20 weeks preggo.

We're halfway, baby!

Very exciting to meet our midpoint of 20 weeks. I've been waiting for this moment. For the longest time, or what felt like the longest time, I did not think we would make it to this point with all the bleeding scares we had at the start.

I've been anxiously awaiting this milestone. It's pretty crazy to think that we have less time remaining than we've been pregnant.

The baby is about the size of a banana now measuring at about 7 inches. I remember when my bestie Janine was pregnant with a banana and I thought that was SO big.. now I'm there and of course, it doesn't seem like as much of a big deal!

This weekend was Janine's baby shower. She is 13 weeks ahead of me and I volunteered to host her baby shower. It was my first time hosting a baby shower and the second one that I've been to. I think that it turned out pretty well, people seemed to have fun and Janine seemed to enjoy herself, so mission was accomplished! I got her and Jeff (well mostly her, I doubt Jeff will be sporting it) a cute Petunia Pickle diaper bag that Janine was eyeing. I want one similar to it, which is a lot cheaper than the Kate Spade diaper bag I've been hoping for. But, the shower and shower planning wore me out and I am feeling it this evening. I will be surprised if I make it past 8pm tonight.

I went shopping this morning with Vanessa to a consignment sale in Golden. Im glad that she invited me to go as I found a few things! I got about 15 clothing items, mostly sleepers, a boppy cover, 2 baby einstein dvds, a music cd that is in French (we hope to learn French someday!), a stuffed monster (starting to believe we're going to do a monster theme for the nursery?) and a swaddler. All of that was only 40 bucks, 10 of that being the monster.

Speaking of baby items, we did the majority of our registry yesterday evening. Boy, was that exhausting! We probably looked ridiculous trying to decide what we should buy and what we need, etc. We were both pretty exhausted after. We still need to register for some stuff but we got a big chunk of it complete. I figured 20 weeks was a good time to start the wish list.

My belly sure is growing. I would say that strangers likely notice that I am pregnant. I am still larger at night but still have quite a bump in the morning before I eat and drink as well. The one pair of jeans that I thought I'd be able to wear throughout my pregnancy no longer button! I still don't think that I really know what I am in for as far as getting big. Kind of scary, but also exciting.

I feel him on a daily basis now, mostly when I lay down to go to sleep. The movements are getting stronger so I am hoping to feel him from the outside soon. I would think by 23-24 weeks we should start feeling him. I can't wait for Morgan to feel him; even if the idea still freaks him out.

I have an appointment this Friday with the midwife. Im excited to go and hear the heartbeat again - it seems like forever since I heard it last. I've been having tons of calf pain, which started out as only waking me at night with horrible cramping/spasms and slight pain in the morning but now lasts the entire day. I would say that my sciatic pain still tops any other discomfort I am having.

Well, I am exhausted and need to go lay in bed. I bought a maternity pillow so I am hoping that helps making sleeping on my side a little more comfortable. I HATE sleeping on my side. I miss belly sleeping. Sigh.. not much longer, I can push through it! :)

I posted pictures above. One is from Janine's baby shower, her at 33w1d and me at 20w1d. The other was taken this afternoon. I think with the shirt not being as form fitting my belly looks a lot bigger than the picture yesterday... dont think it's possible to grow that much over night, right!? :)

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

19 weeks preggo.

This baby boy is starting to move!

On Thursday night I woke up in the middle of the night with excruciating chest pains. It was really bizarre because it was all on my right side and got worse when I took in anything but a shallow breath. I couldn't move, at all. It was to the point that I couldn't roll my body or arm over enough to shake Morgan to wake up; I had to use my foot to shake him. He woke up and got me some water and listened to me cry and freak out. I had no idea what was wrong and still don't. I immediately thought my lung had collapsed as it was localized and hurt so bad to breathe or move my ribs on that side. I wonder if it was some sort of panic attack?

Either way, when I settled down, stopped crying and was laying there trying to fall asleep, I felt a very obvious thud in my lower abdomen! This was the first time that I felt like it was truly the baby and not a questionable feeling in my stomach. It was pretty exciting. I held my hand on my stomach hoping to feel something on the outside but no such luck. I am getting pretty anxious to feel him on the outside but know that I just need to be patient since I am just 19 weeks and it is my first. Soon enough I will be wishing I couldn't feel his feet jabbing my ribs!

I went to prenatal yoga with Vanessa and her friend Julie on Saturday morning. I really liked it! As I usually report, I have been having horrible low back/hip/butt pain on my left side. It felt really nice to stretch my body out. I am going to buy a punch card so that I can go once a week. I won't be able to go next weekend as I am hosting Janine's baby shower but will go every Saturday after that. I really liked the atmosphere and the teacher, and well, my company! It was pretty weird for me being in a room of 20 pregnant women. The room was fairly small so it was definitely a tight squeeze fitting all those bellies in there. I think it will help me a lot to do yoga and having a punch card and someone to go with will force me to go; sometimes I need that.

After looking at a photo album Vanessa sent me of her pregnancy progress, I realized that I really need to take pictures. I want to have that to go look back on. We are going to take a picture tomorrow and we will take one next weekend at 20 weeks - really, is next weekend already going to be half way? Craziness. And, from there on out, I will take one every 2 weeks to show the difference, maybe even every week once I really start growing.

I've been looking into birthing classes as I should probably start enrolling soon. I am trying to decide between hypnobirthing and the Bradley Method. I think that I am going to go with the Bradley Method but need to find one that works well with our schedules. I want to take one at Mountain Midwifery but the only class they have listed started today and runs until late October-ish. I'd like to find one that starts around the beginning of November.. that way, I won't forget everything in the months before our labor.

Sleeping is really starting to get uncomfortable. I confess that I still sleep and lay on my back. I know that I shouldn't but sometimes its the only position that works for me. I really need to get a better sleeping pillow. I've been putting a memory foam pillow between my knees for sleeping but just end up on my back with the pillow on the floor. Sleeping directly on my stomach is out as it's not comfortable but I almost lay half on my stomach and half on my side, which still seems to work. Im not sure how else to control my sleep position. Oh well, my body will tell me when a position isn't working anymore like it did for my stomach.

As far as cravings, I am still always wanting boiled hot dogs. I think I am on week 4 or 5 now with wanting boiled hot dogs. Also, my appetite is really picking up and every time I see someone eating something, I want it, too. Im still not huge on sweets, especially compared to how I was pre-pregnancy, but my sweet cravings are kicking in a little bit more. I stopped for ice cream today and wanted a cherry dipped cone the other night at 9pm (and got one!).

Hopefully next week I am able to report feeling him from the outside, I can't wait for that.. and even more, for Morgan to feel his son kicking.

I'll try to remember to update tomorrow with a picture of my belly.. how lucky you all are, getting one two weeks in a row with next week being 20 weeks!

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

18 weeks preggo.

Hello readers, are any of you out there?

There's not much to report this week. Maybe the bills that are piling in? Its stressful because I wasn't aware that insurance wasn't going to cover some of my blood work we had done with the testing, specifically, the cystic fibrosis testing. That alone is about $400, and then we have two ER visit bills. BAH! Oh well, its all worth it, right??

We're still settling in the new house. Morgan cleaned out the old house tonight and got a little emotional over leaving. He messaged me saying that he was spending time in each room thinking back about the memories we created in the house. He texted me while I was in advanced stats and told me, of course, being pregnant, I cried!

I am having a little difficulty in dealing with getting bigger. I think all women do, some just keep it hush. Or so, that is what I will keep telling myself. I mean really, what woman wants to get huge? While I am not showing a ton, I am definitely starting to pop, more so at night than in the morning, I wonder when that will stop and I will be the same size all day long?

I bought some clothes for the baby this weekend. I should probably stop and save the money for medical bills! :)

I've really been missing having family near lately. Really, this is nothing new for me, but it paints a whole new picture when you're pregnant and picture your labor and delivery and don't see any of your family there and only a few visitors. I just really hope I don't get too emotional over that when I am delivering. Guess I'll just need to deal with it, eh?

Overall though, I have been feeling really good and have been happy. I think its normal to feel the emotions I am feeling. I told my mom today that if my stomach wasn't growing, I would probably forget that I am pregnant because I've been feeling really good. However, on that note, I have been having excruciating back/hip/butt pain. Its all in my left butt cheek/hip. Sometimes my leg literally locks up and I can't move it forward or backward. It's frustrating. I know that I just need to exercise and stretch it out, but hey, I am lazy. I am going to prenatal yoga this weekend with Vanessa. I hope its as relaxed as it was with Annie. Guess I shall see! It will be nice to get out with fellow preggos.

I'm still calling the baby an "it" rather than he. I am still a little weirded out calling the baby by name, even if we're decided on a name, it still feels weird. I'm sure it will change for me. I am anxiously awaiting being able to feel the baby move, more so on the outside so Morgan can feel and feel like he is more involved and a part of the pregnancy as well.

On a totally unrelated note, I just heard the Viking's horn in the background on a good play and all I can think about is how excited I am for football.

Not much else to report.. sorry the blogging has been boring lately!

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

17 weeks preggo.

We've been busy moving and unpacking. The new house is really nice and I did not get emotional about moving like I thought I would. I think it was a time for that chapter of our lives to come to a close. We're welcoming the change in the new house with open arms. So far, all of the furkids are adjusting really well. I thought it would take longer than it has. But, we seem to be all settled in.

The baby's room was easiest to unpack as we only had a romper outfit, tshirt, bedding, small blanket and a couple decorations. It is nice to have most of our living spaces unpacked. The garage? Still chaos, but we'll get there.

There's not much to report on the baby front this week. We did go buy our first clothing items for the baby. Morgan picked out a shirt that has a motorcycle on it that says "young rebel" and I picked out a blue and brown romper.. not sure if romper is even the right name for it, but its what I'll call it.

I am pretty sure that I felt the baby move for the first time on Thursday. I felt a "pop pop pop" almost like one of those "snap its" that you throw on the ground around the 4th. Im not sure if that was the baby, but if not, I am not sure what else it would be! I am also really starting to show. Even in the mornings I have a bit of a bump, but it is really out there by the end of the day. Morgan likes to point out that you can "really notice it" on a daily basis.

I had my midwife appointment last Friday and it went well. She somewhat encouraged me to test for spina bifida but to be honest, I just don't think that I can go through anymore testing and the stress that can come with it. The heartbeat was in the 150s, still, and I gained about 3 pounds since my appointment 2 weeks prior. I have a feeling the pounds are going to start piling on. We'll see what happens. I definitely have more of an appetite and can eat a lot more than I did earlier on.

Enjoy the ultrasound pics and a picture of me at 17 weeks!

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

16 weeks preggo.

I waited until today to update because I had my level 2 ultra sound this afternoon and figured that I would wait to write so that I could give the news either way. Luckily this weekend went by pretty quick with our preparing to move. We're pretty excited to get all moved into the new place. We still have quite a bit of packing to do including but not limited to the entire kitchen, all of our clothes and the linen closet. Ah well, we have until Thursday evening!

Get to the baby details, right? So, our appointment was at 3pm and I had to work until 2:30. Around 1:30 I started feeling very anxious to where I could literally feel my insides shaking and I felt very nauseous and just couldn't sit still. Morgan was able to come so we met there before our appointment. Of course I was assuming the worst. I think I was most scared of them pushing the amnio or just assuming that I was going to do it and I would feel uncomfortable telling them that I did not want it. I really need to learn how to be my own advocate and not be afraid to speak up.

So anyway we went back to the examination room and as soon as the ultra sound tech came in I asked about the amnio and when that would be brought up in the appointment. She said she would do the ultra sound and the doctor would come in after he reviewed the ultrasound and talk to me about the amnio. Well, she did the ultra sound and unfortunately most of it was out of my line of sight but Morgan was able to see the whole thing. I saw some of it. She did her measurements and later showed me certain things. The baby weighed 5 ounces which is right on with where it should be. Most of the measurements (head, brain, legs, arms, etc) were right on with where I should be and put me around the 45th percentile, so pretty average. She said that things looked fine but that she would have the doctor come in to look at things. 

The doctor came in and said that he thought everything looked great and talked to me about the amnio and the risk associated with it. He said that according to the ultra sound, he would decrease my risk from 1/170 to 1/300 and that my risk for miscarriage with an amnio was 1/250 - 1/300. We had decided prior to the appointment that unless there were severe markers during the ultra sound, we wouldn't do the amnio. The doctor said that they look for 5-10 markers of down syndrome and the baby had 0. This was great news and it felt as though 500 pounds had been lifted from my shoulders and my chest. 

Sooo, more news. During the ultra sound she asked if we wanted to know what we were having if she was able to tell and we said that we did. She pushed a little bit and all of sudden says "theres a little boy in there" - WHAT!? A boy!? Morgan literally said "What did you say?" HA! When the doctor came in he asked if she told us what it was and we told him yeah, it was a boy, and he was like, "of course, theres the penis!" - it was pretty clear as day. I was told to look for a hamburger for a girl and a turtle for a boy, it surely did look like a turtle.

 We were soo sure that it was a little girl. We both initially really wanted a little boy but after almost every single person told us we were having a girl and the first ultra sound indicated that it was likely a girl and the heart rate was always high, we thought for sure. We're both ecstatic that we're having a little boy. I'll be honest and say there's a little part of me that is sad that I won't have the little girl I had been picturing since we were convinced it was a girl. We were likely going to name her Margaux. But, it's not a girl. I'll get over not having a cute little tulle skirt on the first birthday :) But yes, we're very happy that it is a boy and most of all, that he seems to be very healthy and baking well. I can't really express how happy we are.

So, we also bought the crib and changing table this last weekend. I found one that I really like and it was on sale so we grabbed it. It should be delivered later this week. Morgan says we can't put it together for awhile. The only reason we bought it this early is because of the deal we got on it. I'm very excited :D 

Let's see, what else. I am definitely starting to show now. It still looks similar to a beer belly, but its growing outward nonetheless. I bought a pair of maternity work pants this weekend and they were so much more comfortable than my pre-pregnancy pants. 

I'd love to scan the ultra sound pictures and post them but we already packed up the scanner. I will be sure to post some later on. I am a little sad that this is my last ultra sound since they consider this to be my 2nd trimester scan and will not get one at 18-20 weeks like others usually do. I think in 10 weeks or so we will pay for the 3d/4d ultra sound so that we can have more pictures and something on CD to show the baby later! 

That's about it for this week. I have an appointment Friday afternoon with my midwife. I think we are just going to go over the results from my exam today, should be a quick appointment. Hopefully I gained a couple pounds so my midwife is happy. I do feel relieved that although I haven't really put on much weight, the little one is the right weight and height. That's what matters. 

I'll do my best to upload pictures next week. We'll see how the moving and unpacking goes!

See you next week

xo, mommy to be (to a little boy!!)

15 weeks preggo.

Football is on, that is so exciting. I call it now, football makes me go into labor, I will go in labor on a Sunday. I love football. Hope that I am not late and miss the superbowl because of the baby! :)

We did a lot of packing today and feel as though we had a really productive day. I think that I will be feeling it tomorrow as I am already feeling it in my thighs, hips and back. Poor Morgan has to lift and move everything without me. I just pack and organize boxes and that's about it. We only had one box for the baby which has its bedding set, sheets, a blanket my brother's coworkers made for us and a giraffe that Morgan's parents got us when they were out here in June.

Speaking of things for the baby, we bought a car seat and a stroller for the baby last week. I really like the look of the more modern streamlined strollers, like the Bugaboo, but cannot afford 800-1300 on a stroller. I found one similar on Craigslist and I absolutely love it!! I didn't really think that I would be so excited about a stroller, but I am. I posted a picture of it above, except ours is "aqua" in color, rather than plum. The funniest part was when we tried to figure out how to get the car seat off the base. We honestly spent about 10 minutes pushing and pulling everything we could find on both the car seat and the base and while I was resorting to Google to figure it out, Morgan found the obvious 5 inch button/pull on the back of the car seat. Then, we tried figuring out how to get the seat off the stroller so that we could convert it to put the car seat on and we basically tried everything, resulting in the wheels falling off. Hilarious. We're not first time parents or anything!

This morning I took part in a prenatal yoga workshop with Annie, she is the wife of one of the attorneys in the office I work in. I've never done yoga before so I was a little nervous. I really, really enjoyed it, though. I wish that I had the money to take part in prenatal yoga classes. But, I did buy that video so I think I will just stick to that and maybe treat myself with a class every now and again. It felt really good, physically and emotionally. 

I should probably update regarding the baby, eh? Well, the best news I have to share is that we found out last week that Morgan is not a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis, which is great and a sigh of relief. So, at this point, our baby has a 1 in 4 chance of being a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis, but has 0% chance of actually having CF. I almost cried when Morgan called and told me as I was just so relieved.

I had my appointment on Friday with the midwife. The appointment went pretty well. I actually lost a pound since my last appointment so she said she would like to see me gain 5 pounds by 20 weeks as she likes to see a 5-10lb weight gain when women reach 20 weeks. Im just going to continue doing things as I am and actually, I will probably start incorporating some exercising so I don't know if I will gain the weight she wants. Im definitely not starving myself by any means or even dieting, I think my appetite is just decreased, I eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full.  I do think that I make better choices than I did before, which is better for me. I think my change in eating habits and the pregnancy are offsetting each other. I did gain about 5 pounds right before I found out I was pregnant, so I will count that as a gain :)

She didn't seem too concerned about the down syndrome thing and said so many people have false positives and with my age, she isn't concerned. She said my NT fold measurement was 1.3, which is great and is usually a great marker for down syndrome. However, she did say that due to my elevated levels in my blood work, this puts me at risk for preeclampsia, low birth weight and/or preterm labor. She suggested that I take a baby aspirin every day, so I am doing that. I guess it keeps my blood thinner and will help prevent clotting in the placenta. 

The most exciting part was that Morgan and I heard the bean's heartbeat for the first time! She felt over my stomach, "soft, soft, soft, hard, there's your uterus!" She put the doppler on my uterus and we heard the whoosh immediately. The bean had a hr of 150bpm. Carol said that it was too close to call boy or girl - that's just an old wive's tale anyhow! We're pretty convinced it is a girl. I think we'll be shocked if we find out it is a boy, but we would be ecstatic with either a boy or girl.. I'm not sure that we even have a preference at this point; just want a healthy baby.

From here, we wait until August 16th when I have my level 2 ultrasound to see how that goes. I will be following up with the midwife the following Friday, the 20th (also moving day!). 

Cravings as of late: hot dogs and watermelon. 

Also, I just wanted to say that I feel so lucky and thankful to have Morgan by my side. I really couldn't ask for a better husband, best friend, support system and daddy to be. He's the best. 

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be. 

14 weeks preggo.

Not a whole lot to report this week. Obviously we found out about our bad test results as posted in my earlier entry. I'm feeling a little better about it and just try to focus on the positive rather than the negative, or the unknown. It is so true when I say what will be, is going to be. I really have had a pretty good week and think that the day of crying and self pity was much needed. Sometimes we all just need those days and mine was calling.

I had my first bout of morning sickness last Monday where I threw up 3 times at work within about 4 hours. I've definitely had a few other moments where I had to stop and breathe and focus so that I did not throw up.

We will find out the test results from Morgan's cystic fibrosis screening this week, likely on Thursday or Friday. I have a checkup with the midwife on Friday, so I should have more news to report next week.

I bought two prenatal workout dvds on Amazon and am anxiously waiting their arrival. I bought a yoga dvd which I think will help A LOT and then a lifting/sculpting dvd. I am going to try really hard to take more frequent walks or just get general cardio in.

We move in less than 3 weeks which both makes me sad and excited. We've been in our house for 5 years now and have made a lot of memories here. But, we will make a lot in our new home as well.

Well, I think that is all that I have to report this week. I keep saying that each week I am going to start taking pictures but I swear I am not showing (at least until night time - and that doesn't count) so maybe I will start next week. Ive definitely grown around my midsection but its not a bump yet, just looks like I've eaten one too many doughnuts.. mmm doughnuts. :)

See you next week.

xo,
mommy to be.