18 weeks

You can find me at the fro yo shop...   ;)

The baby is now the size of a bell
pepper (5.5 in, 6.7 oz) and she's now
yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting,
kicking, punching, sucking
and swallowing!

How far along? 18 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss: holding steady at 10 pounds gained but doc appoint should tell better on the 5th. Feels like 50 pounds gained over this past week.  

Maternity clothes? Yoga pants, "fat" jeans and comfy sweaters. Maternity clothes are just around the corner!

Stretch marks? Nope. *knock on wood*
Sleep: No comment!
Energy: Scale of one to energizer bunny, turtle mode. 
Best moment this week: Definitely the 3D ultrasound. Been staring at her little face in those pics every night. <3 So glad I decided to go through with that ultrasound. 
Have you told family and friends: Yep.
Miss Anything? Running. Tried a jog with Zoey the other day though. Not too bad but could definitely feel the weight!  
Movement: Still can't feel her yet! This kid is so active during the ultrasounds, I am just waiting for her to decide to kung fu kick me!  
Food cravings: Sweets and In N Out. Consistently In N Out but of course when it's closed. Oh, and Girl Scout cookies!!! And as you can see by this week's pic, I've been frequenting frozen yogurt shops. Lots of fresh fruit for me there. :D
Food aversions: Soup. Bleh! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really. I can feel my uterus stretching though and that hasn't been too pleasant but it's also nothing to cry about so I feel pretty lucky. 

Have you started to show yet: Oh yea!   
Gender prediction: It's a little pink gummy bear. :) Now just working on names.  
Labor Signs: Nope.
Belly Button in or out? In. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Neutral.
Looking forward to: Feeling her movement. I know I have said this before but half the time I forget I'm pregnant. Want to just feel her when she does her flips. Also looking forward to shopping. Trying to keep it reeled in for now but I did pick these up at Old Navy today...

Pink Baby Gummy Bear!

On Tuesday, 02.21.12 we found out it's a GIRL!

I think I really am still in shock. I sometimes forget I am pregnant and now I need to remember, yes I am pregnant and also, having a little mini me. ohhhhhhhhhhh wow.

Scheduled the ultrasound to determine the gender (because yes, I am that impatient) but the tech was super sweet and ended up giving me a few 3D pics also! Some think they are a little hard to look at but it was awesome to see. It looked like she even had the hiccups for a minute. I was pretty emotional for the whole thing and daddy was on Skype so he could find out if his prediction was right. Everything just seemed surreal.

Baby Girl was again super active and even did a complete flip during the middle of the ultrasound! She's such a busy girl already and I am so anxious to feel her movement!

I couldn't believe how long her legs look!

Flip action shot. She's already a little gymnast. ;)

Of course, after I knew I was having a girl I had to go peak at some more newborn attire. Headed to Target and found her first pair of shoes and bathing suit. ;)

Just One You - Target

Just One You - Target

Now it's time to start buying and planning!!! Can't wait!

17 weeks

The baby is now the size of an onion 

(5.1 in, 5.9 oz) 

and it's little fingers and toes are now 

topped by one-of-a-kind prints!

How far along? 17 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss: 10 pounds gained.  

Maternity clothes? Still sticking with the yoga pants and what I call my "fat" jeans so I'm good for now.

Stretch marks? Thought I saw a few the other day but it was just marks from sleeping. haha. Got a little scared though!
Sleep: Naps seem to be getting a bit longer but still can't get more than 3 solid hours a night. I don't mind though because this week my dreams have dropped a couple notches on the scary scale.  I'll take what I can get!
Energy: Slowsky mode. 
Best moment this week: Scheduling the next ultrasound!  
Have you told family and friends: Yep.
Miss Anything? Running.  
Movement: Still no movement yet but I let the baby listen to a little Bing Crosby the other night when I couldn't sleep hoping to get something from it. Think I'm pushing it though. Maybe I should try some LMFAO. hehe.  
Food cravings: Sweets and fruit. Instead of chowing down on the double fudge cake that has been staring at me all week, I've been eating sugar free jello, pudding and yogurt with frozen fruit. Who knew vanilla yogurt and jello is so yummy?! Better than drowning the jello in cool whip. I'm sure it's hilarious to see my face light up when I find the last jello cup hiding in the corner at 3am. :P  Also, cinnamon goes on everything.
Food aversions: Not really feeling any kind of meat unless it's surrounded by a taco shell and covered in hot sauce.

Anything making you queasy or sick: ANY perfume gives me a headache, including my own. Boo. And on a side note, why do I feel like everyone that speaks to me is talking extremely loud? Like I could hear them across the room but they are right in front of me. Is this just a pregnancy thing or should I turn my hearing aid down? ;)  
Have you started to show yet: Yes and I've gotten a couple of weird glances but maybe that's because they're playing the chubby or pregnant game? idk.  
Gender prediction: Next week when I complete my 18 week survey, this question should be answered!!! I have an appointment tomorrow for an ultrasound and couldn't be more excited!!! Hopefully gummy bear decides to cooperate and put the dance moves on hold so we can see if it's a blue gummy bear or a pink gummy bear! :))) 
Labor Signs: Nope.
Belly Button in or out? In. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Neutral.
Looking forward to: Tomorrow, of course! Can't wait to cut my baby name list and Pinterest board in half, and then double it accordingly. :P

16 weeks

The baby is now the size of an avocado 

(4 1/2 in, 3 1/2 oz) 

and it can hear me when I speak!

Or sing. So I should apologize for that. ;)

Apparently I need to work on my bathroom photo taking skills. Either that or have someone else start taking the photos for me. But I had to use this photo because I didn't realize Zoey snuck in on it. I literally go nowhere without my little pup and I wouldn't have it any other way.

You may have noticed this update skipped a week. That's because the doc bumped my due date and I am actually a week ahead of what was previously scheduled. But that could always change. For now I'm going to go with the new due date and leave it at that from here on out. :)

How far along? 16 weeks. I can't believe I am FOUR MONTHS PREGNANT!!!  
Total weight gain/loss: Let's just say I'm gaining weight as I should be and staying healthy. Doesn't mean I don't feel like the pink Hungry, Hungry, Hippo though. What was her name??? 

Maternity clothes? No need yet, still haven't purchased any. Lucky to have several friends ready to pass me down their clothes, though. We'll see how quickly I need 'em! Yoga pants are getting a little tighter...

Stretch marks? So far so good. *fingers crossed* I do plan on wearing a bikini this summer! 
Sleep: Same as usual, unfortunately. Almost non existent. Naps have been going ok, when they happen. Dreams are unimaginable.
Energy: I don't really know what my true caffeine free energy level is like but my energy has definitely picked up over the past week. Dizziness has taken the place of low energy though.
Best moment this week: Getting sucked into searching for baby clothes online for what I thought was ten minutes but what was really two hours. oopsy. Window shopping is always fun, right? 
Have you told family and friends: Yes and my grandparents in Arizona couldn't be more excited!
Miss Anything? The gym and running the track. Going to look into what cardio I can do, how much and what's best to keep gummy bear safe. 
Movement: Still no movement yet and I seriously forget I am pregnant. I'm sure this will change soon! I hope. 
Food cravings: Pretty much hasn't changed over the past few weeks. Increased my cereal intake by 200% (Cheerios and Special K). But I've found I do like to have goldfish crackers with a glass of milk. My new wine and cheese. :D 
Food aversions: Had Chinese food tonight for the first time since being pregnant. I don't know if it's because it wasn't from my fave place or if the baby just doesn't like it but I won't be trying that again anytime soon. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Any air fresheners and strong perfumes. And anything vanilla but I've never been able to handle that smell. Only now it seems to be soooo much stronger! 
Have you started to show yet: As you can see, yep. But just tonight someone said, "I thought you were carrying?! Where? In your back pocket?" haha. Strangely though my arss is bigger. Belly will catch up in no time. 
Gender prediction: I just don't know. But I think I will stick to what my very first guess was. Everyone keeps flip flopping and now thinks it's a girl. I say this every week but I really hope to find out the sex this week!!!
Labor Signs: Nope.
Belly Button in or out? In. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Neutral.
Looking forward to: Finding out the sex! I don't think this answer will change until I know. I was ready to start planning this baby shower WEEKS ago! And if you didn't already know, I'm ready to shop.

One more thing before I go, I wanted to share this magnet. As time goes on, I think of this quote more and more. <3

Never underestimate the power of refrigerator literature.

I'm craving what???

With not many places in Boston to grab a yummy frozen yogurt treat  (maybe because it's frozen enough outside, idk) it's safe to say that I was more than ready to have my share of fro yo upon my return! I finally satisfied this craving today. Headed to my fave place in Roseville (formally Yog Yog) which now has been renamed OMG! Yogurt, I managed to pack pretty much everything I have been craving so far in this pregnancy into one little (well ok, not so little) cup. Strangely I have been finding myself liking mango (which I have NEVER liked before) so that was the first thing I went for. Although after tonight I realize I think I like it better frozen. Actually, I like all fruit better frozen. I have to admit I did stray away from the healthy stuff when I packed the cup, but a little splurge is ok every now and then and I have been pretty good eating sugar free fruit bars and frozen fruit 24/7. Also in this cup of amazingness: Andes Mints, Reese's Pieces, Oreo cookie pieces, Twix, Rolos, strawberries, blueberries and chocolate and vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate fudge (aka awesomesauce)! It's always fun to get the yogurt home and get a layer into it only to be surprised when you get to something you forgot you put in there. YUM! I guess only a true fat kid could think this way. ;) Only thing I forgot were the sprinkles. Argh! Still not sure how I managed to forget the sprinkles. Geez! I forgot nanners, too! Guess I'll just have to go back sooner than I thought. There was just so much, I think I was too overwhelmed by my anticipation of a wonderful REAL sugar high. I'll overload on sprinkles and nanners next time. ;)

On a different subject, I found out the movie "What To Expect When You're Expecting" is due in theaters in a few months! May 18th actually. I am sooooooooooo super excitedly stoked that this movie comes out BEFORE I pop as I am sure my anxiety and nervousness (as well as my belly) will be on a whole different level by then. Of course by that time I will be finished with the book so it will be nice to have a funny spin on it. It looks relate-able and hilarious, I think even guys will enjoy it and includes some of my faves, Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks and Thomas Lennon. My goal after seeing the trailer to this movie: To be a magical pregnancy unicorn. :)

If any of you would like to join me for the movie, let's make a party out of it! I'll bring the fro yo. ;)

From Gummy Bear to Kung Fu Panda!

Had my first actual OB visit today! Felt a huge relief to be in an actual office and not an ER. Much more calm. :)

Apparently the baby has transitioned from gummy bear to kung fu panda! This kid was moving ALL over the place! Couldn't get it to stay still for anything. Arms all over, twisting and moving, apparently loves to dance! The doc had a difficult time taking measurements because of all the movement.

Baby's head on the right, leg stretched up
to the left corner.
Looks pretty comfy in there! Mid-kung fu kick!

Writtle head shot.

Based on the baby's size, doc says I am 15w5d. Basically the baby is due sometime between 7/30-8/5. (A Leo baby, and this is VERY good). I could not believe how much bigger the the little gummy bear has gotten. Well I guess I can, since I feel like a complete heffer and I am never full. But it was still so crazy to see.

I could have seriously watched the monitor for hours. I caught myself just lost in the screen, even though the doc was occasionally talking as he tried to get a good measurement. He sounded more like the Charlie Brown teacher in the background as I just watched the baby dance and move it's arms from side to side. I was so distracted. It was beyond amazing.

So since this baby thinks it's a little ninja, there was obviously too much movement to determine the sex, plus it's still a little early. Next ultrasound to determine sex is in six weeks!!! Umm yea, I don't think I can wait that long! I was ready to start planning the baby shower two weeks ago! :P We'll see. Might end up sneaking in an ultrasound just a little early.

Time to switch up the reading material!

This book has been SUPER helpful as I have absolutely no idea what I'm getting myself into. ;) I have found it pretty much covers every off the wall question I have had so far and it is soooo informative. Definitely a must read for any new mom.



Below are the most recent ultrasound pics of the little gummy bear, from January 10, 2012:

Great profile shot. Look at that nose! So cute!

See the teefs?!

Waving hello!

Baby dancing!

The baby was so active! This was mid-dance move.
Even kicked and crossed
it's legs a few times!

This was the office visit where the tech saw the "dot" and predicted the baby to be a boy, again, this was wayyy early. But I am extremely essited because I called my doctor's office yesterday and was able to schedule an appointment for tomorrow afternoon! I know it still might be too early to confirm the baby's sex,  but if a "dot" was seen 4 weeks ago, let's hope it confirms! Fingers crossed! :)))

14 weeks ---> 15 weeks ???

The baby is now the size of a lemon
(3 1/2 in, 1 1/2 oz)
and sucking it's thumb!

Found this little survey online and did some editing of my own to it. Not like anyone wants to know about leakage! And whether my wedding ring (which doesn't exist) is on or off. I'm assuming this one is because my fingers are going to swell? Oh. Em. Gee. Lil smokies for fingers. That oughta be fun. Pass the ketchup. :P

How far along? 14 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 7 pounds gained - up from 105 to 112. Seems to be going to the places where I was previously lacking so so far, I'm pretty ok with it. Translation: my boobs are HUGE! haha, to me anyway.
Maternity clothes? Nope & haven't purchased any yet. Still wearing my normal jeans and yoga pants.
Stretch marks? NO! I'm assuming prevention is key so I'm using Bio-Oil twice a day.
Sleep: Almost non existent. I'm lucky if I get a solid three hours. But I don't feel tired running on little sleep. Weird. Combine no sleep plus no caffeine and you'd think I'd be flat lined 24/7. Double weird.
Energy: Has definitely gone up since I hit the second trimester but one day of constant running around knocks me out for a good half day to full day after.
Best moment this week: Seeing the bump. Feel like it sprouted overnight. :)
Have you told family and friends: Yes.
Miss Anything? Too many things to list right now.
Movement: When I was laying down, I thought for a second I could see something moving in my tummy, but once I Googled, turns out that since I have some meat on my belly it was in fact my own heartbeat. Least no one saw my face turn red but me. ;)
Food cravings: MEXICAN ANYTHING and any time! Also, vanilla yogurt, frozen nanners, cereal, oranges, broccoli, frozen nanners, goldfish crackers (colored only) and did I mention nanners? Oh, and randomly, English muffins.
Food aversions: no desire for anything salty but that's nothing new. Other than that, I have strangely been turning my nose up at soup.
Anything making you queasy or sick: The smell of strong coffee. Makes me dizzy. I'm shocked.
Have you started to show yet: Yes, but people still don't know I'm pregnant til I tell them. I just feel chubby.
Gender prediction: I don't want to say what my prediction is because I am strangely superstitious. Of course I am happy either way but at the last office visit, the tech saw a "dot" and when she sees the "dot" she predicts boy. She's always been right. We'll see!
Labor Signs: Nope.
Belly Button in or out? In. You're telling me it's going to pop out???
Happy or Moody most of the time: Neutral.
Looking forward to: Finding out the sex! Also, a day without a headache would be wonderful.


I'll post the most recent ultrasound pics (from 01.10.12) next time BUT I did find this awesome onesie that will be the first purchase I make. Actually, I might just buy it right now. :)

(via wanelo.com)

First name: Gummy. Last name: Bear.

What makes a morning better than being handed a fresh cup of yummy hot, hot coffee? When that morning is Christmas Eve! :) Plus, coffee is always tasty, especially when made by someone other than me.

Mmm... coffee.

But this time I was only able to get one sip in. You probably know, I am in LOVE with Christmas but the baby wasn't aware of the smiles that the holidays bring (yet) so gummy bear decided to shake things up a little. From that sip of coffee on, the day was then in the hands of the baby.

I ended up spending what I think was almost eight hours in the emergency room in Cleveland after having severe cramps and a scary bleed. After waiting in the hospital room for what seemed like forever, and THREE ultrasounds later (not the fun kind, btw) I was told I suffered a subchorionic hemorrhage/threatened miscarriage. This was definitely the opposite of fun. The doctors gave me the least amount of information as possible and honestly did not make the pregnancy sound promising in any way. I was told my pregnancy was now high risk and I was to stay on bed rest indefinitely, until I could get home and see a doctor.

Not quite what I pictured for the holiday, but that was ok. I finally knew the baby was in there, alive and apparently stressed but doing alright for now.

Once back in Boston, I had the energy of a Slowsky. (You know, those Comcast turtles who are soooooooooo slow. Kind of like Comcast customer service. Anyway, back to the story). Basically I had ZERO energy and was weak all the time. I decided I should prob cut the caffeine at this point, even though I know caffeine while pregnant is ok, in moderation. I'm sure I have ingested enough caffeine over the past five years to last me the rest of my life, so a nine month break is really no big deal.

Constantly tired, I did my best to rest as much as I could. BUT baby again decided it was time to go back to the ER, only this time on New Years Day. (We really are going to have a serious talk about holidays once this child is old enough). ;) I suffered from the same hemorrhage and I can't say it was less scary than the first, because this time, I thought I was losing the baby.

This ER visit wasn't as long as the last one, but it was super nerve racking. Again, not how I imagined my New Years Day but it didn't matter. The holidays of 2011 had done a complete flip from how I pictured but I was only concerned with the health of the GB at this point. This ER visit ended up turning out with a more positive outcome than the first. I knew, again, that the baby was ok but still stressed, so that I had to work on. But this time, the ultrasound tech printed my first photos of the baby, and as you can see, this is why I refer to it as the "gummy bear." :)

01.01.12

01.01.12

Little more catch up...

Since I started the blog a little later than I would have liked to, there are a few more things to catch up you up on. Why I choose to do this so late at night, no clue. Actually, I do know. Sleep has become a chore more than anything as I can't seem to sleep longer than what would be considered a nap to anyone else. When I do sleep, the dreams/nightmares make the sleep not worth it. SO here I am. :)

A few early preganancy pics to post... As I know in a short while I will look back at these and feel anxious to return to my normal size. My pants are already fitting pretty snug and I haven't tried to put on my fave Express jeans yet cause I'm almost sure they won't button. So for now, I've been lounging in what I call my fat kid jeans, which are normally reserved for Sunday usage only (my lazy football watching while consuming an entire (calorie free) pizza days).

A progression from the date I found out (12/2/11, 4wks, 6days pregnant) through to last week...

    

    

                                                                                                                                         

       

Yea, yea. They all look the almost the same, right? Kinda. ;) I'll post a belly pic once a week from now on. Or try to anyway.



So because I plan on returning to my pre-baby figure as soon as I can (motivation: Kelly Ripa) I think I have spent more time looking at jogging strollers than any other kind of baby gear.

OR???

Once I know the sex, my window shopping habits will change and more than likely turn into a shopping extravaganza, managing to find baby clothes no matter where I go. Can't wait for that!

Oh, and I lied. In addition to jogging strollers, I've been Googling out of control for newborn Chucks cause the kid will be in those no matter what, boy or girl. Need to find some more unique designs but every color will be purchased eventually.

OR???

                                               

...A bit of backtracking to get the blog up to date...

All was happy and yummy at the usual get together for the Thanksgiving holiday, 2011. Surrounded by lots of tasty food, jokes and laughter, all felt normal. Except for the occasional dropped joke inquiring about when a new addition would be made to the family. Why did this give me a flutter in my chest? Add that to the slight error of accidentally parking in a “Reserved for Expectant Mothers” parking space that morning it was too much for me to brush off as quickly as normal due to the fact that my “dot” was a few days late. Passing it off as paranoia because it hadn’t really been long enough to worry, I tried to let it go. And enjoy extra turkey and mini pumpkin pie bites. Nom Nom.

Back in Boston and by December 2^nd I had realized, still no dot, not liking my normal 3-4 cups of coffee in the morning like I always enjoy… and instead of jumping straight in the shower once out of bed I was jumping face first into the toilet bowl. Oh wow. Time to get a test? Really?

Still passing everything off as possible paranoia and maybe a flu bug, I thought purchasing a test from the Dollar Store would suffice. Why pay for a super expensive test when it was just going to come back negative anyway? So as I grabbed some cheap (stay in and watch movies instead of freezing our arsses off in Boston) snacks and crafty stuffs to keep me busy, I quickly snagged a pregnancy test. I always thought these tests were kind of funny at the price of a dollar and they must never be accurate but thanks to Google, I thought I should give them more credibility.

Sure enough the Dollar Store test…

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? See initial reaction of Zoey & I...

It’s only a Dollar Store test, right? I wanted to immediately run out and buy more tests! After considering going to Turgett for a normal priced test, I thought it best to wait as the three minutes of standing outside the bathroom door waiting for the results actually feels more like three hours when you’re alone (Zoey wasn't much of a distraction chewing on her porcupeen).

This night, December 2^nd had already been planned and it was Christmas tree night! Only my favorite day of the year (outside Christmas day) so what better way to bring up the news than around everything that is Christmas?! J

I wrapped a little present and wrote a blurb to assist in relaying the news as I knew I would be too choked up to say it all myself. Inside the little gold take out box were the cutest teeny pair of Converse booties I’d ever seen…

Both of us still in disbelief, of course, we stopped for another couple of (not so bargain priced) tests on the way home. You know, just to be sure.

Annnnnnnnnnnd there it is! Looks like there is a baby brewing in there! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Spent the rest of the night decorating the Charlie Brown Christmas tree and floating on our happy news that there was in fact a new addition to the family, already on the way. <3