18 weeks

This post is a bit late.... I have been knocked on my back the past few days with a nasty, nasty cold. Sore throat, headache, congestion, terrible cough, the whole bit. I've pretty much been asleep for the last 48 hours straight because being awake is miserable. I've tried hot steam showers, vapor rub, hot water with lemon and honey, cough drops and lots of fluid, but I can't seem to kick it. Nothing like being pregnant AND sick. So forgive me if this post is a little less than cheery.

How Far Along: 18 weeks, 3 days

Size of the Baby: Sweet Potato, 5.6 inches, 6.7 ounces
Weight gain/loss: Not sure. Feel like I lost again, though.
Sleep: Having trouble finding a comfortable position this week :-\ but still got a lot of sleep thanks to that pesky cold.
Best Moment of the Week: Pregnancy related? I'm not sure. It's been a fairly uneventful week. But I did have a really awesome birthday :) And my godmother sent me the cutest little maternity dress and sweater combo. It's so hard to find cute maternity clothes! Thanks, Malinda :)


Movement: still no :( I shouldn't be worried, right?
Symptoms: not many this week, but it's also possible I couldn't tell because it was masked by all the cold symptoms. The ever-present heartburn was pretty bad over the weekend.
Food Cravings: ice cream? Not much of an appetite this week.
Gender: Team Green
Belly Button in or out:  In
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Eggs. Hans made hardboiled eggs last week and I thought I was going to throw up every time I opened the fridge.
Labor Signs: Still no.
Wedding ring on or off: On.
What I miss: NyQuil. Gosh, I missed Nyquil this week. It's really hard to knock out a cold with just hot lemon/honey water and vapor rub.
What I am looking forward to: Again, not pregnancy related... but we have a fun weekend coming up! We are going to Houston for Hans' high school best friend's wedding (H is a groomsman) and for baby Ryan's blessing. I'm excited for all the fun and because it'll help the time go quicker until our next appointment (and take my mind off the waiting). Distractions are good :)
Nursery: Paint and texture are done, baseboards are on, tonight and tomorrow we should be adding the chair rail and painting the trim and doors. Finally making progress!
Emotions:  lethargic. And a little anxious. Yesterday my stomach felt different... before it felt huge and kinda hard and springy (if that makes sense) and then yesterday it felt much smaller and softer. And my heartburn went away yesterday... I was worried I didn't feel pregnant anymore!
Stupid things I have done: hmmm... i actually cant think of anything! though this morning I did try to straighten a picture on the wall in my bosses office, knocked it off, tried to grab it and knocked another one off, both of which landed on some glasses on the coffee table below and shattered them. I don't think I can blame that one on pregnancy brain... just good ol' fashioned clumsiness

A happy birthday, indeed

Despite what Hans has been telling everyone, I did not, in fact, turn 29 yesterday. I am happily 28, thankyouverymuch.

It was a completely uneventful, borderline boring birthday - in otherwise, absolutely perfect. I had a quiet, stress-free day at work during which my sweet hubby had some gorgeous flowers delivers... isn't he so good?

After work we enjoyed a delicious birthday tradition - dinner at PF Changs.

Then we spent the rest of the evening on the phone catching up with my dad, brothers, grandma and Hans' brother. It was a lovely day and I went to bed feeling very special and loved. Thank you all!

17 weeks

How Far Along: 17 weeks, 3 days

Size of the Baby: Onion, 5.1 inches, 5.9 ounces
Weight gain/loss: According to the doctor, lost a pound since last week? I think that's probably just water weight.
Sleep: Not as sleepy! Just sleeping hard, still having weird dreams, and having trouble waking up.
Best Moment of the Week: I don't know about "best," but this made me giggle a little: I was in HEB, in the ice cream aisle. I was trying to get some cookies and cream (the pint size Blue Bell) and of course it's on the top shelf and almost gone, so it's pushed all the way back to the back. So here's this pregnant lady in the ice cream aisle staring mournfully at the top shelf ice cream when a nice, and tall, man came up and offered help. Could I BE any more cliche? (read that in Chandler Bing's voice).


Movement: Still no! I'm getting impatient ;)
Symptoms: Still tons of heartburn - I don't think that one's going anywhere. Had some headaches this week and the round ligament pain has been kicking in like crazy - guess baby is having a growth spurt or something.
Food Cravings: not really any this week. Milk. Just want to drink lots of milk.
Gender: Team Green, but faltered a little bit in Baby Gap this weekend. Just so many cute dresses! But this is why we're not finding out.
Belly Button in or out:  In
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Chicken, mostly. But I've noticed that after dinner, if I can still smell the food it makes me queasy. I have to eat it and then not smell it again.
Labor Signs: Still no.
Wedding ring on or off: On.
What I miss: Finding a comfortable position to sleep in. I don't mind my side so much, but I miss my stomach and sleeping on my back makes me wake up, even though I somehow keep ending up on my back
What I am looking forward to: Those first movements - I want to feel baby!
Nursery: That turned out to be a bigger project than we expected. We finished the joint compound (two layers) and smoothed it out and painted it and then.... decided it looked terrible. It just showed every little bump and trowel mark. So ugly. So we went to Home Depot and bought orange peel wall texture in a can. Four cans later, there's some texture on the wall. We re-painted it last night and hopefully now it'll look decent. Then all we'll have left is trim and then we can start decorating :)
Emotions:  Pretty even this week, shockingly. A little weepy, but not bad. Definitely cried when Edgar fixed my car on Saturday (I was so happy!) and cried while holding our friend's new baby Maverick on Sunday (he's a beautiful baby)
Stupid things I have done: Ugh. My stupid car. I went to Aaron Brothers last Thursday to find a frame. I was inside for maybe 15 minutes and came back out to discover I'd stupidly left my lights on and my car wouldn't start. Hans left work to come jump me, but did I mention it was pouring rain that day? So we're standing outside in the rain trying to jump the car and the water drops falling on the hot engine are smoking. It wasn't pretty. We got it started, but something was still wrong. It would coast forward, but pressing down the gas pedal did nothing. Our wonderful friend Edgar came out to look at it on Saturday and found a blown fuse, which he fixed (thus the happy-cry) and we were able to drive it home. But Monday morning, it wouldn't start again. We've now replaced the battery and it seems ok. I think it was a dead battery, then we tried to jump it and blew a fuse, fixed the fuse but still needed to deal with a battery past its lifespan. Keep your fingers crossed it keeps working now...

Another baby highlight of the week was that we made our first baby clothing purchase! We've received a few items as gifts, but we weren't ready to buy anything yet.

But I've been eyeing this cute little onesie at baby gap for a while... not only does it match our nursery theme (hot air balloons!) but it's totally gender neutral! We are thinking about using it for the "coming home" outfit. Why are all baby clothes so dang cute and tiny? Love.

Oh, and that's probably my last photo as a 27-year-old.... Woot!

16 weeks

How Far Along: 16 weeks, 3 days

Size of the Baby: Avocado, 4.6 inches, 3.5 ounces
Weight gain/loss: Not since last week, I don't think
Sleep: Feeling sleepy, but getting a good 8-9 hours a night, even though I have to use the restroom every hour
Best Moment of the Week: Registering! It feels good to have that done and Hans sure had fun with that little scan gun. Another highlight? The first time someone straight up asked if I was pregnant! At church on Sunday I ran into a woman who used to be in our ward, but is now in a different ward so I haven't seen her in some time. She looked at my stomach and asked if I was pregnant! So maybe I'm finally leaving that awkward "is-she-or-isn't-she?" stage. Excited about that. Oh, and I switched prenatal vitamins!! This may seem a silly thing to be so excited about, but I really, really, really hated the old ones. They made my stomach hurt and I gagged every time I took them. Big, horse pills. I switched to gummy ones and they're wonderful. They're tasty and don't hurt and are changing my life.


Movement: None yet :(
Symptoms: Heartburn - awful heartburn. Some whackadoo dreams. Backaches and cramping. Stomach queasiness. But knock on wood, I seem to be through the worst of the morning sickness.
Food Cravings: pei wei spicy chicken, chocolate milkshakes
Gender: Team Green and going strong
Belly Button in or out:  In
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Indian food (sorry Danny!)
Labor Signs: Still no.
Wedding ring on or off: On.
What I miss: Sandwiches! I really miss Jimmy Johns runs at lunch time. And for some reason I've been really wanting a roast beef sandwich for a while.
What I am looking forward to: Feeling the baby's first movement. Should be any day now!
Nursery: Finished the sheetrock compound, ready to start up with the painting
Emotions:  Better than I've been in quite some time! All the anxiety that plagued me last week has calmed down and I've just felt very content and happy.
Stupid things I have done: I'm having trouble with words. Hans got a good laugh a couple days ago when I kept saying "coly potton" instead of "cotton poly." I also had one morning where I couldn't seem to get out of the house without forgetting anything. I had to go back a couple times and I still forgot the thing I was supposed to bring.

Pumpkin spice kiss cookies

I can't wait for fall. The cooler weather. The holidays. Hot cocoa. And, of course, pumpkin everything! I love pumpkin in pretty much any form. Imagine my excitement when I saw these in Target last weekend, I may have made some super sonic squeaky noises.

Then I saw these cookies on Pinterest, from Sprinkle Some Sunshine, that stick Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses in the middle. Perfect.

What you need:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and eggs and beat well.

In another bowl, mix together the flour, powder, salt and spices. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and beat until just combined.

Scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Don't do anything with the pumpkin spice kisses yet! Bake 8-10 minutes.

Allow the cookies to cool for a bit, otherwise your kisses will get all melty. Push an (unwrapped, duh) kiss into the middle of each cookie. That's it! This made a little over two dozen cookies for me and took all of 15 minutes.

They end up kinda crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside and taste like a sugar cookie with something special. Enjoy!

15 Weeks

How Far Along: 15 weeks, 5 days

Size of the Baby: navel orange, 4 inches, 2.5 ounces
Weight gain/loss: I'm not sure where I started, but I think 6-7 pounds in the first trimester
Sleep: Not NEARLY as tired as I was in the first trimester! Sleeping well and feeling energized, for a change. Aside from going to the bathroom 4-5 times a night :)
Best Moment of the Week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat for the first time!! Amazing. Everyone said I would cry, but I didn't. I just felt like I was on this amazing high. The heartbeat was high 140s and sounded strong - the nurse had no trouble finding it. I love that little sound!


Movement: None yet. I thought I was feeling something, but my doctor said it was just air bubbles. That's not nearly as cute and fun as baby movement.
Symptoms: Have gone down a ton since last week. A little queasy, still breaking out, minor heartburn, but not nearly as bad.
Food Cravings: totinos pizza rolls (and was really upset when I didn't get them), a chocolate chip cookie, orange juice
Gender: Still solidly on Team Green! But ALL the old wives tales are pointing toward girl and we both have gut feelings that it's a girl.
Belly Button in or out:  In
Anything making you qeasy or sick:  My coworker orders this salad from panera and whatever the dressing is makes me feel queasy. Still not a fan of chicken, lemon, or garlic.
Labor Signs: Umm... no? I don't want to answer this question for the next 5 months, at least.
Wedding ring on or off: Still on, surprisingly! Hope that lasts a while longer.
What I miss: Being able to work out like I used to. I was finally able to hit the gym normally this week (four days!) but some days all I could do was a slow walk on the treadmill. At least I'm finally over my "morning" sickness (read: night sickness) enough to go back at all.
What I am looking forward to: Working on the nursery, already excited about our anatomical scan in four weeks
Nursery: Progress! We tore down the cheapy and ripped up beadboard that was on the walls and starting putting sheetrock compound on the damaged walls. We picked out paint colors and picked up a dresser at Ikea to use as a changing table. Several weeks ago we nabbed a beautiful glider and ottoman on craigslist for super cheap (Loooove the craigslist)
Emotions:  Super anxious for the first part of the week. I always feel that way right before an appointment. Hans says it's like a midterm - you know everything went well, but you still have that nagging "what if" feeling. And then I've been incredible happy since the appointment. Very content. I cried a couple times earlier this week - once in Ikea (not sure why... think I was happy?) and once when we had dinner with friends on Monday (something they said... can't remember what). Oh and I cried at church when Jim told me his dog got bitten by a snake. Come on, Jim! You have been through three pregnancies... you know you can't tell a pregnant woman something like that.
Stupid things I have done: I just forget words a lot. Or I can't remember what it is I was going to say. Just forgetful! I also ate frosted mini wheats right before my doctors appointment so my urine test showed "too much sugar." oops!

Belly pictures

We've been taking them, even though we haven't shown anyone so we're a bit backlogged. My tummy started popping out early... early enough that I had to tell work and a few others before I planned to because I wasn't hiding it very well. For a while we were worried it was twins, but after two ultrasounds we've been assured it's just one baby. Maybe it's because I don't have much of a torso, but this kid is just coming straight out. My friend Erin is four weeks ahead of me and our tummies look the same! I moved into maternity clothes around week 10 or 11 and I'm loving my stretchy pants and big tunics. Maxi dresses are a life saver. I plan to start some pregnancy notes next week, but for now... behold, the belly.

Surprise!

You may have noticed I haven't blogged in some time. There's a reason for it... I didn't know how to keep my mouth shut. But check out the little photo shoot we did recently!

We are pleased to announce a new addition to our family, coming Feb. 25, 2013!

We found out super early (3.5 weeks!) and so we've been sitting on this monstrous secret for almost three months. Though, if you've been paying attention, you probably noticed. We found out around Father's Day. I knew it was too early to test, but I've never been very patient so I picked up a pregnancy test. Or three. And was still not convinced.

The digital one left little room for interpretation. And I was finally convinced.

We are so excited for this amazing experience and can't wait to be parents.  So you've been warned - if you're not interested in being inundated with baby/pregnancy stuff, now would be a good time to unsubscribe ;)