fruitful

20 weeks: ohhhh, we're half-way therrrreeee!

ohhhhhh-oh living on a prayyyyerrr! just kidding! (that song will be stuck in my head today though.)

sheeesh. can you believe it? five months have already passed? this spring and summer are going to fly by and right as it ends baby prather will here! happy easter too! what a great day to share with family and friends.

overall, still feeling pretty well. no complaints here. things are getting tighter and my bump is definitely sticking out farther... even though it's not too big yet I definitely bump into things not realizing I have a lil extra in the front. :) I got this "be band" that definitely has been a savior the past couple weeks since I still would like to wear my normal jeans! most have probably heard of it, but here's a link to explain.

mark and I went through our registry and he helped my downsize the crazy list. one of the funniest comments was about a boppy pillow. mark sees it and says, "do you really need an expensive oversized neck pillow? really? what are you going to use it for?" haha. made me laugh. :) he'll quickly learn what all this baby gear is for.

speaking of downsizing the baby gear list... only about a week till we find out if we're having a lil boy or girl! many of our friends and family have made their guesses and most think we have a baby girl on the way. we'll see what blessing god has is store for us :) the more we think about it we really are excited for either.

my goofy hubby mark took a picture with me on easter. he's sympathizing with my pregnancy and has a bump of his own! haha. (he's been able to do this since he was five... oh the many reasons I love this man.)

cravings: I'm a lot more hungry this week for sure. I usually like salads, fruit salad and veggies but I was all about the lasagna, spaghetti and garlic bread. so comforting. oh and I really wanted jello which I haven't really been interested in for a couple years now. :) but it was delicious!
aversions: nothing grossed me out.

what's baby up to?
baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. and, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

true and beautiful

19 weeks + one day

so this is a bit later than my usual sunday updates but nothing too exciting happened this week :) I started looking into baby things and started a registry. there are WAY too many choices for car seats and cribs, so right about now I have 3 or 4 of each because I just can't decide!

if we find out we have a girl I think I really like navy and pale pink for the nursery—nothing too overly girly but enough to be feminine. here's my inspiration for baby girl's room. and if we find out we're having a boy I again like navy and maybe green or a pale blue. I really like whales or a sea theme for a boy—so here's my inspiration for baby boy's room.

of course that all could change in a couple weeks!

it's so fun to anticipate and prepare baby's arrival. to think in about five months we'll have a family of three is so exciting. so many new firsts, traditions and things to share with our new child. I catch myself daydreaming every once and while about what our new life will be like and I hope to keep our child level-headed, down to earth but mainly happy, healthy and full of smiles.

can't believe we're almost half-way there! we find out what baby is two mondays from now :) only 14 days!

cravings: baby is back to liking fruits. that mango looks really good too. had a craving for garrett's popcorn, cheese + caramel corn = delicious.
aversions: i usually love bananas and peanut butter... not so much right now. mark also keeps brewing this awful smelling tea that has dandelion root or something—makes me instantly sick to my stomach.

what's baby up to?
vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) we might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

the bright side

18 weeks: really wish I knew what a kick felt like

so the beginning of the week I realize my jeans are really tight (even with the rubberband trick.) monday and tuesday were uncomfortable so when wednesday rolled around I decided to break out the full band preggers jeans. initially, they fit great and I felt great in them. but then they just started stretching a bit and by the end of the day I looked and felt ridiculous in them. so my preggers jeans are way too big for my current bump but my regular jeans are too tight... it needs to warm up so I could wear dresses! :)

I was thinking I might be feeling kicks from the baby but I keep second guessing myself because it's so faint right now and is sporadic when it happens. but whatever I feel is pretty unique so I'll just wait for baby to get bigger to be sure. my doctor said it probably is the baby though :)

so thursday's checkup went well. all my last blood tests came back with good results and this last vial they took this week is to detect spinal bifida. mark joined me at this checkup which was really awesome because he got to hear baby's heartbeat for the first time. other than that I've gained 2 lbs since last checkup which is just about what my doc suggested for me. our next visit will be our ultrasound and hopefully baby cooperates because mom and dad just can't wait to start planning the nursery!

I decided to take my picture outside this week since we had amazing weather today.

cravings: I really like cookies, cup cakes and icecream. baby has a sweet tooth. :) no worries just having small bites here and there.
aversions: hmmm, I'm not sure anything grossed me out this week.

what's baby up to?
our fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to me), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. and, baby's finally big enough that i'll be able to feel those movements soon.

success

thoughtful thursday
quote: creature comforts

17 weeks: this sleeping on my side thing

I'm trying. I really am and it's really starting to drive me crazy.

I'm a back sleeper—that has been my most comfortable position for a while now. even though sleeping on my back, in most of my preggers books or apps, is not recommended right now, my doc said really not to be worried until week 20. well I've been really practicing this week and I wake up in the middle of the night just to find myself flat on my back again. perfect. even with my back propped with a pillow somehow unconsciously I find my comfy spot again. I still breathe just fine if I find myself on my back right now, but just getting worried once baby gets bigger.

anyone have any insight as to what works? pregnancy pillows?

just have a checkup with the doc this upcoming thursday, but other than that no other updates from me. no kicks from peanut yet. 30 days till we know if we have a girl or boy! yay :)

happy 79th birthday babcia! sto lat!!

cravings: I'm embarrassed to say this, but I really wanted KFC biscuits and their gravy on thursday and I gave in. I know there is about zero nutrition in them but it really hit the spot :) still love veggies with ranch and fruit.
aversions: I walked though the french market seafood area and had to hold my breath... yuck.

what's baby up to?
baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. the umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints.

colbert sings 'friday' on friday

stephen colbert donated $26,000 of his BFF for six months' (jimmy fallon) money to donors choose with out him knowing. so jimmy says that stephen agreed to sing friday if they could raise $26,000 by friday really without him knowing. but stephen is a man of jimmy's words so they raised the money in 2 days and this was the result...