22 weeks & the Bump!

How far along? 22 weeks

Weight gain/loss: No change.

Maternity clothes? Just those comfy Old Navy maternity jeans.

Stretch marks?

None.

Sleep?

Sleep is okay, that is until those serious leg cramps kick in from 3-6 am. Ouch!

Best moment this week?

It's a tie between going shopping with my Mama and buying outfits for baby girl AND seeing my belly move. It was the weirdest, most amazing feeling so far!

Food cravings:

Chocolate

Gender:

Girl!

Belly button in or out?

I still have an "innie", but it just wants to pop out.

Movement?

The lily pie ticker at the top of my blog says that baby is doing workouts and somersaults. This is so true! I'm feeling kicks daily, maybe some hiccups and my belly moved for the 1st time. At today's appt. the midwife was using the doppler and had to move it a couple of times stating, "You've got a little wiggler in there". I was thinking, "You're telling me!". It's wonderful to have that daily reassurance that baby girl is doing well.

What I miss?

I miss being able to bend over. I can't do that too much anymore so I've been squatting more.

What I'm looking forward to:

Preparing baby girl's nursery.

Milestones: Our baby girl is the size of a papaya/coconut/spaghetti squash (every site says something different) and almost a 1 pound. Her senses of taste and touch are making good progress this week. If we could sneak a peek at our baby this week, we might see her experimenting with this newfound sense of touch-feeling her face or sucking a thumb. Our baby's reproductive system is continuing to develop. Her uterus and ovaries are now in place, and her vagina is developed. She has already made all the eggs she'll need for her own reproductive life.

Unwanted Opinions

Baby girl has a name.

I didn't want to share the name with anyone because I just don't want to hear anyone's comments/opinions on the name or what they think our baby's name should be.

It's not a traditional name.

It's what we love.

She will have a "normal"/traditional middle name and actually a lovely nickname can be made out of her name.

We shared the name with a few people this past weekend. Some liked it and some just didn't. I get that not everyone will love the name and have their own opinion on the name, but I really, really, really don't want to hear what it is right now. And you know what? We're not going to change our minds 2-5 more times before our girl makes her arrival, so shush!

Some Opinions/Advice are unwanted while one is pregnant.

This goes for your thoughts/opinions on natural child birth. This is my body!

This goes for whether we should have a camera/video camera in the delivery room. Um, it's none of your business and it's our choice if we want that. No one is asking you to view the video/pictures. This is our birth!

This also goes for whether we should have a 3D ultrasound.

I don't care if it's creepy to you. If I want to do a 3D u/s then I will. You don't have to look at the pictures. This is my baby!

My friend got this outfit for her little girl that reads

"My mom doesn't want your advice".

I want that outfit! :)

Ahhh, vent over.

21 weeks!

How far along? 21 weeks

Weight gain/loss: I gained a few ounces this week. Total weight gain: 5 pounds, 7 ounces.

Maternity clothes? Just those comfy Old Navy maternity jeans. I think I need a second pair of maternity jeans because the bella band isn't as comfortable anymore.

Stretch marks?

None.

Sleep?

Sleep is okay. For some reason I can't seem to stay on my left side, I always end up on my back, but if I lay on my right side I can stay put. Go figure.

Best moment this week?

Our little girl is kicking a lot and a few days ago Dan was able to feel his girl kick for the first time. He also felt her kick on Father's Day. It was the perfect gift.

Food cravings:

No crazy cravings or must-have right now moments this week. I have been wanting homemade gelatin.

Gender:

It's a girl and she's a mover!

Belly button in or out?

I still have an "innie", but just barely. It's definitely getting more shallow.

Movement?

Feeling more flutters & kicks daily. I love it!

What I miss?

Being ache-free. I think I've developed sciatica. My right butt cheek sometimes goes numb if I sit for more than 20 minutes/on long car rides. And this week my hips were the sorest they've ever been. It was sore to stand and it was sore to sit. I did some stretches and luckily, it only lasted a day.

What I'm looking forward to:

Starting our birthing classes tomorrow!

Milestones: Our baby girl is the size of a banana. Her eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed and her fingernails now cover her fingertips. We have to watch what we say from now on because she will probably hear us.

I've also started experiencing those weird pregnancy dreams.

Pregnancy and Food

Besides IBS being a foodie's worst nightmare, pregnancy falls right behind that.

I remember the days when I didn't have to double/triple check a list of fish to see if it was okay to consume it. And I didn't have to think about how much seafood I could consume per week. I didn't have to worry about my lunchmeat being warmed up. I enjoyed soft cheeses without thinking twice about it. Oh brie, I miss you. Although, I may be able to find an non-imported, pasteurized brie at the market. (Note to self: Check out cheese section next time I'm at the market). I remember being able to eat a steak just the way I like it. Sometimes a pregnant woman just wants to enjoy a steak, but I'm not going to enjoy it if it has to be well-done. Yuck. Spicy tuna rolls would be great this time of year. I miss sushi/sashimi. Raw oysters would be wonderful. And I can't wait to enjoy an over-easy egg again. It's so hard to pass the refrigerated case at the market that stores smoked fish (lox). And limiting my intake of caffeine is tough. I don't care so much about Dr. Pepper, but sometimes I just want to eat tons of chocolate. :)

::sigh:: Oh the joys of pregnancy. It'll all be worth it in the end and then I can enjoy the foods I love once again. And then it'll be fun to eventually introduce foods we love to our little girl. :)

20 weeks & the Bump! 5 months! Half way there! Wow!

How far along? 20 Weeks/5 months

Weight gain/loss: I gained 8 ounces/half a pound.

Maternity clothes? I bought my 1st maternity item yesterday! I bought this cute pair of jeans from Old Navy. Love 'em.

Stretch marks?

None.

Sleep?

Sleep is better. I've gotten used to sleeping with 3 pillows and it's not so bad. We'll see how long this stays comfortable for me.

Best moment this week?

We visited the hospital, booked our Bradley method birthing classes and we have decided on our daughter's name! I love hearing Dan call our baby girl, _____. :)

Food cravings:

I've been craving all kinds of BAD desserts (from pies, cookies, brownies & cakes). I gave into one yesterday... a homemade mini banana cream pie. I'll be good for the rest of the weekend, I promise. ;)

Gender:

Female!

Belly button in or out?

I still have an "innie".

Movement?

Feeling more flutters daily.

What I miss?

Not having leukorrhea & having to wear panty liners. Look it up if you have no idea about what I'm talking about. :D

What I'm looking forward to:

Starting our birthing classes!

Milestones:

The halfway point. Wow! 20 more weeks to go.

Registering for Baby Girl

I've started a registry through BabyList and have begun adding items. Babyli.st (yep, that's the web address) is a great registry site because not only can you add items from some of the major online sites like Amazon, Target and BabiesRUs, but you can also add items from Etsy.com. Yay handmade gifts! :) Registering can be a bit overwhelming with all the different choices out there. I've asked several friends for their recommendations/must-haves.

For all you mommys out there, what were/are the must-haves that you loved for you and your little one?

The Name Game

For years, I was set on my future daughter's first name (or so I thought). And I really thought if we had a boy first, deciding on his name would be really tough and take some time. Yeah, so not true.

After the reveal and learning that we are having a girl, Dan tells me he's just not sure about the name. Gah! And I'm thinking, "Um, you could've mentioned this years ago!"

We are trying out names. We're referring to our little girl as one name for a few days and another name next week and seeing how that goes. :)

The problem I'm having is that the first name "J" could end up being her middle name, but I keep playing the "What if" game and thinking, "What if our 2nd child is a girl as well and I want to use "J"" and "But if we have a boy and I don't use "J" as at least as a middle name then the name would be gone".

The name we are trying out first is not a traditional name and we're thinking that if she grows up and absolutely hates her first name, then her middle name "J" or another traditional name would be what she goes by.

::sigh::

The name game is tough. Maybe she'll just be Jackalinas Jackson. :D

19 weeks!

How far along? 19 Weeks

Weight gain/loss: No weight gain/loss this week. Total weight gain so far 4 lbs.

Maternity clothes? None yet, but I just may need to buy some maternity pants soon.

Stretch marks?

None.

Sleep?

Not good. My parents were so nice and they bought me this body pillow, but it's just not working for me. I toss and turn and would end up on my back in the middle of the night or early morning. Also, it was too firm for me and my neck was aching by the time I woke up in the a.m. For now, I'm going back to a small pillow in between my knees and a wedge pillow tucked just under my growing belly.

Best moment this week?

We found out we are having a girl! I still can't believe it.

Food cravings:

The other day I went from craving french toast to craving shrimp cocktail within minutes and I realized that those were the REAL cravings you read/hear about. I was good though and didn't have either. I had grilled chicken with pico de gallo on top and for dessert I had blueberries with homemade whipped cream. :)

Gender:

Female!

Belly button in or out?

I still have an "innie".

Movement?

I've been feeling more flutters lately and now I'm sure it's not just gas. And yesterday evening I felt a kick. It was crazy weird. It was amazing. I loved it! It kind of makes sense since based on the sonogram measurements last week I'm probably closer to measuring at around 19 weeks 4 days today. :) And this morning I felt more flutters. Exciting stuff.

What I miss?

Being able to clean the house and not have my body ache. I've been breaking up the cleaning into different days so that has helped a lot. Having this shower:

is a pain (literally, in my back) because I have to squat or bend over to scrub in between the tiles. I'm done. It's going to be Dan's chore for the next few months. We'll just have to see if I can give up control and let him do it. Damn control issues!

What I'm looking forward to:

Meeting and holding our little girl. :)

Milestones:

Feeling movement and knowing we have a little girl in there!

SEX REVEAL (CAKE REVEAL)

It's a...

GIRL!

Okay so yesterday, we had our anatomy scan and it was so wonderful to see our baby girl "Jackalinas" after 10 weeks. Baby girl is doing great. Her brain, heart, kidneys, stomach and limbs all looked wonderful. She was moving a lot and lying on her side and stomach. She likes to sleep like mama! :) Baby girl was measuring at 18 weeks & 4 days, but of course that's not enough to change the due date (which would make the EDD October 30th). She was also measuring in the 78th percentile. She's big. lol Dan weighed 9 lbs. 12 oz. so I was a little scared when the sonographer said 78th, but I'm not going to worry about that right now. :)

She wasn't cooperating and showing her goods (good girl!). So we left the u/s tech and went to meet with our midwife. After our appt. we went back to a different u/s tech. As soon as the u/s started she said, "Baby must like me more because I already have what I need." I thought for sure it was going to be boy by those words. lol

The u/s tech took some pics, wrote down the gender in the card and we were off to the bakery! :)

Yesterday evening we did the cake reveal with our parents. Dan was being a meanie and not letting me get my way. We had to eat dinner first. Boo. We ate dinner (I finished first) ;) and then it was time to cut the cake!

(FYI we have a video of the cake reveal, that will one day be edited and posted.)

Yummy chocolate cake!

It's PINK! It's a GIRL!

Wow, talk about shocked. I didn't have a feeling either way (like some mommies do), but as we were cutting the cake I thought "It's going to be a BOY". Ha! I was wrong. Then I heard Dan's mom say "It's a Girl". And then Dan slid his knife out and I saw bright pink icing. Aaaahhhhh! We were all like "It's a GIRL!"

I jumped up so high. I was so surprised and thrilled. Really? A baby girl. We're going to have a little girl. Wow! Everyone was happy. Mama and Papa are thrilled!

The happy Parents & Grandparents!

Happy Mama & Papa!

This is the card that I made for the u/s tech to write the gender in.

Inside the card. :) You can guarantee owls will make an appearance in her nursery.

It seems so surreal. We have a little girl on the way. It's just weird to say "her" or "girl" now after using "it" or just "baby".

Baby J lying on her side, facing us. :) This pic is both sweet & creepy. lol Seriously. I'm the mama though so I can say that about my baby girl. :)

Baby girl on her stomach!

Baby girl on her back!

I do worry a bit that the u/s was wrong or if our baby does have a penis and the u/s tech just didn't see it. It's just so early on, what if they missed something. lol Oh well. Worst case scenario, we are even more shocked later if she is really a he. ;)

I already love my growing family! Now we just have to decide on a name. :)

18 weeks & the Bump!

How far along? 18 Weeks

Weight gain/loss:

1 more pound gained. (4 pounds gained so far)

Maternity clothes?

I'm thinking about buying these pants.

Stretch marks?

None.

Sleep?

Sleep is still good, but I'm hating having to sleep on my left side.

Best moment this week?

Our anatomy scan ultrasound appointment is today!

Food cravings:

No real cravings this past week.

Gender:

We should find out today!

Belly button in or out?

I still have an "innie".

Movement?

I think I felt something Tuesday afternoon & Wednesday evening, but I'm not 100% sure it was flutters.

What I miss?

Being able to sleep however I want! I hate having to sleep on my left side. I hate it! And when I have nights like I did last night where my allergies kicked my ass I would like to move freely and now get stopped up in one nostril. I can't wait until I can sleep (I know it will be very little sleep) on my back, stomach or right side like the good ol' days. :)

What I'm looking forward to:

Today's appointment! We haven't seen our little one in 10 weeks. I'm also looking forward to sharing the news on whether baby is a boy or a girl with everyone!

Milestones:

I'm 18 weeks. Wow! It's crazy how the weeks seem to take forever to get here (especially when you're looking forward to an ultrasound appt.!), but then when you really think about it you're almost halfway there. Ahhhh! I guess time really is flying by. :)

Will it be a boy or a girl? Stay tuned!!!