25 Weeks

How far along: 25 Weeks

Baby’s size: ~13.5 inches and ~1.5 lbs

Maternity clothes: Yes but loving that it's dress season now! So much more comfortable than squeezing into pants :)

Sleep: Doing pretty well here, still!! 

Best moment of this week: Celebrating 3 years of marriage to sweet Justin Wade. We did a few different things to celebrate through the week and weekend but the best surprise was receiving a GORGEOUS new wedding band from him on Saturday night. I will post a photo and more on that later, but it was very meaningful and such a precious gift as we celebrated our last anniversary as a family of two. I love him so much and am enjoying watch his paternal instincts come out full force. He has been working so hard on the nursery and getting things ready for his boy. Also a great moment this week was getting our glider/rocking chair in. It wasn't supposed to be in until  June, so we were excited to receive it early. After we got that, we were able to buy a changing table and several other things for the nursery so it's in really good shape! As in...it's pretty much almost finished :) Pics will come soon. 

Miss anything: Some of my clothes for sure!

Movement: A ton!!!! It's been really cool the past few weeks for Justin to be able to feel - and see - so much movement from the lil guy. This is by far the BEST part of pregnancy to me. I absolutely love feeling him move around and after seeing my Dr. for a quick checkup on Monday, I now know that his head is down (RIGHT on top of my bladder, thank you!) and feet are on the right side of my stomach, which would explain the specific movements I've been feeling in those areas. 

Food cravings: HOLY MOLY get me chocolate milk....ASAP!!!!! What's the deal?! Milk has always been a craving in my pregnancy: the coldness of it appealed to me as my heartburn has been pretty bad and it just sounded good. But lately...load it up with chocolate, baby. I could drink it by the gallon!! Gosh...my mouth is watering just typing about it. I seriously NEED it sometimes. Also, sweet tea tops the list (specifically, I am hooked on a Crystal Lite caffeine free lemon iced tea mix) and the usual - donuts, waffles, CARBS :) Wow...doesn't that sound healthy for baby? ;) Thank goodness for prenatals to make up for my shortcomings! I'm already anticipating a great detox and cleanse after he's born!

Queasy or sick?: Nope:))))

Have you started to show yet?: Oh yes! A guy in home depot was singing to my stomach tonight. Weird. 

Gender: Still a boy (and yes, I ask my Dr. every visit if it's still a boy in there!)

Belly button in or out: Out

Wedding rings on or off: On 

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy and the ocassional sappy/sentimental 5 minute cry that's usually cured by chocolate milk :)

Looking forward to: A getaway 'babymoon' trip we are taking in a month to Destin, FL where we will go to a dear friends wedding and beach it up for a few days :)

TYPSDWP (Things You Probably Shouldn't Do While Pregnant) Part TWO

1....Assume your body (belly) is personal propery anymore. It's very much not and at times will be labeled with a "Touch/rub/talk to me, please" sign in bright, flashing, neon lights. 

2....Be surprised when you wake up to find your husband either A) missing from the bed entirely and sleeping on the couch because of your squirming, barricade wall of pillows, incessant bathroom trips or newly acquired snoring habits (yikes!) -or- B) wrapped in a mummified cocoon, as seen below, thanks to newfound sleeping patterns with a pregnant woman. 

3....Act like you're not clumsy or a bit "off your A-game" every now and then. You will spill things, trip and randomly lose your balance and this should not shock you. However, think of this is a lesson in childhood preparation and learning to clean up large, sticky messes quickly. See broken work computer and photo #2 below. Note my personal takeaway lesson: go ahead and invest in sippy cups. Though baby will not use them for several months, they would clearly benefit my current lack of grace and carefulness.

4....Attend a Ranger baseball game and practice your parenting skills with a bag of kettle corn. Don't try to hold, rock, feed it a bottle and/or nurse it. Don't slouch and pull your maternity stretch pants up over your shirt if you're uncomfortable in the stadiums new and tiny seats, either. You probably won't end up on the jumbotron but a five year old "Honey Boo-Boo" lookalike sitting in front of you WILL try to take pictures and you never know where those will end up. 

5....Film your stomach in attempts to capture the movement or kicks you constantly feel and want to show others. It's pretty awkward to pull off filming yourself for that long without taking deep breaths that could potentially appear to be baby movement. Believe me, it will take you NUMEROUS attempts and the baby will inevitably always kick as soon as you stop filming. Then, once you DO capture what is to you a phenomenally miraculous moment, no one knows just how to respond when you text them the video along with an overly excited note: "I know it's suuuuper hard to see but JUST wait....at the 1:48, mark you WILL see a sliiiight up and down motion on the upper right hand portion of the screen. I promise it's there and it's not me breathing, just keep looking. SO COOL, huh?!" I'm telling you, it's best to keep these moments private and save yourself the potential tears of anyone not relishing in a video of what could easily pass for gas bubbles in your stomach for all they know. 

6....Let shopping or planning for the baby and all the changes life will bring stress you out. Stop and take a minute to smell the roses. Utilizing a plastic hand crane of course. 

7....Try and figure out the logical math behind a 1 pound baby causing weight gain in the double digits for you. It won't ever add up. And then, you just might have a conversation with a nurse while working and she will tell you that she only gained 18 pounds her entire pregnancy and lost it all 5 days after the baby was born. Your hormones might get to you and you might call her a name under your breath.

8....Let anyone - including the girl at the "To Go" counter - make fun of you for ordering copius amounts of food when you're staying alone in a hotel for work. If a half slab of ribs sound good to you.....then, they just DO. And you can't help that Chili's marketing finally got the best of your pregnant mind and appetite. (Not shown: chips & salsa and cinnamon apples...JK. But not really.) 

If you have any doubts I will run out of TYPSDWP, have no fear. Though my  journey is a little more than 1/2 way over, I anticipate plenty more tidbits to share to those expecting mama's out there in the upcoming months ;)

23 Weeks

How far along: 23 Weeks

Baby’s size: ~11 inches and around 1lb

Maternity clothes: Yes:)

Sleep: Minus waking up ~2x for bathroom trips, still doing well in this department!!

Best moment of this week: Going to the doctor and bringing my mom along to see him/hear his heartbeat. We received a great report - all looks to be developing healthy and normal! Saw all of his tiny fingers and toes and I'm just so incredibly thankful:)

Miss anything: Not really!!

Movement: Oh yes, lots! He continues to be a very active little guy!! I have even felt the hiccups a few times. 

Food cravings: No new changes here....craving milk, waffles, carbs :)

Queasy or sick?: I love being able to say no!

Have you started to show yet?: YUP

Gender: BOY! :)

Belly button in or out: I think I lied when I said I would always have an "innie." It's definitely not "in" anymore! 

Wedding rings on or off: On

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy happy :)))

Looking forward to: Enjoying the nice weather before it gets too hot! :)

21 Weeks

How far along: 21 Weeks

Baby’s size: ~10 inches, 1 lb or the size of a spaghetti squash 

Maternity clothes: Pants...absolutely. Can't wait to wear comfy, flowy dresses everyday. (must.tan.legs)

Sleep: Fall asleep fast & easy. Wake up throughout the night several times, though, and am thinking that large snakely looking pillow thing might be in order soon. :/

Best moment of this week: Feeling him move! So surreal. And watching Justin get so involved in the nursery. He's already done several projects including putting together the crib! So, if nothing else gets done these next 4 months, at least we know baby boy has a place to sleep :)

Miss anything: Lunchmeat. Odd, I know. But I haven't had a sandwhich since getting pregnant and I kinda miss them! 

Movement: YES! In the early morning and evenings (and sometimes if I sit real still in my car after lunch), I will feel him swimming around in there. No huge "punches" or "jabs," yet, but definitely can feel when he rolls or makes a big movement. I believe we will have an active little guy....;)


Food cravings: Nothing out of the ordinary - my appetite feels fairly normal!

Queasy or sick?: NOPE!

Have you started to show yet?: I think so but it's not quite a "bump" yet. I'm sure some people think it's just a few extra LBS around the waist. (oh, and hips and thighs:))

Gender: BOY! :)

Belly button in or out: Umm...still in, but it's widening. Weird.

Wedding rings on or off: On

Happy or moody most of the time: Very happy! 

Looking forward to: Continuing to work on the nursery and plan for his arrival!

Things you probably shouldn't do when pregnant...

1....Try to "fist pound" your brand new OB-Gyn out of excitment on the first visit. He may or may not reciprocate and give you a sympathy handshake instead. {honestly, what WAS my thought process, there?!}

2....Attempt push ups if you haven's in several weeks. The down is a lot easier than the up, now, and you might depress yourself. 

3....Expect to sleep in. Or through the whole night anymore. Dang bladder. 

4....Eat corn on the cob around a lot of people. Your gums will bleed, corn will turn red and it's a weird situation for all involved. 

5....Do this while at Home Depot: 

6....Let your husband do this while at Home Depot: 

7....Think that eating Whataburger fancy ketchup a la carte is a bad idea. Because it's not. It's awesome.

8....Choose a swimming lane at the gym next to an 80 year old man in snorkel gear. You'll laugh at him, but then he will laugh at you when he's swimming exponential laps around you. 

9....YouTube videos late one night on birth/live birth/breastfeeding because you think the more information, the better. Take my word for it...it's not. It's a total trainwreck you can't stop watching and really wish you could. 

10. Deprive yourself of water, wear boots with heels and stay up til 4:30 am while still battling 1st trimester nausea/existing neck pain and watching your husband play music in College Station. You might end up looking like this the next day. Probably not, but it's possible and I would suggest avoiding it: 

11. Eat a lot (as in, potentially the whole pan mostly yourself) of banana pudding. Wait....JUST KIDDING...eat a LOT of of it because dang, it's good, and your baby needs the potassium. And Nilla wafers. 

That's all for now. All you preggos out there, stay tuned for more inspirational words of wisdom and you're welcome in advance ;)

Woah, we're HALF way there...

I truly cannot believe I'm now at the mid-point of this pregnancy! On one hand, I feel like I have been pregnant forever and on the other...just a few days, still realizing that this is happening and there's a baby boy on the way! Coming whether we're ready or not ;) 

We love you, baby boy!! :))

19 Weeks!

(Obviously this is not a belly shot. I'll replace with one as soon as I snap one this week :))

How far along: 19 weeks. 

Baby’s size: ~6.5 inches, 10 ounces or about the size of a mango.

Maternity clothes: Some jeans…lifesavers! Why aren’t all jeans like these?!

Sleep: It’s going ok. No trouble falling asleep or getting comfortable but I wake up a lot through the night venturing to the bathroom. And no more sleeping in. Once I wake up in the morning, I’m UP.

Best moment of this week: Our 19 week appointment, seeing the lil guy again and his strong heartbeat (162 bpm). Also, we started a few elements of the nursery including ordering a crib/bedding, so that’s been fun!

Miss anything: My normal endurance/working out and being able to sleep through the night without having to take several trips to the bathroom. But I am thankful for this in a way because I know it’s God’s way of preparing me for being awake at all hours of the night come August! Oh and some of my pants/jeans…. :)

Movement: I have actually felt a FEW small flutters…what felt like a fish swimming through me, but they haven’t been regular yet, so it’s hard to know if that’s truly what they were.
Food cravings: I’m not really having any big cravings these days! Frozen yogurt and waffles have been sounding GREAT on a consistent basis but other than that, no major news here. OH…I guess, Coke. I have never been a big Coke drinker, but for some reason the fizziness sounds amazing, so I will occasionally get the urge for one and will indulge in a caffeine free version!

Queasy or sick?: No, thank goodness! 
Have you started to show yet?: In places I didn’t think I’d show first! :-O. But yes, though it is not round and perfect, there is definitely a bump.

Gender: 100% all boy! :) :) 

Belly button in or out: In…but stretching!

Wedding rings on or off: On

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy :) With the occasional emotional moment here and there. 

Looking forward to: Continuing to work on the nursery and settling on a middle name for this kiddo. We have a first name picked out that we LOVE! I also really look forward to every doctors appointment. It is so fun to see how he’s grown since the last visit!