27 Weeks

This past weekend was a really fun weekend!  My Mom came up to stay with us on Friday and Saturday night.

Friday night: We ate dinner at Portillos (and of course we got our favorite Portillos Chopped Salads - yum!) and then purchased Audrey's crib bedding and the inspiration for all the nursery decorations.  Isn't the bedding beautiful?!  I've had my eye on this bedding even before we knew we were having a girl.  I really love all the different colors in it.  And, believe it or not, it looks even better in person.

Then we stopped by JoAnn Fabrics to pick out fabric for curtains my Mom is going to make for the nursery.  We pulled a few different fabrics and brought samples home to decide what we wanted.  I'm really excited about the fabrics we chose.  I called and talked to Mom yesterday and she has already started on the curtains.  Can't wait to see them!
Saturday: We started off with breakfast (of course!), then onto JoAnn Fabrics to purchase the fabric and then on to Buy Buy Baby to purchase the crib and dresser (a very generous gift from Grandma and Grandpa Patton).  Thankfully, big Carl (Grandpa Larson) was in town and he was nice enough to help us transport the furniture from Buy Buy Baby to our house.  Unfortunately, both the dresser and the crib did not all fit in his truck so he had to take 2 trips.  What troopers!  And Mom and I had it rough... we waited in the gliders, "testing" them out, until they returned for the 2nd load.  I fell in love with one of the upholstered gliders, and am now set on upholstered vs. standard wood frame glider.  It really was a long day, and Mom and I both were exhausted by the end!  We ended the night watching the first few episodes of Friday Night Lights Season 1 on DVD.
Sunday: Mom left right after breakfast and Carl and I (mainly Carl) put together the crib.  Now we just have to move out the full mattress and bedding that our guests have used.  It's air mattresses from now on for our guests.  Here are the pics of the furniture.  I'm in love with it!

 Chief really likes the crib, too :)

How far along:  27 weeks and 3 days
Size of baby:  She is the size of a head of cauliflower.  She weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches in length.
Total weight gain:  22 pounds
Maternity clothes:  On Saturday, Mom went with me to Destination Maternity in Orland Park to shop for some maternity clothes.  Destination Maternity has both A Pea in the Pod and Motherhood Maternity brand clothes.  This was the 2nd time I had been in the store, and just like the 1st time I stayed in the back shopping the Motherhood Maternity brand.  A Pea in the Pod is much too expensive for me!  I found 3 dresses I like and 2 shirts.  And I purchased some maternity Spanx.  I love them!  They have a panel for the belly, so they're tight everywhere except my "baby bump".  I'm excited about my purchases!
Gender:  Still a girl!  This answer shouldn't change for the remaining 13 weeks.  :)
Movement:  She's still moving a lot.  When Mom and I were relaxing in the gliders at Buy Buy Baby, she must have been doing a flip or something because we could both see the left side of my belly moving like crazy.  I love feeling her, and she is an active little girl!
Sleep:  I've been sleeping really well lately.  I never thought I'd say it, but I'm officially used to sleeping on my side and find it pretty comfortable.  Don't get me wrong, I will probably switch back to sleeping on my stomach after pregnancy, but for now I am content on my side.
What I miss:  I really don't have any complaints this week.
Symptoms:  I didn't have heartburn all weekend or Monday and Tuesday of this week, but today I've had heartburn all day.  And it's weird, after I eat I get a tingling sensation right underneath my left rib cage.  Maybe this is indigestion or something related to heartburn too?  Friday night was the first time I ever felt it.

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. 

3D Ultrasound

Yesterday, we went to The Belly Factory in Frankfort for a 3D Ultrasound.  In general, before it was our baby of course, 3D ultrasounds kinda freaked me out.  It's just kinda weird seeing the baby in the womb in so much detail.  But they say everything is different when it's your own child and sure enough, Carl and I decided we wanted to get this done to get a sneak peak at our little baby girl.

I'm so glad we went.  It was such a cool experience!  I was on my last day of my 25th week (basically 26 weeks) and we were able to see a lot of detail already!  She has a cute little profile and a little button nose.  What a doll already.  Of course I would be biased, though, right?  :)  She was really active for us, too, which was really exciting to watch.  The ultrasound tech told me that I have an anterior placenta meaning the placenta is between the outside of my belly and Audrey, so I don't feel as much movement as if the placenta were positioned somewhere else.  To me that's crazy because I still feel her a lot!  During the ultrasound, Audrey was moving all around and smiling and opening her mouth and sucking her thumb.  She would bring her arm up to her mouth and suck her thumb, then she would bring her arm down and rest her hand under her chin.  And her facial expressions - so funny!  She was even opening and closing her eyes, which was really cool.  She's only been able to do that for the past couple weeks I think.  Carl said, "I know we're naming her Audrey, but we better not be raising an actress!"  The ultrasound tech even said, "Man, she is an expressive baby!"  And we also got to confirm that she is in fact a girl.  If there was any doubt before, there is absolutely no doubt now!

Here are the pics of our little Audrey:

Week 24 Update

How far along:  Well, today I'm 25 weeks, but this is going to be my recap of last week, Week 24.
Size of baby:  Last week, she was the length of an ear of corn... about 13 inches.  She's pretty long now, and in the weeks ahead she will fill out and build some baby fat.
Total Weight Gain:  I had my 24-week checkup on Tuesday, 7/5, and I have gained a total of 17 pounds.  I'm averaging about 1 lb per week.
Maternity Clothes:  Yes!
Gender:  GIRL!
Movement:  She's really been moving a lot this week.  I feel her a lot when I'm driving in the car, in the afternoon, and at night.  Usually I have to be sitting down or laying down and I really feel her.  Up until this week, Carl has been the only person to feel her kick.  But on Friday night, Ashley and my Mom got to feel her kicked.  She kicked Ashley's hand pretty hard.  It was pretty exciting!  Yesterday after dinner, Ashley had her hand on my stomach and would tap my stomach and 5 seconds later Audrey would kick.  This happened a few times right in a row.  Audrey was playing a game with us.  :)  My Dad tried to feel her this morning, but I think she was tired from all the excitement from the luau yesterday.  Next time!  Cynda also felt her kick and so did Katie Korte.  Puh-retty crazy!
Sleep:  I've been waking up early in the morning, even on the weekends.  And this past week, I had quite a bit to do to get the house ready for the party, so I was up kinda late at night.  We were up late last night and of course I wake up about 6:00am, but I was at least able to sleep on and off until about 9am... until it was time to clean up.  But we were exhausted today, so Carl and I took a couple hour nap.  Naps are so underrated!
What I miss:  Lately, I've been craving sushi, but I'll have to wait to have that for awhile.  And yesterday at the party, I was craving some mango vodka.  But of course, I've been a good girl and just drank water and juice.
Cravings:  I've noticed that I've had more of a sweet tooth than a salt-tooth, as I normally had before pregnancy.
Symptoms:  It was really hot again this week.  The doctor reminded me to be very careful with the heat - I've just been avoiding it.  Even for the party yesterday, I didn't hang out outside until after 7pm.  I just don't want to be all swollen and dehydrated!  Tuesday night, I had a really bad headache.  Usually, I think I'm just dehydrated when I have a bad headache, but I drank even more water than normal on Tuesday.  Weird.  I skipped yoga and just laid on the couch hoping it would get better.  When I woke up on Wednesday, I still had the headache, but it went away Wednesday morning after I got to work.  Also, I had my doctor give me a breast exam.  I feel like not only have they gotten bigger, the "composition" of them have changed.  And I thought I felt something weird over the past couple weeks. But she reassured me that my breasts are healthy.  That set my mind at ease!
Best Moment This Week:  It's always really fun going to the doctor these days.  My weight was good, my blood pressure was 110/70 which was good, and my pee-test was good.  It is always great to hear that I'm healthy and the baby's healthy.  She even said that my uterus is measuring exactly where it should be.  Everything is going very smoothly!  And I look forward to the doctor's appointments because I got to hear Audrey's heartbeat again.  She found her heartbeat right away!  At my 20-week appointment, it took her a good 20-30 seconds to find the heartbeat, but Audrey was really showing herself this week.  She didn't tell me exactly how fast the heartbeat was, but it sounded good and strong and that's all I care about.  Also, it was a lot of fun to have my family and friends around this weekend for the party.  That was a big highlight of this week, too!

Let's Luau! Katie & Frank's Engagement Party

Yesterday, we hosted a luau-themed Engagement Party for Katie Korte and Frank Baio.  It was a lot of fun! My Mom and sister, Ashley, put a lot of work into the party.  They should be party-planners!  Just look at the pics!  Carl & I and Cynda & Andy Marr hosted this party at our house.  We had about 40 people attend in total, and I think everyone had a great time.  We had a lot of fun with this theme!  

My Mom is so great at party decorations.  She is so talented!  We had everyone come through the front-door (instead of the garage) and this is what they saw when they entered the house:  

The lanterns really added a lot of color and were just really cool!  This is the dessert table.  We had coconut macaroons, sugar cookies, pina colada cupcakes, mini cherry cheesecakes, and Oreo truffles.  My sis, Ashley made the majority of the desserts, including decorating the sugar cookies.  They look professionally done!

Here are a couple close-ups of the desserts.  They were all gone by morning!  YUM!

Here is the happy couple... the future-Bride and Groom, Katie and Frank.  We dressed them up in coconut bras and grass skirts and of course leis.  We had leis for all of the guests as they walked in.  Katie and Frank were super-fun in their "costumes".  

Speaking of their outfits... I didn't get a picture of it, unfortunately, but my Dad and Frank were wearing the same Hawaiian shirt.  So funny!

This is a pic of the food table:

We served shredded BBQ chicken sandwiches, potato salad, coleslaw, chips, fruit, and vegetables.  The food was a big hit!  

And isn't this a cool focal point behind the table?

 The sign says What a Great Catch! and that, along with pics of Katie and Frank, are hooked to the fishing net with fishing hooks.  The large picture of them by the waterfall is a pic they took the day they got engaged at Starved Rock State Park.  It's a special place for them, and is where their Wedding Ceremony will take place on June 8, 2012.  

I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked.  I wish I would have gotten a pic of the backyard with our new tent and light-up lanterns and tiki torches.  Most people hung out outside all night.  Carl set up the stereo system so that his luau themed playlist played inside and outside.  Also, we had tables and chairs set up in the garage where a lot of people ate dinner.  All the coolers with drinks were out there too.  We had a lot of beer, pop, and water in the garage; and we had N.A. fruit punch and OJ/Pineapple juice inside.  Of course we had some hard alcohol (different kinds of vodka and rum) for the non-pregnant people who wanted a "real" drink.  We were pregnant-people friendly this party since both Cynda and I are expecting!  My Mom also made a banner that hung on the garage that said Congratulations, Katie and Frank!  Let's Luau!  And we had an Aloha! welcome sign on the front door and tiki torches that lined the walk.  It was a great way to welcome the guests, and I'm disappointed I didn't get a picture of all of that!  

I also wish I would have gotten a pic of Cynda and me together in our luau dresses.  Cynda is a little over 17 weeks along, and I was at the very end of week 24.  I'm bad about taking "bump" pictures.  :)

It was really great to be able to host this party for such good friends.  Frank is one of Carl's best friends from childhood.  They grew up together and have been friends for over 20 years!  And Katie is one of my best friends.  We grew up together in Forsyth, IL, and have been good friends ever since High School - almost 15 years!  It's pretty cool that our good friends have found happiness with each other.  We're really happy for them and know that they are going to have a great year planning their wedding and an even better married life together!

Note:  Notice our new floors in the pics!  Carl worked really hard to get the house in good shape before this party.  We had carpet in the living area that really needed to be replaced, and I told Katie and Frank as soon as they got engaged in March that we were going to throw this party for them but that our floors had to be done first!  So Carl and Nick (Frank's twin brother) installed the hardwood (in the family and "dining" rooms) and ceramic tile (in the kitchen, foyer, and downstairs bath) about a month ago.  They replaced everything downstairs - the carpet and the pergo/laminate flooring.  Our house and garage was a disaster for awhile, but Carl pulled it all together and it looked great!  I'm really thankful for Carl's hardwork to get everything ready.  The floors, the cleanup, re-nailing the trim and adding quarter-round...house projects have really taken up all of his weekends lately.  We were glad to have the party to motivate us to get everything done, and now it's time for Carl to have his weekends back.  Time for him to relax!  Only a few more projects before Baby Larson comes in October.  :)

Weeks 22 & 23

This post is a recap of last week, Week 22, plus an update on how I'm feeling in Week 23.  It's a combo!

How far along:  23 weeks and 4 days
Size of baby:  At 23 weeks, the baby is the size of a large mango (last week was a spaghetti squash!). She is a little over 11 inches now and weighs over 1 pound!
Total Weight Gain/Loss:  I think I'm up 16 pounds from pre-pregnancy.  I just keep on growing!  :)
Maternity Clothes:  I bought some new clothes from Target - a wrap dress, 2 black tank tops (just can't get enough!), and some undies.  I tried on the wrap dress this morning, and LOVE LOVE LOVE it.  I plan on wearing it to work and to a wedding we have at the end of July.  Love it!  It's really flattering and it's a nice fabric... and it was only $30.  Hooray!  I really am liking tighter clothes lately, as opposed to the big tented clothes.  I just look humongous in big loose clothes because of my large chest and belly.  The clothes that show off my figure a little more make me look a little smaller.
Gender:  She's a girl!  Our little Audrey :)
Movement:  It's been a monumental 2 weeks as far as movement.  I really started feeling her move on Father's Day, which was the start of my 22nd week.  And I told Carl that day that it would be soon that he should start feeling her kick because she really started kicking!  And sure enough, Carl got to feel her kick for the first time that very next night.  We were sitting on the couch watching TV and I thought I felt her.  I told him to put his hand on my belly and all of a sudden a big kick.  My eyes grew wide and I gasped, and when I looked over at Carl his eyes were huge too!  Really cool stuff!  And she's really been moving a lot ever since. I feel her everyday, sometimes during the day and a lot at night.  I feel like we went from 0-100 in no time at all.  Still in week 20 I was saying, "I think I'm feeling her move."  My doctor said one day there would be no mistaking it, and she was right!  I love feeling her kick and move all around!
Sleep:  I've been really tired this past week.  I don't know what it is, but just really tired.  Wanting to lay around all day and night and not wanting to get out of bed in the morning.  Last night, for instance, I went to bed around 9:30pm and didn't get up this morning until 6:35am.  Needless to say, I've been sleeping really well!
What I miss:  Nothing in particular
Cravings:  Today it was fried food and vegetables.  I even had 2 salads today!  And I've really been craving fruit for a long time now.  I love fresh fruit, but I am addicted to dried fruit right now.  I really love prunes... which is a good thing and sometimes a bad thing too.  :)  I have yogurt raisins for a snack in the afternoon, and I munch on dried apples or dried apricots when I need something small.  Either Audrey is really going to like fruit, or she's not going to like it at all!
Symptoms:  I've really had bad heart burn this week.  Today has been the worst!  Also, last week I really was suffering from swollen ankles and legs.  I bought a stool to elevate my feet when I'm at work and I think that's really been helping.  My ankles haven't been swollen at all this week!  Last week on Wednesday right before lunch, I started to get this sharp pain at the very top of my belly.  It started off small then really started to hurt.  I was at work and I had a call about 45 mins after it started.  I told myself that I would call the doctor if the pain hadn't subsided when I was off that phone call.  Good news is that it went away!  I was scared for awhile, but it must have just been bad gas or indigestion or something.  Thank goodness!  The pain lasted a little over an hour.  I felt the baby kicking afterward, so that set my mind at ease.
Best Moment This Week:  Has to be feeling the baby kicking.  That is awesome!  I can't even get enough of that.  Also, Carl's been working really hard on the house.  The downstairs floors are done and almost all the trim is back up.  That was a big milestone!  We love the floors!  Also we have gotten rid of all the extra furniture in the house that we wanted to get rid of.  Carl's friend from work, Joe, came over last night and took the bedroom furniture that used to be in our Master Bedroom and was just taking up space in the guest bedroom/nursery.  We had already sold the other bedroom set and gave away our old mattress.  Now the room is empty except for a mattress and it's ready for us to start filling it with furniture and baby stuff.  Exciting!  We are going to register this weekend and maybe we'll pick up a few things for the baby now.  :)

Baby Gifts for Audrey

Baby gifts... already!  Can you tell Audrey is going to be one spoiled little girl?  How could she not, being the first child, grandchild, and niece/nephew on both sides?

We've already gotten a lot of cards and "Congratulations" from many of our family and friends.  That all means so much to us to see everyone's support.  Some family members have even offered to babysit already.  I think we'll take them up on that!  :)

On Easter, my Mom always gives us the nicest Easter baskets.  And this year, Carl and my basket was complete with diapers, a recordable story book (so my Mom & Dad can record their voices reading Audrey a story), and her first "mi-guitar".  (Pronounced "mi (with a soft i)-guitar".)  There's a joke in our family about calling guitars "mi-guitars".  One year for Christmas, Amber had to be 4 years old maybe, and all she wanted was a guitar.  But she didn't call it a guitar, it was a "mi-guitar".  So Audrey has her first "mi-guitar".  And of course, this makes Carl, the guitar player, happy!

Then once we found out that we were having a girl last week...

Mom and Dad Patton bought her some essentials for her first trip to Florida.  An Anna Maria Island shirt of course with jean shorts and a Nike hat, and a cute bikini with punk sunglasses.  Seriously the cutest things I have ever seen.  All we have to do is book our trip now!  ;)

And Amber made us this bottle to Congratulate us.  She gave it to us right before the Bandits game against the USSSA Pride on 6/18/11.  Bandits won, by the way!  So I took a picture in the stands while the game was going on.  The kisses say "It's a Girl!" and are in a real bottle that we can use later on.  What a cute idea! Amber and Ashley both are going to be the best aunts!

And just today, I bought some things that will stay at my parents' house down in Forsyth for when we come visit.  The VP of my department at work had a garage sale this weekend.  I stopped by last night to take pictures and discuss what we want/need with my Mom, then I went back this morning and picked up these items:

This swing goes both side-to-side and front-to-back.  

This is a bouncer that also vibrates.

I decided to get this walker at the last minute.  She sold me when she showed me how it collapses and can be transported a lot of different places.  I want to register for a collapsible walker after seeing this one!

Carl's parents have already gotten some things to keep at their house like a swing, high chair, and bassinet from Aunt Sharon and Uncle Dale.  

They Grandparents are set... at least for now.  I'm sure they will accumulate a lot more things, but it's good to get a start on some things so Carl and I don't have to cart everything to and from other people's houses.  We would definitely need a bigger car if we had to do that!

Now where are we going to store all this stuff???  :)