36 weeks

as of yesterday (july 23), we only have 1 month left!
and as of today, i am 36 weeks.
so only 4 weeks left!

How far along? 36 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: i actually found this out. 24 lbs
Maternity clothes? of course
Stretch marks? nada
Sleep: super tired of sleeping on my side. i sleep ok, but not enough
Best moment this week: seeing the baby again and saw the lungs working!
Movement: lots of rolling around and around
Food cravings: i'm really into pasta at the moment.
Gender: i said girl last time, i'll go with boy
Labor Signs: no, but i've been having cramps and braxton hicks contractions
Belly Button in or out? innie
What I miss: having energy
What I am looking forward to: meeting our baby!
Weekly Wisdom: ask questions! people are usually more than willing to share their wisdom
Milestones: one month left, 4 weeks left, saw the lungs working. signed papers at the hospital

OhMyGeeeeezzzzz

earlier this week we all agreed that maybe the baby had started to drop! ummm no, apparently the baby just got waaaay huge-er.

pics in the red: july 10 (last fri)
pics in the blue: july 17 (today)

i didn't feel huge till i compared these! ahhhh!
(oddly enough, i didn't gain any weight between my last 2 appts)

tuesday i had a dr's appt. she measured my stomach, which is still measuring 3 weeks ahead. so, at 34 weeks, i was measuring 37. both the baby and my belly have been consistantly measuring 3 weeks ahead for awhile now, so i guess thats good. better than bouncing around, i would think.

dr said that she doesn't think i will make it to 40 weeks. so next week i go in for another ultrasound to see how big the baby is, then when i meet with her the following week, we will decide what to do. she made it sound like we may induce. however, the bigger the baby, the higher the odds of having a c-section.

as tempting as not having to push may be, i'm not crazy about the surgery thing. the extent of my medical history has consisted of 4 stitches in my big toe when i was 12. that's as bad as it's been. no broken bones, surgeries, hospitals, etc.

excuse me now while i go find some wood to knock on...

34 weeks today!

click at the top of the page to give your guess on when the baby will be here! as well as if you think it will be a boy or a girl!

How far along? 34 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: ?
Maternity clothes? sick of them!
Stretch marks? keeping my fingers crossed
Sleep: varies. i tend to wake up earlier than i'd like
Best moment this week: finding out no gestational diabetes!
Movement: no more kicks, lots of rolling
Food cravings: i would love some chinese
Gender: i voted girl in our baby pool. did you vote yet? link is at the top!
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? innie still
What I miss: normal clothes. fall stuff is coming out and its so cute!
What I am looking forward to: temps with highs in the 80's
Weekly Wisdom: pregnancy is most fun when you have pregnant friends!
Milestones: people are starting to tell me i look like i'm about to pop. thanks.

32 weeks!

ok i'm late posting this...
32 weeks was last friday, but i'm just now getting around to posting

How far along? 32 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: no total, but 4 lbs in the past 4 weeks. not bad!
Maternity clothes? yup yup yup
Stretch marks? so far so good!
Sleep: been sleeping great all of the sudden!
Best moment this week: getting the baby room all set up
Movement: all the time
Food cravings: nope, i'm so boring
Gender: sorta thinking girl. but that may be b/c the clothes are so stinking cute
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? innie, but its getting flatter lol
What I miss: sleeping on my stomach
What I am looking forward to: an outside baby
Weekly Wisdom: dr's change their minds alot... ugh
Milestones: we pretty much have everything we need!

30 weeks!

30 weeks down, that means only 10 to go!
its crazy to think that i'm already 3/4 of the way through...

as much as i do not love being pregnant, there are some things that i will miss. for example, elastic waist pants are great! no zippers or buttons... i dont think i will be giving those up too easily. also, never having to worry about sucking in! for pictures or when wearing a swimsuit before, i would try to appear as skinny as possible. now, it doesn't matter! no pressure! also, what will i look at online once the baby comes? i wont need to obsess over bottles or travel systems or cloth diapers vs disposables... of course, i prob won't have as much time to kill online at that point either.
most of all, i will miss feeling this little guy (girl?) moving around. its sort of cool to know that all i need to do is lay down or drink a dr pepper or something really cold, and *bam* dance party time!

here's this mornings pics... i like the front belly shot too, its funny to me how there are lines defining my bump, like its just stuck on, not a natural curve to my body. this may not make any sense to anyone other than me and brandt, since he hears me talking about my bump as i stare at it in the full lengh mirror. its just so weird, i can't help but stare!

How far along? 30 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: no clue anymore. dr doesnt want her patients to worry, doesn't talk about weight. less than 20 lb though, i know that
Maternity clothes? ha!
Stretch marks? nope, should i htank taryn and her gift of belly butter?
Sleep: can't sleep one night, the next night i will sleep awesomely. repeat.
Best moment this week: hearing that the furniture is in!
Movement: all the time
Food cravings: all of the sudden this week, eating way less than normal.
Gender: dont know, dont care
Labor Signs: naope
Belly Button in or out? still an innie *fingers crossed* that it stays that way
What I miss: mexican food, had to give it up
What I am looking forward to: my next shower!
Weekly Wisdom: dont wait too long to get stuff done! my 12 weeks to get the room ready turned into 6!
Milestones: lots of people feeling the baby

speaking of the baby room, we went and got paint last night!
here's the swatch card i made online with all our colors:

the top color is going to be the color of the whole room. its showing up dark on my computer, but that may just be this screen. its a tiffany/robin's egg blue.

then i plan on doing a fun little mural on the wall, using the other colors, matched from the bedding. well, and the brown, its not in the bedding. we lucked out too, b/c the only other color we needed to buy was the deep turquoise, the other colors we already have in the house somewhere.

so thats what i'll be doing tomorrow afternoon! i can't wait! i love painting anyways, plus its for the baby, so thats cool. when brandt wakes up, we will get started. my mom, his mom, and jen will all be there to help too. we will prob get the taping and stuff out of the way while he's sleeping though. thats my least favorite part.

oh, and here's a random observation, my right ankle is swollen! i hadn't had any swelling yet (phew) and it seems so odd that its only on one side. but after sitting here with my feet propped up on my desk for an hr or so, its almost gone. weird! its pretty comfortable though, and i'm sure i look quite professional, so i may sit like this more often :)

29 weeks!

in an attempt to make up for my lack of a 28 week post...


i had brandt take this of me... man i am getting big!

26 weeks

so depending on what schedule you go on, i'm officially in my third trimester!

(some say 26 weeks, some say 26w, 6d since that is what 40 weeks divided by 3 would be)

but i'll take it, yay 3rd tri! so that means i'm also starting my 7th month! wow, time is flying!

so now for the belly pics...


i'm posting both the bare belly and the covered-by-my-shirt ones... i'm sure at some point i will not feel like posting the bare belly ones anymore, but for now i am good. are they distrubing? b/c i can quit posting them now... i know the preggo belly isn't a thing of beauty to everyone. thoughts?

the dr gave me a new medicine, its a 24 hr pill, and it is a miracle worker! i am barely coughing now. thank you thank you thank you! certain foods (casa ole) still give me annoying i'm-about-to-pee-my-pants coughing fits, but overall, i am happy!

i noticed that i am feeling the most movements when i am driving. my theory is that it is b/c of the music! (i keep it loud) so we have busted out the giant headphones (think the ones for hearing tests in elemetary school) and put em on my belly. i'll keep you posted with the results!

How far along? 26 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: same as the appt 4 weeks ago. i feel bigger though!
Maternity clothes? permanently!
Stretch marks? not yet...
Sleep: good if i don't drink anything after 7pm lol
Best moment this week: playing music to the baby
Movement: a bunch. and you can see it too! creepy!
Food cravings: nope. and my appetite as dissapeared too
Gender: we took a poll, its a tie
Labor Signs: nada
Belly Button in or out? innie but its fading fast...
What I miss: having more than 2 prs of jeans to wear
What I am looking forward to: jen feeling the baby. she's dying
Weekly Wisdom: starbursts make me cough. i don't get it
Milestones: 3rd tri! double digits! seeing the baby move!

24 weeks!

yay we made it to 24 weeks!
that means today is "viability day", although i think that is just something that people on my message board mark down as a milestone.

basically, if it is before 24 weeks and i were to go into labor or anything should happen, no effort is made to save the baby. after 24 weeks is when doctors will do everything within their means. (i'm not sure if this is based on insurance or medical stats or what.) but even if she were born today, that doesn't mean a 100% chance of survival. this baby still needs more time to cook!

so you stay put, sweet baby, and continue with your cute little kicks and we'll see you, hopefully, in a few more months!

How far along? 24 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: not sure, dr appt is tues
Maternity clothes? permanently!
Stretch marks? not yet but my stomach is getting bigger faster now
Sleep: i hate sleeping on my side :( but no more back or stomach
Best moment this week: ordering the crib
Movement: really consistently now
Food cravings: i guess i'm wierd, no
Gender: this week its girl
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? innie but i can see the bottom! :(
What I miss: not coughing!
What I am looking forward to: maternity leave
Weekly Wisdom: coughing in public makes people think i have the swine flu
Milestones: 24 weeks, viability day!

22 weeks!

wow, sometime this week i got a bump!
i think i have officially crossed over into the "yup, she's pregnant" phase.

i have to mention the jeans. i have been mainly in maternity jeans, but i still have 3 prs that fit. after wearing the (comfy) maternity jeans all week, they were dirty, so i was like, whatever, i'll just wear these. well, they may be fine for standing up, but once i've been sitting for any significant amount of time, ohmygees just kill me now! talk about uncomfortable! so once i get home, the remaining 3 prs of b4b jeans (before baby) will be going in a box, along with all the other clothes that i have tossed in there that are no longer appropriate/fitting since being pregnant.

ahh the b4b box... i decided to start it the other night when brandt was working overtime. i was tired of going through my closet every morning sorting through the clothes that i can't wear anymore. so i got the brilliant idea of trying them all on and seeing what still worked. (this was mainly tops, all i really have for bottoms are jeans) so after 30 minutes i was crying and upset b/c i have this belly and nothing fits and i'm fat and alone and sad and oh, did i mention hormonal?

*note: i know i'm not fat. i'm pregnant. and have only gained 8 lbs. i am doing great. theres just something pitiful about trying on too tight shirts in front of a full length mirror that just pushed me over the edge briefly.

so i pull my phone out of my pocket to call hub and have him tell me that he loves me and i'm indeed, not fat. of course, it slips out of my hand and hits the tile floor and the screen shatters.

so now i'm:
1) hormonaly crying like a baby
2) pretty peeved that i broke my phone. which won't turn on

thankfully i have a backup phone, and i got it activated. after i calmed down, of course. so all is well.

and brandt still loves me, and we both laughed at my meltdown.
but, i now have an easier time of getting dressed in the morning!
(and, my wardrobe, or lack thereof, looks pathetic. so i doubt brandt would mind if i picked up a few things...)

so have a laugh at my expense. i still am :)

now onto our regularly scheduled programming:

How far along? 22 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 8lb gain
Maternity clothes? more often than not. see above
Stretch marks? nope. (thankyouGod)
Sleep: not enough! my cough hasn't helped
Best moment this week: brandt has felt the baby!
Movement: definatly! pretty often too
Food cravings: i would love a DQ dipped cone!
Gender: i'll go with boy this time
Labor Signs: please, keep labor far away
Belly Button in or out? innie, but not as deep anymore :(
What I miss: sleeping on my back! and my stomach.
What I am looking forward to: the summer!
Weekly Wisdom: just b/c something fits standing up, doesn't mean it will once you sit down
Milestones:def brandt feeling the baby kick!-

update

so now we are in our 21st week (20w, 4d)

and this week baby is about as long as: a banana!

i had a dr's appt this morning, and she said that the last ultrasound looked great, and all the bloodwork i had done a few weeks ago (quad screen) came back all negative/normal. so yay!

she also suggested trying pepsid ac for my cough, b/c it could be caused by acid reflux? sounds odd to me, since i haven't had any problems that i've noticed, but its been over 5 weeks, i'll try anything!

last night was the season opener for the astros!
i was going to wear something flowy (the word i used to use was frumpy, but now that that's what i am limited to, i say flowy) but after shopping with jen this weekend, she has been encouraging me to wear more fitted stuff. i will, once i have past that "is she or isn't she" stage... well, brandt thought it looked good too, so i wore my usual astros shirt, belly and all.
(i will take this moment to (brag) mention that i designed this shirt! when i worked at red oak, i had them print it for me!)

at home, i felt cute. but once we hit the parking lot i start bugging brandt, asking if i really looked pregnant or just a bit chubby. i realize at this point it was too late to change clothes, but still. he kept assuring me that i indeed did look pregnant. (i blame the hormones)

here's us:

rally cap. we thought maybe we had a chance there in the 9th. notsomuch

and i asked his buddy greg to get a pic of us with the field in the background. i meant a vertical one, so you could see my belly fat, i mean, bump. of course, guys don't get that sort of thing. so its just another picture, pretty much like the one above.
without the field behind us.
*sigh*
guys...

this is why jennifer is awesome.
she would have understood without me having to ask.

so here's a pic of me back at home:
(sorry it's not centered, i had the camera sitting on the counter with the self timer on. the centered one wasn't focused. so deal with it)

HALFWAY DAY!

ladies and gentlemen, today i am 20 weeks into my pregnancy, which means i am halfway! so exciting!
when i look at this, i see a definite belly there,
but for some reason i feel like i'm not showing yet!

How far along? 20 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: no clue. jeans still fitting, but not comfortable
Maternity clothes? slowly switching over
Stretch marks? *crosses fingers* not yet
Sleep: not enough! my cough hasn't helped
Best moment this week: i think i can feel the baby!
Movement: i *think* so. its odd, but always in the same place
Food cravings: i like cheeseburgers alot
Gender: no clue, i'll say girl again
Labor Signs: not time yet
Belly Button in or out? innie
What I miss: sleeping all night w/o getting up to pee
What I am looking forward to: brandt being able to feel the baby
Weekly Wisdom: buy a house big enough to hold all your junk. or better yet, get rid of your junk before you buy a house!
Milestones: i had a stranger ask if i was pregnant! well, our regular waitress at casa ole, but still, she's sort of a stranger

ok, now a followup from yesterday. the stroller!

i love it. its really nice. but its b.i.g. it will be great for when i start running/jogging again. and for going for walks with the dogs, we don't stay on the sidewalks, we go out in a big grassy area. also, it will be great for the zoo and any sort of activity like that.

however, it is too big for the mall. it bums me out b/c i was hoping that this would be our go-to stroller, but not so much. it is agile and really easy to turn and move (at least empty) but it is more than likely too long and wide for shopping. but i could be wrong.

and lastly, here's brandt showing madi the stroller, and her checking it out!

i lied

heres my 18 weeks belly shot.
i stayed home from work that day b/c i had a pulled muscle in my back. so i didn't get much/any sleep the night before. and i'm in comfy clothes. and my hair is a mess. however, i did crop my slippers out of the picture.

and NOW you are caught up. promise.

16weeks!

How far along? 16 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: no clue, jeans still fit so im happy
Maternity clothes? just a few tops but they are still too big
Stretch marks? phew, no
Sleep: love to! but i get hot :(
Best moment this week: visiting some friends
Movement: still too soon
Food cravings: still just the aversions. mainly to mexican
Gender: i'll say girl, but i really have no strong feelings either way
Labor Signs: no thank you
Belly Button in or out? innie
What I miss: going places and doing things. i'm such a bum!
What I am looking forward to: setting up the nursery. but not clearing it out. ugh
Weekly Wisdom: taking your prenatals with orange juice makes your body absorb them faster, and you won't taste them. thank you MAW!
Milestones: gagging on a prenatal (gumball sized!) vitamin and having it come back up. bringing with it my dinner...

14 weeks!

i finally look like i am having a baby!

that was this morning right before i went to work.
although i probably look like i ate too much at dinner...

also, i found this on another girl's blog, so i will do this every so often too!

How far along? 14 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: no idea, dr hasn't said
Maternity clothes? ive worn a top but it looked too big. also rocked some mat jeans the other day b/c i was doing laundry, but they are too big. so not really just yet
Stretch marks? nope! its a bit early though
Sleep: often. the napping phase has passed, but i still can't stay up as late as i used to
Best moment this week: umm i get off at work at noon today! not baby related, i know...
Movement: too soon
Food cravings: none yet. but i would love a dipped cone from DQ
Gender: no idea. everyone has a "feeling" but me, it seems
Labor Signs: not for a long time please *fingers crossed*
Belly Button in or out? in. lets keep it that way as long as possible
What I miss: energy
What I am looking forward to: looking pregnant instead of chubby
Weekly Wisdom: Don't be passively pregnant. This is your life for the next 9 months, so take charge of it. (this was the other girl's, i can't come up with anything better)
Milestones: for the first time ever i forgot to take my vitamin. not a good milestone :(

we are having a baby!

so here's how we found out. i was 3 days late, but i was scared to test! every month i had convinced myself that maybe *this* was my lucky month, and had always been dissapointed. it sounds silly, but i could never wait to see if i was going to be late or not, i would always test the day before. well, in december, i just had this feeling, i just sorta knew that i was pregnant. no sickness, just a feeling. so that friday night we were about to eat dinner and i just decided to go test then. even though you are supposed to do it in the morning (less chance of any hormones getting dilluded from whatever you have been drinking) i decided to risk it. i had a digital test that came in my box of ovulation predictors. and after a minute or so of blinking, this is what i saw:whoop! so excited! so i went running out to the living room and told brandt to wait a second, i had a present for him. he was already sorta irritated b/c he was waiting on me to eat, and the food was getting cold, and now i had a present that couldn't wait!

so i came in and handed him this!
he opened the bag and pulled it out and just sorta looked at it all confused. he was like, what does this mean? so then i showed him the test and yay! we got all excited. he kept asking if i was sure. so i suggested that we run to the store and grab another test just to confirm. but of course, after we ate. well, he ate. i wasn't hungry at that point.

so after a trip to walmart to get another test, we had another confirmation! no waiting 3 minutes for the line to show up, it was there immediatly, both before and darker than the control line. nice.

so here's me with my pee sticks:

and here is us:

and here's a "before" belly pic
(note: i do not posses abs of steel)

the next night i spilled the beans and told jen and kyle w/o him (oops!)
so two nights later we went out to dinner so that we could celebrate.

the first baby gift, from aunt jen!
the waitress overheard us, so when we ordered desserts, she made them special for us:

so thats my story!
and yes, i promise to be better at updating this thing. i only started it to share this type of news, we just had to wait till we had news to share!