Totally in Love

We got to see the baby again today during our fetal echo - I just love him so much already!!!! And getting to see his sweet little face is just precious:

How far along? 22 weeks, 3 days.

Total weight gain/loss: Yikes - gained 10 pounds over the past 4 weeks!!!! Excessive? Yes. Total weight gain is about 20 pounds now.

Maternity clothes? Yep.

Stretch marks? Not yet.

Sleep: Miss it. Sleeping on my sides only.

Best moment this week: Seeing my baby's sweet little face!

Movement: Yep! Still not strong or regular, but I feel him every day.

Food cravings: Cheese and fruit. And cookies. I think the weight gain picture is becoming a bit more clear...

Gender: Boy! :)

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: The regular - sleep, Diet Coke, nausea. But this week you can add - non-swollen feet.

What I am looking forward to: Baby kicks felt from the outside.

Weekly Wisdom: Weight gain can sneak up on you!

Milestones: Knowing our baby's heart is perfect!

Linea Negra

I have one. It's not that dark yet, but it seems to be getting ever-so-slightly darker each week. It's really strange, because it goes above my belly button, but stops about halfway before my bra line. It just looks weird. And you know, I have yet to take a single belly shot, so maybe if I'm really brave, I'll post a picture of the linea negra, too.

We also have a Dr.'s appointment today at 3:50, so I'll update with anything new then, including my little weekly questionaire.

21 Weeks!

"Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch."

Baby is 10 inches! That's pretty crazy to me. And, it turns out, cookies make him move! I bought a little package of sugar cookies at the store earlier this week and every time I eat one (or three...don't judge me), he starts to move around. It's pretty fun :)

Tomorrow my BFF Sarah is coming to town! I'm so excited to see her, since I don't think I've seen her in over 6 months! Lots of fun stuff planned :)

How far along? 21 weeks, 2 days.

Total weight gain/loss: Up 9 lbs that I know of, but I have my suspicions that it is more...

Maternity clothes? Oh yeah.

Stretch marks? Not yet. I think they may be just around the corner. He seemed to grow a lot this past week.

Sleep: Not well. :(

Best moment this week: Baby movements that were more than just once in a blue moon!

Movement: Yep! I still don't feel them strongly, but I'm feeling them everyday!

Food cravings: Still egg and cheese biscuits. But I've also started wanting sugar cookies - makes sense since the baby loves them!

Gender: Boy! :)

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Sleep, Diet Coke and not feeling nauseated.

What I am looking forward to: Baby kicks felt from the outside. I think Fred is a little jealous that I can feel baby and he can't.

Weekly Wisdom: Morning sickness doesn't always go away for everyone. Some of us are sick the entire time.

Milestones: Baby movements, getting the nursery cleaned out (or at least a start), and Fred finally saying we can get a new car (HALLELUJAH)

BTW, something funny that happened this weekend: Fred went to a bachelor party on Saturday and was there until Sunday. Saturday night they had a great time going out and of course, he came home hung over. I looked at him and said - "You know how you're feeling right now? Describe it to me." So he did. And then I said, "Now, that's how I felt Every. Single. Day. for weeks and weeks and weeks." I think he finally felt truly sorry for me :)

20 Weeks and Nursery Progress

I can't believe we're half-way there! And baby is getting so big! I can feel him, but it's not consistent yet.

How far along? 20 weeks, 2 days.
Total weight gain/loss: Up 9 lbs that I know of. I'm not weighing myself unless I'm at the Dr. and I have to.
Maternity clothes? Usually. Today I'm wearing both maternity pants and a maternity sweater. They're just so comfy.
Stretch marks? Not yet.
Sleep: On my sides. And poorly. I toss and turn a lot and my back hurts so much :(
Best moment this week: Feeling a baby thump! It was only one, but it was still glorious. Also, getting our crib all set up - thanks Joe!
Movement: Nothing consistent. I feel it a little bit, but it's just not strong yet.
Food cravings: Egg and Cheese Biscuits! From McDonald's, but I also like the ones in the work cafeteria. They're so tasty!
Gender: Boy! :)
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In, but it's starting to get wider. I can see it if I'm wearing a tighter shirt.
What I miss: Still Diet Coke and feeling completely rested.
What I am looking forward to: Consistent Movement!
Weekly Wisdom: Start saving money now. Daycare is expensive.
Milestones: My little baby thump and getting the nursery going!

Speaking of the nursery - we spent Sunday cleaning it! Since it is currently our office, it's where papers go to die. We tackled the closet and made a lot of great progress! It's almost all cleared out! Plus, we had to go through things in our guest bedroom, since that is where all the office stuff is going now.

On Saturday, Fred and my brother went to pick up the crib and put it together. It looks great and it makes it so much more real that there will be a baby sleeping in it in just 5 months! My mom also ordered us a crib mattress from Overstock, which should be here this week. Once we get it all, I'll post pictures.

Baby's First Furniture

Our baby will have his own place to sleep, thanks to his generous Grandma! We went to USA Baby yesterday and narrowed our choices down to 2 (was at 5) and then finally picked one! We have chosen the Munire Essex Lifetime Crib in Siena (Cherry color?)!

We didn't get the matching furniture, since we think we can probably find something similar and cheaper at IKEA or at some other furniture store, since I suspect baby store mark-ups are slightly outrageous.

The crib is made out of mahogany and it seems very strudy - probably will get us through more than one kid (God willing). I surprised myself by getting a wood stain, since I had thought we would get white furniture. It does throw us off our plan with the dresser and bookcase, but I think the wood stain will be better for us in the long-run.

Additionally, I'm pretty sure I felt the baby last night! I was laying on my side and I had my arm against my stomach. I felt a little thump inside and I also felt it on my arm on the outside in the same spot! I woke up Fred and told him. His response was "My Baby" and put his hand on my stomach and kept snoring away. He remembers me telling him, but he does not remember his reaction. He's funny when he's sleeping.

19 Weeks

I think it's so crazy that we've gotten this far! We feel blessed every single day.

I stole the question list below from Blair's Blog, since I thought it might be nice to start capturing this kind of thing. I haven't started taking belly pictures yet (a throwback fear from the days in my first two pregnancies when I did take them?), but I think I'll start at 20 weeks. That's nice and halfway.

How far along? 19 weeks, 2 days. Since he measured ahead at the u/s, I'm thinking he's probably at 19 weeks, 4 days :)
Total weight gain/loss: Up 9 lbs total. I actually had lost a pound at my last appointment (last week) and was amazed because I was expecting to be up. By a lot.
Maternity clothes? Mostly. I usually do a combo - maternity shirt with regular pants and a bella band or maternity pants and a regular shirt.
Stretch marks? Not yet. Not new ones anyway.
Sleep: On my sides. I miss sleeping on my stomach and back. Oh yeah, and I'm not sleeping very well.
Best moment this week: Registering! It makes it seem real! Plus, we're getting our crib ordered today - Thanks, Mom!
Movement: I'm sure he's moving like the little wiggler he is. BUT, I can't feel him yet.
Food cravings: Depends on the day. I usually crave fruit and dairy in general, but I get a hankering for different things on different days.
Gender: Boy! :)
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In, but I feel like it's starting to stretch, which is kind of gross.
What I miss: Diet Coke and sleeping on my stomach.
What I am looking forward to: FEELING HIM MOVE!!!! I'm hoping it will come any time now. I think I felt him yesterday, but I just don't know for sure.
Weekly Wisdom: Know that you're doing all you can to make sure your baby is happy and healthy.
Milestones: Finding out he is a boy last week and registering for everything he needs from the Land of Baby Crap.