20 Weeks: A Small Cantaloupe (and half way there!)

 

After our regular bump pictures, Chris thought it would be funny for me to be pregnant in the back of his truck...Laney pup hated it. Without further adieu, here are Chris "Ansel Adams" Maxwell's most recent photography masterpieces:

*Total weight gain?: 144.5.  Down 1/2 pound from last week; 13.5 total.

*Pregnancy Symptoms: I totally bonded with our baby boy this past Thursday during our ultrasound, and have begun to think of this pregnancy as if I have my own personal friend inside me that just comes around wherever I go. Having seen how active he is in there has given me a new perspective on things. I see it as if we both are working very hard all the time- I have my physical therapy stuff that I do all day while he's minding his own business doing gymnastics routines and throwing in thumbs up's here and there (which he did in the ultrasound pix in the previous posts). I feel like he's my little partner in crime. An associate, if you will. Which is what I have begun to call him. Some people come up with cutesy pet names for their babies, but mine is affectionately being called my associate. It makes sense because Chris is a lawyer- we are 'partners' of the family firm, and we have a new 'associate' working on our team....I may have totally lost all my marbles.

*How big is baby?:The length of a small cantaloupe. The doctor said he is roughly 10 oz as of Thursday and is a little bigger than what they expected (I think our original due date, which is a week early, is the right one).

*Sleep: Pretty good except I wake up at least 2 times a night to pee.

Sex:  a little boy :) ....according to my friend Courtnee, he is "hung like a horse"

*Maternity clothes: Oh yeah...although the jeans in this picture were at the bottom of my drawer and I was surprised to find that I can actually wear them...sans bella band??! Go figure.

*Stretch marks: Nope, not yet anyways! I started using some belly cream b/c I've had a lot of round ligament "stretching" discomfort. I think this little one is growing a lot right now!

*Movement: YES!!!! I love it

*Food cravings: Cheeseburgers and Sherbet!

*Labor signs:N/A

*Belly button in or out: In, but getting a little more shallow with my baby bump.

*What I miss: shorts and cute bathing suits.

*What I'm looking forward to: Feeling the little family associate moving around more :)

*Best Moment of the Week: Finding out the sex and watching Chris' face light up like a Christmas tree! I've never seen him more excited. It was so cute! Also, it has been great feeling the baby move a little more!

*Chris' Weekly Advice to our Unborn Child: Since he realized the baby could hear him, Chris offered the baby some words of wisdom each week so he can be a little more prepared for life on the outside (the first pearl being: "don't drink and drive"). This weeks advice: "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." Our little man is going to be so...confused?

It's a little BOY!!!!!!!

This is our most recent ultrasound :)

From Top Left to Bottom Right:

1.) His little profile (I think he looks like Chris already)

2.) Beautiful little spinal cord with a cute little heiney!

3.) a foot!! <3

4.) He's looking right at us! Also, the nurse said he was giving a thumbs up!

5.) Boy parts :) He was trying to be modest, but we saw his stuff!!

6.) More of that sweet little face :)

We are OVER THE MOON EXCITED!!!

(And no more talk of the LPGA and golf scholorships for little girls- THANK GOD!).

Week19: An Heirloom Tomato

*Total weight gain?: 14 pounds total (up 2.5 this week!!!): 145#. I feel disgusting.

*Pregnancy Symptoms: Really weird dreams about our baby. I keep dreaming about the ultrasound and that we don't get to find out the gender. I'm ready to find out! My back hurts, my neck hurts, and I'm exhausted. Also, apparently the baby doesn't like coffee (my one connection to the real world), and I can't keep it down any more. Hot chocolate is just not cutting it!

*How big is baby?:The length of an heirloom tomato?? Seems smaller than a sweet potato to me, but apparently it's already a whopping 6 inches! I'm so proud :)

Check out this cool video about what's happening from weeks 15-20: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/video/pregnancy/weeks-15-to-20-pregnancy/

*Sleep: HARD. I came home yesterday after doing my 7-330 job then peds 430-530 and sat on the couch for a minute. I opened my eyes nearly 4 hours later with no concept of time or what happened.

Sex: We have an appointment this Thursday, and we are going to probably just find out there at the office instead of waiting until Hawaii because we are so excited to find out!

*Stretch marks: Not on the outside, but I am entertaining the idea that I might have some on the inside. This little sucker is stretching me OUT! I am using my little skin non-stretch mark creams religiously though!

*Movement: Little bumps and wiggles here and there. Really amazing and hands down the best part about being pregnant. Still nothing from the outside yet though. Someone told me to have sugar before the ultrasound so the baby is more active. I think I might try that :)

*Food cravings: Today: white chocolate macadamia cookies. As Chris would say "we're fresh out" so I'm making do with watermelon.

*Labor signs:N/A

*Belly button in or out: In, but it will definitely end up exploding out at the rate this belly is growing!

*What I miss: Cute summer clothes and bathing suits. Samantha and I went to victoria's secret over the weekend and their bathing suits are ADORABLE. I got my first fat girl bathing suit at Motherhood Maternity. It is less than cute, but it covers my belly!

*What I'm looking forward to: Finding out the sex and feeling the baby move more!

*Best Moment of the Week: Chris has very elaborate plans for this baby to get a scholarship to a great college. If it's a girl, he decided she will be in the LPGA. Whatever. I think if we have a daughter she should do ballet because it's hilarious when 3 year olds run into each other while wearing tutus. I do enjoy Chris' wild imagination though!

*Least Favorite Moment of the Week: Being fat, tired, and throwing up coffee.

Week 18: The Sweetest Sweet Potato!

*Total weight gain?: 11.5 pounds: 142.5#

*Pregnancy Symptoms: Weird dreams about our baby. I dreamt the other night that the baby was born as crab meat and I had to shape it into a heart shaped crab cake and then it turned into a baby. It was a girl that night that we named Emily. Don't know where that came from?? Maybe because I have about 4 patients named Emily??

*How big is baby?:The length of sweet potato! 

Check out this cool video about what's happening from weeks 15-20: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/video/pregnancy/weeks-15-to-20-pregnancy/
 

*Sleep: HARD.

Sex:  We have an appointment April 28th (we couldn't get in the week before!), and the doc will send us with a sealed 'revealing' that we plan to open in Hawaii in May....Or we might just find out then. I'm so dying to find out!!! I have several friends that are about the same amount pregnant who are finding out, and I'm a little jealous!

*Maternity clothes: Oh yeah...I can still wear one pair of jeans (kind of) and a skirt...but that's about it. Shirts are getting a little ridiculous too.

*Stretch marks: Nope, not yet anyways!

*Movement: Yes!! I have felt the little guy or girl two times now. The movement is so faint that I have to be SUPER still and near sleep to feel it. Apparently the baby sleeps while I'm up and is awake at night like a little nocturnal creature inside me. It's weird and awesome!

*Food cravings: Oranges and lemonade. Not really crazily though...I'm not having major cravings right now.

*Labor signs:N/A

*Belly button in or out: In, but getting a little more shallow with my baby bump. It is officially a baby bump by the way and should never be called "pudge," "a pooch," or "just ice cream." Just saying.

*What I miss: Cute summer clothes.

*What I'm looking forward to: Finding out the sex and feeling the baby move more!

*Best Moment of the Week: Chris has now started greeting me and my belly when he gets home from work. I love it!

*Least Favorite Moment of the Week: According to Baby Center, I get another rule (what's one more???):  

"From now on, when you lie down, it's best to lie on your side, or at least partly tilted to one side. When you lie flat on your back, your uterus can compress a major vein. This may make you feel dizzy, because less blood can return to your heart. Try placing a pillow behind you or under your hip or upper leg for comfort."

Baby M Updates

4 Month Check up-

Today's appointment was rather boring and anticlimactic in that we didn't have an ultrasound...again! I kind of thought maybe we would, except we have a BIG ultrasound thing planned for 2 weeks from now- just shy of week 20.

The nurse did find the HR again though- still right around 150. I'm determined to make something of this, but the research tells me nothing. I'm REALLY dying to find out the sex now. Chris wasn't able to make this appointment due to work issues, but he even said if they can tell us to have them write it down and we would open it together. To my dismay, there was no inkling of even a guess. I even begged my OB, Dr. Zimmerman, to guess what she thought it was- she laughed at me and said she had no idea. Whatever. I guess we will have to wait a little longer.


A little more baby M news- 

I was trying to take a nap this afternoon (in my desperate efforts to sleep off this cold before friends come in town this weekend), when my stomach was moving like crazy! At first I was like- what the hell did I eat?? Then I realized, this was like no other movement I've ever felt and it must be the baby! Just a little persistent fluttering, but it was definitely the little guy or gal in there rustling about. Now all I want to do is try to take naps so I can try to feel it again. I'm so in love with this little onion sized miracle :)

Babies!!

I can't wait to dress up our little one in some cute outfits and take some fun pictures (maybe we will get a nice camera before the baby comes??? HINT HINT CHRIS!!!). Since I don't have any ultrasound pics, I thought I'd post some of my favorite Anne Geddes Pix :)

Enjoy!

Week 17: Our Very Own Sweet Vidalia Onion

*Total weight gain?: 10 pounds: 141. *sigh* Here we go!

*Pregnancy Symptoms: Strange dreams- good though!

*How big is baby?:The length of a sweet onion as told by What to Expect.

According to Baby Center: Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

*Sleep: Getting up more often to go to the bathroom, but otherwise pretty good. Sometimes my hands go to sleep...apparently progesterone can induce carpal tunnel syndrome :( Fortunately, I can get them to wake up pretty quickly though thanks to good ol' physical therapy.

Sex:  We have an appointment April 28th (we couldn't get in the week before!), and the doc will send us with a sealed 'revealing' that we plan to open in Hawaii in May.

*Maternity clothes: There's some old skirts I have that are still working out ok for now and one pair of jeans that I'm still hanging onto. Otherwise I'd say it's 50/50.

*Stretch marks: Nope- I'm trying my luck at some of that "anti-stretch mark butter."

*Movement: No but I'm trying really hard to feel it. I've even been feeling the borders of my uterus (which seems to be about an inch below my belly button) and trying to find the baby...I have no idea where it is.

*Food cravings: avocados and oranges/orange juice!

*Labor signs: No. Just that terrible round ligament pain and some occasionally nasty trigger points in my sides.

*Belly button in or out: In, but getting a little more shallow with my food/baby bump.

*What I miss: being able to wear a two piece without feeling gross.

*What I'm looking forward to: Finding out the sex and feeling the baby move for real!
*Best Moment of the Week: I read that the baby can now hear me and people close by, so I asked Chris if he had anything he wanted to say to our baby. He thought carefully about this for a minute, then leaned over to my belly and said (of all things) "Don't drink and drive!".....at least he's thinking ahead!

 

A Sweet Lil' Vidalia Onion!

 

This picture was on the internet and just made me laugh- people are crazy!

On a side note: I decided to try my luck at gardening (again) this year. If my track record is any indicator of how this year will go, it's not looking good for my veggies; however, I did plant my tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and cucumbers with lots of love (and miracle grow!)... I am hoping to add some more veggies to my weekly produce updates. We will see!

Week 16: A Lovely Little Avocado!

 

*Total weight gain?: 8 pounds: 139.5. This is probably my last week in the 130s...Good bye old body!

*Pregnancy Symptoms: Weird dreams about our baby. We had really bad weather last week (hail included!) during the night, and I dreamt our little BOY climbed in bed with us. He looked like a little Chris :)

*How big is baby?:The length of an avocado!

*Sleep: pretty decent, but I wake up usually about an hour before I need to to go to the bathroom.

Sex:  We have an appointment April 24th (we couldn't get in the week before!), and the doc will send us with a sealed 'revealing' that we plan to open in Hawaii in May.

*Maternity clothes: I am wearing maternity clothes! The pants anyway- I'm a big fan of Pea in a Pod pants, but they don't do much for the wallet. Ally Newton was very sweet and gave me some clothes that are too big for her so I could bide some time before I have to buy an entirely new wardrobe. It's like having a personal shopper :)

*Stretch marks: Nope, not yet anyways! I started using some belly cream b/c I've had a lot of round ligament "stretching" discomfort. I think this little one is growing a lot right now!

*Movement: Nooooo...I don't think I'm feeling anything yet. Hopefully soon! I can't wait! One source I found says I could start feeling some 'hiccuping' this week!

*Food cravings: Sandwhiches and chicken fingers. I could go a whole day without sugar...this is strange for me.

*Labor signs:N/A

*Belly button in or out: In, but getting a little more shallow with my food/baby bump.

*What I miss: Not having a roller coaster of emotions. I decided there is a thing called "pregnant rage" that happens to me sometimes when things irritate me. ie: I can't open a jar of pickles and I get really upset and sometimes cry out of sheer frustration.

*What I'm looking forward to: Finding out the sex and feeling the baby move for real!
*Best Moment of the Week: Chris read about strollers for an hour and a half the other night. I'm really happy he's so excited.