Anxious and Excited!

As we enter into the 17th week of pregnancy I am absolutely dying to find out the gender. I have been slowly building a baby registry, that for now has items for both genders but I plan on making the proper adjustments once we find out if we are having a boy or a girl. There are still nine days until our ultrasound appointment which is primarily an echocardiogram to make certain the baby’s heart is developing normally. A few days ago I seriously looked into going to one of those stand alone ultrasound facilities that charge you about $50 for a 10-minute gender reveal ultrasound because I just couldn’t stand waiting another whole two weeks. Luckily, Michael talked some sense into me and I’m sticking to my original appointment. This upcoming visit will be the first time Michael will see the baby dancing around on the screen. Because of work, he has only been able to attend my first doctor’s appointment which was actually quite boring and consisted of obtaining a medical history and peeing in a cup. Needless to say, his second time should be way more exciting.

We’re also anxiously looking forward to our upcoming trip home to California! There are so many reasons to get excited: my sister’s wedding, seeing family, no humidity, mexican food, sourdough bread, in ‘n out, garlic fries… Ok it’s obvious that we get really excited about eating when we go home but we are SO deprived over here! I mean Connecticut has some goods things to eat, like lobster and, okay that’s the only thing I can think of so I just proved my point. But really the most important part of going home is seeing family and friends. I feel so lucky to see our families multiple times this year! Michael usually doesn’t get the luxury of that happening with his schedule but this year we’re really getting spoiled.

My pregnancy is still going really smoothly and dare I say, easy. My appetite has decreased recently and is pretty much back to pre-pregnancy status. Which is nice because I don’t wake up starving in the middle of the night. I can get by with three meals a day again! The only new symptom is stretching and pulling in my belly as it grows. Sometimes it gets uncomfortable but the pain is more annoying than seriously painful. Usually lying on the floor and doing a good belly massage helps. I didn’t think this was possible but I have to get a bigger bra, again. Thank goodness I didn’t stock up (I only bought two) on what I thought was my new permanent bra size because my body apparently has other plans. I also am the new owner of a belly band. They are so comfy and soft! I’m happy I can wear my old shorts again with the addition of the band. In other belly size news I am happy to say that as of today, I fit into my Maid of Honor dress for my sister’s wedding. I bought it in February (pre-pregnancy) so I have been waiting as long as possible to try it on to properly gauge belly size while still having enough time for alterations if needed.

Once we get back from California in mid-August we plan on getting into full fledge baby mode. I gave us the completion date of my birthday, October 6th, to have everything we need for baby and the room finished. This might seem early but I want to get everything done before Michael starts going out to sea again in the fall. I also want everything prepared in case of an early delivery, and even worse the possibility that Michael wouldn’t be present in that case.

I’ll leave you with a belly pic and my baby stats for the week!

How far along? 17 weeks
How big is baby? Quite a few comparisons this week including: sweet potato, onion or a pear; roughly 5 inches long
Total weight gain/loss: Gained 5 pounds
Maternity clothes? Just a belly band
Sleep: Sleeping okay as long as I have my “pillow fort” consisting of pillows under the belly, wedged behind the back and under the head.
Best moment this week: Brain storming baby names with Michael
Movement: A few very light flutters here and there
Food cravings: Horseradish which was satisfied with cocktail sauce and shrimp. Also mustard and pickles which came in the form of a double cheeseburger from Burger King 🙂
Food Aversions: Watching the hosts eating hot dogs on The Chew today was disgusting to me.
Gender: Hope to find out in 9 days!
Labor Signs: None
Pregnancy Symptoms: Belly expansion pains; if I get up too quickly or make sudden movements it really strains my belly and feels like I pulled or even tore a muscle.
Belly Button in or out: In, but looking really tight as my belly swells.
What I miss: Still beer. Also really sad I can’t drink mimosas with my sister while getting ready for her wedding
What I am looking forward to: The first time Michael sees the baby on August 1 at our ultrasound appointment.
Upcoming appointments/events: 7/30- 18 week appointment, 8/1- Echocardiogram and Ultrasound

Ramblings Before The 4 Month Mark

Something happened mid-week; my belly started popping out! Before now I felt like I had a bloated mid-section and felt generally discouraged about how I looked. Now, it finally feels like I’m getting a real pregnant belly! And it’s only gonna get bigger from here. I officially can’t fit into any of my denim or khaki shorts. I have one pair of denim shorts that are equivalent to a size 8/10 that I can still wear (I’m usually a 6) but who knows how long that will last. I tried using a rubberband to ghetto rig my other shorts to fit by looping the band around the button and through the button hole but I was pretty sure it would either snap in half or the button would rip off because of the strain, and it would probably happen in the middle of a store and then my pants would fall to my ankles. But that’s just another one of my irrational fears, similar to the fear that when I hop off of a counter (which I often sit on) my tailbone will catch the counter’s edge and my entire spine will rip out of my body. I secretly hope I instilled that extremely irrational fear into you too just now.

Some of you may be wondering why I don’t just go out and buy some maternity shorts or a belly band instead of trying to MacGyver some bottoms that will fit. I’ve had this mindset that I want to avoid maternity stores as long as possible and I also can’t get over the idea of spending money on clothes that I will wear so temporarily. For now I plan on wearing a lot of dresses, and come fall I am ecstatic about having the excuse to wear spandex leggings with way too big sweaters over top. I’m sure once people begin noticing that my single pair of denim shorts are beginning to develop holes, I’ll buy a belly band. 

I’ve had more energy lately which has resulted in me going to sleep in the 10 o’clock hour, an hour which these eyes haven’t seen for a long, long time. At the beginning of pregnancy I was often asleep by 9pm, and when Michael was on duty I would crawl into bed at 8pm because he wasn’t there to judge me. There have been more nights lately where I lie awake for one or two hours at a time for no apparent reason. I’ve also been awoken by extreme hunger pangs a few times but that only happens if I eat dinner too early (which I just realized I did today and I will be woken up tonight). When this happens I sometimes fight the hunger until I fall back asleep or I’ll reluctantly make the trek downstairs to eat cereal. There was one time where I actually ate a subway sandwich and some chips (in bed, I’ll be honest) but I justify it because I was awake for almost three hours and ended up watching TV and doing other really productive things.

This week I started on an art piece for the baby’s room which falls in line perfectly with the color scheme. I plan to hang it above the blue dresser where it will really pop. The picture below is still in progress, I obviously have to finish the body and I am going to add a backdrop of color too.

If you didn’t guess the lovely model for this painting is none other than our pup, Maddie! I used a photo that I took of her while she was begging. This is my first painting of an animal and it took some trial and error to develop the different colors in her fur. I’ve seen these sort of pop art style pet portraits before and it’s a look I really admire.

Just two more weeks until we find out the baby’s gender. Michael and I did have a conversation last night, and we both think it’s a girl. We’ll see! We are off to Annapolis tomorrow and so looking forward to our friend’s wedding, seeing old friends, and of course crab dip! Miss Maddie is coming along with us so it should be an exciting trip.

xoxo

Almost 15 Week Update

It’s been a busy past two weeks. Michael’s dad and brother arrived on June 22nd for a Warrior Dash build in Massachusetts. That night we went to Foxwoods casino for a high roller bowling session which was awesome despite the fact that my score fell in the 60’s (I’m better on the Wii). The boys left for MA the next day, and I had my last day of work on Monday. On Wednesday (26th) morning, I picked up my mom-in-law and niece from the airport and on Thursday we headed to NYC for a girl’s trip! We were lucky enough to see a real broadway show while we were there, Annie, and it was awesome. The actors, and especially such young actors were so talented I really was blown away. Plus, Jane Lynch plays the character Miss Hannigan and she is always hilarious. We spent most of our time walking the city, popping in and out of toy stores and even enjoyed a tour of Central Park via bicycle! We arrived back in CT on Friday for some relaxation and on Saturday I headed to Pennsylvania with some girlfriends to attend a wedding. Arriving back on Sunday I was greeted with all the boys who had finished up the build and subsequent tear down of the Warrior Dash race which was held on the 29th (Saturday). After a few more days of catching up with family, we once again had an empty house as of Wednesday (July 3rd). But don’t worry we filled it up again the next day with a 4th of July BBQ! All of us girls stayed inside out of the heat while the boys braved the sun while playing beer pong and corn hole in the yard. On Friday I dragged Michael and a few hungover boys to the beach where we escaped the heat with dips in the icy cold Atlantic. Which brings us to today, phew! I was going to stay inside and get some laundry and other chores done around the house, but I couldn’t resist the invitation to join some friends at a local Lobster Fest. We braved the 90+ temperatures for some fresh seafood, luckily there was a Dairy Queen in walking distance as we left the festival and you better believe we made the trek.

This week will be a bit more routine, until Friday when we make the trip to Annapolis, Maryland for the second wedding of the season plus a long anticipated reunion with some old friends. We’re even bringing Maddie along with us!

As for the pregnancy, everything is going really smoothly. I feel quite normal and I am really happy that I haven’t gained too much weight yet and my doctor is equally as pleased. This past week’s appointment was standard: pee in a cup, get weighed, listen to heartbeat, say your goodbyes! Easy. In a few weeks on August 1st we have a fetal echocardiogram/ultrasound. I’m hoping they reveal the gender at that appointment since the nurse said it will be a very in depth ultrasound. Even though the first look at the baby’s heart looked normal my doctor wants to take a second look at the more developed baby just to be sure. My belly picture this week had to be headless because the humidity had really taken a toll on my hair, you should really thank me for sparing you.

How far along? 15 weeks on Monday
How big is baby? Almost the size of an apple, about 4 inches long
Total weight gain/loss: Gained 1.5 pounds
Maternity clothes? None yet, but only a select few pairs of pants fit me.
Sleep: I’m sleeping about the same as the first trimester; peeing a few times a night, and sometimes just lying awake for an hour or two. But, I’ve adjusted to it so I’m not as tired the next day.
Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat with grandma-to-be, Linda, on the doppler during my 14 week appointment
Movement: None yet!
Food cravings: Nothing specific; I can’t skip breakfast in the morning or else I feel absolutely starving like I haven’t eaten in days
Food Aversions: Nope
Gender: Hope to find out in the next few weeks!
Labor Signs: None
Pregnancy Symptoms: More thirsty than I normally would be, and I get tired earlier in the evening. Other than that, nothing major!
Belly Button in or out: In!
What I miss: beer, tuna rolls 😦
What I am looking forward to: The first time Michael sees the baby on August 1 at our ultrasound appointment.
Upcoming appointments/events: 7/30- 18 week appointment, 8/1- Echocardiogram and Ultrasound