Twenty-three Weeks.

Another week down and another week closer to meeting you! You're about 11 inches long and you still weigh about 1 pound  - about the size of a hardcover Harry Potter book :) You're still working on packing on your baby fat and now you can clearly hear all kinds of sounds - my voice, your dad's voice and Leo barking at the mailman. I hope we're not too loud for you!

You have been a lot more active lately and your kicks are getting stronger - it still makes me smile every time you give me a little nudge! On Saturday morning you were having a little dance party and your dad could feel lots of kicks which was really cool for him. We were also able to see my belly jumping around for a little while too :) You're pretty awesome. Here we are at 23 weeks:

How far along? 23 weeks
Maternity clothes? Pretty much exclusively now
Stretch marks? Just the ones I already had
Sleep: Been pretty good, but I've been waking up on my back a lot which I'm supposed to avoid... but its kind of hard to sleep in one still position all night
Best moment this week? Our date night last Saturday and just spending a relaxing weekend with your dad
Miss anything? I really miss not using the bathroom every 20 minutes. Lately I feel like I live there...
Movement? You are getting more and more active every day
Food cravings? Orange juice, celery with peanut butter, girl scout cookies!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Papa Johns pizza :(
Have you started to show yet? Yep
Mood? I felt a little yucky this week - just kind of tired and sore, but I'm still trying to enjoy every day
What are you looking forward to this week? Getting my hair cut and hopefully setting up your crib this weekend.

I wanted to finish off this week with a note to you from your Aunt Amanda. Amanda and I have been friends since the fourth grade and I know that you are just going to love her! I sent her some of your ultrasound pictures a couple weeks ago and this is what she sent back to you:

Squirms!!!!

You already know how make your Aunt smile!!!!!!!!!  You are too
precious inside that Mama of yours stomach!!!!  I know you are going
to be an exeptional and extraordinary baby/person and will knock the
socks off your Mom and Dad's already high expectations! (no
pressure!!!)  I CANNOT wait to meet you!!!!!

Keep on growing baby!!!!

All my love,Aunt Amanda

 You are very loved baby :)
All my love, Mom

A Year of Dates: March.

Last weekend we had the second date I had planned for your dad as his Valentine's Day present. We hadn't been out on the town for a while - mostly because I have just been so tired since I've been pregnant - and we had a great time! Our date started on Saturday evening, we headed downtown to a great bar/restaurant - Rockwell-Republic. They have the best edamame (steamed soy beans with rock salt) and in the past I've really enjoyed their sangria :) Alas, I'll have to wait a couple more months before I can have a glass of that! 

On our way out!

We ate dinner at Rockwell's and then walked to the BOB to see a comedy show at Dr. Grins. The comedian we saw was Josh Sneed and he was really funny - I was worried I wouldn't enjoy myself as much since I wasn't drinking, but he was really good and I had a great time!

Waiting for the show to start!

After the comedy show we walked across town to Flanagan's Pub where we met up with Amanda, Brandon, Jess, Dennis, Dana and Sean for a few drinks. It was great getting a chance to chat with the girls while the boys played some pool. We stayed for a while until I got really tired, then headed home - of course stopping at a food truck for a hot dog for me :) :) It was a great date night and I'm excited for your dad to see what next month's date is!

And last but not least we had to have a belly pic before our date - here we are at 22 weeks 5 days:

All my love, Mom

Twenty-two Weeks.

You are growing up so fast!! This week you are about 11 inches long from head to heel and you weigh about one pound - about the size of a papaya :) You are starting to develop stonger nerves so you are actually feeling everything you touch now. And your taste buds are starting to develop too!

We've had a pretty great week - the weather has been absolutely gorgeous and I've been feeling good lately. My back has started hurting a lot less since I've been sleeping with a pillow between my knees, so hopefully that will be a long term solution. I think my yoga classes have also helped with that. And I know you like yoga too because as soon as class is winding down to our rest time at the end, you start jumping around and doing all kinds of flips and kicks - it makes me want to do yoga every day!

How far along? 22 weeks
Maternity clothes? I've got about two or three pre-baby shirts that still fit
Stretch marks? Nope!
Sleep: Great! I haven't been so exhausted lately either
Best moment this week? Paying off two of my student loans!!! And completing the Irish Jig.
Miss anything? Since it's been so nice, I've been really wishing I could have a medium steak on the grill along with an icy cold Summer Shandy or two
Movement? Feeling you every day now :)
Food cravings? Fruit this week - strawberries, blueberries, apples
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope
Have you started to show yet? Oh yes
Mood? Happy and SO excited to meet you!
What are you looking forward to this week? Getting together with friends this weekend and our March date on Saturday!

All my love, Mom

Baby's First 5k & Shopping Adventures.

Saturday morning was the Irish Jig 5k race - the first race of the season and your first race ever! This was the first race I ever ran two years ago and it's one of my favorites. The course is pretty flat which is great for me (hills are my nemesis!) and it feels good to get out there and run after the long winter. This year was no different - the weather was great, sun was shining, lots of people and to top it off I was really excited to run with you!

Your dad ran too, but we didn't run together because I knew I was going to be a lot slower. I felt really good running, but I have to be really conservative now and not run myself to the point of exhaustion - so I took my sweet old time :) My only complaint from the race was that they didn't have any water stations so I went the whole 3 miles without water - and I was thirsty!! Luckily your dad finished ahead of me and ran back a water bottle to me. But I did finish feeling really good - our time was 39:09, definitely not my greatest time ever considering I ran this race in 27:09 last year... but a lot has changed since then :) Here is a picture of us after the race, on our way to breakfast:

After we had breakfast and showered, we decided to head out to Babies'R'Us to register for some of your gear. That store is totally overwhelming - especially for us first time parents. There are just so many options and choices for every little thing, and its tough to make decisions about some of this stuff when we really have no idea what we're doing. But your dad and I got our little scanner gun and slowly made our way around the store, picking out some stuff. I feel like we spent most of our time just kind of stumbling around, staring at shelves full of baby spoons and pacifiers trying to magically guess exactly which of the 30 different bathtubs you would like the best... yikes.

I don't think it helped our confidence that we spent about the first half an hour that we were in the store trying to figure out how to detach the car seat from the base. It turns out it's pretty easy once you figure out which one of the twelve buttons you're supposed to be pushing to get it to release... We just had to laugh at ourselves, standing in the aisle with 3 carseats on the floor, trying to shake them free. I got a mental picture of us for many years to come, trying to figure out all the little things that we have no idea how to do yet - and I hope we'll still be laughing with each other! In the end we did figure out the car seat and we registered for lots of other stuff for you - hopefully you like it all!!

All my love, Mom

Photo Shoot.

Yesterday was a really great day - we got to spend lots of time looking at you and the best part is that you are growing right on schedule and you are healthy as can be!! We had our anatomy scan ultrasound, so the main purpose of the ultrasound is to check that you are healthy and happy and to take some measurements of you to make sure you are growing at the the right rate. The sonographer was really great - we still have no idea if you are a boy or a girl, and she made sure to point out all of the things she measured.

She measured your arms, legs, spine, head circumference and estimated your weight (at 15 ounces, you are just under one pound!!). We also got to see your heart beating and the blood flowing through the umbilical cord, which was super cool. She also did some 3D pictures so we could see what your face looks like ... you had other ideas though! Throughout the scan you had your hands up by your face - hiding from us! I guess you just really want to be a surprise :) It was adorable.

After the ultrasound, I had my weekly check-up with the doctor and that went great too. I've gained some more weight (perhaps too many donuts!!?!) but I'm still on track and your heart is still beating strong at 151 bpm. All in all, it was a fantastic evening. And without further ado, here are your glamour shots!!

Your head is on the right, facing us, with your belly and spine to the right.

Arms up covering your face - you shy little thing!

Your belly on the right, with your knees and legs crossed to the left.

Your legs again - crossed.

Your adorable feet!!

Your head in profile on the right, with your hand up to your forehead - looks like you've had a long day :)

Head turned towards us on the right, with your belly on the left.

Your 3D profile with your left hand up by your face - you are seriously adorable!

And finally - a short little video of you squirming around and covering up your face again :)

We are so happy that you are doing so great in there!! We are beyond excited to meet you - until then, stay cozy baby!!!

All my love, Mom

Boy?? Girl??

Even though your Dad and I don't want to find out if you are a boy or a girl until you're born, it is still really fun to guess and wonder which one you'll be! Plus we have our big ultrasound this afternoon, which is when most parents do find out the sex of their little one - so that's been on my mind lately. Hopefully we don't find out by accident tonight, but the doctor says that the ultrasound technician is really good at keeping it a secret.

In the meantime (until July...) we can have some fun guessing what you are!! There are lots of old wives' tales that supposedly tell you if you are having a boy or girl - so here are the results for us:

1. Heart Rate - baby's heart rate below 140 bpm means boy, above 140 means girl:

153 bpm = GIRL

2. Carrying baby low means boy, carrying high means girl:

Low = BOY

3. Craving sour & salty foods means boy, craving sweets means girl:

Sweet = GIRL

4. Chinese Gender Chart

BOY

5. Mom's age & year of conception, both odd means girl, both even means boy:

Odd = GIRL

6. No morning sickness means boy, bad morning sickness means girl:

Nope = BOY

So, to sum it up - there is a 50% chance that you're a GIRL!!! And also! There is a 50% chance that you're a BOY!!! I guess we just have to be patient and wait until July to find out for sure :) Either way - we can't wait to meet you!! See you later on today!

All my love, Mom





Twenty-one Weeks.

We are moving right along now and you just keep on growing - you are 10.5 inches long and you weigh 3/4 of a pound this week!!! I just can't believe that you are really that big in there - I just don't feel like it's possible, even though I know it's true :)  This week your eyelids and eyebrows are fully formed and you are starting to grow some hair on your head.  I just can't wait to see what you'll look like!!

We have had a great week - the weather was wonderful, warm and sunny, and we made a trip up to visit with my parents - including a lunch at my favorite restaurant China King - yum!!! It looks like it will be another great week - we've got the big ultrasound on Thursday which I am SO excited for, our first 5K race of the season on Saturday, and sometime this weekend your dad and I plan on starting our baby registry! Lots of exciting stuff going on :)

How far along? 21 weeks
Maternity clothes? Still holding out with a couple of my pre-pregnancy shirts, but everything else is maternity...
Stretch marks? Luckily, not yet!
Sleep: Still really good, although my hip and back have been hurting lately, so I've started sleeping with a pillow between my knees...
Best moment this week? Our great trip to Grandma and Grandpa E.'s - just hanging out with them :) Oh, and the egg roll - delicious!
Miss anything? Bending over without feeling back pain
Movement? I think I'm starting to get a hang of your schedule... and it seems to be that you really like to shake it after I eat - breakfast, lunch, and dinner :)
Food cravings? Chocolate milk and donuts!!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing lately
Have you started to show yet? There's really no hiding it now
Mood? Happy, excited and anxious
What are you looking forward to this week? Our appointment & ultrasound on Thursday afternoon and the Irish Jig 5K on Saturday.

Can't wait to see you again in a few days!!!!!!

All my love, Mom

Twenty Weeks.

We're halfway there - halfway to your birthday, halfway to parenthood, halfway to meeting you!!! I can't believe we've made it this far and it's all downhill from here :) This week you are now the size of a cantaloupe - yeesh! Getting pretty big! You're about 6.5 inches long and you should weigh about 10.5 ounces. You now have developed taste buds and you are swallowing lots of amniotic fluid every day, getting ready for the outside world.

I've been feeling pretty good lately, my only major complaint is that I'm getting a lot of headaches, but that could also be from the weird weather we've been having. It has been pretty warm lately - yesterday it was about 65 degrees - very warm for early March! I actually ran outside in shorts and a tee shirt yesterday, it was great! I also noticed that I didn't have such a tough time running yesterday because I didn't feel like I needed to go pee every step of the way :) You must be growing up higher in my belly now - and I'm not complaining!

This past weekend we went shopping with your Grandma & Grandpa P. who wanted to buy us a rocking chair for your room :) It was so nice of them to just let us pick out whatever we wanted and order it for us! After lots of testing, we found the perfect chair. It rocks/glides and has a footstool that rocks too. The best part is that the back reclines so I can take a little nap in it if I want :) Here is what it looks like, it should be here in a couple of months!!

On Tuesday, I got two comments from strangers about being pregnant - so that was a first, but it felt good too :) The first was from a woman at the gym who said I had a cute belly and the second was from the cashier at the market. I stopped on the way home to pick up dinner and I also wanted to buy a six pack of beer for Grandma and Grandpa P. to say thanks for watching Leo for us. When I got to the checkout, the cashier asked for my ID for the beer and then said "Even though I know you won't be drinking this!!". I laughed and said that's right :) So I guess that means I definitely look pregnant now! Here we are this week:



How far along? 20 weeks - half baked!
Maternity clothes? Pretty much in full maternity wear now. I've still got some shirts that still work for me, so I'm trying to stretch those out. I also broke down and ordered some maternity running and yoga pants ... the ones I was wearing were getting pretty darn tight around my stomach.
Stretch marks? Still nothing
Sleep: I've been really tired this week, but still sleeping well.
Best moment this week? Getting your closet done and getting the glider ordered. Your dad and I also had some good laughs with Leo this weekend - he found a new favorite toy...  a washcloth, go figure!
Miss anything? Being able to take Motrin for headaches, but that one's a no-no
Movement? Still just feeling a kick or two in the evenings, although at the end of my yoga class last week, you were going a little crazy in there! It made me smile :)
Food cravings? I was craving a donut last Friday SO badly - and not just any donut. It had to be a cake donut with chocolate frosting and colored sprinkles. Luckily, your dad is amazing and went and picked on up for me on Saturday morning, YUM!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Sometimes the headaches get bad enough that I start feeling dizzy :(
Have you started to show yet? Yep! I think I'm pretty obviously pregnant at this point!
Mood? Joyful!
What are you looking forward to this week? Heading up to my parent's house this weekend - take two! Hopefully the weather cooperates this time!

I hope you're ready to join our crazy little family - we sure are ready to meet you :)

All my love, Mom

Baby's Closet Upgrade.

This past weekend your dad and I were planning on going to visit your Grandma & Grandpa E., unfortunately the weather had other plans... It was raining SO hard on Friday night that we decided not to make the four hour drive in the dark and rain and stayed home instead. On Saturday, we decided to be productive and get a start on getting your nursery ready for you. The first thing we needed to do was a closet makeover! Your room is pretty small, so we wanted to make the most of the space we do have in the closet.

It started on Saturday, we first had to clean out all of the stuff that was in that closet - mom's wedding dress, wrapping paper, vaccuum, dad's dress clothes, ironing board, extra sheets, mom's dresses, backpacks, shoes ... you name it - it was in that closet! Here is the before:

Once we had everything moved out, we were reminded of the reason we needed to paint it - the lovely splatter paint and awful shelving!

Your dad tore out all of the shelving and hanging rod and then had to patch all the holes from the one trillion nails that were in the walls... Here he is - hard at work!

When I was taking pictures of him he asked, "Why are you taking pictures of me right now???" And I told him it was so we could remember our project. And his reply was this "You do realize that in 15 years our child is going be looking through old photos and find this one and say - Why the heck do you have a picture of Dad painting the closet?!?!." And I realized that he was SO right! Because that would be my exact reaction if I found an old picture like this of my dad :) So I guess now you know why I have a picture of Dad painting the closet...

Here it is, all cleaned out and painted:

While your dad was painting, I made a trip to the store to buy a closet organizer which we put in on Sunday. When I was screwing in the main support bar, your dad said "Do you really think you need that many screws??" I said that I want to make sure it is good and secure just in case you take after your Uncles and one day decide it's a good idea to hang from your closet bars ... Not that I'm encouraging that, but at least I know the whole thing won't come crashing down!!

Almost finished:



The last step was to put back in the adorable clothes and toys you've gotten as gifts. I can't wait to fill it up with more of the cutest baby stuff :)

And now you have a nicer closet than your mom & dad ... I hope you enjoy it!! I know I will :)

All my love, Mom