17 weeks & the Bump!

How far along? 17 Weeks

Weight gain/loss:

Almost 2 pounds gained. I'm finally gaining weight. :)

Maternity clothes?

No official maternity clothes, but my mom and I went shopping this past weekend and she bought me a lot of cute dresses. :) Thanks again, Mama.

Stretch marks?

None.

Sleep?

Sleep is still good.

Best moment this week?

Again, watching my belly grow. It confirms there's a little somebody in there.

Food cravings:

No real cravings this past week. I satisfied my gyoza, grapes and elote cravings and I'm still enjoying fruit, cucumbers & pickles. :)

Gender:

1 more week until our appt. and hopefully "It's a Boy!" or "It's a Girl!" will be written in an envelope and we'll find out the sex with our parents.

Belly button in or out?

In, but more shallow. It looks so weird. I like it.

Movement?

I think I felt something early this morning while I laid on my left side.

What I miss?

Same...less backaches, smaller boobs, being able to jump up and go, no leg cramps & normal bowel movements. But I'm grateful to have these things because it means I'm pregnant!

What I'm looking forward to:

Ultrasound appt. and finding out the sex!

Milestones:

I'm 17 weeks. I'm almost halfway there. Eek! That's hard to believe.

16 weeks & the Bump!

Wow! My bump is really sticking out there. :)

How far along? 16 Weeks

Weight gain/loss:

1 ounce. really? I feel like I've gained a ton.

Maternity clothes?

None.

Stretch marks?

None.

Sleep?

Sleep is still good, but I now find that I'm getting up 3 times every morning to pee. I need to cut off drinking water after a certain time.

Best moment this week?

Watching my bump grow. I no longer look like I've been eating too many tacos. I actually look pregnant now and can flaunt the belly. :)

Food cravings:

Dumplings/Gyozas/Potstickers. I have yet to satisfy this craving.

Gender:

Hopefully we'll find out in 2 weeks!

Belly button in or out?

In, but it seems to be getting wider. :)

Movement?

None. I think those "butterfly flutters" was gas last week. :D

What I miss? I never thought I'd say this, but I miss my smaller boobs. I've always wanted bigger boobs, but big boobs are over-rated and a pain to deal with. :P I sweat more in that area & have to dry under them after showers etc. They are growing for a good reason though. :)

What I'm looking forward to:

Ultrasound appt. on June 2nd & possibly doing a reveal with our parents. It'll be fun to find out together. :)

Milestones:

I'm 4 months today! Eeek!

Happy 15th Birthday, Sissy & Baby Dan!

Thank you for bringing smiles, laughter & unconditional love to our lives. You’ve been the best kids we could ever ask for. You’ll always be our #1 4-legged kids! Happy 15th Birthday, Rooster & Bear. We love you!

May you always have each other to lean on and sit on, for many more years to come. :)

We made them a Peanut Butter Carrot Cake. (Dan did his best cutting a bone-shape out of the cake :))

They really enjoyed their birthday cake!

I got really emotional today thinking about my babies and how old they are and the inevitable that one day they won't be here. It breaks my heart. But they are here now and they are behaving like they are no older than 10. I need to stop thinking about when they are no longer with us and and live in the now and cherish every moment we have with them.

Happy 15th Birthday, Rooster & Bear. We love you!

15 weeks & the Bump!

How far along? 15 Weeks

Weight gain/loss: 2 ounces gained.

Maternity clothes? None yet. I did borrow my friend's bella band and I love it! I also need to buy new bras and a few dresses.

Stretch marks? None.

Sleep? Sleep is good. I get up twice in the a.m. to go to the bathroom, but I'm still able to get back to sleep. I've been sleeping with a pillow in between my leg and that has helped me stay on my left side and sleep more comfortably.

Best moment this week? My first Mother's Day! :)

Food cravings: Elote (Mexican corn on the cob) with all the fixins.

Gender: Don't know yet. I will be happy either way. I kind of like the idea of having a boy now. For shits & giggles, Dan and I checked out some of those old wives tales to find out the sex (heart rate, chinese prediction, thread & wedding ring, quizzes, carrying high/low). :)

Belly button in or out? In, but it feels like it's getting more shallow.

Movement? I think I felt butterfly flutters the other day.

What I miss? I miss being able fit into my pants comfortably. I also miss not having leg cramps in the middle of the night & being pain free (whether it's round ligament pain or muscle twinges).

What I'm looking forward to: I'm still looking forward to our 18 week appt. in 3 weeks!

Milestones: It feels amazing to be at 15 weeks!

How we told our parents the BIG news!

We announced it to our parents after we received our 1st ultrasound in March.

We created a family tree for my parents.

My mom noticed the ultrasound immediately, gave me a hug and shed a tear or two. My dad had no clue what he was looking at. He thought there was a picture missing. After he looked at it for a few more seconds, my mom said, "They're Pregnant!" and my dad said, "Who?". lol That's my dad.

As we expected, they were thrilled and gave us huge hugs.

We went out to eat. We discussed names and whether we preferred a boy or a girl.

We also gave them a pic of our ultrasound and will give them an updated copy each time we get one. :)

We shared the exciting news with Dan's parents by making fortune cookies.

One fortune said, "2011 is a g good year for Grandchildren!" and another said, "A bundle of joy is coming your way!" A tiny pic of the ultrasound was on the back with the EDD as the lucky numbers. :)

In classic FIL form, and Dan does this too, he tore the paper as he opened the cookie. Then he didn't have his reading glasses, therefore, he couldn't read the paper. He kept saying, "I don't have my reading glasses, let me get my glasses." MIL was a little confused and thought the message "A bundle of joy..." referred to the film and news about distribution. She then figured it out and yelled out, "Are you serious?!, Are you pregnant?!". We said, "Yes!" and she started crying. They gave us hugs and best wishes. We discussed natural childbirth, baby clothes, names, childbirth classes. We were really surprised how well they took it. :)

Now, I'm trying to decide how we're going to announce the baby's gender.

Any thoughts/ideas? Message me.

Mother's Day

I have an amazing mom. I can't tell you enough how much I love & appreciate you.

I can only hope to be half as amazing at this job as you've been.

I'm with child now so I consider myself a mommy already. :) Well, actually I've considered myself a mommy to 2 chis for almost 15 years now. I know to many people it just doesn't compare to the little 2-legged kids, but trust me they are just as smart, ornery, talkative (in their own way), spoiled, loving (unconditional love), dependent, precious, and cuddly as those 2-legged ones. ;)

We're just so extremely lucky that now we are adding a 2-legged baby to our little family. Then we'll really see how ornery these 4-legged kids can be. ;)

(the only ultrasound we've received so far at 6w5d)

Wishing all the moms out there (with two-legged or four-legged kids) a very Happy Mother's Day!

14 weeks & the Bump! Happy 2nd Trimester to us!

Holy Crap! What happened to the cute little bump from last week? I swear my bump grew overnight. :D

How far along? 14 Weeks

Weight gain/loss: 1 lb. from last week. I had lost a few pounds a few weeks ago and now I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity clothes? None. I've been using a rubber band/ponytail holder to keep my pants loose. I'm thinking about getting a belly band.

Stretch marks? None.

Sleep? Sleep is good. I get up to go to the bathroom once in the a.m. and easily get back to sleep. I'm thinking about getting a body pillow to help my hips & stay on my left side.

Best moment this week? We've made it to the 2nd tri! WOOHOO! And our 1st baby purchase came in yesterday. It's super cute. Will share pics later. :)

Food cravings: Still lots of fresh fruit & kosher pickles. Although, I have found that if I see something that looks delicious, I must have it soon. (i.e. Boudin. I saw a family member post a pic on FB and then I just had to have it.)

Gender: I think baby girl, but that could totally be because I want a girl and I want our little one to look like Dan. :)

Belly button in or out? In.

Movement? None.

What I miss? Being able to fit into my jeans without a rubber band. Being able to pick out what to wear within seconds and not minutes. ugh. I also miss normal bowel movements. lol

What I'm looking forward to: I'm looking forward to our next appointment & ultrasound, which isn't until June 2nd (that's 4 weeks away!). I'll be 18 weeks and maybe, just maybe we'll find out the sex then. But I won't get my hopes up. :)

Milestones: Second trimester!

Pregnancy Cravings

Oh the pregnancy cravings have kicked in. :)

I've craved raw red bell peppers, tomatoes and fresh fruit (like watermelon, mango, pineapple) and even cucumbers with chile and lime. Yep, sweet & spicy is delicious. Don't knock it until you try it. :)

Watermelon w/chile & lime

Thanks to probiotics I can now enjoy pickles again! I've only craved kosher pickles.

Nom nom nom.

These Carnegie Deli Kosher Spears are by far the best kosher pickle out there and luckily they sell this huge jar at Costco to satisfy my cravings. ::gasp:: I just hate to think what will become of me when they no longer carry these. :)

I'll be interested to see if my cravings change over the next few months.

Strawberry & Cream Cheese Muffins

I promise these muffins will not disappoint. Go out, buy the ingredients and make these yummy muffins ASAP! Luckily, we had all of the ingredients on-hand and made these using all organic products and we used vanilla paste instead of vanilla extract. :) Our muffins didn't turn out picture worthy, but who cares they tasted AMAZING and that's all that matters!

Pic courtesy of lululuathome.com

Strawberry & Cream Cheese Muffins