Pregnancy Update- 36/37 weeks

So, I've been reassured that I will not have to go past Dec 20th (I may even be able to go in the night of the 19th to get things started), so I've updated Little Brother's arrival ticker to the left to reflect his "adjusted" due date--I like to see the maximum number of days left!  And of course now they have cute Christmas graphics, so I had to pick that one!

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Size of baby: should be over 6 pounds now...have one more ultrasound on the 14th to check his size
Total Weight Gain/Loss: +25lbs. (thank you t-giving)
Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity clothes but still a few regular things (like cardigans and shoes, haha.)
Gender: BOY!
Movement: Yes, super crazy that Megan and Lauren got to see at Thanksgiving
What I miss: A good night's sleep (not that I have many of these coming in the future) and not always feeling rundown.
Sleep: Having to get up at least twice a night to go to the bathroom.  Crazy dreams have returned with a super vengence

Symptoms: Just really moving slower.
Cravings: Carbs, Carbs, Carbs!

Best Moment this week: Hearing that I'm 1-2 cm & 50% effaced at my checkup, and another confirmation that the induction can happen at 39 weeks.
What I am looking forward to: Finishing my to-do lists!

Pregnancy Update: 18 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 18 Weeks

Size of baby: 5 1/2 inches long and weighs 5-7 ounces (about the size of a pickle).
Total Weight Gain/Loss: -2 lbs.
Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing a mix of maternity and my regular clothes...it really just all depends. If I try something on and it doesn't fit right anymore I move it to a different part of the closet.
Gender: Will know in 2 1/2 weeks
Movement: Feeling more and more.
What I miss: Not much right now...enjoying the 2nd trimester!
Sleep: Still crazy dreaming and having to get up sometimes to go to the bathroom

Symptoms: Having more body pain- sciatica, ligaments and some vein issues-fun times!
Cravings: yes- different everyday! One big one this week was chocolate chip cookies.

Best Moment this week: Nate sleeping a lot? Gave me lots of time to rest!
What I am looking forward to: Shopping and planning the nursery once we know the sex!

Big News!

Here's our newest addition who will be debuting around Christmas- hopefully before if I have my way :-)

I'm already feeling the second child guilt for this one as I haven't documented anything from this pregnancy so far. I have seen a lot of people using the format below for updates, so I'm going to try it out! I guess y'all can leave a comment if you have any specific question that I've not answered!

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 13 Weeks

Size of baby: 3 inches long and weighs almost 1 ounce.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Lost 7 lbs.
Maternity Clothes: I wear workout clothes to hang out mostly. I am wearing one pair of maternity capris that I loved when I was pregnant with Nate. Wearing normal shirts.
Gender: Will know in 6-7 weeks
Movement: Not yet, but ready for it!
What I miss: Having more energy and patience to keep up with Nate.
Sleep: Not good. Crazy dreams EVERY NIGHT. Medicating myself with benedryl as the doctor recommended, but it usually wears off around 5:30am, so I have odd dreams from then until I get up.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams are the worst...and a few more that no one wants to hear about.
Cravings: Sushi (cooked), Mexican food

Best Moment this week: Hearing his/her heartbeat at my checkup (170bpm) and sharing the news with all our friends and family.
What I am looking forward to: Shopping and planning the nursery once we know the sex!

One Year Ago...

We found out we were pregnant!



And the last three, almost four months have flown by! How quickly our sweet little baby boy grew up from this
to this big boy!I'm learning to enjoy every day and every stage because it really does go too fast!

Wrapping up 2008!

Be prepared for a mega-post here!

December was a super busy month for us...preparing for Christmas, parties, wrapping up the year at work, us both being sick for a week and trying to get Nate's room ready!

We had a great trip home for Christmas and were even surprised with a baby shower after opening presents at Joel's parents house.I was able to fulfill my craving for Crazy Fire at lunch with Nelson, Rachel and Adam and we hit a few of our favorite NC dining establishments--Smithfields BBQ and Cook Out. We also got to see Ben & Molly, Rex & Liz and Melissa...always good to catch up with our HCHS buddies.

We returned home on Sunday and have enjoyed this past week sleeping in, relaxing, working on Nate's room, and watching How I Met Your Mother on DVD (thanks Megan!) We went out to dinner on New Year's Eve to California Dreaming, one of our favorite restaurants.

This week I have also been battling a hive-like rash that has mysteriously broken out over half of my body. So, slathering Benedryl cream all over and daily oatmeal baths have been part of my routine this week. I went to the doctor on Tuesday to have her look at it and she said it is just something that can happen to some pregnant women... Thankfully I feel like it is getting better and will hopefully not have to resort to more intense medicine, since it may not go away completely until after I deliver. Here is the 30 weeks belly picture, you can see a little bit of the remaining rash on my hand.

Labor Day Announcement!

We're having a baby!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but when I'm keeping a secret it's hard for me to talk about anything else! You can catch up on what's been going on so far with some posts I just posted.

We made the trip home to tell our families this weekend (under the guise of attending the Campbell football game)--it was a fun surprise to deliver!

Awkward Week!

Holy Hormones! They totally kicked in this week! Apparently pregnancy makes me a little, um...witchy. Mostly this was evident at work, since I was having trouble dealing with some of my co-workers. Usually I'm cool as a cucumber and just let things roll off of my back, but this week I definitely had to press many issues that I would normally let go. I was able to write-off my bad mood one day blaming a storm that had kept me up the previous night (which was true). But then the next day I was still in a crabby mood. One co-worker even said "you're still not feeling well, are you?" So I must have had a scowl on my face to go with my bad attitude. :-)


So things were already weird at work (and I'm bothered because everyone just thinks I'm nuts, rather than pregnant)...and then we had a baby shower for a woman in the office. Towards the end of the shower people start chatting about who will have the next baby, and all eyes are suddenly on me. So I have to make a big deal about it not being me (sorry, Ace) and try to change the subject. I guess in a few weeks the joke will be on them.

I miss food....

My morning (& afternoon) sickness is no fun...but I am glad to know that Ace is in there growing and that's what is making me feel so bad. But I miss food! I'm pretty sure I couldn't even walk in to Ryan's now without gagging.

I can't stomach milk (or ice cream :-( ), eggs, or meat of any kind unless it is fried. Healthy, I know.

Foods that I can stomach--carbs, carbs and more carbs. I'm loving pasta, potatoes, cookies... I am also craving salads and cold veggies, so I guess that's a good thing.

No odd cravings yet, I just miss food tasting the way it used to taste. So many things taste different, and not in a good way!

First Ultrasound

The ultrasound was great! We had a quick scare that Joel was going to have a meeting conflict with work and I didn't want to reschedule since the sonographer is only in my doctor's office every other week, but his meeting was cancelled and he was able to attend!

From my (type-A) charting I knew that I was around 6 weeks. The baby measured at 6 weeks 2 days, giving us a due date of March 10, 2009. From more reading online, I knew we may or may not be able to see the heartbeat and tried to keep calm about this. Thankfully though, we were able to see the heartbeat and it measured at a good rate- 117 bpm.

Here's our little cutie's first picture:

Hello Morning Sickness

I had my first bout with morning sickness today...and boy was it fun! I wasn't too hungry, so when Joel offered to make some eggs I declined. But he made himself some eggs and the horrible smell permeated the entire house! I was too lazy to get off of the couch, so we tried turning on the fan--which made it worse--and lit a candle, which didn't seem to help either. I ended up just pulling a blanket up over my nose so I could keep watching tv. I love my couch.

We went down to Ikea today to look at potential dressers for the nursery and a bed frame and dresser for the guest room. We had hot dogs at the snack bar, which I later found out I'm not supposed to eat...but they were so good! We also went to Home Depot and Lowes to look at carpet samples and to Staples to see a desk we saw online. This baby is going to get expensive fast!

For dinner I was craving home cooked food, so we went to Ryan's for some Mega Bar (aka a pregnant woman's dream). I ate macaroni and cheese, pot roast and mashed potatoes to my heart's content. Yum.

First Doctor's Appointment

I had my first doctor's appointment today! I was surprised that they saw me so quickly. My current doctor is just a gynocologist and does not deliver babies, so I guess they don't see too many pregnancies. They confirmed the pregnancy and did some bloodwork, and also scheduled me for an ultrasound next Thursday! They want to go ahead and do one to date the pregnancy--I have long cycles and if I had a "normal" cycle I would already be in my 2nd trimester. We're excited to see our little baby for the first time!

Big changes are coming soon!