29 weeks!

I guess I am doing updates every 2 weeks now...what is my deal??? Sorry, faithful readers!

 
How far along: 29 weeks & 4 days
Total weight gain: 12 lbs! If I can hang on through the holidays, I will stay within my weight gain goal!

Maternity clothes: Oooh yeah. Loving every minute of them!

Stretch Marks: It's happened. I got one. I have been obsessed with putting lotion/baby oil on twice a day, but alas, I have my first tiger stripe.

Sleep: Sleeping soundly! Praise Jesus, I love my sleep.

Best moment this week:  Technically I need to recap the last two weeks- we've had a lot of fun things going on lately! We had our first baby shower, hosted by my wonderful mother-in-law and sister-in-law! We've had several classes at the hospital, including a tour. And we've started organizing stuff in the baby's room.

Miss anything: Walking normally. I've got the pregnant waddles BAD! Definitely not cute.

Movement: She is definitely running out of room in there, so her kicks/punches are less dramatic. But I do feel her dragging along my ribs and stomach- if that makes sense. It's a very weird feeling! And last night going to bed, Rich could feel the baby moving while we were snuggling. It's amazing!

Food cravings: Cheesey Panini sandwiches. Definitely don't know where that one has been coming from!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope! Feeling good!

Gender: Girl

Symptoms: Still feeling really good. My energy is still there, which I am using as much as possible. Although I have noticed that I get some lower back pains if I am bending over a lot. But that can be fixed by just resting for a few minutes.

Belly Button In or Out:Still in, but it's almost gone!

Wedding Rings on or off: On!

Happy or Moody: Happy! A little overwhelmed by how soon January will be here. I feel like there is still a lot to figure out and organize before she ges here.

Looking forward to: Our next baby shower is next weekend, which will be a coed shower with all the "Spehr" family. My great aunts & uncles will be there, along with my grandparents! It's going to be a great time.

Maternity Pictures

Rich & I were so blessed by my youngest sister, Lauren, when she offered to take some maternity pictures for us. We had originally planned to have professional pictures taken with a photographer, however, we had to *unexpectedly* replace all 4 tires on our SUV recently. Both tires & pictures would not fit in the budget. Unfortunately, tires won. Boo.

Lauren knew how bummed I was, so she did her research via Pinterest for cute maternity poses. The weather was perfect and we chose to go explore St. James Farm in Warrenville. I had never been there, but the photographer we were going to use had posted a lot of gorgeous photos shot at that location. Lauren had tons of props for us & was ready to go! I was super awkward at first (go figure), but Lauren was a trooper. She also had 2 of her sweet friends along with her- thanks girls for all your help! Here are some of my favorites...

And now some outtakes...just for fun...

27 weeks!

How far along: 27 weeks & 4 days
Total weight gain: Probably about 12 lbs. I am going to get real here for a second- the weight gain part of pregnancy has been harder than I thought it would be. I know that the weight gain is due to having a little human growing inside of me, it's not that I'm getting "fat". But it's been tough emotionally. I am really excited to be able to do my exercise DVD's and such after the baby is born.

Maternity clothes: Heck yes! I really want to get this cute maternity jacket from Old Navy. It's more "active wear" which would be nice since none of my comfy sweatshirts are really fitting anymore

Stretch Marks: None still! And I think my rash went away, which is a bonus.

Sleep: Sleeping more, but still doing well in that area!

Best moment this week: There were a lot of good ones! My sweet sister, Lauren, agreed to take some maternity pictures for us. We had planned to meet with a professional photographer for them, but unexpectedly had to get new tires on our car. Sooo maternity pics didn't exactly fit in the budget anymore! The weather was wonderful and we got a lot of really great pictures. I think I will do a separate post for those! Lauren was so patient with us (me). We also had our first childbirth class! It's a 2 part class, so we go again next week! More on that later.

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

Movement: She is a mover & a shaker! I took a bath the other day and was able to see my stomach moving from the outside for the first time! That was REALLY crazy. I was trying to read and enjoy some quiet time, and all of the sudden my belly went crazy!

Food cravings: Still sweets. That is just SO weird for me. And warm drinks- but I think that's more a seasonal thing rather than a "being pregnant" thing!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope! Feeling good!

Gender: Pink pink pink! Although I did have a dream the other day that it was a boy. Eek!

Symptoms: Feeling pretty good this week! A headache or two, but nothing major.

Belly Button In or Out: Still in- barely!

Wedding Rings on or off: On!

Happy or Moody: Happy! And so excited! I can't believe how soon she'll be here.

Looking forward to: Our first baby shower is on Saturday! I am so thankful for all the hard work that my mother-in-law and sister-in-law have put in to make this day special for us!

27 weeks!

Another 27 week shot!

26 weeks!

What the heck is my deal with updates? Again, I blame my crazy work schedule. At least there isn't a ton of change {yet} week to week. Thanks for your patience, friends & family!


How far along: 26 weeks & 3 days
Total weight gain: My guess is around 10-11lbs. Baby is going to start growing in size pretty rapidly from here on out, so I am sure that number is on it's way up!

Maternity clothes: I just love Old Navy & Kohl's maternity clothes. Target can be hit or miss unfortunately. I do like being able to finally wear all my Fall sweaters now!

Stretch Marks: None still- although I do have a little bit of a rash from all the lotion/oil. I might need to switch to every other day applications.

Sleep: I rarely get up in the middle of the night anymore, which is nice. I have been sleeping pretty well the last few weeks.

Best moment this week: This weekend we got the dresser for the nursery finished! Plus, my Mom made this adorable little headband/hairclip holder to hang on the wall. It's SO cute! She has become so darn crafty. A quick shout out to my parents for all their help in preparing for Baby. My Dad does all sorts of random projects around the house for us- and Mom is such a hard worker too! We are so thankful for all the love they are already showing this little girl!

Miss anything: Being able to see my toes to {comfortably} paint my nails.

Movement: Moving like crazy! Holy moly! She jabs me a LOT when I am sitting- especially in the car!

Food cravings: Sweets again. What the heck?! Donuts. Frosting. Candy. Bring it on.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Gender: Pink pink pink!

Symptoms: Definitely thankful for how smoothly everything has gone. I have noticed a little more lower back pain if I am standing for long periods of time. But that can be helped by sitting down and/or stretching.

Belly Button In or Out: Still in- barely!

Wedding Rings on or off: On!

Happy or Moody: Happy! I am due 3 months from Thursday, which is SO CRAZY to me! 3 months is going to absolutely FLY by with the holidays.

Looking forward to: Our first childbirth class is on Sunday. I am really excited to learn & start preparing together for the actual birth of our baby girl! It's a 2 Sunday class, from 4-8pm. Lots to learn! I am excited for the tour of the hospital, especially!

Here are some random photos from the last coupe of weeks! Enjoy. 

Cutesie shoes- and on clearance too! Gotta love it.

My parent's dog, Lily, taking a snooze while the rest of us worked! So typical!

Whoa there, baby bump! Taken 10/13/12.

The completed dresser/changing table! Ta da!

View from the hallway looking into the baby's room. So stinkin' cute!

Close up on the headband/hairclip holder that my Momma made!

24 weeks!

How far along: 24 weeks & 6 days

Total weight gain: I am up 9lbs total since becoming pregnant. Watching the scale go up and up has been a little difficult, but I am trying hard to remember that this is natural and good. Eek.

Maternity clothes: I don't know how I'll ever be able to get rid of my maternity clothes...love them.

Stretch Marks: Nope! Using lots of lotion and body oil to keep my skin moisturized.

Sleep: I have been pretty darn tired the last two weeks, which has more to do with work than actually growing a baby. Either way, I just can't seem to get enough sleep these days!

Best moment this week: Rich had "New Daddy Bootcamp" on Saturday, which was adorable! He was the youngest in the class, but felt like he knew the most going into it! Rich really enjoyed it and learned a lot. He got a cute t-shirt too! He is going to be such a wonderful Daddy. I am so thankful to have a husband that LOVES being so involved. He never acts disinterested in ANY of the baby stuff I talk about with him.

Miss anything: Wine. So much.

Movement: Moving like crazy! I love it though.

Food cravings: Soups & chili, but that's just because of the time of year, not the baby. I love FALL!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Gender: Pink pink pink!

Symptoms: I've been feeling really great recently! So thankful for such a smooth pregnancy.

Belly Button In or Out: Still in.

Wedding Rings on or off: On!

Happy or Moody: Happy!!!

Looking forward to: Our baby showers. I went to a friend's shower on Sunday, and it made me really excited for my own showers! I just love all the baby stuff. Cannot wait!

How precious are these little shoes???

My sweet friend, Nicole! She is due Nov 18th- two months before me! It's been fun to share the journey with her & I cannot wait to meet their little guy or girl!

 

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!}

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!}