Thursday, December 1, 2011

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!

Monday, November 7, 2011

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.

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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!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

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!
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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!

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Our guests displayed their guess of the sex with either a bow or bow tie.
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It turns out only 3 guessed girl!
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And the rest guessed boy!
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My parents
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Theo's mom and stepdad
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My brother and his girlfriend
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Future great-grandmother!
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Here's my and Theo's mom cutting the cake.



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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.
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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.



Saturday, September 24, 2011

I need a nose plug

Theo came out of our bathroom with freshly washed hands, washed with liquid soap that smells like my prenatal vitamins... aka makes me want to gag. I keep forgetting to switch out that soap, but I never use it, I go to the kitchen. So I made him go wash his hands in the kitchen where the soap is scent free. Oh, the things he does for me :-)


Friday, September 23, 2011

11 weeks

How far along? 11 weeks
How big is baby? Size of a lime!
Total weight gain/loss? It seems to fluctuate
Sleep? Sleeping okay. Wake up very early every morning to pee. I think I'm going to need to break out the body pillow soon.
Best moment this week? In general the slow decrease of evening sickness has been great.
Symptoms? Fatigue continues. Nausea is getting much better, and starting a lot later in the evening. Sense of smell is starting to drive me crazy.
Food cravings? Just hungry all the time. Finding drinks that sound good have been hard recently.. soda is too sweet, water too boring. I figured out that decaf iced tea really hits the spot.
Food aversions? Nothing in particular.
Gender? Hopefully in 9 days!!
Labor signs? I'm going to say not applicable for first trimester
Belly button in or out? Innie!
What I miss? Salami/ hot dogs
What I'm looking forward to? Our NT scan when they can hopefully tell us the sex, and being able to come out to the world.
Weekly wisdom? Give in to the maternity jeans/leggings... they are so much more comfortable.
Milestones? Baby has fingernails :-)

Sorry for no picture this week! I have gotten a lot bigger in the past couple days, so I suspect the 12 week picture is going to be a big jump from the 10 week.

Monday, September 19, 2011

1st Anniversary 9/18/2011

I can not believe a whole year has gone by. Although the wedding itself feels like it was years ago, the actual year flew. It was amazing waking up today and thinking that at this time 1 year ago, I was getting ready to marry the love of my life. I am truly lucky to have this man to share my life with. It's been a great first year, and with teddy bear on the way, we know the fun has just begun.

I woke up to a gorgeous bouquet of flowers (presentation style because Theo knows how much I love that). He also had Starbucks and doughnuts waiting for me. That cinnamon dolce latte was a cup of heaven. It was my first caffeinated beverage in almost 7 weeks. This is coming from a woman that used to drink a cup of coffee every morning and some sort of caffeine every afternoon.
For dinner, we went to Gladstones in Malibu. It was the restaurant that Theo took me to the night he proposed. I had my first lobster and wow... I love lobster! We have been saying for at least 6 months that if we aren't pregnant by our anniversary, we will have a lobster dinner to treat ourselves since it's something I couldn't enjoy if I were pregnant. Luckily I found out that lobster is totally safe and has very low mercury levels!
We came home and had dessert with both our parents. We took the cake topper out of the freezer, but no one was willing to try it. It looks pretty gross!
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I'm so excited for what's to come in our marriage.

Friday, September 16, 2011

10 weeks!

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It's a bump!!

How far along? 10 weeks
How big is baby? Size of a prune! About 1.2 inches
Total weight gain/loss? Lost 2lb in the past week, so that's a 3lb gain total
Sleep? Needing lots of it. Still lots of naps and going to bed early with wanting to sleep in. Having strange dreams that I think are making me more tired throughout the day.
Best moment this week? Just getting to double digits! Woot!
Symptoms? Nausea every evening (starting to get a little better), frequent urination, fatigue, irritability, bloating, boobs are insane, appetite is starting to come back. I need to eat every couple hours so I don't feel crappy.
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? Same. Still not really feeling beef at the moment, oh and do my prenatal vitamins count as a food??
Gender? In 2 weeks and 2 days!
Labor signs? I'm going to say not applicable for first trimester
Belly button in or out? Innie!
What I miss? Starting to miss having something hot to drink in the morning, and I'm getting sick of hot chocolate. I think I'll go buy some decaf black tea today.
What I'm looking forward to? Our NT scan when they can hopefully tell us the sex, and being able to come out to the world.
Weekly wisdom? Eat every couple hours no matter what!
Milestones? Double digits! And the evening sickness slowly getting better. Also, I think I can feel my uterus above the pubic bone.