Week 21

How far along? 21 weeks!

How big is baby? A pomegranate or the length o f a carot-13 ounces and 10.5 inches. 

Total weight gain/loss: At my appointment Friday, I was the same weight I was 4 weeks ago. Baby's healthy and growing, so I'm happy with that. 

Maternity clothes? I'm so thrilled with my BellaBand from Ingrid and Isabel. My goal is more more maternity pants!

Sleep: Decent. I've been staying up a lot later and sleeping through the night well. 

Best moment this week: Finding out the sex. 

Movement: Very active-I think the hubster will able to feel it on the outside soon. Every time I move so he can try, the little bugger calms down.

Food Cravings: None...even milk and marinara meatballs have subsided. 

Food Aversions: Bananas-always bananas. 

Gender: It's a Boy! My intuition was right!

Labor Signs: none. 

Pregnancy Symptoms: Gas. Oh,  the gas is bad right now. 

Belly Button in or out? In. 

What I miss: Being able to look at myself profile in the mirror and not feel like a heifer. I still only looks pregnant sometimes. 

What I am looking forward to: Getting the nursery set up. 

Upcoming appointments/events: Next appointment is set for President's Day.

Milestones: Registries and our cloth diaper stash have been started!

This week our accumulation of baby items was huge. Between our bedding set coming in, my mom ordering more pieces to coordinate with our bedding, shopping awesome clearance sales, and my sister passing down some used pieces from her children, there was a huge increase in baby paraphernalia at our house this week. I'm itching the get the nursery set up now!

It's a....

It's a boy! Mini hockey player coming June 2013!

Old Wives Tales

I've been obsessing or the last couple weeks over whether we're having a boy or a girl. I can't make up my mind which I'd prefer. I took to the Internet to see what the ancients think I'm having. Here's a list of old wives tales I've found regarding the sex of the baby...and my responses to them...

#1. If you are moody, you are having a girl because of all the extra female hormones.  

-I think I've been pretty good about this. I've been moody and cranky lastly, but I think that's more because I've been sick. Verdict: Boy

#2. It's a girl if your left breast is larger than your right breast. It's a boy if your right breast is larger than your left breast.

-No did discernable difference. 

#3. Dark nipples are signs of a son.

-No change, and they're definitely not dark. Verdict: Girl

#4. If you eat garlic and the odor seeps out of your pores, then you're having a boy. 

-It doesn't seep out of my pores...but it does seep out. Verdict: Boy

#5. If your urine is bright yellow, it's a boy. A dull yellow means a girl.

-Depends on the day and time. I thought this was more dependent upon how much water you drank...

#6. If you experience heartburn or indigestion during pregnancy your baby will have a full head of hair.

-I have never had heartburn in my life. I would be surprised, however, if our baby came out bald given the hair we both had as babies. 

#7. No morning sickness, it’s a boy.  A girl if you were sick or nauseous during your pregnancy.

-No vomiting, but I did have morning sickness during first trimester. Verdict: Girl

#8. A heart rate over 140 beats per minute(bpm), it's a girl. A boy's heart beat is slower. 

-Both visits with the Doppler have been in the 150s and 160s. Verdict: Girl

#9. If you crave salty foods it's a boy. If you crave sweets then it's a girl. 

-Yummmmm...chocolate. Verdict: Girl

#10. If you eat the ends of bread, it’s a boy. If you eat the middle of the loaf, it’s a girl.

-I never eat the ends! That's for the dogs. Verdict: Girl

#11. If dad gains weight, it's a girl. If his weight stays the same, it's a boy.

-He feels like he has, but I think it's been because of traveling and the holidays. Verdict: Boy

#12. It's a girl if you get acne due to the increased levels of the female charged hormones. A girl steals her mother’s beauty.

-My face is a perpetual pizza. Verdict: Girl

#13. If the linea nigra stops at the belly button, it's a girl. If the linea nigra goes all the way to the bottom of the rib cage, it's a boy. 
-It hasn't developed yet.

#14. You got dry hands; it's a boy.

-No real issues with this. Verdict: Girl

#15. More hair on your legs than normal, count on a boy. 

-I actually feel like I've had less hair than previously! Verdict: Girl

#16. If your nose gets bigger and wider, expect a boy.

-No change. Verdict: Girl

#17. If your nose swells, it's a girl. Same pre-pregnancy nose, it's a boy.

-Isn't this essentially the same thing as above? Same answer, different verdict: Boy. 

#18. If your face swells and gets rounder, it's a girl. Long and narrow face, a boy.

-Surprisingly, my face has not changed much in shape or size. Verdict: Boy.

#19. Cold feet, a boy. 

-I've always had cold feet. Verdict: Boy

#20. If your legs get really big, means a boy. If your legs stay in shape and lean, a girl.

- My thighs have expanded, but that's where I always store extra weight. Verdict: Boy.

#21. If you find yourself clumsier with pregnancy, it's a boy.

#22. If you remain grounded and still in control of your body, it's a girl.

-I have been tripping over my own feet more lately. Verdict: Boy. 

#23. If you're carrying low, it's a boy. If you're carrying high, it's a girl.

-I have been told I'm carrying high. I don't disagree. Verdict: Girl

#24. If you're carrying in front, it's a boy. All around your middle, it's a girl.
-I think it's all around my middle, from the little bit I can tell. Verdict: Girl.

 #25. Loop your wedding ring in a piece of thread and let it dangle over your belly. If the rings swings in a back and forth motion, it's a girl. If the ring moves in a circular motion, paint the room blue. 
-Very clear and distinct circle. Verdict: Boy. 

#26. If you hold a necklace over your hand and it swings back and forth, it's a boy. A circular moving necklace, stock up on the pink.
-Starts circular, although eventually goes to a back and forth motion. The circular pathway lasts longer. Verdict: Girl

#27. When asked to show your hands and you immediately show your palm, it's a girl. Palm down = a boy. 
-I always do palm up. Verdict: Girl.

#28. If a toddler shows interest in you, you are having the opposite sex of the toddler. For example, a girl toddler expresses interest in you means you are having a boy.
-The toddler I see most is my nephew and he loves me...my cousin's daughter loves me, too, though. I cannot answer this unbiased. 

#29. Chinese Gender Chart.
-It's very complicated, but I played around with it...Verdict: Girl. 


So, based on this oh so scientific study of old wives tales, it looks like we're having a girl! There are 14 that point to girl, 9 that point to boy, and 5 that either point to both, neither, or I am not in a position to figure it out yet. I guess we'll see soon enough which it actually is...

Week 20

How far along? 20 weeks-hard to believe you're already half baked!

How big is baby? A cantaloupe or banana (lengthwise crown to rump)- 6 1/2 inches and 10 1/2 ounces. The little bugger is putting on more weight than length this week!

Total weight gain/loss: Ugh...I'm up 1.5 lbs from last week.


Maternity clothes? I haven't bought any more, but there is no way my normal pants will fit without my Belly Band. I'm excited for my BellaBand to come tomorrow. 

Sleep: It's been going really well, except for last night. 

Best moment this week: Realizing there is an actual, brick and mortar loth diaper store near us! I feel like an idiot. Diaper Junction is actually located in VA Beach-about a 45 minute drive for us. I'm excited to see about taking a cloth is diapering class and deciding exactly what is best for us. 

Movement: Very active. If we had good timing, I'm sure the hubster would be able to feel it. It'll come, though. 

Food Cravings: Same old, same old. 

Food Aversions: Just bananas. 

Gender: We find out on Friday...I'm afraid I'm starting to realize something. I've bern having more and more thoughts lately about it being a girl. I don't want to think or feel this way, but I'm afraid I just want it to be a girl. I always assumed I'd end up with a boy, and that would make me happy, but I'm afraid at the back of my mind, I want a girl. I don't want to want either in particular, so this is difficult for me. 

Labor Signs: I think I actually may be starting to experience some Braxton Hicks contractions-but it could have also been the way I moved. I was driving-and had to pee-and my belly got very tight for about 5 minutes. It didn't hurt. It happened again much later in the evening. 

Pregnancy Symptoms: Now that I'm not sick feeling (not morning sickness, just really actually sick) I feel amazing. I think some of that second trimester energy is kickin in. 

Belly Button in or out? In, but I also noticed today it was a little more shallow than previously. It still has a long way to go. 

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach. I can still do it some, but it's becoming increasingly difficult. I definitely need to through one leg over a pillow and sleep on an angel. 

What I am looking forward to: Finding out the sex on Friday-and telling the world as soon as we get our pictures back from Beth. We're also going to start our Babies R Us registry Friday. I almost started it today, but I knew it was better to wait to do it with Nick. We're also going to start our registry that day. Let's face it-it's pretty much already done in my head, I just need Nick's input on what he cares about and a zappy gun. 

Upcoming appointments/events: Anatomy Scan and 20 week appointment on Friday. 

Milestones:Movement has become more and more consistent. 

Week 19

How far along?  19 weeks!

How big is baby? A Mango or Heirloom Tomato...6 inches and 8 1/2 ounces

Total weight gain/loss: Ugh...Up two more this week. I will say I did eat better for the first half of the week, but not the second half. I have felt like crap and therefore eaten like crap. Plus I must have a pound or two of phlegm in my head.

Maternity clothes? I think I need to invest in another pair of maternity pants. Costco is currently carrying their yoga pants which come in variable lengths. I would like to a pair a size larger than what currently have. I also bit the bullet and laid down the $28 for an actual Ingrid and Isabel BellaBand. I've hear the quality is much better than the Motherhood Maternity one I have, so I am hoping it will stay up better. I ordered it through Amazon, along with another little gift for myself (or the little one, depending upon how you look at it), so I am anxiously awaiting it's arrival later this week.

Sleep: Pretty good. 

Best moment this week: We received our first baby gift! My friend Rachel gave us two teething toys, a version of Oh, The Places You'll Go that is intended to be read in utero (she swears she read it to her daughter every night until she was born) and another book by Sandra Boynton (who, ironically, my friend Holly just blogged about). I am so appreciate of Rachel's thoughtfulness and eager to start reading to the baby!

Movement: Very active. I had to go to the Dr for a possible illness, and he popped back in for a moment to ask if I had felt any movement yet. My response, "Yes, it kicked when you left because it was feeling neglected."

Food Cravings: Meatballs and milk. Not necessarily together, but also not a bad idea. 

Food Aversions:Bananas 

Gender: We find out in 12 days, 20 hours, and 19 mins. Not that I'm counting or anything. 

Labor Signs: None. 

Pregnancy Symptoms: My dry eyes have subsided some -yay! Otherwise, my pregnancy symptoms have been overshadowed by feeling sick this week-congestion, lightheaded, body aches.  I also have had this weird tingly, numbing sensation beneath my shoulder blade, which I wrote off as needing to see the chiropractor again, or at least getting a new bra. When my au t said my grandmother was diagnosed with shingles, I got a little nervous, and per the recommendation of my OB and PCP, ended up with a quick visit to my Dr yesterday afternoon.  No shingles, just an upper respiratory infection. Fabulous. 

Belly Button in or out? In. 

What I miss: Being able to sneeze without peeing myself, which is huge while sick. 

What I am looking forward to: Getting over this cold/infection thing. I felt so lame going to the Dr  Friday...I had really hoped the Dr would just tell me to watch things and call them if it gets worse. But I guess better safe than sorry. 

Upcoming appointments/events: Anatomy scan, check up, and sex reveal photo session January 25. I'm dying to start registering between now and then, too. 

Weekly Wisdom:You are still human, regardless of anything else going on.

Milestones: So...as I mentioned earlier I purchased a a little something else from Amazon along with the BellaBand. Partially to get free shipping, and more because I wanted to, I went ahead and purchased the first piece to work on the nursery. I have been lusting over Skip Hop's Mod Dot Bedding for about a year or so now-well before we were trying to conceive. I decided to bite the bullet and go ahead and order just the sheet. I want to see it in person and make sure it was what I really wanted. 

Courtesy of Amazon

I love the primary colors, and I certainly have a thing for polka dots. I think it's going to look awesome in there. Here's an example of what I am thinking about doing.







Not the best, but it gives you an idea. I'm so eager to get started on this. I'm not sure how much is my love of decorating and how much is nesting setting in. What I do know is I have too much school work to do than to worry about this right now, but it's so much more fun to worry about a nursery than grade tests and research papers!

Strollers 'R Us

I admit it, I can be a little obsessive about things from time to time. Since the summer, I have been doing a far amount of stroller window shopping. My requirements were not much, just a lightweight, non-ginormous stroller that could be used fom infancy to toddlerhood, costing less than $200. I first looked at the Joovy Scooter, which I still love, but have never seen in person. I refuse to buy something so important sight unseen. Then I read about the Chicco Liteway. It seemed great-awesome reviews, even took my niece to Babes 'R Us to check it out. Perfection, except it didn't have the added convenience of being able to plop the infant bucket seat into it if necessary. I was torn if that was really important. After nannying my niece when she was 6 -12 weeks old, I got a pretty good feeling or newborn gear. I hated carrying around that car seat. In fact, i preferred to wear her in the moby wrap if the stroller was inconvenient. But...everyone says it's so great to not have to wake the baby up if they fall asleep in the car. 

Then, the heavens opened, and there was a solution: the Chicco 2-in-1 Liteway Plus, a variation of the stroller I had just looked at, except this one did take a car seat! Woohoo! The problem? It doesn't lay completely flat for a newborn and it didn't come available till sometime January 2013. Bummer. My obsession was on hold until I could see it. 

Babies R Us got in the the Chicco 2-in-1 Liteway  Plus this week, so I went to look at it. The hubs agreed to come look at it with me Friday night while we were out and about. Ironically, my sister called me to find out where I was, they had stopped by our house, and no one was home. They met us up at BRU and helped us test drive some strollers. We both decided we actually preferred the regular Liteway to the Plus, the hubs more for steering (which I agreed on), and I because it lays completely flat. Then the hubs and my brother-in-law starting playing with expensive strollers. (My niece and nephew looooved getting in a bunch of different strollers and being pushed around!) They eventually got around to the Baby Jogger City Mini. If we were going to put more money into a stroller, I thought this was what I wanted. The hubs agreed, he liked it, too. He started to get antsy, so I dismissed him to go next door to Best Buy while, my sister, the kids and I perused the store some more. 

Then it happened. There were several gear items on clearance at the back of the store. Pack n Plays, strollers, walkers...there was a Graco Snugrider Stroller Frame for $39 (originally $79.99), which, had I known what car seat we were getting, I would have picked up in  heartbeat. All clearance gear was also an extra 25% off. Then I saw it. 2011 Eggplant and Grey Baby Jogger City Mini. It was beautiful, but there was no tag. The salesgirl was right behind the display, so I asked her about it. She said yes, it was on clearance and applies for the extra percentage off, and that I would not believe the final price-she was just getting ready to put the sticker on. $109.90. Seriously? A stroller that had been selling recently for $199, was originally $239.99, would end up being $79.90 with the extra percentage off? I never really considered this stroller an option-assumed it was more than we wanted, but for this price....and we don't know the sex! Would purple work for a boy? I sent the hubs a quick picture. He said it was my call, purple and all. As I finally came to my decision that the purple was not too girls for a possible boy, he agreed that it was too go a deal to pass up. My nephew was thrilled to ride around in it all evening. He thought he was awesome playing with the huge sunshade, blocking everyone out so he could concentrate on his game (on my iPhone, of course.) As we left to go to Best Buy, I must say it was super easy to push a 35 lb 3 year old with one hand while carrying a squirmy 25 lb 18 month old in the other. I think this beautiful purple purchase is going to be worth every penny. 

Week 18

How far along? 18 weeks!

How big is baby? A sweet potato or a bell pepper. About 5 1/2 inches long and 7 ounces 

Total weight gain/loss: I am down about a pound or two from last week at home, actually 5 pounds down from the Dr.'s office last week. I attribute last week's weight being up due to Christmas, and, to be completely honest, when I weigh in at home, I do it in the nude. Obviously, I can't do that in the Dr.'s office. Total Weight Gain is 21 pounds. My goal is to hopefully get it to stay the same for the next couple weeks by trying to eat less junk and more veggies. I am not trying to do any crazy dieting, I just want to try to eat healthier in general. 

Maternity clothes? Contemplating getting an actual BellaBand. I have a "Tummy Sleeve" by Motherhood Maternity, but I'm not happy with it. Some people say the BellaBand is a thicker material, so I think it might stay up better.  

Sleep: I've been staying up later. Friday night I went to bed at 12:30! And sleep has been pretty good once I get there, too!

Best moment this week: Our anniversary! We celebrated 7 years of marriage on Monday, December 31. We saw Les Miserables together then went over to a friend's house for a New Year's Eve party. We rang in the new year quietly at home. 

Movement: Thursday night I could have sworn I had all the Rockettes in there. 

Food Cravings: Still milk and marinara sauce-nothing new. 

Food Aversions: The smell and thought of bananas make me sick. 

Gender: Leaning towards girl this week. 

Labor Signs: Let's hold off on those for another 18-20 weeks!

Pregnancy Symptoms: I sobbed all the way through Les Miserables. My face is improving but my back is disgustingly broken out. I've also had some cramping and soreness in my lower abdominal muscles, especially if I've been moving or lifting a lot. I probably should have taken it a little easier while cleaning up/out the garage.

Belly Button in or out? In. 

What I miss: We went to Olive Garden Thursday night and a glass of sounded lovely. 

What I am looking forward to: I'm about to die not knowing the sex. 

Upcoming appointments/events: Anatomy Scan  on Friday, Jan. 25!

Weekly Wisdom: When opportunity strikes, take full advantage!

Milestones: Purchasing our first big baby item! More to come on that soon...

This was taking in the morning, after grocery shopping, before brunch. I definitely think I looked bigger in last week's picture, and maybe even the week before, proving my point about the nasty end of the day bloat.

Week 17

****Sorry this is late, it was written, but I had trouble getting the picture done, as Sunday was PJ day and I was gon until very late Monday. ****

How far along? 17 weeks

How big is baby? An onion or turnip. About 5 ounces and 5 inches. 

Total weight gain/loss: About 16 lbs. it was higher at our appointment on Thursday, but then it went down. I'm  thinking extra christmas water weight. 

Maternity clothes? Some here and there. 

Sleep: This week has been hit or miss. We stayed at the in-laws house for two nights. I always ave trouble sleeping there, but I was able to make some adjustments for night #2, and life was much better. 

Best moment this week: Christmas! We had a great time celebrating with our families. We even received a Babies R Us gift card and money towards a crib, so baby was feeling the love, too. 

Movement: It seems to have picked up more again!

Food Cravings: Nothing out of the ordinary. 

Food Aversions: Nothing out of the ordinary. 

Gender: Leaning more towards a girl this week. 

Labor Signs: None, but I have had several people ask me if I'm scared if giving birth. I'm not really sure how to respond. Of course it makes me nervous, but I've thought about it a lot before deciding to get pregnant and have reconciled that. I guess that's what I should say, but I don feel like going into that amount of details. 

Pregnancy Symptoms: Dry eyes. I had heard this old be a symptom, but I thought it was just a need to change contacts. That hasn't helped, so I think Visine is going to be my new best friend. 

Belly Button in or out? In. 

What I miss: Being able to better explain my emotions. I got ridiculously worked up Thursday about something I knew and acknowledged was silly, but I couldn't articulate why it bothered me so, further frustrating me!

What I am looking forward to: Finding out the sex-scheduled for Jan. 25! A friend was to do some gender reveal pictures, so we'll do them that day, then I think we're going to have dinner with my parents and bring a cake with normal icing and the cake is dyed blue or pink. I'm not a huge fan of over the top reveals-no one else really cares-but I think my parents will enjoy the cake thing, and my friend is very excited about the photo shoot. 

Upcoming appointments/events: Jan. 25, 10AM anatomy scan, 10:30 Dr appt, 3PM photo shoot

Weekly Wisdom: Don't let other's words get to you. People rarely have any understanding how hurtful their words can be, especially when they're intended to be rather innocuous. 

Milestones: I began working on registry stuff this week, while I had time off. I just created a private Amazon.com wish list of things I know I want and thigs I'm researching. Of course, in typical style for me, I went crazy and have almost every thing picked out. 

17 weeks 1 day 23 hours...note to self, take a picture next week in the morning and in the evening.