks out...I'm still a pretty big fan of fancy salads though!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Gender: It's a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!! She was being a little shy, so the ultrasound tech only gave us a "90% guarantee", but she was pretty confident. We are so excited to have a daughter!

Symptoms: Feeling pretty good this week!

Belly Button In or Out: In- but it's getting shallower!

Wedding Rings on or off: On!

Happy or Moody: Happy! I am so excited for a little girl. Rich is going to be so stinkin' cute with her!

Looking forward to: Feeling movement & getting the nursery together!

 

{Sharing the news with Mom, Dad & Lauren!}

 {Mom & Dad when we shared the news!}

 {It's a GIRL!!!}

{20 weeks!}

19 weeks!

I am slacking a little bit in getting these updates posted in a timely fashion! I just started my Case Manager training at work, and it is sort of sucking the life out of me...only another week & 1/2 left, and then I'll be back to normal! Anyway, here is our update for week 19!

How far along: 19 weeks

Total weight gain: I think I finally might have started gaining weight...we'll see next week!

Maternity clothes:They are here to stay! I'm looking forward to getting some maternity leggings once it gets a little cooler.

Stretch Marks: None yet.

Sleep: A few rough nights here or there, but overall it's been pretty good.

Best moment this week: Going to the Cubs game with our friends Dana & Chip! It was really fun having a day out with friends, sharing constant baby talk with Dana. Also, I signed us up for all of our baby classes. Rich is even taking a "New Daddy Bootcamp" class- isn't that adorable???

Miss anything:I'm doing a lot better & not craving too much.

Movement:Maybe??? I'm not sure if what I'm feeling is actually the baby.

Food cravings: Panera. Gotta love it! And they are building one right here in Woodstock!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really! Thank the Lord!

Gender: Hoping to find out next week!

Symptoms: I've been feeling pretty good this week!

Belly Button In or Out: In

Wedding Rings on or off: On!

Happy or Moody: Happy! I am just SO excited for our appointment!

Looking forward to: Definitely our next appointment! Once we find out the sex of the baby, we can really start getting the nursery together. 

{19 weeks}

18 weeks!

How far along: 18 weeks & 4 days

Total weight gain: I think I finally might have started gaining weight...we'll see next week!

Maternity clothes: I should really remove this one since they are here to stay! I did get to wear one of my cute Fall sweaters today since it was so cool out. Made me very happy!

Stretch Marks: None yet.

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well. Definitely prefer to be on my left side though.

Best moment this week: Finally starting to really "show". I think it's pretty obvious that I am pregnant, not just chubby!

Miss anything: Margaritas...especially after having spent a week in Hawaii with no fruity drinks!

Movement: Still no definitive movement. Any time though...

Food cravings: Soups! That's kind of random, I know.

Anything making you queasy or sick: I have to say, I think my normal appetite is back. Confession- I even ate a double cheeseburger on vacation! And a steak! Guess I am okay with red meat again :)

Gender: Unknown- hopefully baby will cooperate at our next appointment!

Symptoms: The headaches have not been a problem this last week. Thank the Lord! Maybe it was due to being on vacation, or maybe I am just adjusting to this stage of pregnancy. Either way, I don't miss them!

Belly Button In or Out: In

Wedding Rings on or off: On!

Happy or Moody: Happy! I cannot wait to meet this little one!

Looking forward to: Our next doctor's appointment on Wednesday 8/29. That will be our big "20 week" appointment, so I am pretty excited for that. Lord willing, we'll be able to find out the sex of our baby. I think things will seem even MORE real at that point! And I can't wait to start feeling movement! Eek!

 

{Waimea Canyon- Kauai, Hawaii}

17 weeks!

How far along: 17 weeks

Total weight gain: I lost another few pounds! What the heck!? I am down about 5 lbs now. My doctor said it's not a big deal, and that I'll start gaining eventually. Never in a million years did I think I wouldn't gain weight nearly 5 months into my pregnancy!

Maternity clothes: Love love love them. Especially my cute t-shirts. Cannot wait for Fall clothes though!

Stretch Marks: None yet.

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well. Still getting up about 1-2 times per night.

Best moment this week: We had our next appointment. I had a lot of questions, which my doctor was happy to answer. She is just the greatest! One question I had was when to do the classes offered to us- since our baby is due right off the holidays, I really didn't want to be doing them during Christmas. She suggested maybe doing them in late November. That way I won't forget things, but also won't feel rushed. They couldn't find the heartbeat using the doplar again, so they did another quick ultrasound. It was AMAZING to see how much our little one has grown since our last ultrasound!

Miss anything: Not really. Feeling pretty content this week.

Movement: Still nothing for sure.

Food cravings: Still fruit & cheese.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really. Things are getting better on that front!

Gender: Unknown-I told the ultrasound tech that if she happened to see anything, that we want to know the sex of the baby. Unfortunately, she said that the baby had his/her legs tucked up tight, so there was no way she could tell at that point. Bummer! I am starting to think it's a girl though...

Symptoms: Oh, the headaches. Really hoping they are not a problem in Hawaii. That could really take away from our vacation!

Belly Button In or Out: In

Wedding Rings on or off: On!

Happy or Moody: Happy! I have felt really productive lately which is great.

Looking forward to: Relaxing in Hawaii with my sweet husband! Sleeping in, snuggling, and swimming! What could be better than that?!

{Right before we left for the airport!}

Weekend in Review

As expected, this past weekend was both VERY busy and VERY productive. With the help of my parents, my sister & our good friend Debbie, we were able to finally finish the laundry room! This project has been going on since last Fall- pretty much our first big project after moving in. My Dad & Rich have put in several long weekends of work, and I have to say, it looks AMAZING!

Here are a few before shots of the laundry room:

 {The laundry room as it was when we moved in}

 {Dad & Rich started the framing}

 {Working on organizing that giant mess of cables & wires}

 {My studly husband working on adding more lighting}

{Framing & can lights going in}

For some reason, I can't find the picture I took when Dad & Rich put up the drywall. Either way, things stayed that way for a little while. In March, I got some cabinets for my birthday (Happy 25th, right??) and we hung those up. I really wanted to paint the room turquoise, and Rich went with it! We did the painting ourselves, which really made the room look awesome. But this weekend- we finally put all the remaining pieces in place! Flooring, painted cabinets, trim, etc. Ready for the grand reveal??? DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!!!

{Rich & I did all the painting ourselves}

{Birthday cabinets!}

{An old cabinet my parents gave us to provide extra storage}

{Cute little "skirt" I made for our utility sink}

{Flooring being installed!}

{Flooring is installed!}

{Flooring and trim is finished!}

{Extra storage cabinet getting a makeover}

 {My people working on our wall cabinets}

 {Finished product- standing in doorway}

 {Extra storage cabinet- freshly painted!}

{So lovely!}

It turned out so well, and we are so excited to finally have this project finished! I cannot wait to be washing little baby clothes in this room in just a few more months! Eek!!

16 weeks!

How far along: 16 weeks & 3 days

Total weight gain: Not sure- will find out on Tuesday!

Maternity clothes: They are my saving grace :)

Stretch Marks: None yet.

Sleep: Loving my "snoogle" pillow. It's incredible!

Best moment this week: Knowing that movement could start being felt any time now! Also, Rich finished his 1st summer of Graduate work, so he is back HOME now!!

Miss anything: Still feeling pretty content recently.

Movement: Nothing really. Thought I felt some "bubbles" last night, but I don't know for sure.

Food cravings: Cheese. And sugar. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Most food aversion is gone. But I can't eat very large portions.

Gender: Unknown- I am secretly hoping that they will do an ultrasound at our appointment on Tuesday!

Symptoms: The headaches have gotten pretty intense this last week. Like I said earlier, I don't want to be popping Tylenol all the time, so I got a few things to help out. Some aromatherapy oils from Bath & Body works, a head massager & an eye pillow (that can be hot or cold). So far, so good.

Belly Button In or Out: In

Wedding Rings on or off: On (And newly polished, I might add!)

Happy or Moody: Happy! I am just completely in awe of this whole process- more on that later!

Looking forward to: Our next doctor's appointment on Tuesday! And we're going to Hawaii with the Stiles- we leave one week from today! Whoooo!