Go us!

My mom and I went to the campus yesterday to get our walk on. We strolled the campus, and I even got my mom to try out some of the outdoor workout equipment that was recently installed. It was such a beautiful day to spend with my mommy. After our workout, we met my dad and Theo at our favorite sub shop, My Hero, just outside campus

24 weeks, Christmas!

Kinda realizing the bare belly and santa hat is a little creepy.

But whoa, huge change from last week, right? I'll probably say that every week now.

How far along? 24 weeks
How big is baby? Still about the size of a papaya. Which Thebump.com says is between about 10.5 to 11.8 and between 12.7 to 20.8 ounces (that's a big gap!)
Total weight gain/loss? I think I'm up a couple pounds from last week, ate too many Christmas cookies lol. I'll find out total weight gain on Friday at our every 4 week appointment.
Maternity clothes? I'm still trying to squeeze in the last of my stretchiest and longest t-shirts, mainly for work, but it's looking weird. I like saving my pretty maternity shirts for non-work stuff, but I don't think my regular ones are going to fit this week.

Sleep? Doing pretty good recently. Combination of the pillow fortress and humidifier have been doing me good. I know I'm flipping back and forth a couple times, but really only fully wake up once a night to pee.
Best moment this week? Christmas! We had an amazing weekend. I'll talk about this later.
Symptoms? Still back pain. Sometimes I feel him turning because my belly tightens up and I can feel a hard spot, then it relaxes. Also, he's been kicking my bladder like crazy. I will have just peed and then feel a spasm in my bladder. I'm almost certain it's his doing. Silly boy. Another new symptom for me is swelling. I noticed it on Christmas after we left Theo's parent's house. I took my socks off and there were huge indents where my socks were.

Food cravings? Still loving anything sugary (cookies, OJ, candy, Dr. Pepper, slurpees...etc) Perrier is my favorite drink right now, so that I don't drink soda, and get more water in.
Food aversions? None really, I'm eating almost everything
Gender? Still a boy!
Labor signs? No thank goodness!
Belly button in or out? It varies day to day from flat and almost non-existent, to bulging.
What I miss? I had a longing for salami this week. I miss those unhealthy processed meats, even though I didn't eat them that much before. I will allow myself a couple pieces on my sandwich from Jersey Mikes, and a very rare hot dog, but that's it.

What I'm looking forward to? Our OB visit this week. Not so excited about taking that glucose tolerance test, but I am anxious to hear how the little one and I are progressing.

Weekly wisdom? Not feeling wise today.
Milestones? Week of viability! But I don't want him getting any crazy ideas about coming out early.

Like I said, Christmas weekend was great. On Christmas Eve, both families came to my parent's house for dinner. My family did our 99cent gift exchange. (This was my mom's idea... everyone buys 1 thing at the 99 cent store for each family member) I think my favorite gift was the nursing pads my brother got me, hilarious. I gave Theo an early gift that was labeled, "To 'insert baby's name which is a secret' and Daddy, Love Mommy." First he opened socks that are the original socks used to make sock monkeys. I had to apologize that I never got around to making the sock monkey, but this was a start. Sock monkey was Theo's favorite childhood toy. Next, he opened a warm up suit that was embroidered, 'Northridge Volleyball.' At first, I think he thought it was for him, until he opened it up completely to realize it was baby size. I loved seeing him light up.

Christmas morning we had our traditional Cinnabon breakfast, and did our regular gift exchange. I got a Coach wristlet from my brother's gf. LOVE. I so badly needed a little black clutch. And I also think it's the perfect size to stick in a diaper bag, so I can easily take in and out my things. I picked my mom's name, and got her Born shoes in this quirky green color she loves. She's been searching for these shoes in her size, so it was exciting watching her open. Theo and I both got eachother sweaters and boots. My man certainly knows how to shop. My new Ecco boots are gorgeous. Plus, he picked out a nail polish for me... how cute is that? We did late Christmas morning with his family, and were back at that house later for dinner. We polished the night off with board games, a new one that was given to us by our friends for Christmas.

The day after Christmas was unusually warm. We set up a card table on our front lawn and played cards and board games. The sun felt so good.

23 weeks

Our little boy is quite the acrobat! He is flipping and flopping all over my tummy, and a lot more throughout the day. It takes my breath away when I'm walking around not expecting to feel him, and then there he is! Those little twitches we were able to see from the outside have turned into my belly doing full on waves. I can't tell which body part is doing the action yet though. He also loves dancing on my bladder. I'll be going along not feeling like I had to go at all, and then all of a sudden my bladder will spasm. I'm tempted to keep another pair of pants in my car, yikes!

Almost all our Christmas shopping is done. My hands have also been super busy knitting away for my family members. I may not finish all of them before Christmas, but I'm trying!

How far along? 23 weeks
How big is baby? About the size of a papaya. Which Thebump.com says is between about 10.5 to 11.8 and between 12.7 to 20.8 ounces (that's a big gap!)
Total weight gain/loss? Oh boy... I'd say 18lb over pre-prego weight, but only 14lb over my first weigh in at 9 weeks.
Maternity clothes? I love my maternity clothes. They are so comfy. I just added a few more long sleeve shirts to my collection thanks to an amazing deal at Gap. I really need to go today to get some new bras. The boobs are out of control! I'm officially up 2 sizes from my pre-pregnancy size.
Sleep? Not too bad. My pillow fortress and I have come to a happy place. I toss back and forth at least twice in the night, and get up once to pee. I can definitely see how this is preparation for crying baby in the middle of the night.
Best moment this week? Registering at Buy Buy Baby, well technically we did it in week 22. It was a ton of fun, and super exhausting. We walked around the store for about 3 hours!
Symptoms? The back pain is no fun. It's still on my left side and radiates to my front under my left boob. I get numbness and tingling there too. My doctor says it's nothing to worry about. The heating pad has seriously become my best friend. My new belly support band also helps a lot.
Food cravings? Sugar!! For the past 2 weeks I have been craving anything sugary. I'm trying really hard to keep it in moderation.
Food aversions? None really, I'm eating almost everything.
Gender? Still a boy!
Labor signs? No thank goodness!
Belly button in or out? Oh it's OUT! And you can see it through most of my shirts.
What I miss? I don't know that I miss it, but when everyone else is having a drink, I sometimes wish I could join in. No biggie. I kind of miss the flexibility in my mid section. I forget the belly is there sometimes, but then remember when I try to get Ruby's ball from under the couch.
What I'm looking forward to? I'm really enjoying every day right now. It's pretty exciting that next week is the time of viability... but of course he needs to stay for much longer than that.
Weekly wisdom? Wear supportive shoes. My Toms may be adorable with my outfit, but my back and feet don't think they are so adorable.
Milestones? Nothing in particular.

21 weeks!

21 weeks was pretty uneventful, but we did buy a Christmas Tree, a baby one! It was probably the worst night to go because the winds were out of control. But we had so much fun that night decorating the tree and house with lights. This will most likely be my last Christmas at my parents house, so I like that we're going all out.

Theo trying to control our tree that's ready to blow away. Sorry it's so blurry!

Cousin's wedding and Cirque du Soleil

On November 25th, aka 20 weeks, Theo's mom took us to Cirque du Soleil's Iris. It was absolutely amazing. I hadn't been to Cirque du Soleil since I was really little. It seems baby boy has already developed a love for music just like his daddy. He was bouncing all over the place during the show. I love feeling him experience these things with me.

This is my mom and I before we left for the show. By the way, my belly looks way bigger in person.

My cousin's wedding was the next day. I wore low heels the night before, and wore the same ones the next day. Needless to say, I was hurting. I'm just happy I listened to my better conscience by not wearing my 4 inch heels. The wedding was beautiful. I love weddings in general, but it's that much better when the couple are so obviously, perfectly, in love. I had tons of belly rubs from family members. I know some pregnant women hate it, but I love it. Before I was pregnant, I was fascinated by pregnant bellies, but I was always to scared to ask if I could feel. Now that I'm pregnant, I will tell someone they can feel if they have that look on their face.

I was dying for a sip of champagne, which I had. To be honest, the sparkling cider tasted a lot better. I do wish we would have danced though. Had my back not been killing by the end of the night, we probably would have. Let me tell you, Theo looked so good in his suit. No doubt I had the hottest date here. The best part? My date ended the night with me curled up in bed, feeling baby boy do his nightly exercises.

19-20 weeks

Oh boy am I behind!!

Between work being super busy and getting a yucky cold, I've had a really hard time setting aside time to blog. So here's a recap of the past couple weeks.

19 Weeks:

We got to see our little boy again at the anatomy scan! Because we were able to see so much at the NT scan, I didn't think there would be anything new at this one. Oh was I wrong. Every part of his little body were in much better detail and his face is a lot more defined. He's definitely gotten a lot bigger... duh. We also got a confirmation that he is in fact still a boy! Theo was having dreams that they were going to say their original prediction was wrong. I think the ultrasound tech was getting a little frustrated with his movements and the fact that he kept burrowing his face into the placenta. The doctor came in to review all the images, and told us he can safely say that baby boy is very healthy. He also said the placenta is out of the way, which means we vaginal delivery is looking good. The tech and doctor said he's not measuring bigger than normal for 19 weeks. At the end of the ultrasound all the measurements were listed on the screen and we could see the average measurement was 20 weeks 1 day. That's more than a week ahead! Theo and I left the appointment feeling all warm and fuzzy knowing that he is healthy.

Here's some new pics our little boy.

He definitely has Theo's nose and both of our big lips. I used to laugh when people would say a baby had their or their spouse's features... but it's true. That nose is undeniably Theo's. I think he's the most handsome little boy ever, but I guess I'm partial :-)

20 weeks:

Sorry I haven't taken my normal belly picture in a few weeks, but here is one from Thanksgiving.

How far along? 20 weeks

How big is baby? Size of a cantaloupe. At the anatomy scan, he weighed 11oz!

Total weight gain/loss? At the appointment last week I weighed 131. Which is about 9lb over my pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity clothes? The only non-maternity clothes I can wear right now are my work pants because they are draw string, and a couple t-shirts/long sleeve shirts only if I wear a long undershirt underneath.

Sleep? It's gotten a little better, and I wake up routinely at about 4 am to pee.

Best moment this week? Seeing my belly twitch. It was nuts to see the movement from the outside. We also have decided on a name!! But it's hush hush until he's born. This week we painted a tree in the corner of our room that his bassinet will be in. I really needed to do something like this to feel like we are creating a space for him despite not having a nursery. Hello nesting!

Symptoms? Attack of the hungry pregnant woman! Also been having backaches and occasional headaches.

Food cravings? None out of the usual

Food aversions? None really, I'm eating almost everything. Still can't take those original prenatal vitamins and have been on gummies instead.

Gender? Still a boy!

Labor signs? No thank goodness!

Belly button in or out? It has just barely poked out from it's hole. So weird and cool at the same time!

What I miss? Coffee, but I've allowed myself an occasional half-calf or decaf. Nothing regular though. After going to my cousin's wedding this week, I definitely missed having champagne. I sipped a little at the toast, and just tasting it was enough to satisfy my craving.

What I'm looking forward to? I love seeing my belly grow every day, so I always look forward to that and his movements.

Weekly wisdom? Thank goodness for heating pads! My back is very thankful.

Milestones? We're half way to meeting our little boy!

17 weeks!

What an amazing week it has been. We had a regular appointment with my Ob/gyn, and she said that my uterus is measuring 20 weeks instead of 17! She said he must be long. I have gained 4lb total so far. Also, she had the results from our 2nd blood test which showed the baby tested negative for downs syndrome and trisomy 18. The odds of him having those were about 1 in 25,000 and 1 in 100,000, which are fantastic numbers.

That night after 2 weeks of waiting, Theo finally felt our little guy move. I had a feeling he had gotten much stronger over the past couple days. Theo's face just lit up as the two of them connected. I'm so happy he can share this with me know. Every day the kicks are stronger and more frequent. Feeling him throughout the day makes my day so much better.

I had to stay home from work one day earlier in the week. I felt super lightheaded. My doctor told me I need to eat more often, watch the sugars, and eat more protein. I've been feeling much better since I've been working on that.

My belly seems to have exploded this week. All of a sudden my regular shirts aren't fitting well anymore. I've been rocking the maternity jeans or leggings with my regular shirts for weeks. It's a good thing we finally decided to order me some shirts from Old Navy Maternity last week. I really need them. Plus it seems people are really starting to notice the belly. It will be fun when I'm big enough that strangers will say something, instead of just stare and wonder.

How far along? 17 weeks

How big is baby? 17 weeks is the size of an onion, but if my doctor is right and he's the size of a 20 week old, then he's technically the size of a cantaloupe! Holy cow!

Total weight gain/loss? 4 lb gain

Maternity clothes? Oh ya. I've been in maternity pants for weeks, but now i'm needing maternity shirts.

Sleep? Having crazy dreams at night. Sometimes not sleeping great, but the body pillow is a savior. I don't know why I didn't sleep with it before pregnancy!

Best moment this week? Theo feeling the little one kick.

Symptoms? Lightheaded, headaches, hungry all the time!

Food cravings? Starting to get some sweet cravings, which is a big change from my salty appetite. I had a dream about doughnuts, so went and got some the next morning. Had a dream about caramel frappuccino, went and got a decaf one the next day.

Food aversions? None really, I'm eating almost everything. Still can't take those original prenatal vitamins and have been on gummies instead.

Gender? Boy :-)

Labor signs? No thank goodness!

Belly button in or out? Still innie, but boy is it shallow.

What I miss? I had a sip of champagne on Halloween, and it tasted so go good. That might be the first alcoholic drink I have when I'm done breastfeeding.

What I'm looking forward to? I look forward to his kicks every day. But we're definitely eager to see our little boy again in 2 weeks at the anatomy scan.

Weekly wisdom? Perrier is heaven in a bottle.

Milestones? Theo feeling little man kick!

Weeks 12-15 (gender reveal!)

What has happened in the past few weeks? Oh we have so much to share.

Week 12

This week brought the long awaited NT scan. Theo and I went in nervous and excited, just like the first ultrasound. Except with this one, we knew we would find out our baby's risk for different conditions, and if baby cooporated, maybe even the sex! The scan was at least 30min... 30 min of staring at our little one bop around on the screen. Our little bear was so active, it was making the tech work extra hard to get the measurements she needed. Theo and I were holding sweaty hands the whole time, our hearts racing every time she took a measurement, hoping she would say, "good," after each one. Then Theo just about broke my hand when tech said, "see that between his legs?" The tech and Ob had no doubt that our little one is a baby BOY! I did ask the tech, "don't they both have something down there at this time?" And her response was, "Who? Your baby and your husband? Yes, they do!" She then laughed and said that both boys and girls do have something, but boys are bigger and tilt up at an angle. Just like our little boy's does. His little face on the screen was just beautiful. I watch the video from this ultrasound at least once a week. We left the scan feeling amazing. We are having a boy, which we are both thrilled about, and he's doing amazing. All the measurements are within normal limits, and he was measuring 13 weeks 2 days, instead of 12 weeks 3 days... he's a big boy!

After the scan, Theo went straight to work, and I raced home to decorate the house for our gender reveal party. My friend Kelsie and her mom helped me bake the gender reveal cake at her house. Of course, I couldn't just make a boxed cake, I had to make some complicated concoction. It may have been a pain in the butt to make, but I think it turned out really cute!

Our guests displayed their guess of the sex with either a bow or bow tie.

It turns out only 3 guessed girl!

And the rest guessed boy!

My parents

Theo's mom and stepdad

My brother and his girlfriend

Future great-grandmother!

Here's my and Theo's mom cutting the cake.

Weeks 13-14

These weeks brought a light of normalcy. Although fatigue continued, I finally wasn't feeling the 'morning' sickness every night. I will take being tired over morning sickness any day! Week 14 also meant the start of second trimester! As morning sickness faded, my appetite came back with a vengeance. And how great it is! I absolutely love eating right now. Cravings have also started. First I could not get enough of hot fries... a kick back to high school days. But knowing how bad they are, pregnant or not, I have cut way back to just a few when I absolutely need it. Theo has made several evening trips to 7-11 for slurpees for me. I've also had a few cravings for ice cream which has surprised me.

Week 15

Was that a kick? On Friday, 10/21, I felt my little boy move for the first time. At first I doubted myself... it's too early right? But I felt the same movement 3 times that evening, and again at least twice a day since. It's ever so slight, but feels different than any other cramp, twinge, or gas bubble. The Ob that did my NT scan said the placenta is anterior, meaning I will probably feel the baby more than most do. Even though I know it's too early to feel the baby from the outside, I scream for Theo every time just in case. It's so sweet how he patiently waits with his hand on my belly. I can't wait for him to feel this too. Since the movement, I feel significantly more connected to my little one. It's the most amazing reminder that he's in there, growing strong.