Week 21! more than half-way done.

It's been a few weeks since i've posted, mostly because i've been too busy nesting. Between sewing, knitting, sorting through baby clothes, and de-cluttering my closets, it's been all about home for me lately. I find our constantly cluttered house to be very stressful, so I have been trying to de-clutter it before our little one arrives.

We were able to reschedule our ultrasound during our 19th week, and confirmed that we are having a little girl! I felt it was a girl from the beginning, but its great to have confirmation. It's also great to know that she is growing perfectly, has all the right parts, and is right on track for our due date.

Since confirming we'll be completing our family with a daughter, I have been sewing like crazy. I spent a happy sunday afternoon at JoAnns, buying all sorts of girly material. I swear, I can't stop making these adorable circle skirts out of every leftover fabric quarter I have. My serger makes it oh-so-easy to whip one up in 10 minutes.

We've decided on a pink and grey nursery look, so it isn't too babyish. It is still our guest room, after all.

I have been going through all the boxes of Little John's clothes to pull out anything that can work on a girl, and packing the rest of the boy stuff up for our nephew's use. I discovered that I really don't have much left to buy for this baby. We have so much stuff already, and i've been picking up pink sleepers everywhere I go, that we're pretty much set for this gal.

The only things I need to buy are:

• A new car seat, as ours have expired.
• A new portable swing, ours was given away
• Diapers
• Burp cloths
• Wall paint
• and I really want one of these this time around: Baby K'Tan. I had a moby wrap with John and I LOVED it. This is the same idea, but with less inconvenience. 

It's been 5 and a half years since we've had a baby around, so I expected to need more stuff, and am so pleased we're nearly set already. 

Week 20 marked the half-way point for us, and its fun to know we're on the downhill side of this. We're so excited to meet our little girl. 


Here's the latest view of my ever expanding belly:

21 Weeks 4 Days

WEEK 21 INTERVIEW

BABY’S SIZE? A carrot

DAYS UNTIL NEXT DOC APPOINTMENT? 4

TOTAL WEIGHT GAIN/LOSS? +5 pounds

MATERNITY CLOTHES? Yes. I have long since said goodbye to my regular clothes. I tried to wear a pair of my yoga pants last week, and the baby spent two hours kicking at the waistband before I gave up and changed pants.

STRETCH MARKS? No new ones so far.

SLEEP: I've been sleeping much better this past week! 

BEST MOMENT THIS WEEK: Several over the past few weeks - confirming its a girl, watching my boys get so excited over it. Finishing clean out of all our old baby stuff and her room. 

MOVEMENT: Yep, lots of crazy kicking, and tons of rolling over, and her favorite new game - kick mommy in the hoo-ha. 

FOOD CRAVINGS: Prime rib, and chili cheese dip. Not at the same time. 
ANYTHING MAKE YOU QUEASY OR SICK? Parmesan cheese.

MISSING ANYTHING? some of my sweatpants that don't fit anymore. Getting up out of my recliner without help. 

GENDER? Girl! 

LABOR SIGNS? nope, but i've had a few braxton hicks contractions, which are uncomfortable. I had lots of these with John, so no surprises here. 

BELLY BUTTON: In tact, so very shallow. 

WEDDING RINGS ON OR OFF? on, most days.  

HAPPY OR MOODY MOST OF THE TIME? Mostly happy, but can be irritated in a snap. I have irrational attachments to food cravings. Once i've decided I want something, and then get denied that thing, I'm very prone to tears. 

WEEKLY SYMPTOMS:itchy legs, sleepiness, and a changing center of gravity. 

18 weeks - excitement and disappointment

This week was full of ups and downs! We were very excited for our mid-pregnancy ultrasound, and decided to take our little man with us so he can see baby too. We arrived only to be sent home because the ultrasound machine was broken and they said we'd have to wait another week or so. Boo. Wish they had called before we kept John home from school and before I drank the required 32 oz. of water. 


So we're back to waiting. In the mean time, our little one is growing fast. She is big enough that I find it really uncomfortable when she rolls over, which she seems to enjoy doing. She spent the past few days laying horizontally, low in my pelvis, making me even more awkward than normal. 
Her kicks are getting stronger, and though Craig has felt her several times, John finally felt her for the first time this week. He was a little freaked out and a lot excited. 

We also started the process of putting her room together over the weekend. We have been using our third bedroom for a guest room and junk storage, but I spent a good chunk of the weekend sorting through it. Several trash bags, and one huge Goodwill trip later, we've managed to get the guest bed into the corner, the closet empty, and the crib where it belongs. Of course, i'm going to have to move it all to paint, once we figure out what we're really having. 

WEEK 18 INTERVIEW

BABY’S SIZE? A mango

DAYS UNTIL NEXT DOC APPOINTMENT? 23

TOTAL WEIGHT GAIN/LOSS? 4 pounds up.

MATERNITY CLOTHES? Yes.

STRETCH MARKS? No new ones so far.

SLEEP: Sleep is my long lost friend. I'm thinking of moving to the couch, or guest room, or anywhere else to attempt a better nights sleep. 

BEST MOMENT THIS WEEK: John's face when she kicked his hand. shock, excitement, and a little freaked out. 

MOVEMENT: Yep, lots of crazy kicking, and tons of rolling over, which doesn't feel so nice for me. I'm able to feel my belly and find her head/rump, though I can't yet tell which is which. 

FOOD CRAVINGS: Turkey sandwiches from Quiznos with mozzarella, tomatoes and lettuce. Sugar cookies.

ANYTHING MAKE YOU QUEASY OR SICK? Parmesan cheese.
belly and find her head/rump, though I can't yet tell which is which. 

HAVE YOU STARTED TO SHOW YET? a long long time ago, it seems. Now i'm starting to lean back when I walk, and when I drop something I can be seen devising a plan of attack before attempting to retrieve it. Craig has been mocking me. 
MISSING ANYTHING? sleep. going 24-hours without a neck ache.

GENDER? We're still thinking this is a girl. 

LABOR SIGNS? nope.

BELLY BUTTON: In tact, getting really shallow.

WEDDING RINGS ON OR OFF? on. 

HAPPY OR MOODY MOST OF THE TIME? Mostly happy, but can be irritated in a snap.

WEEKLY SYMPTOMS:itchy legs, no matter how much lotion I apply. Headaches, and exhaustion. 

17 Weeks and getting anxious!

Yesterday was our 17 week checkup, which we had a week early, as our midwife is expecting her own baby any day now. I got to hear the heartbeat again, which was in the high 140's, and she measured my bump at 20cm, which is a little large for 17 weeks, but its still within the normal range. 

Baby has been plenty active, and still expresses her displeasure with tight pants and when I rest my iPad on my stomach. 

We replaced John's bed with bunk beds, much to his surprise and delight, and turned his bed back into the crib it once was. I've slowly started collecting the baby things around the house so I can do an inventory. 

Our ultrasound is on Oct. 18, and we cannot wait to see what we're having! Think pink! We've decided to take John with us, and he is ecstatic. He is okay with a brother or a sister, and hopes (though his parents don't) that he gets one of each. Oy. 

WEEK 16 INTERVIEW

HOW FAR ALONG? 17 Weeks, 3 days

BABY’S SIZE? An Onion or Sweet Potato

DAYS UNTIL NEXT DOC APPOINTMENT? 34 days until my next checkup, 10 until the ultrasound

TOTAL WEIGHT GAIN/LOSS? 2 pounds up. Bring on the chocolate.

MATERNITY CLOTHES? Yep. I occasionally try to pull off my pre-pregnancy jeans with a belly band, and usually regret it by noon. 

STRETCH MARKS? No new ones so far.

SLEEP: Sleep still eludes me. I cannot get comfortable, and I can't seem to get into a deep sleep. We may try melatonin supplements to help with this. 

BEST MOMENT THIS WEEK: Hearing her heartbeat at our checkup yesterday. I love that little sound. 

MOVEMENT: So much. This kiddo seems to have lots of room to swim, since i'm currently measuring a few centimeters larger than average for my due date (which we're sure of). I can often feel her kicking/punching on the upper left of my stomach, and the lower right. sometimes both places at once. I have also started to feel it when she rolls over.

FOOD CRAVINGS: Still craving red meats and cheese. We had lasagna the other night and it was amazing. 

ANYTHING MAKE YOU QUEASY OR SICK? Not this week. Life is good. 

HAVE YOU STARTED TO SHOW YET? Yep. Complete strangers can tell this is all baby. 

MISSING ANYTHING? wine. 

GENDER? We're still thinking this is a girl. 

LABOR SIGNS? nope.

BELLY BUTTON: In tact, getting really shallow.

WEDDING RINGS ON OR OFF? on. 

HAPPY OR MOODY MOST OF THE TIME? Mostly happy. a little tired. 

WEEKLY SYMPTOMS: More movement, more headaches, and still plenty of exhaustion. 

16 Weeks - Trying to keep track

I'm trying to document this pregnancy better than my last, which wasn't documented at all. I was too excited/sleepy/nauseas to do this before. Plus, if I wasn't eating, I was barfing. This baby has been so much easier, so here we go. I'm borrowing this interview format from the awesome @jonnajae of inspiremethis.com.

We're 16 weeks along now, and this pregnancy has been so much different than with my little man. We're seriously hoping for a girl this round.

Here is the first photo I took at 11 weeks pregnant:

And here I am today, at 16 wks + 2 days:

WEEK 16 INTERVIEW

HOW FAR ALONG? 16 Weeks, 2 days

BABY’S SIZE? About an avocado.

DAYS UNTIL NEXT DOC APPOINTMENT? 6 - we're having an early appointment because our midwife is due with her 2nd baby in 2 weeks!

TOTAL WEIGHT GAIN/LOSS? 2 pounds up. no complaints here!

MATERNITY CLOTHES? oh yeah - for weeks now. The belly pops out a lot faster with baby #2. I broke out the belly bands by 10 weeks and was fully into maternity clothes by week 13.

STRETCH MARKS? only the minor ones left over from Baby #1 which are so minimal.

SLEEP: ugh. This baby hates sleep, but loves making me exhausted. I cannot get comfortable, I wake up and roll over every hour. If I have to get up to pee or just because of an intense dream afte 3 am, i'm not getting back to sleep.

BEST MOMENT THIS WEEK: Putting on my first pair of maternity leggings. omg how did I not live in these things before now? So comfy.

MOVEMENT: Lots! I'm loving this part. I started feeling little butterlies and scratches around 10-11 weeks, when I was curled up in a ball. Now, baby makes herself known throughout the day. I can feel kicks/punches and sometimes a full-body roll. Its so much easier to recognize the movements with Baby #2. She really hates tight pants and anything resting on my stomach.

FOOD CRAVINGS: Melted cheese in all its glory. Quesadillas, grilled cheese, cheesy dip, etc. And meat. for spending the better part of the year cutting animal products out of my diet, this child has done her best to undo that. I love prime rib.

ANYTHING MAKE YOU QUEASY OR SICK? Not too much. With John, everything made me sick and certain smells would send me running. this time around, i haven't been nauseas since 7 weeks, and only really nasty smells get to me. That said, soy things don't sit so well with me, but i've never been a big fan, so no loss there.

HAVE YOU STARTED TO SHOW YET? Yep. Complete strangers can tell this is all baby.

MISSING ANYTHING? Sleeping well, being able to walk my son to school without wanting a nap afterwards, Its only a few blocks!

GENDER? We think girl. We hope for a girl. This pregnancy has been completely different than my pregnancy with John, in so many great ways. I was miserable with John. Now, I finally get why women say they LIKE being pregnant.

LABOR SIGNS? nope.

BELLY BUTTON: In tact, getting really shallow.

WEDDING RINGS ON OR OFF? on.

HAPPY OR MOODY MOST OF THE TIME? mostly happy, but I get really irritated and cranky really quick when things turn.

WEEKLY SYMPTOMS: less sleep, bigger belly, more headaches and heart palpitations.