23 weeks!

Apparently I am just going to skip week 22...oops! It's been a wild couple of weeks at work, and the little blog took a back seat to sleep & time with the hubby.

How far along: 23 weeks and 4 days

Total weight gain: Maybe almost 5lbs total? We'll see on Wednesday!

Maternity clothes: Loving some of the cute new maternity clothes my Momma picked up for me this week.

Stretch Marks: Nope- but my tummy was feeling very stretched today. Strange feeling!

Sleep: I slept RIGHT through my alarm today. Thankfully my sweet hubby woke me up out of a dead sleep.

Best moment this week: Again, so many! Baby girl is moving around like CRAZY, which has been really fun. We got to work on some of the baby room projects this weekend. We painted the glider & dresser which turned out REALLY well! And we hung this adorable chandelier that my Momma made for us! The room is definitely pretty girly. Things are coming right along!

Miss anything: Wine. For sure.

Movement: Ooooh yes! She is an active little one. She gets going around 9/10ish in the morning, then again in the mid afternoon, and then again around 9/10 at night. No super hard kicks or punches though! Rich has been able to feel her too which is AMAZING!

Food cravings: Strangely enough, I was craving cheeseburgers for a few days last week. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Gender: Pink pink pink!

Symptoms: Hip pain has been a lot better, thankfully. Still loving yoga & warm baths!

Belly Button In or Out: Still in.

Wedding Rings on or off: On!

Happy or Moody: Happy!!!

Looking forward to: Rich's "New Daddy Bootcamp" class on Saturday! I cannot wait to hear how it goes for him. How freakin' cute is he???

{22 weeks photo- I think!}

{I got the cutest little shower invitation in the mail! And it's a shower for ME!}

{My family was here on Saturday helping paint the glider & dresser for the nursery, as well as other miscellaneous projects around the house. Apparently my sisters needed a quick power nap! They certainly deserved the break after all their hard work!}

{Momma hard at work! Check out the cute chandelier in the corner that she made!}

{Up close view of the lovely chandelier!}


{The glider- BEFORE}

{The glider- mid update! Ottoman not pictured.}


{Fabric that will be used to make new pads for glider & ottoman}


{Dresser- BEFORE}

{The dresser! Also mid update. And the mirror is not attached}

{We decided to have some painting done over the weekend. It was a big job & since we talked them down to a reasonable price, we decided to go for it! We couldn't be happier with the results. The space looks so much newer and warmer. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! Above is the BEFORE picture..}

 {And the AFTER!}

That last picture was taken today. Feeling really good and loving the crazy amounts of energy that I have! Again, sorry for the missed update, but hopefully I made up for it with the pictures!

21 weeks!

How far along: 21 weeks & 4 days! (A little behind in getting this week's update posted!)

Total weight gain: Guessing somewhere between 2-5lbs. My goal is no more than 25lbs total- we shall see!

Maternity clothes: Busy trying to plan an outfit for our maternity pictures in October! So fun.

Stretch Marks: Nope!

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well again, thank goodness!

Best moment this week: So many "bests" this week! But probably the highlight for me was getting our crib on Saturday! Rich & I had a great time setting it up together, and it looks amazing! Typically we keep the door to the nursery closed, but I have been walking by and opening the door a TON just to get a quick look at where our sweet little one will sleep!

Miss anything: Definitely my old bras. Yikes!

Movement: Definitely feeling movement now! It started on Monday/Tuesday this week. I wasn't exactly sure what I was feeling, but now that it is pretty consistent, I know what it is! Still not enough for Rich to be able to feel it, but I'm sure that will start soon! It's so incredible!

Food cravings: Nothing really. Just enjoying having my appetite back.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Gender: It's a girl! YAY!

Symptoms: Holy hip pain! This was a rough week, for sure. I had training in Chicago, which meant 2 1/2 hour of driving JUST to get to my 8 hours/day of training. Ick! Too much sitting meant a LOT of pain for me. But thankfully, I am feeling a lot better due to my heating pad, warm baths & lots of yoga.

Belly Button In or Out: Still in

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: Rich getting to feel the baby move too!

 

 {The awesome fabric I got to re-do our glider!}

 

{Some of the loot Baby GIRL Stiles has started to accumulate!}

 

 {Baby's first tutu!!!}

 

{The CRIB! Isn't it beautiful???}

{21 weeks!}

Observations on having a GIRL!

It's only been a few days since we found out that a precious little girl will be joining our family. Rich thought it was going to be a girl from the beginning, but I wasn't so sure. I never had a strong feeling either way. I really enjoyed the two little Safe Family boys that we had with us for a few months, so I thought maybe the Lord was trying to prepare me for a boy. Given that I come from a family of girls, the idea of having a baby boy freaked me out a little.

But, it's a girl! So while that reality is still sinking in, I've been noticing different things about little girls.

*Since all the summer baby clothes are on sale now, I noticed that the majority of baby girl swim suits are two pieces. Really? A bikini for a baby? How awkward. I pray that our baby girl will feel comfortable in her own skin and enjoy fashion, but always practice modesty.

*After spending time at Rich's school football game & observing mass amounts of teenage girls, I noticed that very few of them actually speak respectfully- either to their parents, or their peers. This makes my heart really sad and my skin crawl a little bit. I have very high hopes that our daughter will always be kind and gentle with her words, especially when in public.

*I've noticed that some of these rude little teens turn into rude little Mom's who raise more rude little teens. This observation is more about me than our daughter- but I hope that I will be able to show the love of Christ at sporting events, in the school, or whenever I am in a situation that could become tense or competitive. I am definitely not a competitive person myself- I am much happier celebrating other people's victories than fighting for the win myself. I just hope that I will be supportive and encouraging of our daughter's achievements, but help her realize that winning isn't everything.

That's really all I've got for this Saturday morning. I have NO expectation that I will be the "perfect mother", but I trust that the Lord will equip Rich and I as we begin this adventure. I will do my best to lead by example and admit when I am wrong. I am just so excited to meet this little girl & get to know her!