22 Weeks!

How far along? 22 weeks 4 days (in this pic,still playing catch up...I make 24 this week!)

Total weight gain/loss: 18lbs (Waaaaaaaaaah!!)

Maternity clothes? Only thing you'll find me in these days....well, except for my yoga pants that still fit as long as they're under my belly!

Stretch marks? Bio Oil for the win!

Sleep: Gets suckier by the day! Turning over is such an ordeal now!

Best moment this week: Around late week 21 and week 22 I started feeling undeniable kicks! And they are wonderful! I love watching them through my shirt! To me they feel like little twitches or spasms all over my belly! On this week Will actually got to see one through my shirt, but hadn't felt it yet, Sailor is sneaky!

Miss Anything? Comfort, and cute clothes. I think maternity clothes are hideous and basically just spend my time trying to find the lesser of evils.

 Movement:Tons!

Food cravings: Cold stuff, mainly Icees! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: coffee, I hope to rekindle our love one day!

Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time:Such a cry baby! Work is getting harder by the day, so I've been known to take a few moments to let it out once I get off!

Looking forward to: Decorating the nursery, showers, finally being able to hold her. So much to look forward to, and be thankful for.

Grow Strong my little papaya!
Love,
Mommy

20 weeks! It's a GIRL!

How far along? 20 weeks, 4 days (in this pic, I'm a little behind...newer post coming soon!)

Total weight gain/loss: 15 lbs (but I'm officially half way, so that's ok right? Here's to hoping I max out at 30!)

Maternity clothes? Loving my leggings and boots now that it's getting a little chilly!

Stretch marks?Finally got me some BIO OIL!! Slathering it on each and every day! I had a fire lit under me after one night my belly starting itching really badly and I convinced myself it was the forming of stretch marks!

Sleep: Still so so... better on the days I actually get up and go to bed instead of sleeping on the sofa!

Best moment this week:Well, to back track a little, at 19 it was finally finding out that baby is a GIRL!!! Who would have guessed? Certainly not me! There is a fairly ridiculous video on facebook of the actual moment we found out, and I'm a hot mess! HAHA! I truly thought it was a boy! And week 20 would probably be getting to dress my belly up as SNOOPY! So fun!

Miss Anything?Yummy rum punch at the annual Halloween party we attend!

 Movement: A little I think! Although, I still have a hard time deciphering whether or not it's just gas! haha! 

Food cravings: Halloween candy was pretty good to me this week!

Anything making you queasy or sick: coffee, I wonder if I'll ever like it again?

Gender: GIRL!!! Miss Sailor Annabelle

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: I think I have Halloween candy to thank for my happiness this week!

Looking forward to: Decorating the nursery! And feeling more kicks!

Grow Strong my little banana!
Love,
Mommy

18 Weeks!

I soon realized after taking this pic that I am in fact, barefoot & pregnant. I then tried to crop my feet out, but it just wouldn't work! Guess you can say my Arkansas boy is rubbing off on me ;-)

How far along? 18 weeks, 5 days. 

Total weight gain/loss: 12 lbs...(and feeling every bit of it!)

Maternity clothes? Rocking some awesome maternity boyfriend jeans & Target maternity v-neck in this pic...I have officially converted, and may never stop wearing maternity jeans might I add! 

Stretch marks? No, still need Bio Oil...Pregnancy brain sucks! I can't remember anything! 

Sleep: ehhh, so so... but at least the cough is pretty much gone! But the back pain has started! yikes!

Best moment this week: No doctor's appointments this past week, so I guess maybe the best moments have been: officially picking a boys name (No, I won't tell you, and we're still undecided on the girl one!), hearing everyone's gender guesses has been fun! (So many people have had dreams about our baby, so funny!) Oh, and I did get my first congratulations from a complete stranger...and that was a sweet moment. 

Miss Anything? Need I say it? Alcohol. I think I was set off this week by emptying an old wine bottle I found in the fridge....even at several months old, the scent was glorious!

 Movement: I'm gonna go with not yet! I don't think so anyway. Every time I feel any kind of cramp I'm like, "Is that it?" But I've been told that when you know, you know...and well, I just don't know! 

Food cravings: V-8! (Spicy of course! With extra hot sauce and salt!) So weird since I never touched the stuff pre-pregnancy.  I think I had a glass every day after work this week!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still coffee!

Have you started to show yet: yep!

Gender prediction: Boy, hubby says girl! One week and we shall see! 

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy this week! No crying fits to report! Maybe a little pissy at times if I am being completely candid.

Looking forward to: Our gender-reveal party and of course finding out what love bug is, and feeling some kicks! 

Grow Strong my little sweet potato! 
Love,
mommy

16 Weeks! WHO DAT BABY!!!

So, the Saints may not be doing so hot right now, but our little bambino will still be a WHO DAT!

How far along? 16 Weeks, 5 days. 

Total weight gain/loss: 11lbs. (Womp Womp....)

Maternity clothes?Mine finally came in! I have been loving my new full panel black leggings, and the skinny jeans aren't so bad either... I feel stylish again, instead of just a 10lbs sausage in a 5 lbs. wrapper. (Well, except for my Saints apparel, still gotta squeeze into that for the time being!)

Stretch marks? No, still have yet to get Bio-Oil, must.go.this.week.must.stop.them.dead.in.their.tracks!

Sleep: Sleeping is still sucking. Last week I found out my cough was actually bronchitis. But I got some antibiotics (safe ones for the bambino of course), and appear to be on the mend. 
Best moment this week:Getting the results back from our sequential screening (testing for Down Syndrome etc.) All negative! Praise God! Originally I wasn't going to get any of this done, as it didn't make a difference if baby had any abnormalities or not, but my high-risk doctor recommended it since it also checks on the placenta (in which case mine is already low, and being monitored!) But I am happy to report that over the last two weeks its moved up from covering 1/2 the cervix, to 1/3rd of it! KEEP ON CLIMBING!!
We also asked some of our best buds, Brittany and Chase, to be baby's godparents, they graciously accepted. 

Miss Anything? I miss actually enjoying coffee on a fall morning, since the smell is still making me ill!

 Movement: Not yet!

Food cravings: Hot dogs!! (Don't worry, we heated them properly!) and cheese, just cut up pieces of cheese... what am I? 5?

Anything making you queasy or sick: The smell of coffee, but I have indulged in a few iced coffees (Hello Pumpkin Spice!! So nice to see you again!) And they seem to go down fine, but you won't find me inside of a coffee shop, or drinking anything hot and fragrant any time soon!  

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes, but I haven't been asked anything pregnancy related by a stranger yet...

Gender prediction: Boy and hubby thinks it's a girl!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time:Still a big cry baby. This week I cried over Glee again,and also after I spilled Taco Bell on the sofa.

Looking forward to:The big reveal, and feeling some kicks!

Grow strong my little navel orange.

Love,

Mommy

14 Weeks!

How far along? 14 weeks 3 days

Total weight gain/loss:8 lbs. (no weight gain this week at the doc...WOO HOO!!!)

Maternity clothes? Still waiting on the ones I ordered to come in! Until then, it's maxi skirts and dresses all dang day for this girl!

Stretch marks? No, which reminds me, I gotta get some Bio Oil this week! While we're on the subject, Mommys, what was your favorite stretch mark remedy?

Sleep: Sleeping has been particularly rough this week, as I have developed a nasty cough, (Which I think is allergies) And the cough medicine I am allowed to take doesn't work at all!

Best moment this week: Hearing baby's heartbeat on the Doppler at my regular doctor's appointment. (Regular doc every 4 weeks, high-risk every 2....its bound to get confusing at some point)

Miss Anything? Sandwiches! (technically preggos shouldn't have them unless they're heated because the meat could carry Listeria) but I did cheat and have 3 finger sandwiches at a party yesterday...which only left me wanting more!

 Movement: Not yet!

Food cravings: Still all things spicy and/or salty. But I did crave my first sweet thing this week...MAGIC SHELL! I think I had ice cream with it on it every night this week, but I really only wanted the shell...and perhaps have considered eating it straight from the bottle at times (I haven't yet, for the record) 

Anything making you queasy or sick: coffee, the smell of paper towels!! (So weird I know, but my theory is that I spent so much time in the first trimester covering my mouth with them when I felt sick...that now they take me back to that time. Hahaha 

Have you started to show yet: definitely popping out more this week then 2 weeks ago, which is strange since I didn't gain weight... but I'll take it!

Gender prediction: Boy and my hubby just revealed he thinks it's a girl!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: definitely so moody this week. I cried super hard twice this week for no real reasons. Once watching Glee, (and nothing super emotional really happened...yet I cried for a solid 30 mins!!) The other was one night while battling the cough and my hubby got up and slept in the guest bed because I was keeping him up! When he walked out, I just sobbed and sobbed. I feel like I have a cry switch I can turn on and off at any time these days!

Looking forward to: Our gender-reveal party and of course finding out what peanut is, and feeling some kicks! 

Grow Strong my little lemon!
Love,
Mommy

12 Weeks!

...And finally starting to feel better! Thank you Jesus!

How far along? 12 weeks, 3 days (in this pic...next week I'll catch up!)

Total weight gain/loss:8 lbs. (this question may be deleted soon...)

Maternity clothes? bought some online while they were on sale, that haven't come in yet! Currently using ye old rubber band trick to hold my jeans up!

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Sleeping has recently made a turn for the worse! Seems like my days of "deep sleep" are gone for now...or ever.

Best moment this week: Seeing our precious little peanut on screen again! And this time he/she actually looked like a baby!

Miss Anything?Alcohol. Terrible I know, but it smells so good these days!

 Movement: Not yet!

Food cravings: Still all things spicy and/or salty. Banana peppers, pickles, buffalo wings, taco bell soft tacos (so weird because that's so not my typical order at The Bell)

Anything making you queasy or sick: coffee 

Have you started to show yet: popping out just a little...

Gender prediction: Boy

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: mostly happy!

Looking forward to:Finding out if it's a boy or girl, and feeling baby move around!

Doctor says baby looks great! But my placenta is a little low, so we're hoping it just moves up over time like it's suppose to.

Grow strong my little plum!!
Love,
Mommy

10 Weeks!

I'm really slacking on this blog lately (Thank you, Hurricane Isaac!), but anyway, a couple weeks ago I went in for my 10 week check up! As always I was quite nervous, but after what seemed like forever, my doctor was able to pick up baby's heartbeat on the Doppler! 172 bpm! Whew! It takes an eternity to find it on there when you're a worrying mom in her first trimester! Doc says baby looks great, and then she dealt me this blow....

I want you to have a C-Section.

Not the first thing I wanted, but it's understandable. For those of you who may be reading but do not know me, I have a mild form of Cerebral Palsy, and one of the ways it effects me is by having a [very] limited gait. My doctor fears that if they give me an epidural, and then stretch me all kinds of ways, I'll end up with a beautiful newborn....and 2 broken legs. No bueno. 

So after getting over the initial shock, I went home and did my research The overwhelming response was that people with CP can have perfectly healthy pregnancies and deliveries, but they always end up through C-Section.

We are going to a high risk doctor in a week for a 2nd opinion [at my doctor's request], but I've pretty much settled on the fact that she will likely say the same thing. 

And I guess if there's any kind of silver lining to this, at least all of our out of town family will be able to be there for the birth.

Anyway, moving on... a few months ago I stumbled upon the cutest pregnancy blog....

http://littlebabygarvin.blogspot.com/

This girl is so adorable & creative.

No, sadly I am not artsy fartsy enough to also do a chalkboard...but I love her little weekly questionnaire, so I will be borrowing that! (Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...anyone?)

 Here I am at that ever so awkward phase of, "Is she pregnant? Or just getting chubby?" I often tell my husband that this middle ground of pregnancy shouldn't exist. Women should just wake up one day with a definite bump. 

How far along? 10 weeks, 4 days (in this pic...12 week update soon...I know I'm slacking!)

Total weight gain/loss: 5 lbs...already! Yikes! But, in my defense, we did go on a 10 day vacation before this checkup!

Maternity clothes? Not yet, but my pants sure are snug. 

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well. no better/worse than pre-pregnancy.

Best moment this week: Hearing baby's strong heartbeat <3

Miss Anything? Margariiiiiitas with the family! They were tossing them back the other day when we made our big announcement, and I was so sad I couldn't partake!

 Movement: Not yet!

Food cravings: All things spicy. jalapenos [straight from the jar], Rotel, buffalo wings, but also some "normal" things like, pickles, cheese, milk, and fruit!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Coffee, my vitamin.

Have you started to show yet: Definitely by the end of the day... 

Gender prediction: Boy

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Ehhh, a little moody, but mostly happy!

Looking forward to:Finding out if it's a boy or girl, and feeling baby move around! 

Grow strong my little prune,

Mommy