23 weeks

A very tired me at 23 weeks (and very nauseous again unfortunately):

How big is baby?: still supposedly the size of a papaya or a large mango. I certainly have grown a LOT this week, so I am not sure how the baby hasn't. Last week at our ultrasound she weighed 1 lb 3 oz.

Maternity clothes?: Yes please!

Sleep?: not so great. I have a hard time getting comfortable and I have to get up a lot to go to the bathroom.

Best moment this week?: Starting on our nursery, thanks to Rick's hard work putting the crib and the bookshelf together. Also, I love when Rick talks to the baby- it is so sweet!

Food cravings: Not anything really specific that I can think of from this week. My daily fruity pebbles habit has died down a little bit.

Food aversions?: nothing is very consistent- it depends on the day, and the time of day.

Gender?: Sweet little girl!

Movement?: Lots of wiggling around and kicking. Rick often misses it because it is random and inconsistent.

Belly button?: same

Symptoms?:
* All day nausea hit me today- hopefully it won't stick around.
* I have to go to the bathroom a lot
* I am tired.
* I am having some odd pains here and there.
* cramps in my calves - ouch!
* Last night my feet got swollen, but it was after standing for two and a half hours straight in the 94 degree heat and extreme humidity at Alli's swim meet. They are better now.
* does my stomach getting huge over night count as a symptom? It happened Friday night. When I woke up Saturday, I was shocked and wondered "where in the world did that come from?"

What do I miss?: energy

What I'm looking forward to this week?: Working on the nursery for our sweet little girl!

Milestones?: Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Alli's second swim meet

Alli swam in her second meet on Wednesday evening against Boar's Head Swim Club. Her goal this week was to beat her times from last week... and she did!

She took 2.02 seconds off of her freestyle race and 2.47 seconds off of her back stroke race!

We were very excited to have Rick's parents come and join us for the meet.

Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from the night. I am still trying to learn how to use the manual setting on my camera... and clearly I have a lot of work to do :)

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday. 31 years old. Yikes! I generally don't really like to celebrate my birthday or draw attention to myself. Rick knows this, and is still always very thoughtful about doing something that makes me happy.

This morning I woke up early to Rick and Alli giving me cards and presents.

My card from Alli:


My card from Baby D:


My card from Rick:


And last, but not least, my card from Jacks:


Baby D also gave me a cute little sleeper and swaddle blanket:



Remember this post about how wonderful my husband is? Multiply that by a million! My big present was a spa day! Rick not only gave me a gift certificate, but he already booked my appointment for my 30 minute relaxation service, hour long facial, manicure, pedicure, and hour long pre-natal massage. Ahhhhhh AMAZING! I have never had a spa day before, so this was an amazing treat.

Thank you Rick (and Alli, Jacks and Baby D) for making me feel so special today.

22 weeks

How big is baby?: the size of a papaya or the length of a spaghetti squash

Maternity clothes?: Still the same- Pants and bathing suits, yes. Shirts, not yet.

Sleep?: It would be much better if I didn't have to go to the bathroom 5+ times a night!

Best moment this week?: Seeing our precious little angel and finding out that she is a GIRL!!!

Here are her precious little feet:

Food cravings: I am really enjoying my fruity pebbles every day :)

Food aversions?: nothing is very consistent- it depends on the day, and the time of day.

Gender?: Sweet little girl!

Movement?: Lots of wiggling around in there, although she was pretty sleepy during our ultrasound.

Belly button?: same

Symptoms?: I am still struggling with dinner. I have to go to the bathroom very frequently. Most nights I have a hard time getting comfortable when sleeping. I also have some random pains and aches here and there, but nothing unbearable.

What do I miss?: Not having to run to the bathroom every 30 mins haha

What I'm looking forward to this week?: Starting to plan the nursery for our sweet little girl!

Milestones?: At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

It's a....

GIRL!!!

We had our ultrasound this morning and got to see our healthy, precious little girl. We are so very excited and feel so blessed.

I am waiting for the doctor's office to email me some pictures from our ultrasound. When they do, I will post them. :) Unfortunately we didn't get any really good shots of baby's face or profile. But we did get some cute ones of little feet!

I am sorry to make the post short... We just got home from Alli's second swim meet and we are all worn out from all the excitement today.

A little bit of this and that...

Things have been so busy the past couple weeks, I haven't been updating my blog like I should. Life keeps getting in the way.

Father's Day was this past Sunday. Rick unfortunately had to work, but when he got off we went to dinner at his favorite restaurant, Texas Roadhouse, in Harrisonburg. Rick's parents and my parents both were able to join us. We had a great time! It was wonderful to get everyone together.

We are both so fortunate to have such wonderful, supportive and amazing fathers in our lives. Thank you, Tommy and Dad, for always being there for us, for loving us, and for setting such a great example for us. We love you both very much!

I have been feeling movement for a couple weeks now. It is getting a little stronger and more frequent. The exciting news is that Rick has felt Baby D kicking a couple times. It is pretty light and hard to feel from the outside, but I love seeing his face light up when he feels some movement.

Only one more day until our next ultrasound! Hopefully Baby D will cooperate and let us know what gender he/she is. We can't wait. Our appointment is at 9:15am, but it may take a while.

Stand by for a big update tomorrow!

Thank you Rick!

Rick was off on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Instead of relaxing and enjoying his days off, he worked very very hard. He did lots of yard work, he did laundry, and he and Alli both cleaned the house.

The biggest task was probably the nursery. We have been using the closet in the nursery for storage. I am embarrassed to admit that the room became a catch all for "stuff" as well. We knew it was going to be a huge task to clean it out and we were dreading it. However, Rick dove right in and tackled it on his own. The room is now completely empty and ready for Baby D and all of Baby D's things!

Thank you SO much Rick!! Baby D thanks you as well, because now he/she has a room!

This is for you:

I love you!

21 weeks

How big is baby?: the size of a banana (or the length of a carrot)- Rick pointed out that he isn't sure how a banana is somehow larger than a cantaloupe last week, but that is what they tell me.

Maternity clothes?: Pants and bathing suits, yes. Shirts not yet.

Sleep?: I tend to be really tired by the time I go to bed. I am sleeping better than I have been in the past, but I still have to get up at least a couple times to go to the bathroom.

Best moment this week?: Rick talking to the baby and kissing the baby. It melts my heart.

Food cravings: See this post. You can add snow cones to that list too :) I got TWO of them at Alli's swim meet last night.

Food aversions?: dinner is still hard for me most days, especially if it includes meat.

Gender?: less than a week until we find out!

Movement?: I have been feeling movement pretty consistently and even started feeling some kicks.

Belly button?: same

Symptoms?: The nausea is getting better, but I still can't really eat between about 4:00pm and 8:00pm.
The burping is still pretty bad. I think Rick has had enough of it, but I can't help it. I hate it and think burping is so rude, so if I knew how to stop it, I definitely would.
After standing up for two hours timing the heats at Alli's swim meet last night, I learned that I get tired pretty quickly from standing up for long periods of time. At work, I generally sit at a desk, so I am not used to standing a lot.

What do I miss?: Dinner

What I'm looking forward to this week?: There are several things that I am really looking forward to this week.
* Our appointment on Wednesday for the ultrasound to see baby D, make sure he/she is ok, and hopefully find out what gender he/she is!
* Father's Day is Sunday. I am looking forward to celebrating all the Fathers in my life :)
* I am going to visit my friend Jenni on Friday in Virginia Beach. It will be a short one night trip, but I am really looking forward to seeing her and her son Tyler!

Milestones?: Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

Swim Meet

Alli had her first swim meet last night. She is officially a Greene Hills Gator!

When she arrived to the meet, she learned that she would be swimming 50m freestyle and 50m backstroke. Backstroke is not Alli's favorite stroke, but she jumped in the pool and tried her best.

She did a great job and we are very proud of her!

So THIS is what everyone talks about...

Cravings. I think I might actually have some odd cravings here and there.

1) pickles- so cliche, I know. I have always liked pickles, but I wouldn't go out of the way to buy them for myself. I just ate them if they came on my plate with a sandwich or a burger. Not lately... I have already bought three jars

2) fruit juice- Orange juice and apple juice are very tasty to me. This is very odd because before I was pregnant, I never liked juice. I NEVER drank apple juice because it made me feel sick (too sugary?) and I drank orange juice maybe once a year.

3) Fruity Pebbles- I went to the grocery the other day, and when I saw the fruity pebbles I started jumping up and down with excitement... ok, not really, but I did in my head. They sounded so good, I bought the huge container of them. And I have been REALLY enjoying them :)

4) Grilled Cheese Sandwiches- I normally like grilled cheese, but lately I feel like I could eat them every day.

So, I guess I have officially started having some cravings. It should be interesting to see how they change or what other ones develop over the next 20 weeks.

Half Baked! 20 weeks

How big is baby?: the size of a cantaloupe! That seems big to me!

Maternity clothes?: Pants and bathing suits, yes. Shirts not yet.

Sleep?: Not good, but lots of other things have been playing into that.

Best moment this week?: Feeling the baby move.

Food cravings: Nothing really.

Food aversions?: dinner is still hard for me most days

Gender?: 2 weeks until we find out!

Movement?: I have started feeling some moving around in there, which is really exciting.

Belly button?: same

Symptoms?: the same- burping and nausea (especially in the evening, but it is getting better), having to go to the bathroom a lot (especially at night). I am also starting to have some pain in my hips and some round ligament pain.

What do I miss?: Enjoying food

What I'm looking forward to this week?: Hopefully having some peaceful and relaxing time this weekend.

Milestones?: Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Could it be?!?!

I think I felt Baby D moving around last night!

As I was sitting on the couch, I felt some rumbling around, kind of like bubbles, and some soft jabs. I am pretty confident that it is Baby D dancing around in there.

I am so excited to finally have felt something! Hopefully it will become more consistent, and it won't be too long before Rick can feel it from the outside.

19 weeks

Even though Rick says there is no change and I have nothing to show.... here are my 19 week baby bump (or lack thereof) picture

How big is baby?: the size of a mango

Maternity clothes?: a couple pairs of pants, one pair of shorts, and I broke out maternity bathing suits this past weekend

Sleep?: just ok, but I have a horrible cold. The sore throat, congestion and achiness is keeping me up

Best moment this week?: Alli learning to dive and watching Sarah Beth and Anne Charlotte in their dance recital

Food cravings: Nothing really.

Food aversions?: dinner is still hard for me most days

Gender?: 20 days until we find out!

Movement?: I still haven't noticed anything that I have identified as definite baby movement.

Belly button?: same

Symptoms?: the same- burping and nausea (especially in the evening), having to go to the bathroom a lot (especially at night)

What do I miss?: laying out on my stomach at the pool

What I'm looking forward to this week?: spending some more time at the pool this weekend, laying in the sun and reading a book

Milestones?: Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Blog Spotlight- Logan's Life For Dessert

My friend Logan from high school has an awesome blog! I thoroughly enjoy reading her funny and often very touching stories. She is an amazing wife, mother, sister, and neighbor, and she has been an inspiration to me through her blog.

She posted the other day - Blogging from the Bush...Support Our Sailors!!!
I would like to encourage you all to take a minute to read it and seriously consider participating in supporting our wonderful Navy sailors.

Rick and I are really looking forward to reading some of the stories from the Bush and sending off some care packages full of love!