3rd Trimester Update

Well, the bulk of my third trimester was consumed with recovering from a broken ankle and surgery.  So it was not a typical third trimester, to say the least.  I did, however, have some "typical" pregnancy symptoms during the third trimester.  Mainly... heartburn.  Holy moly.  Like to the point of nausea.  Also, just general un-comfortableness and an inability to bend over to put on shoes or pants.  I thought it was my ankle that was holding me back from being mobile.  Then, I was able to "walk" in the boot and discovered it was mainly the pregnancy and my big belly that made me uncomfortable and immobile.  It was quite a revelation!  I was so ready to meet Clara because i just couldn't wait to see and hold this baby.  But I had other, more selfish, reasons for wanting to meet Clara and finally being at the end of this pregnancy.  But, in all, considering all that happened and all I put Clara through this pregnancy, my heartburn and being uncomfortable were just ,minor inconveniences and I really can't complain.  I can't do anything but be thankful that not only my ankle is fixed and I am recovering, but most importantly that Clara is healthy and perfect. Thank God.

Total length of pregnancy:  40 weeks and 5 days
Total weight gain:  48 pounds
Movement:  This girl is a mover... and I knew that early on in this pregnancy.  And then starting with the NST in the hospital the day of my accident, every time I had an NST or I was hooked up to monitors, Clara would go crazy.  She would kick directly at the monitor like she knew exactly where it was on my belly.  My last NST on 5/2/14, a routine NST since I was past my due date, the nurse came in about halfway through and asked how I was feeling.  I smiled and said fine, and she said that what she was seeing on the monitor, she thought I was in active labor.  But she said that the baby's movements can falsely show up as contractions.  That's how much Clara was moving throughout the whole test!  I had an ultrasound that day, too, where we couldn't even see anything in 1 shot because Clara was so big.  And the tech said that she was moving so much more than she would have expected with how big she was and how far along I was.  She's a little acrobat, somersaulting and kicking.  I loved feeling her moving around, and I will never take that for granted.  I was able to feel both of my girls kicking and moving about in my belly before they were born.  Such an incredible feeling.  At 32 weeks pregnant, an ultrasound tech confirmed that Clara was head-up.  Clara must not have known which way was up or down while I was on bedrest!  But don't worry, she flipped (probably more than a few times!) between then and delivery.
Sleep:  The biggest annoyance was how often I had to get up at night to pee.  Seriously.  I would get up at least 2-3 times at night.  And that is not easy when I had to have Carl wheel me to the bathroom in an office chair right after my surgery.  Or when I had to use the walker to hobble (more slowly than I would have liked) to the bathroom.  It wasn't very easy to get comfortable, but I always slept pretty soundly so I'm thankful for that.  And since I was working from home, I was able to sleep in most days until 7am-ish.  Some days, I chose to get an early start on work.  But thankfully I didn't have to commute, so I really did get a lot of sleep during my last trimester.
Doctor's Appointments:  At 32 weeks, I had a checkup and an ultrasound.  The ultrasound was ordered when I was 28-29 weeks along because the tech thought she might have seen fluid around the baby's heart.  At 32 weeks, the high-risk specialist in the practice (Dr. Ambrose) came in (which worried me at first) and took a look for himself.  He said it was simply a shadow from the spine and that the baby looked healthy.  Thank God.  Best news we had heard in several weeks!  That week, we met with Dr. Slugocki who was on call the week of my surgery and looked after me and worked with my surgeon while at the hospital for the surgery.  I was on blood thinners and wanted to make sure I clearly understood the plan for that.  She said that I was to be on blood thinners until I was up and walking in a boot.  What this meant was I had to give myself a shot every night in my stomach.  Not my favorite thing to do, for sure.  In fact, I hated it.  And I'm not scared of needles.  Just hated it.  And to think I grew up wanting to be a doctor.  Anyway, I was to continue on with the Lovenox until I was 36 weeks.  The reasoning was that at 36 weeks, I could feasibly go into labor.  And if that happened, they would need to reverse the blood thinner.  And you can't reverse Lovenox, so at that point they would switch me.  When my 36 week checkup came, Dr. Butler knew I was far away from going into labor and had me continue on with the Lovenox until 37 weeks when I was in the boot.  After my 32 week checkup, everything was very normal with my checkups.  Just routine.  In fact, Dr. Butler told me one week that my pregnancy was going very smoothly and beautifully.  Seriously.  I laughed about that with Carl after that.  Nothing about this pregnancy, in my mind, was smooth or beautiful.  At least not compared to how easy my pregnancy with Audrey was.  But, from Dr. Butler's perspective, it was smooth and beautiful.  Baby was healthy.  I was healthy.  Everything was going according to plan.  She poked fun of me and my knee walker and then even more when I came walking in the office with the old-granny traditional walker.  We laughed about what my delivery would look like in a cast or a boot.  But thank goodness we were able to laugh about it and we had no real issues.  Everything really did go smooth.

34 weeks & 3 days
(check out the sweet knee walker!)

36 weeks & 3 days
(notice the granny walker)

38 weeks

39 weeks & 1 day

39 weeks & 4 days

And just for fun, here is a comparison between pregnancy #1 and pregnancy #2.  Though they're different angles and different seasons (short-sleeve dress vs. sweater), I can still tell that I was showing more out front with Clara than I did with Audrey.  And my belly button had popped with Clara, though it never did during my pregnancy with Audrey.  I look like I'm showing a little bit lower with Clara, too.

Left: Pregnant with Audrey at 35 weeks
Right:  Pregnant with Clara at 36 weeks

Baby Shower in Tinley Park

September 18, 2011

I am so fortunate to have so many generous and caring people in my life.  Carl and I both are.  And the baby showers that were thrown for us (and Audrey!) prove just how thoughtful and generous our families and friends are.  My mother-in-law, Carl's Aunt Janet, and Joyce's good friend Kathy Moran threw us a shower in Tinley Park on September 18, 2011, for family and friends up in the Chicagoland area.  It was at the cutest restaurant called Isabella Cafe in downtown Tinley.  They had the best Italian food - so delicious!  This is the invitation and the menu:

Here is a picture of me (at 35-weeks) and the hosts:  Aunt Janet, me, Joyce, and Kathy 

Just check out all the little details.  So much work went into this shower.  They are a creative bunch!

Kathy Moran made this diaper cake.  Check it out.  Illini cap (that we are taking to the hospital with us for some of Audrey's first pics), a softball glove, softball bat going through the middle, socks, onesies, headbands, toys, even a cupcake ornament:

There were about 30 people total who attended, which is quite a turnout!  Carl and I both are so thankful and appreciative of all the gifts we received.  We really did get everything we needed from our registry plus some other really cute things.

Look at all these gifts!

I have many more pictures, but I'll leave you with just one more... Carl and me, the parents-to-be:

It was a Sunday in the Fall, the Bears played the New Orleans Saints hence Carl's jersey.  Unfortunately, the Bears lost.  

31 Weeks

We had a really eventful and fun weekend to end week 30 and bring in week 31.

Friday night we had pizza at Carl's parents house (yum!) and then went out shopping!  They wanted to purchase the glider and ottoman for us.  I'm so excited about this glider.  Remember a few weeks back when "the Carl's" had to take 2 trips from Buy Buy Baby to transport the crib and dresser?  Well, my Mom and I hung out in the glider section at Buy Buy Baby to wait for them and I just fell in love with this one particular upholstered glider.  It's the Braxton Glider and Ottoman by Best Chairs.  It's so comfortable!!!  And that's the one we chose to go with - Carl and his parents all took a turn sitting in it and comparing to the other gliders and we were all in agreement that was the one for us.  We decided to go with the same color and fabric on the floor model; it's a neutral "Buckwheat" color so we can use it in any room in the house.  Once we got the crib and dresser set up in the nursery, I started to think that we might not have any room in there for a glider.  We'll play around with the layout, but I'm thinking that the glider will probably fit best out in the loft.  I know this glider will last us a long long time... maybe even for a couple (?) more babies.  And if we decide not to use it for babies down the road, it would work great in any room in the house!  I'm so glad Joyce wanted to go this past weekend because it's going to take 8-12 weeks to come in!  We might be doing feedings on the couch if Audrey comes before the glider/ottoman does.  And then, as if that wasn't generous enough, they really wanted to buy us this really nice Canon video camera.  I mean, really nice.  It can take HD videos and also still shots.  I joked with Carl that we might regret having HD video on Christmas mornings when we're looking alert, awake, and at our utmost best.  Ha!  What a wonderful gift to us.  We'll definitely be able to capture a lot of Audrey's "first's".  So cool.

Audrey's grandparents are so generous!  Carl and I are so spoiled between both sets of our parents.  We really can't thank them enough for all their support and generosity.

Then Saturday, Carl golfed in the annual golf outing for the Martin J. Larson II Foundation.  I just read a Facebook post today that they had their biggest year yet raising over $31,900 for the Foundation!  This money goes to benefit different charities:  Lincolnway High School Scholarships, American Cancer Society, Multiple Sclerosis (in honor of Erik Larson who was diagnosed with MS), Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation (in honor of Grandma Larson who passed away from this disease in 2008), and other local charities.  They always have a really great outing and I was sad to miss it this year.  The "celebrity" this year was Staley the Bear, the Chicago Bears mascot.

Photo courtesy of The Chicago Bears - http://www.chicagobears.com/staley/staleysbio.asp

As I mentioned, I had to miss the outing, but for very good reason.  Maci Whetstone (Crystal Wilkey Whetstone's daughter) turned 1 on August 18th and they had her birthday party on Saturday.  Take a look at how cute this little girl is.  The tutu just kills me.  And she was wearing a onesie that had the number 1 and Maci embroidered on it.  And of course the little headband with the flower.  I'm in love with this cute little girl.  She's so curious and laid-back.  So cute!

I didn't get any pictures of it, but she opened all her presents (and there were a TON of presents) and even had a cupcake.  Although, I'm pretty sure she didn't eat any of it... she basically crushed it between her fingers and smeared it all over her highchair.  So stinkin cute!  The party was so much fun, not only because I got to see Maci, but I got to hang out with my best friends, Crystal, Cynda, and Katie.  Katie and I see each other quite often because she lives up in Chicagoland and is engaged to Carl's best friend, Frank.  But I don't get to see Cynda and Crystal but every couple months.  And rarely do the 4 of us get to hang out.  And we took pictures this time... imagine that!  In these pictures, I'm 31 weeks and Cynda is 24 weeks pregnant - check out Cynda's baby bump!

Then Sunday we had our Birthing Class at Christ Hospital where we will be delivering.  (Can you believe that all this has happened in 1 weekend?  Seriously...)  I'll post a separate post about the Birthing Class.  It was a really great experience and really got us excited and geared up to have our baby and become parents!

Here is my update on how I am feeling at 31 weeks...
How far along:  31 (and a half!) weeks
Size of baby:  Audrey now weighs as much as four (4) navel oranges (about 3.5 pounds) and is over 16 inches long.  My updates tell me she's accumulating much-needed fat.
Total weight gain:  This question is really starting to bother me... :)  I've gained 27.5 pounds so far in this pregnancy.
Maternity clothes:  Nothing's really changed here... still wearing a lot of dresses.  I did wear my new full panel jeans from Target and I love them!  I got a lot of compliments on them when I wore them to work last Friday.  In fact, my boss told me that I was so lucky that I have gained weight only in my belly.  Ha!  I told her I thought it was an "optical illusion".  :)  That's how good these jeans are!  Still haven't gotten the support belt.  I just need to go to the maternity store and buy it, but I haven't been by there in awhile.
Gender:  Girl
Movement:  She's still really active!  I feel her at all different times of day, but I find I feel her moving around the most when I stop for the day and sit (or lay down) on the couch or in bed.
Sleep:  I've been really exhausted this week.  I fell asleep on Monday night around 8pm and slept through the entire night.  Then today, Wednesday, I left work early to come home and work from home in the afternoon.  I got my work done, but I was able to change into shorts and a t-shirt and even fell asleep for a short nap.  (Don't tell my boss!)  Not sure what's going on... maybe I just needed to catch up from this weekend?  I swear I'm taking my iron supplements!
What I miss:  Relaxing with a nice alcoholic beverage.  Especially being at Maci's party, Crystal and Katie popped open a bottle of Chardonnay.  Yum - there is nothing better than a cold glass of white wine on a nice hot summer day.
Cravings:  Today I didn't really feel that well, so I've just been craving carbs.  But that's really not unusual for me.  I haven't really had too many weird food cravings during this pregancy.  Carl said guys at work ask him if I have any spontaneous requests for him to rush out and get me food to satisfy my weird cravings.  Carl and I joked that it's no more than normal!  I do like my ice cream so I suggest that regularly.  :)
Symptoms:  Monday night, I was cooking dinner when I got home from work while Carl and Chief were out on a run.  All of a sudden, I got light headed and felt nauseous.  I got a tall glass of water thinking that would help and knew that eating would help too.  I finished my dinner, then I ran to the bathroom thinking I was going to throw-up.  Weird, right?  I wasn't even sick in my first trimester!  I didn't get sick, but I just felt really terrible.  Hence the falling asleep at 8pm and sleeping through the night.  When I woke up on Tuesday morning, I had a headache.  Not sure if that's all related?  And then today (Wednesday), I felt overall just crummy and run-down so I left work early and worked from home this afternoon.  Maybe I just really need to rest and get some more sleep?  Not sure, but hopefully I get over this soon!
Best moment this week:  Gosh, how can I decide one moment from all that happened this past weekend.  Let's just say it was a really fun weekend full of a lot of "best moments".  As far as the pregnancy goes, the Birthing Class was a big highlight for me (and I think Carl, too).  I'm so excited to deliver at Christ and really excited to become a mother to our Audrey.
Best husband quote of the week:  We were in the car with Joyce and Carl going from Buy Buy Baby to Best Buy and Carl was saying that I haven't been seeking a lot of attention during this pregnancy.  He thanked me for not being an "Attention [______]".  I'm not posting the actual word he used, but we all got a big laugh out of it and even joked that this was going to show up as my "husband quote of the week".

This next weekend is a big one... my first baby shower!  My cousin Keely is throwing this shower for me on Saturday, August 27th, at my Aunt Faye's house in Decatur.  We've already received some gifts in the mail from people who can't make it.  I'll be sure to take a lot of pictures and post about it next week!

26 Weeks

So here I am 26 weeks along...

I realized I hadn't taken a pic since week 20, so I was due.  I just got back from yoga and asked Carl to take this pic as soon as I walked in the door... my only request was that he didn't get my face.  :)  

This past week, I've been really self-conscious.  A guy at work last week told me I "looked HUGE".  Thanks.  I blame it on the dress I was wearing.  We just laughed about it... he's definitely not the most tactful person, so it was almost expected.  Right after he said it, he back-tracked and said that I didn't look pregnant from my calves down.  Seriously he said that.  Thanks, dude.  At least I didn't have cankles that day, so that's good.  And then another coworker chimed in saying I've still got a long way to go and she didn't know where I was going to put the rest of the weight I had left to gain.  How can I not be self-conscious after that, right?  People just say the darnedest things to pregnant people!  I think I've gained 4 pounds over the past 2 weeks, so I really do need to start watching it so I don't "over-indulge".  I've really been trying to eat low-sodium and healthy, getting my fruits and vegetables.  I guess that's all I can control, right?  But, don't get me wrong, I allow myself to "cheat" quite often... much more often than before pregnancy.  You saw the blog post about the dessert table at the Engagement Party, right?  

I also missed 2 weeks of yoga, so I just wasn't feeling as strong and healthy.  I came back on Saturday morning and really noticed a difference in my overall mobility.  And tonight, I was back at my regular Tuesday-night class at the Community Wellness Center, and had some difficulty during the breathing exercises, forward folds, and balance poses.  I just modify a bit and do as much as I can.  I still get a really good workout, so I feel good about that.  Carl and I have been walking Chief as much as we can.  My favorite thing is to wake up early on a weekend and go for a long walk before it gets hot out.  It's been really hot lately.  In fact, this week is supposed to be in the 100's.  But so far I've been able to keep my swelling down and stay in the A/C as much as I can.   

Here is my "real" update:

How Far Along: 26 weeks and 2 days

Size of Baby:  She is almost 2 pounds now!  She's really growing and putting on baby fat.  She is now about 14 inches from head to heel, the size of an English hothouse cucumber.   

Total Weight Gain:  21.3 pounds

Maternity Clothes:  Almost all the clothes I wear are maternity clothes.  However, it's really strange that in my pic above, I'm not wearing any maternity clothes.  It's a regular tank top and t-shirt and regular yoga pants that I've had for about 8 years.  I find that I can't wear many regular shirts anymore just because they're not long enough.  And I'm thinking about retiring the dress I was wearing that instigated the "you're HUGE" comment. 

Gender:  GIRL!  And we are 100% sure about this now after having the 3D ultrasound this past weekend.

Movement:  I've noticed that she is really active on the weekends, and then she takes some time to rest on Monday and I don't feel her as much.  By today, Tuesday, she's really active again.  The ultrasound tech this weekend informed me that I have an anterior placenta, which means that I don't feel as much as if I didn't.  That seems crazy to me because I really do feel her a lot... and sometimes it's hard kicks!  I think that she's had hiccups often this week.  I'll feel a "bump" from the inside very regularly for a couple minutes at a time, as opposed to an irregular hard kick.  

Sleep:  Carl's been waking up really early for work (today, he was out the door by 5am!), and I woke up early yesterday to take Chief for a walk with him before he left for work.  This morning was just too early...I slept in instead.  But I hope to make that a regular thing where Carl and I walk Chief together before work.  We'll see.  I'm definitely becoming more of a morning person.  This past weekend, we were able to get a lot of sleep, which was awesome!  I even took a 2 hour nap on Saturday afternoon.  There's nothing better!

What I miss:  Having a "figure" and feeling cute.  Don't get me wrong, I think it is incredible what the human body is capable of.  I am in awe of all the changes that are happening to my body.  But I really am motivated to work really hard after Audrey is born to get in shape and feel fit and healthy.

Cravings:  I still love my fruit!  I have a home-made fruit and yogurt parfait for breakfast on the weekdays.  Yummo!  I've also been craving ice cream again, but instead of having ice cream every night I picked up some Frosted Flakes and I have a bowl of cereal.  That usually suffices.  I love Frosted Flakes!  And sadly, there's probably the same amount of sugar as in a bowl of ice cream.  It feels healthier though.  

Symptoms:  Heartburn heartburn heartburn!  It's worse on the weekdays for some reason.  Usually starts mid-morning, subsides a little when I eat lunch, then really gets bad in the afternoon.  I think I've gotten a bit used to it, though...as much as you can get used to heartburn.  I feel it most right in my throat... it's such a strong burn that it almost feels "cool" at some times.  I feel like I need to burp or thorow-up at some times just to relieve it.  Also, I've felt my belly get tight a little bit over the past week.  I don't know if this is Braxton Hicks?  It will get tight in my lower belly only, then at another time, it will get tight in my upper belly on just one side.  It's not regular and not intense, which is good.  I haven't been alarmed.  I probably will mention it to the doc next time I visit in 2 weeks.

That recaps my week 25 and gives a little insight as to how I'm feeling at week 26.  I'm excited that this weekend my Mom is coming up to visit.  We are going shopping for nursery furniture!  We are going to purchase the crib, dresser, and bedding this weekend.  We're also going to look for fabric for curtains so my Mom can start sewing.  My Mom is so talented and it's so nice that she is going to help with the nursery decor!  Hopefully we'll have a successful weekend!  I think we will. 

Week 19 & 20

Well I'm officially over half-way through my pregnancy!  This post is my recap of last week, week 19, as well as an update on how I'm feeling in week 20.

How far along:  20 weeks and 2 days
Size of baby:  As of Sunday, the baby was as long as a banana and still growing!  Length is 6 1/2 inches from head to bottom and 10 inches from head to heel.  Can you believe it?!  My belly really is showing that the baby is getting bigger!
Total Weight Gain/Loss:  I just had my 20-week checkup at the doctor last night and I am 12.7 lbs up from my first doctor's appointment at week 6, and 14.2 lbs up from pre-pregnancy.  I feel like I REALLY look pregnant now.  Just very full and round and I have a big belly.  I'm already about 1/2 way to the max weight I should gain, and I feel like I'm really going to start gaining fast now.  Oh man!
Maternity Clothes:  I have of course still been wearing my borrowed maternity clothes, and I went shopping for my own maternity clothes last night!  It was the first time I had been in a dressing room since I've had this changing body.  It was really weird.  I found some stuff I liked, and am probably most excited about the 2 pairs of yoga/exercise pants.  I told Carl that I will probably be living in these pants during my maternity leave.  :)  I ended up getting a few shirts, 2 pairs of yoga/exercise pants, 2 cami's, and some undies.  I was excited to have some new stuff.  I really am in search of a great black wrap dress that I can wear to work.  I've found a couple, but they're much more expensive than I want to spend.  Eesh.  I feel like I should be wearing black everyday to "slim" me down, but I really love the summer wardrobe colors this year!
Gender:  I really have no clue.  We find out a week from tomorrow!  I can't believe it's almost here.  :)
Movement:  I've been feeling more "twitches" this week, all throughout the day and sometimes at night.  It's pretty cool.  It's not the biggest, most noticeable movements, but it's something and that's really amazing.
Sleep:  We've been trying to sleep with the windows open and the fan going as much as we can.  It's so comfortable!  But unfortunately it's been REALLY hot (like 96 degrees today!), so we haven't done it as much as we would like.  I used to not like having the fan on while we slept, but I really would prefer that it be on now. Overall, I've been sleeping really well.  Not as much as I would like... but that's not due to the baby.
What I miss:  I've really wanted Diet Coke/Pepsi this week.  I've been occasionally drinking a regular Coke, but I just want to chug a big glass of Diet Coke.  Yum!
Cravings:  I guess I would say ice cream.  But I really haven't had too many cravings where I've had to have something.  Last week we had Chinese when I really didn't feel like it a couple weeks before.  It keeps changing and changing.
Symptoms:  Today, I had heartburn again.  :(  I get it only occasionally, and usually right before dinner.  I've been thinking, "Well, maybe I just need to eat something."  Hence the weight gain explained above.  :)  And I feel like my ankles are swollen today.  Today, I feel like I'm 38 weeks pregnant.  I have a long way to go yet. Oh brother. I'm trying to walk as much as I can and I'm still doing yoga 2-3 times a week.  Just trying to stay active and eat pretty healthy.  Overall, I feel very good and healthy.
Best Moment This Week:  We finally got the floors installed in the first floor this weekend!  Hooray!  Carl and his friend Nick completing laying the tile in the kitchen, bathroom, and foyer on Saturday.  Then they laid the hardwood on Sunday.  What a long weekend for them!  It looks really really really good!  Now Carl just needs to grout the tile, which he is going to do this weekend.  Hooray!  Hooray!  Can you tell I'm excited to have that done?!  And also my Dad and Ashley came up and stayed this weekend for Amber's opening home game for the Chicago Bandits. They were patient with our house renovations and we had a great time!  I even got to meet one of the women who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.  Here is a pic of us:

Her name is Terry Uselmann (maiden name McKinley).  She said not to look up her stats, but I had to at least Google her.  Ha!  She was funny and really full of life!  My sisters and I really loved the movie A League of Their Own.  We watched it over and over and over again as kids (along with Mighty Ducks and Top Gun).  We were all softball players... what do you expect?  It was really neat to hear Terry's experience in the league.  She joined when she was 21 years old in 1949 and played for the Muskegon Lassies.  She talked about being "called up", like there was a minor league as well.  And she said that it felt like all they did was travel on the bus and play, travel and play.  It was neat to meet her!  
Best Husband Quote of the Week:  Carl's been really stressed out about our house being a disaster and all torn apart.  He likes things in order, and he's been losing sleep about getting the floors and all the DIY house projects done.  It will be over soon, and it will all be worth it!  Then we can just lay around and relax, right?

20-Week Baby Bump

That's more than a "bump".  I've really got a pregnant baby belly now!  

Week 18

Today I'm 19 weeks along!  This post is my 18-week recap...

How far along:  19 weeks today
Size of baby:  At 18 weeks, baby is the length of a bell pepper and weighs 7 ounches.  This past week, the baby gained 1.5 ounces and today is the size of a large heirloom tomato.
Total Weight Gain/Loss:  It's getting harder for me to tell how much weight I've gained... mainly because I haven't wanted to step on the scale!  :)  I think I gained 1 pound over this past week and am about 11 pounds up from pre-pregnancy.
Maternity Clothes:  I'm only wearing maternity pants these days.  I'm wearing some maternity tops, and some pre-pregnancy tops... just depends on how the tops fit and if they're "flattering" now or not with my growing belly.  And I'm wearing dresses as much as possible at work.  They're cute and they're so comfy, especially since I sit down most of the day.  I've had my eye on some maternity clothes online, but I can't bring myself to buy them.  I am in a totally frugal mood lately and I can't shake it.  Have I mentioned how lucky I am that my cousin has given me all of her clothes?  I really am wearing almost all of her clothes all of the time!
Gender:  I had a dream last night that we found out the sex of the baby and it was a boy.  Who the heck knows?!  We will find out 2 weeks from this Wednesday.
Movement:  I feel the baby periodically.  Just little movements in my lower abdomen.  At least I think it's the baby.  It's exciting!  But still bizarre to grasp the fact that there is a human being making those movements.  It's taken me awhile to grasp this whole concept, hasn't it?  :)
Sleep:  I've been tired again this week and falling asleep early at night.  I've been sleeping really good, though! And I'm definitely getting up less during the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, so that's good.  I'm getting more uninterrupted sleep.  Get it now while I can, right?
What I miss:  I haven't really missed anything this week, or at least haven't focused on missing anything due to pregnancy.
Cravings:  Nothing really stands out this week... I didn't want Cinnamon rolls yesterday morning.  See how quickly the cravings change?  I guess I would say this week it's coffee all "doctored up" with cream and splenda.  I have about a 1/4 of a cup in the mornings at work a few days.
Symptoms:  This week, I started getting heart burn in the late afternoon.  But overall this week, I've felt pretty good!  It's been really rainy here this past week (really, this whole spring).  This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend, and it stormed all day today!  I had a bad headache earlier today and was feeling pretty sick right when I got out of the shower.  So I laid down and finished the 4th book in the Harry Potter series.  It it nice to relax when it's storming out.  I think it may be sinuses or allergies because I've sneezed a couple times.  Hopefully I stay healthy!  I'll just keep taking my vitamins.
Best Moment This Week:   Friday afternoon when I walked out of the office with a 3-day weekend ahead of me!  Don't get me wrong, I like work and I like my job, but it's so nice to have a long weekend!
Best Husband Quote of the Week:  Probably has to be something about the size of my boobs.  They really are big (even friends at work have commented!), and Carl has made some funny comments lately.  My best friend is pregnant, too... she's 8 weeks behind me and she said someone told her that the boobs are just temporary so don't get too used to them.  Thank goodness!  These things can go away!  I have a feeling it's going to get worse before it gets better, though.  I'll stick through it...

Week 17

So as of today, I'm 18 weeks along!   Here is my 17-Week recap...

At the end of this week, I feel really good.  We're getting a lot done around the house so I'm feeling like it will all come together soon!  We have hardwood flooring (for living room and dining area) being delivered this week and we are buying ceramic tile (for the kitchen and 1/2 bath downstairs) today.  Hopefully next weekend we can get it all done!  :)  Carl's friend, Frank, works as a Project Manager at a flooring company and he installs hardwood and tile on the side, so he is going to help Carl install it all.  We also have tile for the upstairs bathrooms... "while we're at it," Carl says.  :)  It will all look really nice once it's done, and I'm just thankful that we finally made a decision on what we wanted/needed and purchased it all!

Also, I'm really starting to focus on what we need for the nursery.  That room, as of Thurs night, is empty!  We sold the beautiful furniture we had in there (dresser, armoire, and bed frame) to a nice family who is going to use the furniture for their daughter's room.  Right after they moved out all the furniture, I walked in the room, turned to Carl, and said, "Holy cow.. we're having a baby!"  At that moment it became real that the next set of furniture to go in there will include a crib and dressers for a nursery.  It will no longer be our "Guest Bedroom" after October.  Here are some ideas that I have for the nursery furniture...

Early on, I thought about doing neutral fabrics, but I think I'll wait until after June 15th to find out what we're having to make a decision on that.  There are the cutest ideas on so many blogs out there.  It's getting exciting!   

We're also trying to get creative with storage solutions.  We're realizing that we relied quite heavily on the space that the guest bedroom closet and drawers provided.  And now that we've emptied those, we have to make some room elsewhere to store all of our stuff!  This is going to be a work in progress.  We're looking at different solutions for under-the-bed storage to store sheets and clothes, and we're trying to find a solution for all our shoes.  We used to have a cabinet that held all our shoes, but that broke and now we keep our shoes in a bin in the foyer coat closet.  It's not the best solution and we need a better one ASAP.  

Is this what they call "nesting"??  If so, Carl and I both have it!  :)

How far along:  Today I'm 18 weeks

Size of baby:  At 17 weeks (so 1 week ago today), the baby is the size of a turnip.  Today he/she is the size of a bell pepper!

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  I'm pretty confident I'm still gaining weight.  :)  I haven't been good about weighing myself this week so I'm not exactly sure how much I've gained since last week.  I think I'm about 10 lbs up from pre-pregnancy.

Maternity Clothes:  I'm pretty much only wearing maternity pants now.  This weekend, I've been wearing a pair of jean capri's that were among all the clothes my cousin is letting me borrow.  They are so cute!  Every day I find more and more cute maternity clothes that my cousin had.  Thank goodness we're the same size!  I am so grateful that I can borrow her clothes and not have to spend gobs of money on all new stuff!

Gender:  I still have a feeling we're having a baby girl.  Who knows, though!  Only 3 1/2 more weeks until we find out!

Movement:  I think I started feeling the baby this week!  The first time I felt it was during yoga on Tuesday night.  We were in supported bridge pose for a couple minutes, and I swear I felt some movement in my lower abdomen.  Puh-retty cool!  I tried to replicate it for Carl when I got home, but I didn't feel it again.  Then I think I felt the baby again the next night.  Some people say it feels like fluttering... I guess it did feel like that, but it wasn't a light fluttering.  It was more noticeable than that... like a couple little one-two punches.  Who knows, maybe it wasn't the baby.  Maybe it was digestion or gas, but I must say this is the first time I have felt movement like this and not had to "pass gas".  (Ha! TMI?)

Sleep:  I've been sleeping really good lately!  I'm in a routine where I go to bed early and wake up early, even on weekends.  But that's given me a chance to read early in the mornings before we get up for breakfast and to start the day.  I'm trying to get through my Harry Potter books so I can read books on my new Kindle(!!!!).  I won the Kindle at a fundraiser for my in-laws' church.  It was the night Carl threw out his back, so we didn't even go.  But I won the raffle for the Kindle.  Couldn't believe it!  I've downloaded some free books so far, but I haven't purchased any books yet - I'm so cheap!  :)  I think I'm going to read Pride & Prejudice after I'm finished with the Harry Potter series.  I enjoy reading, but I'm not to "literary" so we'll see if I can get into the story.  I can see this Kindle being GREAT for exercising on the elliptical or the treadmill.  No more lugging around big books!  

What I miss:  Summer Shandy.  Now that it's nice outside, it's great weather for hanging out outside and having a beer.  Carl went out and bought his summer staple, Summer Shandy, on Friday.  I asked for just a sip to taste thinking I wouldn't like it after all this time of not drinking beer. Well, I did like it.  It was soooo good!  I forgot how good and refreshing it is on a gorgeous summer day/night.  Oh man!  I'm going to have to hold out until next summer.  But I guess it will be worth it in the end.  ;)

Cravings:  Yesterday morning, it was cinnamon rolls and Caramel Macchiato (decaf, of course!).  I really having been wanting sweet food in the mornings for breakfast.  Usually Carl will make his famous Swedish Pancakes and that's fantastic, but for some reason this weekend, I just felt like a store-bought cinnamon roll.  And I must say it was really good!  :)  One more thing of note about food this week:  Usually I'm a big fan of Chinese food.  Carl suggested it for dinner on Friday night and I turned it down.  He couldn't believe it!  It's really strange how my tastes have been changing.  We'll see if that one lasts or if it's just a temporary thing.

Symptoms:  Again, this week, I've been feeling good!  No complaints!  :)

Best Moment This Week:  Having the realization that, "Holy cow!  We really are having a baby."  It's exciting now that I can picture what it might look like in the nursery now that the room is empty.  And it's exciting seeing all the work that we need to do this summer, and seeing that we really can get it all done.  Oh, and this week people at work really started commenting on my pregnant belly.  You can really start to tell now and that's fun!  

Best Husband Quote of the Week:  Carl's kept me laughing as usual.  Today, we laughed at a comment he made when we were on our walk with Chief this morning.  He said, "Do you think we should register for a yogging stroller?"  Yes, yogging like in this Anchorman clip.  "We're trying this new fad called jogging.  I believe it's jogging or yogging.  It might be a soft j, I'm not sure."  Love that movie!

Week 17 Picture

I know I said last week I was averaging 1 pic a month and I wasn't going to take a picture every week, but I just had to this week.  I feel like I've grown a lot in the past couple weeks so I took this pic and texted it to some friends and my Mom and sisters.  It was taken when I was 17 weeks and 5 days. Yup, I'm growing and so is Baby Larson!   

Week 16

I'm nearing the end of my 16th week, so this week's post will reflect on how I've felt and what's happened during Week 16. 

This past week, the weather has showed us it's almost summer in Chicagoland... well, somewhat. We had above 90-degree temperatures a couple of the days. But it was cooler before that and has gotten cooler (60ish) since. Because of the fluctuations, there were some tornado scares and some hail and thunderstorms. Crazy weather, but we have been safe!

Last weekend, Carl threw out his back moving some tiles at Menards. He was laid up until Wednesday. I've never seen him in so much pain. And his only saving grace was muscle relaxers from Immediate Care on Sunday. We couldn't even get him up from the floor, let alone into the car and to Immediate Care on Saturday night! So we didn't get too much accomplished last weekend around the house. This weekend, Carl is feeling much better, so the work has resumed around the house. He's painting the last of the doors. I've been planting grass seed out back where Chief has killed the grass over the winter. And we're heading out to look at hardwood flooring. We've got a lot to do and an impending deadline. :)

This past week, I had my 16-week check up at the Doctor. I got to hear the baby's heartbeat again. This time, it was in the 150s. Still very strong! Everything is looking good! And my Doctor told me that the chance for Down Syndrome is 1 in 3000. Typically, for a woman my age it's 1 in 600, so the chances are really good that we're having a very healthy baby. Carl and I are lucky to have come from good genes.

How Far Along: 16 weeks and 6 days
Size of baby: Baby Larson was the size of an avocado as of last week on Sunday. (Tomorrow, size of a turnip at 17 weeks)
Total Weight Gain/Loss: When I went to the Doctor on Monday, I was 4 pounds up from week 12... so I think that puts me at 7.2lbs up from my first doctor's appointment, and 9 lbs up from pre-pregnancy weight.
Maternity Clothes: Yes please! Haha. I can still wear some of my jeans and a pair of jean shorts, but I've been wearing almost all maternity clothes. My cousin's clothes have been my saving grace! This past week, I've discovered her maternity jeans, a shirt, and one of her dresses. I think I'm going to really love dresses for work this summer and Fall! I did go to Target last week and buy a couple tank tops and a couple shirts. Before pregnancy, I would have to wear shirts that show that I had a waist (since I'm top-heavy), and now a lot of those shirts are way too tight around my waist so I have to wear a jacket over top. I'm really showing now, so I'm pretty much strictly maternity clothes.
Gender: So for quite some time now, I've been thinking we're having a girl. But this past week, I've thought we're having a boy. I just have no clue! We find out the gender in 4 1/2 weeks!
Movement: The Doctor asked if I was feeling movement yet. I told her sometimes I feel things, but I think it's just gas. She said I'll know when I feel the baby. A lot of women start feeling the baby around this time, but she said definitely within the next 2 weeks I will feel the baby. I can't wait!
Sleep: This past week, I didn't sleep too well. But that has nothing to do with the baby. I am getting up less in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, so that's good. But I've been really busy and stressed out at work, so I've been dreaming about work constantly and waking up in the middle of the night thinking about work. One night this past week, I couldn't fall back asleep so I got up and went to the computer to work for about an hour before trying to go back to sleep again at 5am. No use... I was just really tired that day. I can see my schedule lightening up over the next few weeks, so that's good. But this past month has really kicked my butt!
What I miss: Lying on my stomach and back. I have even modified my Savasana pose (corpse pose) in yoga so I'm not lying flat on my back. And last night, I woke up and rolled over on my back. Carl called me out on it, though, and I assured him it was "just for a minute". Ha! He made sure I switched to my side to fall back asleep.
Cravings: I haven't been craving sweets much after dinner... well, one night this past week, we did get Blizzards, but overall I want ice cream or dessert a lot less than pre-pregnancy. But in the morning for breakfast, I want sweet pastries... cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, pancakes and syrup.
Symptoms: I've been feeling really good! No complaints.
Best moment this week: I always love going to the Doctor and hearing the baby, so that is at the top of my list this week. Also, Katie and Frank and the rest of the Baio's gave me a special treat on Mother's Day as a "mother-to-be" present. Katie and I got to get manicures at Mario Tricoci on Sunday. And they brought over food for brunch. They had egg/hashbrown casseroles and fruit. And of course I made a coffee cake. :)
Best husband quote of the week: This has to be at Menards last Saturday. Carl was loading up the boxes of tile that we were going to purchase. I had walked away to the cleaning products aisle, and all of a sudden Carl comes up to me and says, "We have to come back. I hurt my back." And of course, I'm all about efficiencies (and the tile was only on sale until the next day!), so I insisted on loading the rest of the tile into the cart and then unloading it all into the car. "We're already here, and I'm capable," I said to him. I really paid attention to my form, so I came out okay! So after I load up the car, Carl says, "There is nothing more emasculating than having to watch your pregnant wife load tile while I just stand watching." We laughed about it. I felt really bad for him! I know it wasn't a pleasant experience for Carl, but it is probably one of his funniest quotes of the week.

Week 16 picture

I've really started showing over just the last 2 weeks! 

I just realized that I'm averaging 1 pic per month. Maybe when I get to the 3rd trimester, I'll start taking weekly pictures when you can really see a big difference week-to-week.

Week 12

How Far Along: 12 weeks and 3 days

Size of baby:  baby is the size of a lime ; a little over 2 inches

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  Since my first Doctor's appointment, I've gained 3.2 lbs.  But I'm up about 5 pounds total from my pre-pregnancy weight. 

Maternity Clothes: Probably pretty soon... but not yet.  My jeans and casual clothes are fine, but my work pants are another story!  I can't button either of my pairs of nice black pants, so I have to use the belly band.  I'll probably have to get a pair of maternity work pants here pretty soon... but other than that, everything else fits okay.

Gender:  We will find out the gender in our "level 2 ultrasound" on June 15th.  Today, the heartbeat was still high at 167 bpm... is this a sign of gender?  Who knows!

Movement:  Nope, not yet

Sleep:  Can't complain!  I feel like I've been sleeping a lot lately.

What I miss:   I don't really think I've missed anything this week.  

Cravings:   I'm a meat and potatoes girl lately!  And anything carbohydrates.  We've been cooking mashed potatoes with a lot lately... but healthy with skim milk and spray butter.  Yummo!  We had porkchops with golden mushroom soup in the Crockpot yesterday for dinner.  Served those with some mashed potatoes.  Holy cow.  :)  And since the weather's been nice this past week, Carl's been cooking on the grill.  We've had steak with A1 sauce... and mashed potatoes.  See a trend?  And burgers and chips when Katie and Frank were over after the Bridal Expo on Sunday.  

Symptoms:  I've been pretty off-and-on this past week.  I skipped yoga last week because I was nauseous and had a headache.  I've been getting headaches pretty frequently.  And one morning last week I actually threw up while I was getting ready for work.  Then I just thought I was going to get sick yesterday morning at work, but I didn't.  Hooray!  I was feeling pretty great until the past couple weeks... but I really think this might be caused by the new time I take my prenatal vitamins.  I had always taken them at night with dinner, but now I take them in the morning since I can make that more of my routine and I am less likely to forget to take them.

Best Moment this week:  We not only got to hear the baby's heartbeat at the doctor's office on Monday night via the Doppler, but we got to see the baby again today at our 12-week ultrasound appointment!  The baby has changed so much from that little tiny peanut in the 8-week ultrasound.  Now, you can really see the shape of the baby... head, legs, feet, belly.  Love it!!!    

 And here's a close-up... kinda...

Best husband quote of the week:  I was reading the 12-week baby update from babycenter.com to Carl on Sunday, and I read that the baby's ears have moved to the side of his/her head and he/she will start to respond to sounds/movements already.  Carl said, "Well that baby probably was moving a lot during the [Cut Copy] concert on Friday night!"  It was pretty loud and we were dancing pretty good.  What a fun concert!!!

Week 12 picture

Note:  This will probably be the ONLY time you see my bare stomach.  Just wanted to show my little "bump".  Although I think my stomach looked like that pre-pregnancy too.  ;)

Week 10

I was 10 weeks along on Sunday, so I'm just a couple days behind.  I know I skipped week 9, but really my 10-week and 8-week posts are only about a week and a half apart, so I decided to skip over non-eventful week 9 and post week 10 early in the week.

How Far Along: 10 weeks

Size of baby:  kumquat (I had to include the link because I had no clue what a kumquat was or looked like); a little over 1 inch

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  I'm about the same as I was a couple weeks ago in my post, maybe even a .5 lb less.  I've really only gained 0.5-1 pound so far.  I'm eating quite often (especially breakfast!) and not as healthy as ideal, but overall pretty good.  I think I really did gain some vacation weight that kind of evened out when I got back into my normal lifestyle and eating habits.  

Maternity Clothes:  I bought a BeBand that goes over my pants last night.  I wore it over a pair of my work pants today, and it was really comfortable!  I'm going to wear this for as long as I can!  My cousin, Keely, is generous enough to lend me her maternity clothes.  So I'll start wearing those when I need to.  And I went to shop for new bras last night.. what a nightmare!  I don't think I can do the "cheaper" bras.  I think I'm going to have to go to Victoria's or Von Maur and get some help.  All the ones at JCP looked and fit terrible!  They either pushed me way up in my throat, or were poking into me really bad, or just didn't fit well. Wish me luck...

Gender:  Don't know yet

Movement:  Not yet

Sleep:  I love our new mattress!  It's really comfortable, and I've been sleeping really well.  I do wake up a couple times early in the morning to go to the bathroom, but I can fall right back to sleep.  Still sleeping with the pillow between my knees.. may be investing in a body pillow sometime in the future.  We're not going to have any more room for Chief in bed, which might not be a bad thing!

What I miss:  It wouldn't make me sound like an alcoholic if I said vodka, would it?  :)  One of Carl's work friends got married on Saturday and we went to the wedding.  It was beautiful.. and open bar.  I usually am the one who drives anyway, so I usually take it pretty easy.  But it was weird not being able to have 1 drink!  I totally would have gotten the VTL (vodka, tonic, w/ lime).  And someone at our table asked if I had the signature martini, which she said was pretty good.  I said, "no I haven't tried it; I'm not drinking tonight"... and we just left it at that.  I do feel healthier drinking water a lot. For awhile now, I've really tried to cut out alcohol to eliminate unnecessary calories.  But again it was just really weird not being able to have champagne for the toasts or just 1 cocktail.  It will be worth it.  :)  .  

Cravings:   I'm not as picky as of late, which is good!  I'm just trying to get all my fruits and veggies in, which I think I'm doing a pretty good job of.  But still I just want fast food and grease and french fries!  I still haven't given in to the french fries yet... 

Symptoms:  Feeling great this week!

Best Moment this week:  I just told everyone at work our good news today, which was a lot of fun!  For me and for my father-in-law.  It's his last week at this job in my department before he moves on to a new company, so it's cooling getting to share the news that he's going to be a Grandpa.

Best husband quote of the week:  We've had a couple of "are we ready for this" and "are we really going to do this" conversations this week... and all have ended in "well, I guess we don't have a choice!"  It's kind of funny.  I'm really lucky to have Carl and that we are going through this journey together.  He's level-headed and keeps his cool and is very reassuring that everything is going to be great.  And it will!  :)

Week 10 Picture

Here is a pic of me before the wedding.  It was pretty cold out today... lower 30's, but the sun was shining.  I wanted to wear my black tights and black heels.  Then I realized Chief had eaten all my good black high heels... so these Forever 21 boots would have to do.  

Can you tell I'm pregnant??? Not with those tights on!  :)