29/30 Week Update

I was so good about updating on time for 1 week, yeah that's pretty much how it's been going around here. Busy, busy, busy.

With home projects, with work, with doing labor exercises (Bradley style), with going to the chiropractor, etc. It's been a crazy 2 weeks!

Last week we finally got our hardwood floors refinished downstairs and the carpet removed and hardwood installed upstairs. And I must say, it looks AMAZING (I'll have to share some pictures later)! I'm SO happy we did this, but it was a headache, let me tell you. 2 Sundays ago, we headed to my parents house to stay for the week while the floors were going in. Sunday night, I'm about to fall asleep and I get a work call around 11:00 p.m. I'll occasionally get off hours calls, but I hadn't for several months so I was not happy when I had to work from 11:00 p.m. until about 2:00 a.m. Then I can't fall back asleep because the bed we were sleeping in was a queen and it wasn't a very comfortable mattress. I need my space when I sleep and with the pregnancy pillow and one of my dogs, the queen bed just wasn't cutting it, so I hardly slept.

And of course had to work all day Monday. My dogs were also all wound up because they were stuck in the basement (my parents have another dog and 2 cats they didn't want around my dogs) and they had no place to run (my parent's backyard is basically all patio and pool with only a little grass, whereas we have about .5 acres in our backyard alone) Then, my mom falls out in the garage and I know something is wrong. My mother-in-law takes her to urgent care and it turns out my mom broke her foot. So now, I'm taking care of my mom, her pets, my pets, trying to work, cooking, walking all the dogs, etc. My dad was out of town for work and Nick was working all day so it was all on me. I don't think my mom understood that I work from home, and that doesn't mean I'm at her beck and call. I have to actually work a full workday, everyday, that's how I earn my living. 

I continue to not be able to sleep and eventually moved to another guest room to sleep by myself so I could sleep, which I didn't like and Nick didn't like because we don't like sleeping away from each other. Then the flooring guys called and they're a little delayed and we can't get into the house until Saturday. Well, we didn't end up getting back home until Saturday evening, and they didn't put any of our furniture back. So we had to assemble the bed, move back the dresser and nightstands, and all the while I'm cleaning off all the sawdust because they failed to cover our furniture while doing the work - GREAT. So now it's 2am on Saturday and because I'm SUCH A FREAKING PUSHOVER, we agreed to do brunch with my family the next day to celebrate my grandmother's birthday. Why we couldn't do this on Saturday when we were with all of them is beyond me. And I'm told I'm being selfish because I want to get the house back in order - the house we had been out of for a week. So then the rest of last Sunday was spent putting more things back together in the house. We still have a ton of work to do to get everything situated again, but we're having a painter come and we don't want to have to move things 2x, so we're waiting until the painting is done.

Then this week comes along and I cannot tell you how incredible it is to be at home and comfortable in our own space again. I feel for people who have to live with their parents for financial reasons or any reason whatsoever, because let me tell you, I love my parents, but I couldn't live with them to save my life. This week was productive because I finally chose the doula, we toured the hospital (which is beautiful), I had a great 30 week appointment, our first baby shower is this weekend and we get maternity photos on Sunday! 

So a MUCH better week!

Now for the 29 & 30 week pictures and update. 

29 weeks at my parents house

30 weeks back at home with a getting too small maternity shirt on - GREAT!

How far along? 30w4d 

Size of Baby: Cucumber

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +14 lb

Maternity Clothes: All the time, and some shirts are getting too short now, ugh, I didn't want to have to buy any more maternity clothes.  

Sex of Baby:  BOY!!

Belly Button In/Out: In, but very flat

Stretch Marks: Nope, actually a couple small ones on my boobs, but none on my stomach

Labor Signs: Nope

Movement: Oh yes, and I love every minute of it

Sleep: Still bad, still getting up to pee a lot and switching positions because of my back

Cravings/Aversions: Ice Water!

Symptoms: Back pain, hip pain, fatigue, frequent urination

Feeling: Excited and anxious. I'm so excited I'm getting closer to meeting him, but I'm anxious we still have a lot to do. Like we don't have ANYTHING for him right now except some cloth diapers, a couple sheets and bibs. 

Best Moment this Week: Hearing Hunter was head down at the MW appointment yesterday and that I'm the perfect candidate for a water birth!! YAY!! I'm sure tomorrow and Sunday will be awesome as well with the first baby shower and maternity pictures!

What I Miss: Still sleep

What I am Looking Forward To: Baby shower #1!!

Milestones: 10 weeks left!

Baby Milestones: Hunter is now about 15.7 inches and weighs about 3 pounds! He is very conscious of his environment and becoming more sensitive to light. He can now distinguish between artificial light and sunlight (so cool!) His eyes can move in their sockets and he is more attuned to sound, taste and smell. His lungs are working at near optimal levels (YAY!) At this point I'll be able to tell if he has the hiccups (tell me about it - he hiccups every day!)

Next Appointment: August 19 - 32 week appointment

28 week update

I'm actually posting this bump update on time this week - woo hoo! I'm actually on top of things for once!

It's been a busy week with getting things in the house ready for Hunter's arrival in 12 weeks - WHAT?! So we got the schedule for the hardwood floor guys who will be refinishing the mainfloor hardwood and ripping out carpet upstairs and installing hardwood and staining that. Also, they'll be sanding and staining the stairs the Nick built. Those guys are coming on Monday which means that we have to get all of our closets cleared out (HUGE task on it's own) and get movers to come in and move all the furniture to other areas of the house.

So one thing down and on track to finish by next week, FINALLY! Since the dust and stain fumes are not good for anyone, much less someone pregnant, we're going to go stay at my parents house for the week next week who live 40 minutes away. We'll be staying in my old basement bedroom (weirdness), but it's nice because it has a walkout to the backyard which is good for the dogs. My parents have cats and my dogs might attack if they saw them around the house, so my pups are going to be confined to the basement.

Meanwhile, the electrician is coming today, and should have been here by now to install a chandelier we have for the dining room, recessed lights in the family room (we've been living in darkness with 3 lamps for 4 years!), and a ceiling fan in our room and in Hunter's room.

We also have a painter coming today to give us an estimate because the guy who does the electrical work doesn't patch up holes in drywall or paint where he does his work, so we'll need that fixed.

Things on the house front are coming along!

Things on the baby front are also coming along great as well. I've decided to not go with the doulas associated with my midwives because there is a chance of me having 1 of 4 doulas and if my labor goes long they would switch. Also, they wouldn't come to my home and I plan on laboring at home for a really long time before going to the hospital. I really wanted personalized attention and I wanted to find someone I connected with, not use someone connected with the midwives. So we've decided to find a doula outside of the MW practice. I've found 3 that I really like and who have been recommended by my Bradley teacher, so I'm interviewing all of them in the next several days. What's great about them is they'll give me 2 prenatal in person appointments, I can call and email as much as I want prior to my due date. They're "on call" for the 2 weeks prior to my due date (and up until I give birth) and she'll come to our house and help me labor at home, will be with me through my entire labor at home and in the hospital, will help with breastfeeding and will do a post partum appointment. That sounds MUCH better to me than a less personalized approach. Doulas aren't cheap, but Nick and I talked about how this birth is something that we'll remember forever and I want it to be an almost spiritual experience and I want to be set up for success and a doula will be critical to that. I'm super excited to meet them and find someone.

Other than that, I've been going to the chiropractor for my back issues and she's helping there, I've slowly been ordering things for Hunter's room and I'm getting excited for our first baby shower and maternity photos in a couple of weeks!

Now, after another long rambling blog post, my picture and update!

Man has my bump grown since last week!!

How far along? 28w2d 

Size of Baby: Eggplant

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +11 lb

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes, mainly tanks and maxi skirts or skirts during this hot weather we've been having. It's finally gotten more comfortable, but that's my signature maternity summer wardrobe. 

Sex of Baby:  BOY!!

Belly Button In/Out: In, but getting flatter by the day

Stretch Marks: Nope

Labor Signs: Well I did have those contractions last week, but labor is no where in sight, thank goodness!

Movement: Yes SO much - Hunter is such a little mover. He's constantly shifting or kicking. This morning I thought he was trying to escape, my whole belly was undulating and he wasn't letting me sleep past 6:30 a.m.!

Sleep: Still bad, I toss and turn and get up to pee a lot (like 5x a night a lot - it's BAD) 

Cravings/Aversions: I'm all about the ice cream right now, oh and ICE cold water, with TONS of ice in it - I love it! 

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks, back pain, hip pain, fatigue

Feeling: So excited to be in the 3rd trimester and so excited to see Hunter's little face!

Best Moment this Week: I love feeling him move and shake and he just seems so strong in there!

What I Miss: SLEEEEEEPPPPP

What I am Looking Forward To: Getting this electrical work done and the floors done next week!

Milestones: 3rd trimester!!

Baby Milestones: Hunter is now about 14.8 inches and weighs about 2.2 pounds! His brain is developing its folds and grooves and he continues to add layers of fat to his body (get fatter little man!). His muscle tone is also improving (tell me about it!) which means increased movement which might wake me up at night. His testes are descending this week as well. 

Next Appointment: August 8 - regular midwife appointment

27 weeks - sorry I've been MIA

LONG BLOG POST AHEAD!!

Oh man, it's been a REALLY long time since I've blogged. We've had several really crazy weeks and I feel like things are finally settling down a bit.

Right before our wedding road trip extravaganza - like literally the Monday before we left, the woman who was supposed to cover all my work while I'm out on maternity leave submitted her 2 week notice - cue major freak-out/breakdown. So basically I needed to find someone to replace her, then get them trained and up to speed for their permanent role, then train them to take over my lead position and also hire someone temporarily to take over the position they would be vacating for several months. Essentially it's an extremely stressful situation. All of this happens right before I'm going to be out of the office for 12 days - GREAT timing.

I think I had mentioned before that we had 2 out of town weddings 2 weekends in a row which was crazy enough in itself. But what's even crazier is one wedding was in MN and the other wedding was in WY and we decided it would be a good idea to road trip to MN, go to that wedding, then road trip out to WY with a stop at Mt. Rushmore one night and then hit up that wedding in WY (that I was a bridesmaid in) and then drive all the way back to Chicago.

Phew! Are you exhausted reading all of that? Because it makes me super exhausted again just thinking about it. So I'm 25 weeks pregnant as all of this is occurring, approaching 3rd trimester and I'm EXHAUSTED. Let me tell you, all the driving and the staying up late for weddings and all the freaking wedding activities my best friend packed into a 4 day weekend really did me in. But here are a couple pictures from the MN wedding and the WY trip and wedding I wanted to share. Then I'll talk about the excitement/scaring the shit out of me stuff that happened this week.

Before the wedding at 24w5d

Before the ceremony with Nick

Brother and SILs - and my nephew

At the hotel before the wedding

Mt. Rushmore at night

In Front of the Grand Tetons at 25 weeks!

Jackson Hole Town Square

The Tetons

Prom pose in front of the Tetons

After the exhausting wedding week, I get back to work to have 1 final week with the woman leaving. Luckily we found someone to replace her quickly and started her transition, but it's still really stressful only have a limited amount of time to get her up to speed before I'm out for several months.

So that was last week. Then this past weekend, I start freaking out again because we still have a LOT of projects on our list and we decided we were finally ready to get the nursery furniture and glider orders. Cue another anxiety/panic attack when I learn that the nursery furniture isn't going to be delivered for 10-12 weeks and the glider won't be delivered for 10-14!!!!! REALLY PEOPLE?!?!?! DO THEY NOT UNDERSTAND PEOPLE ORDER THESE THINGS WITH A DEADLINE IN MIND?!?!?! Now I know Hunter's room doesn't need to be ready before he comes since he'll be sleeping in our room for the first couple months, but I really wanted everything set up and organized BEFOREHAND. So I start to spaz out about that a bit and Nick suggests we go for a nice relaxing walk at a local park with a lake for me to calm down. So we do and it was really nice, but we walked a LOT, like almost 4 miles and it's really hot here in Chicago right now. Then on Sunday I decide I want us to go figure out closet organization for Hunter as well so we were out and about all day Sunday and then had to get the house cleaned and picked up for the cleaner, so we were really busy.

Then Sunday night rolls around. And I start feeling a bit weird. Hunter really hadn't been moving a lot on Sunday and I was already worried about that, saying I was calling the MW in the morning, then I start feeling period type cramping and then tightening. And I knew what was happening. I was having contractions. GREAT. I was thinking they were just Braxton Hicks, so I went to bed Sunday night thinking they'd go away by Monday morning. Unfortunately I got woken up at 5am Monday morning with another contraction and I knew something wasn't right. I waited about 20 minutes and when I felt another one I called the MW. The MW told me to drink some water and eat a light breakfast and if the contractions didn't go away to head straight to L&D. Of course the contractions didn't go away so off to L&D I went. Nick couldn't come with me because he had a surgery that morning so I was all alone. I could have called my mom but it was really early and I wanted to see how serious it was before waking people up.

I got to L&D around 7:30 a.m. and got hooked up to monitors and it was confirmed that I was having contractions. The good thing was that Hunter sounded great and was moving around a lot. Now the big question was, are those contractions doing anything to my cervix. About 20 minutes later the MW comes in and we chat. She wants to do an internal exam and do a test called the fetal fibronectin to see if I'm going to go into labor in the next 2 weeks. I go in for the exam which was SUPER uncomfortable but it was confirmed I wasn't dialated at all - GREAT news! Now we just had to wait for the results of the test. In the meantime I'm still contracting, but the contractions aren't intense or strong, so I don't really feel them at all. The test luckily comes back negative and I'm told I might just be a contractor during the 3rd trimester and this might be my norm.

All in all, I was in L&D for about 7 hours. It was NOT fun and I don't want to go back for another 13 weeks. The contractions stopped Monday night and I haven't had any since. I've been told to take it really easy - so no more 4 mile walk
s and no more stressing out about house projects, nursery furniture or work. I have to keep calm to keep cooking my little boy.

So after that crazy beginning of the week, here I am. 27w3d pregnant (officially in the 3rd trimester) and we're crossing more projects off our list. The electrician comes next week, we're signing a contract to get the hardwood floors started on and are contacting painters.

We also scheduled our maternity photos to be taken on August 11 when I'm 30 weeks and that's the same weekend as my first baby shower.

Things are looking up and Hunter is getting bigger and stronger and kicks me every single day. I'm so in love with him, and I haven't even met him yet.

Here I am at 27 weeks. I'm not going to do my update since this post is SUPER long already. Congrats if you've hung on this long!

23w4d

I cannot believe I am almost to viability day! Today marks 23w4d and I couldn't be happier! With each week that passes, I fall even more and more in love with my son and just cannot wait to hold him in October.   I already have this tremendous amount of love for this little being that I can only picture my heart bursting with love when I actually get to meet him. His kicks and rolls are a great comfort to me when I'm feeling anxious or stressed and I feel my little boy, he brings such a big smile to my face.

Preparations for his arrival continue to be underway! This weekend we're finally going to register and my mom is going to join us. When we get back from our trip next week for 2 weddings (1 in MN and 1 in WY) then we'll order the nursery furniture and start the work on the floors. The goal is still to have the nursery completed by the end of August, but we'll see.

I also learned this past week that I'll be having 3 baby showers! Which I think is way too many but people are insisting on it. 1 is being thrown by my sister and my mom, another is being thrown by Nick's family up in Wisconsin and the third is being thrown by our parent's neighborhood Bible study group. I feel so blessed and spoiled to have all of these wonderful people in my life who want to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Hunter. Now, I just need to figure out what gifts I can get them as big thank you's!

Ok, on to my weekly check-in and bump update.

The start of my cloth diaper stash!!

How far along? 23w4d 

Size of Baby: Grapefruit

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +6 lb

Maternity Clothes: Yep!

Sex of Baby:  BOY!!

Belly Button In/Out: In, but getting flatter by the day

Stretch Marks: Nope

Labor Signs: Nope

Movement: Yes and I love every minute of it

Sleep: Still bad, I toss and turn and get up to pee a lot

Cravings/Aversions: I'm really liking Thai food and still on the fruit 

Symptoms: RLP, back pain, peeing all the time like usual

Feeling: Thankful, happy, in love with my baby

Best Moment this Week: Just feeling Hunter continue to move 

What I Miss: Sleep and I did miss alcohol yesterday after a SUPER stressful day at work, but instead I indulged in pizza and Ben and Jerry's ice cream

What I am Looking Forward To: Registering tomorrow and getting the nursery all set up. Also - our trip next week to MN and Wyoming!

Milestones: Almost to v-day!

Baby Milestones: Hunter is now about 11.4 inches (almost a foot!) and weighs about 1 pound! He continues to accumulate fat and drink in amniotic fluid. His sense of taste is mature along with other senses such as touch and hearing. His lanugo is growing darker and his fingernails are almost fully formed. Over the next few weeks he will gain significant weight and almost double in size! And I'm sure I'll grow a lot too! His ears are starting to develop as the three main bones and are hardening  This means he can listen to sounds but his brain is still developing rapidly. His important organs are also developing quickly. The pancreas is maturing and he now has sweat glands. 

Next Appointment: July 10 - regular midwife appointment and GTT next week 

22 weeks - 1 week late

I've been a bad blogger lately and blogger wouldn't let me save my post last week. So here is my post from last week. I'm hoping to get to the 23 week post this week sometime soon. Things have been crazy trying to get all these projects done, I feel like I have no time for myself between work and projects!

And the damn dryer and fridge in our house decided to crap out within a week of each other so we had to get those ordered from Lowe's and they just came in yesterday. And I'm getting ready for my best friend's wedding over July 4th out in Wyoming and things are just insane!

But I need to post my 21 week picture and my 22 week picture and update because I really want to document this pregnancy. It seems like things are just flying by.

And here I am at 22 weeks. Not much difference but I'm feeling myself getting bigger. I also had some really nasty round ligament pain last week and went to the midwife it was so bad. She said I'm just going through a growth spurt and Hunter is a-ok. 

How far along? 22w4d - well I was when I tried to publish this damn post! Now I'm 23w0d

Size of Baby: Papaya

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +6 lb

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes

Sex of Baby:  BOY!!

Belly Button In/Out: In, but getting flatter

Stretch Marks: Nope

Labor Signs: Nope

Movement: Yes! He's been a little mover and shaker this week and I can clearly feel him from the outside now too. It's awesome!

Sleep: I'm convinced I'm never going to sleep again

Cravings/Aversions: A lot of fruit and steaks - so weird

Symptoms: Bad RLP, back pain, peeing all the time like usual

Feeling: Really good. I really like being pregnant

Best Moment this Week: Feeling Hunter move from the outside, it's SO cool

What I Miss: SLEEEEPPPPPP

What I am Looking Forward To: Getting the nursery all set up

Milestones: Officially more than 1/2 way through this pregnancy - woo hoo!!!!!

Baby Milestones: Hunter is now about 10.9 inches and weighs about 12 oz. although 2 weeks ago he was 11 oz. so I bet he's over 12 now. He's developing the senses he'll use when he joins us. Taste buds have started to form, his brain and nerve endings are also developed enough he has a sense of touch (SO COOL!). His testes have begun to drop from his abdomen and his heartbeat could be hear with just a stethoscope now instead of a doppler  

Next Appointment: July 10 - regular midwife appointment but I need to do my Glucose test earlier than that

Half baked and A/S

Every time I say or hear that phrase I think of the movie "Half Baked" and don't think of being 20 weeks pregnant I think of a bunch of stoners. Which is why I always giggle when I hear that phrase and use it myself because it has double meaning.

Well here I am, half baked, and by that I mean 20 weeks pregnant, not stoned - lol!

I really can't believe I made it this far. It always seemed so far away to me sometimes and now that it's here I'm like where did the time go? These next 20 weeks are going to FLY by and we have so much to do before Hunter gets here and I'm SUPER stressed about it. To provide you with my level of anxiety, please see the list of things we need to accomplish (Nick doing most handywork) below:

• Finish stairs (build railing, install risers and moldings, then stain)
• Pull up carpet upstairs and install unfinished hardwood
• Have hardwood guys come in while I'm at my parents and sand and stain the hardwood upstairs and we're doing downstairs too so it's all the same color
• Install closet system in nursery
• Install window coverings in nursery
• Install wainscoting in nursery
• Paint nursery
• Buy nursery furniture and bedding (no crib bumpers)
• Buy decor and rug for nursery
• Get nursery set up
• Register for baby stuff
• Get nursery organized after showers

I'm sure I'm forgetting somethings but you get the gist. It's a LOT of shit we have to do and I'm starting to freak out a little. I have to keep telling myself to breathe and it'll get done!

Yesterday was our anatomy scan and it was AWESOME! Hunter was so cute and wiggling around but not too much that they couldn't get measurements. They got all the measurements and pictures they needed and I think the coolest one was his heart. You could see all the chambers pumping away and the tech said that his heart was textbook and you couldn't ask for a better view of it! Yay Hunter! And yes, he is still most definitely all boy! SO excited to meet him in just 20 short weeks!

How far along? 20w2d

Size of Baby: The Bump says a cantaloupe, the app on my phone says banana, but the bump says 21 weeks is banana - oh well - lol 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +4 lb

Maternity Clothes: Oh yeah and wearing tons of maxi skirts and tank tops

Sex of Baby:  BOY!!

Belly Button In/Out: In

Stretch Marks: Nope

Labor Signs: Nope

Movement: Yes! I love it. It feels more like rolling than jabs at this point, but I know the jabs are coming. 

Sleep: Sucks. I can't get comfortable and I pee all the freaking time

Cravings/Aversions: Still fruit and now salads, which is good, I'm making up for eating all carbs during 1st tri 

Symptoms: Fatigue, peeing (like peeing 30 times a day, like peeing once and then 5 minutes later having to pee just as badly as the time before) - Nick thinks it's hysterical, RLP, back pain, headaches. 

Feeling: So great. I love being pregnant with this little guy!

Best Moment this Week: Seeing Hunter at the A/S and hearing that he is healthy and everything looks great. Oh and he's a little heifer at 11 oz already!

What I Miss: Sleeping through the night (same as the past several times, but I really do miss it)

What I am Looking Forward To: Buying nursery furniture this weekend and registering!

Milestones: Hitting 20 weeks. 20 weeks to go!

Baby Milestones: Hunter is now 6 - 6.3 inched long from crown to rump and weighs about 9 oz (though he was 11 oz yesterday!) His skin is thickening and starting to form 2 layers, the epidermis and the dermis. His hair and nails are also continuing to grow. His bones are continuing to harden and I should start to feel him more and more!

Next Appointment: June 12 - regular midwife appointment

4d picture of his cute little face! It looks like he's smiling!

18 weeks and Mother's Day

I had a really difficult time during Mother's Day, last year especially. When all I wanted more than anything to be a mom and there was a day dedicated to moms. A day where kids and dads are making breakfast in bed or taking her out to brunch and celebrating her by participating in her favorite activity. It was like a knife to the heart last year and to be honest I find it to be really exclusionary.

Fast forward to this year and I still feel a bit of the same during Mother's Day. I think it's exclusionary. There are a lot of women who aren't Moms for a lot of different reasons (IF, loss, give up for adoption, child free by choice and not by choice, etc.). I also think that one can be a "Mom" without having given birth to a child. Basically there is a large variety of mothering and I think that should all be celebrated.

Even though I'm not completely on the other side, it still felt weird to be "celebrated" in a sense. I'm showing now and I had people saying "Happy Mother's Day" to me. It was really strange.

We did surprise my parents that we're having a boy though and that was incredible! When my mom was opening the gift (the picture of me in front of the "It's a Boy" chalkboard) she looked up at me all teary eyed and said "Really, are you serious?" When I confirmed that, yes, I was indeed serious, she burst into tears, shoved the picture to my dad who started to tear up and my sister and BIL were clapping, it was awesome! Then we told them his name - Hunter Stephen, and my dad started to mist up even more. Stephen is my dad's name and he just kept saying, "I'm so honored, thank you so much" It was such a great moment. I had said before I didn't have a chance to surprise anyone with anything this pregnancy and when I finally pulled something over on them, it was so great!

My MIL was out of town but we left the gift at her house. I'm kind of glad I'm not seeing her reaction because she really wanted us to have a girl. I also told my SIL and BIL and my SIL I think was secretly really happy we weren't having a girl (because she wants to be the one to give my MIL the girl) and masked it as, oh I'm so happy that your nephew will have a playmate close in age (a little over 2 years apart).

Now, picture and update time. I went maybe a little crazy this weekend and got a couple outfits for Hunter, some swaddles and bibs and also got my diaper bag!! It's one I've been eyeing forever and I had a really nice giftcard to Nordstrom so I thought I'm going for it. Also, I've started our cloth diaper stash as well!

So much to share!

How far along? 18 weeks

Size of Baby: The Bump says a sweet potato

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +1 lb

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes and I got more this weekend (notice the blouse?)

Sex of Baby:  A little BOY!!

Belly Button In/Out: In

Stretch Marks: Nope

Labor Signs: Nope

Movement: Maybe a little, but I'm not so sure yet. Sometimes I feel like fluttering, but it doesn't last very long and I don't feel it every day. I think in the next couple weeks I'll feel more. 

Sleep: Sucks so much because I get up to pee at least 4 times a night. UGHHHHH

Cravings/Aversions: Lately I've been all about the fruit, especially peaches and cherries

Symptoms: Fatigue, peeing, RLP, back pain, hip pain, headaches, dizziness. I almost fainted the other day and went to the Dr. and all is well with Hunter. 

Feeling: Really good and very excited! I'm getting closer to the halfway mark which is when we said we would start to register and go look for nursery furniture which is exciting. I'm just really happy and grateful. 

Best Moment this Week: Surprising my parents and letting them know they're going to have a grandson in October!

What I Miss: Sleeping through the night (same as last week, but really I miss it). Also, wearing all my wedding rings. I have two wedding bands and my engagement ring in the center and my fingers are swelling so much that I can't wear all 3. Sometimes I can't even wear the engagement ring, so I'm wearing one wedding band only right now. I'm sure being pregnant during the dead of summer is going to be delightful!

What I am Looking Forward To: Movement and meeting my new midwife on Wednesday! I hope I like her. 

Milestones: Getting closer and closer to half baked and V-day. With each week that passed by it feels more and more real like this is really happening!!

Baby Milestones: Hunter is now about 5.5 inches long from crown to rump and weighs almost 7 oz. (that's 4 oz more than 2 weeks ago - grow Hunter grow!!!) He is flexing arms and legs, which I'll be able to notice more in the next couple weeks. His blood vessels are visible through his skin and his ears are in his final position. A protective covering or myelin is beginning to form on his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after Hunter is born.

Next Appointment: May 15 - 1st midwife appointment, then Anatomy scan should be next week. Looking forward to seeing Hunter again!

Some footed onesies with hats

Swaddles and Burp cloths/bibs

Cloth diaper stash and other gifts (I need to get organized instead of keeping all this stuff in the office!)