Our Little One

16 months old

2010-06-22T21:39:00.001-07:00

Dear Bria,

On Father's Day you turned 16 months old. You are now a full blown toddler, walking around and exploring the world.

I wish I could put into words how crazy it is to watch you grow up, you are turning into a little girl and it's hard to believe that you're not my baby anymore. Although, if it's okay with you, you'll always and forever be my little baby girl.

You are incredibly smart and love talking. You say lots of words and say them well, I'm able to understand most of what you are saying. Although sometimes you start talking jibberish and even though I can't understand you it's adorable and I love it, especially when you hold the phone up and do it. You understand a lot of what we say so we figure it's time for you to start cleaning up your own toys ;) It's fun to sing songs with you because you sing along and do hand motions, you love showing us all your body parts as we ask, and you enjoy making animal noises. Your cat impression is by far the funniest thing ever and it's a top request from everyone, it sounds like a dying cat-you are hysterical little girl.

I look into your blue eyes and can't believe you belong to me, you are precious and wonderful and I just love you so much it hurts. But it's worth the pain because I cannot and will not imagine my life with you. You have brought complete and utter joy to me, I need you as much as you need me. I thank God everyday that he blessed me with you. You are truly the best thing that has ever happened to your Dad and me.

You love making people happy and laugh, and you're very good at it. You have many adorable faces and are so animated, it's so much fun to spend the whole day with you. I'm so grateful we get to spend our days together, they are such a treasure to me.

I have grown and learned a lot since you entered our lives, I am so grateful to you for teaching me unending love, unending joy, and patience. I'm suppose to be the one teaching you things but I learn from you everyday.

I want to take these moments and put them in a jar, I don't want these days to go so fast. I want you to always hug me tight when I ask you too. I want you to always hold my hand when you need help. I want you to always say mommy with such enthusiasm and love. I want you to always find comfort in my kisses and hugs. I want you to always come to me for cuddles throughout the day. Most of all, I want you to know that I love you more and more every second of the day.

You are so important to me Bria, always remember that.

I love you so much Bria Michelle, you are my whole world,

Mom

7 months

2009-09-27T11:31:00.001-07:00

Dear Bria,

You just turned 7 months old last week. Wow, it's hard to believe you are already that old. This has been the best, the hardest, the most fun, incredibly exhausting, wonderful, frustrating, and by far the most amazing 7 months of my life. I've never been happier and I truly mean that. I don't know what I would do without you, you are my best little buddy and I love being with you.

Thanks to your hard-working Daddy I get to stay home with you and it has been the best experience of my life. It is definitely challenging and demanding, more so than I ever could have imagined, but at the end of the day I am always elated that I get to be with you all day. It is the best feeling watching you learn and grow. I love making you smile and laugh, it's what I live for now.

You are such a happy little baby and everybody thinks so. You love to lay on your back and wave your arms and legs all over. Your favorite game is peek-a-boo with a blanket and we play that each night with Dad, I'm pretty sure it's your favorite part of the day, I know it's my favorite part and your Dad's too. You are sitting so well now and you'll play happily with your toys for awhile, until you get bored and then you want me to hold you.

Right now you prefer me, but fortunately you'll still let other people hold you. You smile at everyone and they can't help but smile back, you've got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen. Plus you have a little bottom tooth now so your smile got even cuter!

You are very tickelish and it's adorable. I'll tickle your thighs, tummy, armpits, and neck and you'll laugh and laugh until you can hardly breath.

You love when I sing to you or read you books. You get all excited when I start reading and you'll babble and try to touch the book and then of course eat it.

Everything goes in your mouth these days. Your favorites include our cell phones, the remote controls, and anything that is hanging around our necks.

You are a petite little thing, except for your thighs, they are rolly and adorable. Your feet are still newborn size! They are the cutest little things ever. Your eyes sparkle like diamonds, your hair is very very blonde, and your belly is just as kissable as ever.

Bria, I love you so much I can barely stand it. You bring more happiness into my life than I ever thought was possible. Your Dad and I are just in awe of you and love you to the moon and back. We are so proud of you and will always be here for you. Thank you for bringing so much joy into our lives, we love you so much Bria, never forget that.

Love,

Mom

3 Months

2009-05-21T20:41:00.001-07:00

Dear Bria,

You just turned 3 months old yesterday. It feels like I was just sitting down to write you the letter when you were in my belly. Now you're here and my heart is full.

You have beautiful blue eyes, just like I thought. You came out with a head full of dark hair and I was just thrilled. It's starting to lighten up which is adorable, although the last dark patch on the back of your head makes me realize you've lost almost all your newborn hair. You have long fingers so we think you may be a piano player :) You have your daddies feet and your mommies nose. It also appears you got your mom's big belly and we love to give it kisses.

Your smile makes my day. I'm not even kidding. After I got my wisdom tooth out and was in pain, I came home and when I saw you smile at me I couldn't help but grin, even though it hurt. You were worth it. You just make my whole world brighter.

I love watching you with your Dad, it is the sweetest thing. He loves making you laugh and smile and can't believe how big you are getting. He was worried your chunky thighs were too big, but I assured him that is just not possible, the chunkier the better. You will sit and talk to his "mobile hand" as he calls it. I told him to enjoy this time that you'll be entertained with him moving his hand above your head. He gives you lots of kisses everyday. You have also pooped on him twice and that is hysterical. Oh, and you peed on him which is pretty impressive for a girl to do. Kudos my beautiful baby.

At first everyone said you were the spitting image of me, but now they see both your dad and I in you. All I know is you are beautiful. I love when you lay your head on my shoulder and let me cuddle with you, it is the best feeling in the world. I love to touch your soft hands and feet, they are the cutest things ever. I absolutely love when you smile, especially when you stick your little tongue out and squint your eyes, it's the biggest smile. And your laugh, oh my goodness it's so precious. It starts out with you tipping your head back and saying "oh" and then turns into a full on squeaky laugh, I can't tell you how much I love hearing your laugh. And oh how you love to talk! Your voice is so angelic and adorable that I could listen to you talk all day. You take a big breath and then just talk and talk. I just love it.

I have to admit, part of me misses you in my belly. I loved feeling you move around in there, but it's nothing compared to holding you in my arms and kissing you all over.

Bria, I love you so much. Always remember that. I wish I could shield you from this world sometimes, I'm not going to lie, it's a cruel world out there. I want nothing more than to keep away all the bad things, but I know that's not possible. Just know that your Dad and I are ALWAYS here for you, we are your biggest cheerleaders. We believe in you and love you to the moon and back. You will forever be our beautiful Bria.

I love you Bria.

Love, Mom

A Close

2009-03-19T16:41:00.001-07:00

This blog has served it's purpose and since the journey of pregnancy is over, so is the blog. However, I'm not going to delete it, I absolutely love this blog. I am so glad that I did this and now have it to look back on and show Bria when she's older. I highly recommend a pregnancy blog to those out there, it is a wonderful way to jot down the details.
I thought about doing monthly letters to Bria on this blog, but I think I may just do monthly updates on the other blog. Who knows, I tend to change my mind a lot :)
Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks for all the suggestions and congratulations-they are much appreciated!

A few more tid bits

2009-03-06T13:08:00.000-08:00

So of course after I posted the birth story I thought of a few other details that I don't want to forget. I blame my lack of detail on my little sleep.
1. The blood was apparently normal and just a result of dilating. The nurses kept saying it was a very good sign- I believed them and went about laboring.
2. Tina broke my water when I was 7 cm.
3. Bria was grunting a lot when she came out instead of crying. They kept using the little blue sucker on her but a few hours later she spit up some fluid in her bassinet so they decided to pump her stomach. They put a little tube down her throat, pumped some saline down there, and then pulled it all out. It did help but man I didn't like watching her gag, it broke my heart.

Okay, I feel better now. I think that is all the details, although I may think of more at the 3 am feeding.

Now that Bria is here, her journey in the womb is over which means this blog has served it's purpose. I still may do monthly updates on here, but for the most part I'm going to go back to the Holcombs Hideaway blog. I'm so glad I have this journal though, I don't want to forget what an amazing journey it was to bring little Bria into this world.

Bria's Birth Story

2009-03-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

Bria Michelle Holcomb entered this world on February 20th at 4:37 am, her due date. She weighed in at 7 pounds 4 oz and was 19 inches of perfection. Here is how she entered this world:

At my 39 week appointment I had still made no progress- no dilation at all. I was bummed, but focused on the fact that Bria was healthy and doing well.

Tuesday and Wednesday (17th and 18th) brought at least a little change as I lost parts of my mucous plug. I didn't get too excited though since labor could still be a week away. Wednesday I started having some mild contractions, but nothing that was timeable. Again, I didn't let myself get excited since some women have contractions for weeks before they deliver. Thursday morning between 4 and 6 am I had timeable contractions that were like bad menstrual cramps, but they dwindled off and I went back to sleep.

That day I did a few things around the house and then went to my mom's to put more songs on my Ipod and help watch Kailey and Porter (my niece and nephew). At about 2 pm while I was watching Shrek with the kids I started getting timeable contractions, they would be anywhere from 8 minutes to 15 minutes and were uncomfortable. I went home and watched some tv until Brian got home. It was the first time that week that he got to come home at a decent hour, he had been working such long hours and was exhausted. So at 7 pm I sent him to bed just in case this was labor and then I went for a walk. The contractions were getting more painful but I still thought it was going to be a long time before things got going, in fact I thought I'd be going to my doctor's appointment the next morning at 10:30 am and all I could think was that I hoped I was dilated enough for them to strip my membranes!

I came back from my walk and laid on the couch while timing my contractions. They were now 5 minutes apart and were getting really hard to deal with. I tried laying down, standing up, swaying, but they were getting pretty bad. At about 9:30 pm I was lying on the couch and felt what I thought was wetting my pants. I couldn't believe it, I had made it 9 months with no bladder accidents and now I wet my pants. I waddled to the bathroom only to find blood, lots of blood and it was still coming. This freaked me out. I mean they tell you your water can break, but they don't talk about blood coming out. So I called my mom who said it was probably fine but I should call Jaime to ask if she remembers blood and then call the doctor. She said it definitely sounded like I was in labor with how much pain I was in. I called Jaime who said to get to the hospital, we both were thinking it could be the placenta tearing away. Leave it to us to think the worst!

So I waddled upstairs and woke Brian up by telling him it was time to go to the hospital. He was adorable, trying to finish packing the hospital bag half awake. We got the car loaded and dropped MJ off with my Mom then continued to the hospital. The bumps and turns were so painful, I kept telling Brian to stop but he didn't, probably a good thing.

We got to the hospital about 10:30 pm and they checked me, I was 3 cm dilated! I was so happy that this really was labor because holy cow the contractions were coming fast and were painful. They monitored me and Bria for 1/2 hour and then I labored in the jacuzzi tub which was awesome. Brian rubbed my arms while I sat with the jets on my lower back, it made contractions so much more manageable. The contractions started getting so close together though that I barely had a break in between and I had to focus all my energy on relaxing. I pictured my cervix opening and Bria moving down. I also focused on the parts of my body that didn't hurt, so I would tell myself that my lips didn't hurt, my nose didn't hurt, etc. It actually helped and I remained surprisingly calm during contractions.

They checked me again around midnight and I was at 4 cm so things were continuing to progress, thank goodness. This is when I ordered the epidural because the contractions were getting very painful and so close together that I was struggling. Brian was doing a wonderful job keeping me relaxed and helping me through it all.

I believe this was around the time that my favorite midwife came in-Tina Gain. She is the sweetest woman and so incredible, I was ecstatic that she was on call.

The anesthesiologist finally arrived at 1 am and I was so happy. She had me sit on the edge of the bed with my feet up on a chair and a pillow on my lap-it was the worst position ever. Meanwhile she decided to do her prep work with me in that position and I was dying. I had to remain somewhat still through contractions and that seemed like an impossible task. I just kept reminding myself that relief was on the way. She placed a big plastic thing over my back and then did the numbing shot. The nurse couldn't believe I didn't flinch with the shot, but compared to the contractions that shot was a hug. The epidural did not hurt at all and I could not wait to feel the effects of it. The anesthesiologist removed the big plastic thing on my back and couldn't believe how much I was sweating, what did she expect?! She had made me sit in the worst position ever for 45 minutes while I had the most painful contractions ever, of course I was sweating! Anyway, about 5 minutes later my contractions started getting less painful and soon I was in epidural heaven. I was all smiles after that and so excited that soon we were going to be meeting our little girl. The nurses kept telling me to get rest and I looked at them like they were crazy, how was I suppose to sleep when I knew that soon we were going to be welcoming Bria into this world.

At 2 am they put the catheter in and checked me again and I was at 7 cm! Wow, things were progressing fast and I was relieved that the epidural didn't slow things down. Bria was at 0 station and I was 100% effaced. I continued to enjoy the epidural and talked with Brian, his mom, my mom, and my sisters. We were all so excited and couldn't believe how fast it was progressing, especially for my first.

At 3:47 am I started feeling contractions on my right side in my lower back and in the front a little. So the nurse decided to check me and what do you know, there was no cervix left! It was go time and I was ecstatic. I pushed 3 times during a contraction and then would rest for a bit. The pushing was exhausting but it didn't really hurt since I was still so numb from the epidural. Brian counted to 10 for me each time which really helped. I kept asking the nurse if I was pushing correctly because it just felt like I was holding my breath. She said I was doing a good job and soon everyone else started to see progress. It motivated me so much to hear my little cheerleaders rooting me on and saying I was doing a good job. I loved having my mom's and sisters there, they were such a huge support. Around 4:20 am the nurse told me to not push too hard until the doctor came because Bria's head was right there. My last push before Tina showed up Bria's head stayed right where it was instead of going back up. Tina walked in, got ready and had me push, Bria's head popped right out with her right hand up by her ear! The cord was wrapped around her neck twice which scared the crap out of me, but it wasn't causing her distress during the contractions or pushing so it must not have been wrapped around her very tight-thank goodness. As soon as Tina removed the cord from her neck she had me give a little push and the rest of her came shooting out. They put her on my chest and I was in pure heaven, I couldn't believe she was finally there. Brian and I were in awe of this perfect little girl.
Brian got to cut the cord and he was actually suppose to help catch little Bria but she came out too quickly. He did help give her the first bath and changed her first diaper. When they handed him Bria all bundled up after her bath I couldn't help but cry and neither could he, it was an amazing moment.
We just looked at her and looked at each other-our little girl was finally here.

The placenta came out pretty easily and when it came out I felt so much weight come out, it felt awesome. As far as recovery goes it was better than I expected. I had a small 1st degree tear that she put 2 little stitches in, I was very grateful for that. The only time I really needed assistance was my first trip to the bathroom. I sure did fill up that cup they leave in the toilet, I think they had 3 bags of IV pumped into me so I was full of fluid. I was going to the bathroom every hour and still filling it up, the nurses were impressed. I really was surprised at how good I felt physically, don't get me wrong, I kept up on the pain meds. Breastfeeding makes your uterus contract and that felt like labor sometimes! But all and all it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I really think it was due to the fact I walked so much in the last 8 weeks, I will have to do that with the next baby :)
I feel so good about the whole labor and delivery experience, I think back on it so fondly. It was such an exciting time and I handled the pain way better than I thought I was going to. Brian said I made it look easy, but I assured him it was FAR from easy. But totally worth it.

I'm a mommy!

2009-02-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

Well, little Miss Bria decided to be punctual just like her parents and we are thrilled to death. We are so in love with this little girl, she is the most beautiful little baby in the world (not bias at all, hehe).

I am going to start working on her birth story and hopefully will post that soon. The labor and delivery went better than I could've imagined. It went pretty quick and my favorite mid-wife delivered her which was a huge blessing. Also, I love epidurals :)

We got home on Sunday and are just enjoying family time, I am so grateful Brian was able to take 2 weeks off. We are bonding and just spending time as a family which is wonderful. We have dinners planned for the next year I think, seriously, our families are amazing. They call to check on us everyday and bring us meals, but don't impose. They are wonderful and we love them so much.

Anyway, hopefully these pictures will tie you over until I can get the birth story up. We feel truly blessed and love our little one so much.

In her little swing for the first time:

In her bouncy seat that she loves, look at those big eyes!

Heading home!

Holcomb, family of 3 :)

Just one day old and simply precious

Bria's Debut

2009-02-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

Who would of thought 1 week after Lindsey's last appointment with no progress that Bria would make her debut:) (0-60 in 1 wk?;) Lindsey started having contractions Thursday, went to the hospital that night, did an absolutely amazing job throughout the labor, and delivered lil Bria at 4:37am Friday morning...her exact due date:) She was 7lbs.4oz, and I believe 19inches long. She is undeniably beautiful and I'm so excited for the brand new mom and dad!! Your guys are already amazing parents, and I love you all so much! So proud of you Lu...love, aunt jenny P.S. Lindsey will of course post more, but I just wanted everyone to know that baby holcomb is here safe and sound and they are all doing great!

Without further ado, the new proud parents:

She has gorgeous blue eyes and big lips:)
Future Beaver Cheerleader:) Beanie courtesy of Good Sam Hospital

39w 5d

2009-02-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

Still pregnant in case you were wondering. I continue to go on walks everyday and hope that helps things move along.

I went to the fire station today and had a demo on how to install the car seat correctly so now Bria will be safe. They didn't like my seat protector so she took that off and then installed it in the center, which I originally had wanted it behind the passenger. I think when I show Brian tonight I'm going to put the seat protector under it, I don't see it as a safety hazard, do you? She said they like to install them in the center because of the side impact/air bags.

So let's revisit my little list:

1. Install car seat-Done
2. Pack hospital bag-In progress (probably will be until we actually leave for the hospital)
3. Buy and hang curtains-Done
4. Hang 3 fabric pieces above crib-Done
5. Organize kitchen
6. Organize guest bedroom

It's looking pretty good, the only thing I really have left to do is clean and organize. We are completely ready for this little girl to come!

I wanted to jot down a few songs that I really like listening to right now, although they tend to make me a bit weepy. Of course they are all country because country singers love to bring out your emotions. But honestly, you can't tell me these lyrics don't make you well up:

He didn't have to wake up
He'd been up all nite
Lay'n there in bed listen'n
To his new born baby cry
He makes a pot of coffee
He splashes water on his face
His wife gives him a kiss and says
It gonna be OK

It wont be like this for long
One day soon we'll look back laugh'n
At the week we brought her home
This phase is gonna fly by
So baby just hold on
It won't be like this for long

Four years later bout four thirty
She's crawling in there bed
And when he drops her off at preschool
She's clinging to his leg
The teacher peels her off of him
He says what can I do
She says now don't you worry
This will only last a week or two

It wont be like this for long
One day soon we'll drop her off
And she won't even know you're gone
This phase is gonna fly by
If you can just hold on
It won't be like this for long

One day soon she'll be a teenager
And at times you'll think she hates him
Then he'll walk her down the isle
And he'll raise her vale
But right now she's up and cry'n
And the truth is that he dont mind
As he kisses her good night
And she says her prayers
He lays down there beside her
Till her eyes are finally closed
And just watch'n her it breaks his heart
Cause he already knows

It wont be like this for long
One day soon that little girl is gonna be
All grown up and gone
Yeah this phase is gonna fly by
He's try'n to hold on
It wont be like this for long
It wont be like this for long

Whew, puts tears in my eyes every time. It's by Darius Rucker and I'm already mentally putting a video together to give to Brian for Father's Day in the future.
A few other songs that get me all emotional:
You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins
I Saw God Today by George Strait

Good stuff.

My first few days off work have been great, I've stayed busy but also relaxed a bit. I've gone grocery shopping, done laundry, had a pedicure, went to the bank, installed the car seat, and took a few naps. It's a little unsettling which I wasn't expecting, I think because I pictured little Bria here :)

Well I better get to organizing and cleaning...right after lunch :)

39w 3d

2009-02-16T16:04:00.000-08:00

Final Nursery pictures:

So we got a curtain rod, hung the curtains, hung the 3 fabric pieces above the crib, and picked up the rocker from Brian's mom. The nursery is officially complete, now we just need little Bria to make her debut!

The white bassinet in front of the window will be moved to our room for the first few weeks of Bria's life, then we'll move her to the crib. In place of the bassinet I want to find a little wooden toy chest/bench, I think that would go perfect right there.

I am really happy with how the nursery turned out and just love sitting in there day dreaming about rocking my little girl and dressing her up in the many adorable outfits hanging in the closet.

Belly pictures:

Here is what a 39 week pregnant Lindsey looks like: tired and ready to pop

Oh Bria, please come out!

I was thinking my belly hadn't grown that much in the last 3 weeks or so, but looking at these pictures makes me realize how wrong I was. That is a very large belly. I am praying my cervix will get it's act together and start dilating so Bria can come out, she is really cramped in there.

Week 39

2009-02-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

Only 7 days until my due date, 1 week! We're getting there.
My appointment yesterday went well, everything is still looking good. Brian was able to go with me and I was really happy about that. When the nurse asked if I wanted an internal exam I said, "No, thank you." So the doctor came in and Brian was asking how far past my due date they would let me go, just as I had thought: 2 weeks. Gulp. So I could potentially be pregnant for another 3 weeks.
Anyway, she offered to strip my membranes and I was all for it, maybe it would help to get things going. Well, in order to have your membranes stripped you have to be a little bit dilated, even if it's just a finger tip. My cervix was shut tight, so no membrane stripping for me. However, I didn't cry because she did say the baby felt a little bit lower, the silver lining. So Bria is cooperating and getting ready, it's my darn body that isn't getting into gear. Let's hope that changes very soon.
It's my very last day of work today! I can hardly believe it and it definitely has not sunk in yet. I am hoping to be able to find lots of things to keep me busy next week if I haven't had Bria by then.

Symptoms:

Insomnia. Not sleeping well again, good thing I'm about done with work. Wednesday night was awful, I woke up at 2:30 am and could not get back to sleep for the life of me, I was wide awake. Normally I buckle down and lie there until I fall asleep, I have always taken a long time to get to sleep so I've trained myself to just sit tight. But I knew there was no way I was going to drift off and I was restless so I decided to get up and organize the computer desk and upload some pictures. I crawled back in bed at 4 am and was able to get back to sleep around 4:45 am, an hour before that dreaded alarm went off. Needless to say I snoozed a little extra.
Fortunately last night I only got up twice to use the restroom and I slept pretty good, I am very thankful for a good night's rest.

Impatience. I tossed and turned most nights (last night being the exception) because I wanted to go into labor so bad, I'm getting very impatient and want to meet Bria so much I can barely stand it. It's all I think about, Brian too.

Feeling extra large. I'm feeling extra large, especially in the thigh and butt area, I do not like full length mirrors right now. I'm just glad it's winter and I can cover up my chunky legs :)

Ready. I feel ready.

Baby:

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! She continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of her skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

And I have pictures of the nursery. Still to come are the curtains and wall hangings above the crib, we are also replacing the glider with a rocking chair. Not just any rocking chair, the rocking chair that Brian's Mom rocked all 3 of her kids in. Those 3 things will complete the nursery!

Anna got that cute pink lamp and we just love it!

I'm excited for the curtains, I think they'll really add a lot

View when you first walk in:

The amazing and wonderful canvas totes that Jenny got us, they fit perfectly and I just love them:

Here is the left side of her closet, on the top is a bin that holds her 3-6 month clothes, in the guest bedroom another tote holds her 6 + clothes:

And here is her newborn/0-3 month clothes. Can you believe this? She is one stylish little girl, I love all the clothes and plan to have many fashion shows :)

And since I had them on the camera I thought I would post pictures from our last childbirth class. Unfortunately the lighting was horrible in the room and our camera is pretty basic, but it shows how big our class was! I am the second one in from the left:

Here are the guys, I thought it was hilarious that Brian was by far the tallest guy.

And he was also the cutest :)

Still to come is a 39 week belly picture, I've been slacking on those. I'm hoping it'll be the last one, but something tells me it won't. Oh well, as long as Bria is healthy in there I am happy.

38w 4d

2009-02-10T07:55:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that the eagle has landed, I repeat, the eagle has landed. We have our travel system! It came in yesterday and I am beyond thrilled.

It's perfect. I am happy to say that I like it in person even more than I like it online. I just like that it's gender neutral. To make sure people know that Bria is a girl though, I'll be dressing her in plenty of pink so no worries there :)
Brian put it together after our childbirth class and if it hadn't been 10 o'clock at night I would've put MJ in it and gone on a walk to try it out. But lucky for MJ I was exhausted and ready for bed. So now we just need to get down to the fire station so they can show us how to install it correctly, would you believe 80% of car seats are installed incorrectly? Crazy. So we're going to make sure our little one is safe and secure by leaving it to professionals.

We had our final childbirth class last night. I'm so glad we did the class, we both learned a lot and I think it'll help us when I go into labor. It reassured me that Brian is going to be an amazing coach, I'm one lucky girl.

I'm in my last week at work and oh my, is it rough. That is very sad considering it's only Tuesday morning, but I kind of expected this week to drag on. I've trained my co-workers on my job so I have very little to keep me busy. That and the fact that I have no motivation are working against me.
As much as I am looking forward to my baby retirement, at least work helps keep my mind of when in the heck I'm going to go into labor. Next week I'll be at home organizing and wondering if every little cramp is labor. I did schedule my pedicure for next Tuesday so that will keep me busy for an hour :)

Nothing else to report, still no signs of impending labor. I'm still going for walks everyday, twice a day. I really thought this walking was suppose to do something but it's been 7 weeks of me walking everyday and it appears it has done absolutely nothing. And it was a full moon last night too-no baby, so that theory is out the window.
But honestly, as long as Bria is healthy than I'm happy. I'm just impatient and want to meet her so badly!

I took some pictures of the nursery, including the stuffed closet, so I'll have to post those once I get my pictures uploaded. She has so many 0-3 months that I had to put the 3-6 months in a tub so I could hang all the other ones. So now I have a tub of 3-6 months, 6 months +, and her closet is stuffed full of newborn and 0-3. Let's just say she is set...and I love it. Guess I won't have to do any laundry for a few months ;)

Oh, since I've marked a few things off my list I want to revisit that:

1. Pack hospital bag-In progress (probably will be until we actually leave for the hospital)
2. Clean and organize house-I'm taking this off since I detailed it out below
3. Wash bottles and teething rings-Done!
4. Pre-register-Done!
5. Get MJ's bag ready-Done!
6. Check to see if insurance pays for some of breast pump-I think I decided to get a single manual pump since I plan on breastfeeding. We may rent the hospital one for a little bit if need be, we'll play it by ear.
7. Organize little table in computer room-Done!
8. Organize kitchen
9. Organize downstairs closet-Done!
10. Hang 3 fabric pieces above crib
11. Buy and hang curtains

Whew, needless to say it was a productive weekend and it felt great to get so much done. Let's look at the new revised list shall we?

1. Install car seat
2. Pack hospital bag-In progress (probably will be until we actually leave for the hospital)
3. Buy and hang curtains
4. Hang 3 fabric pieces above crib
5. Organize kitchen
6. Organize guest bedroom

I put them in order of importance, obviously it is not vital that I organize the kitchen or guest bedroom, it's just something I want to do and will keep me busy next week. I love how my list is shrinking, even though I add a few each time :)

My mom and I are now on the hunt for the perfect curtains. She brought some over that were really cute, brown suede ones from Fred Meyer's, but unfortunately the brown had a tint of red in it and didn't quite match the other dark brown in the nursery. So we'll have to keep searching. I think the curtains will really finish off the nursery so I'm anxious to find some and get them hung.

10 more days until my due date, holy cow!!!

Week 38

2009-02-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

I had my 38 week appointment yesterday and it went well. The nurse asked if I wanted an internal exam since I hadn't had one yet and curiosity got the better of me so I said, "Sure!" I really wish I had said no, just say no! The midwife said not only am I not dilated, but Bria is way high up and I'll most likely go past my due date. Everyone kept telling me that since it's my first I'd go past, but I don't think I actually believed them. I thought since I've been walking everyday for the last 6 weeks that I would be a few days early, but apparently not. Apparently the walking is doing nothing. I was fine before I got the internal, after wards I was a little bummed and I don't like that. It's not that I am overly uncomfortable and ready to be done being pregnant, it's that I'm ready to be a Mom and meet this little girl. I want to hold her and kiss her and it feels like it's still so far away.
Oh well, most importantly Bria is doing well, she's strong and healthy and that is really all I can ask for. We'll meet her when we meet her and until then I'll enjoy her kicking and squirming in there :) At least with her inside me I can protect her from this crazy world.

Symptoms:

Dreams. Every night I dream about labor and going into labor, or waiting to go into labor, or thinking I'm weeks past my due date and she still hasn't come. I get all frustrated in my dream thinking about how I walk for at least an hour every single day and still nothing. Apparently I fear I will be going past my due date (and the midwife confirmed that).

Sciatic nerve. My lower back has been hurting again and I think it's my sciatic nerve. It can get pretty uncomfortable at times and nothing seems to make it go away. Night time is the worst which makes it difficult to get to sleep. On Wednesday night I was dreaming that my left foot hurt really bad so Brian was rubbing it for me, but it still hurt. I woke up and realized the whole left size of my body was aching horribly so I switched sides, that actually did help thank goodness.

Swelling. I am officially wearing a fake ring full time since my wedding ring doesn't quite fit. I can squeeze it on but getting it off is difficult and I don't want to take any chances of the doctor having to cut it off or something. Usually my ankles go back down to almost normal size by morning, but not so much anymore. I miss my bony ankles, although shaving around my ankles is much easier now.

Frequent urination. Even more so in the last week, Wednesday night I went to the bathroom 4 times within about 45 minutes, it was crazy. We learned in our childbirth class that frequent urination is an early sign of labor because it means that the baby is low and squishing your bladder. Brian got all excited and thought for sure I'd wake up with contractions, but no.

Movement changes. The last week or two it's been fun to feel her actual foot on my side, just moving around. I love touching it because it's so tiny and I just want to kiss it. I also feel her hands way down low, by her head and it tickles.

Baby:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

I still need to take a 38 week belly picture, but I do have a 36 week belly picture that I never posted:

36 week belly pic:

Plus, I finally uploaded a few pictures from my baby shower last weekend. Jaime has all the pictures of the gorgeous decorations on her camera so I'll get those from her.

Bria's gifts:

Me with each of my hosts:

With Anna

With Jenny

With Jaime

With Mom

Thanks to all of you for throwing me an amazing baby shower, I love you all so much and am so grateful to you.

To my daughter

2009-02-03T10:50:00.000-08:00

Dear Bria,

These last 9 months have been nothing short of amazing. I have dreamed about becoming a mother since I was a little girl and dragged around my dolls, pretending to go to church. But now it is actually coming true and I am overwhelmed with joy. You are truly the answer to my prayers little one.
I still remember seeing those positive pregnancy tests (yes, I took 2) and being utterly elated that we were going to have a baby. A baby! I was on cloud 9 all day and couldn't wipe the smile off my face, neither could your Dad. We exchanged many smiles that day and could not believe our dream of becoming parents was coming true.

You have been so good to me while in the womb, I have enjoyed this pregnancy so much and cannot tell you how I've loved getting to know you. I love feeling you move around, kick, and squirm, it's the best feeling ever. Watching my belly move is hilarious and it makes me smile from ear to ear to picture you stretching in there. I laugh when you get the hiccups, which is usually when I lay down to go to sleep, but I can't be mad because it reassures me that everything is going well in there. Daddy loves to feel you move too and he's already giving you kisses goodbye when he goes to work, and kisses hello when he gets home.

I am irreversibly in love with you and we haven't technically even met yet, but it's true, I am head over heels for you little girl. Your father is no different, he is already calling you the most beautiful little girl ever and I'll tell you a secret: you have him wrapped around your finger already.

There are no words to describe how excited we are to meet you, we simply cannot wait. What color is your hair going to be? Will it be curly like Dad's or straight like Mom's? What color will your eyes be? Blue like Mom's, green like Dad's, or a pretty mix of both? I can't wait to see you for the first time, hold you, kiss you, rub your little toes, and just take you in. I'm sorry that your first impression of me will be a blubbering mess, you can count on me to be crying, but they will be tears of utter and complete happiness so don't worry.
I hope we have a safe and healthy labor and delivery little one. I know it's got to be a traumatic experience for you so let's try to make it easy on each other ok? You don't pull any tricks and scare us and I'll do everything to make your descent into this world as quick and painless (for you) as possible.

Although I simply cannot wait to see you, a tiny part of me is ok that you'll be inside me just a little longer. I know that once you come into our lives time is going to start racing by. I've gone over and over in my mind the day we bring you home and our first 2 weeks as a family getting to know each other, all of our "firsts" with you. Soon it will be a memory and I can hardly believe it, I want to hang onto these moments so much and I'm scared I'll blink my eyes and they'll be gone.

I feel truly blessed and thank God everyday for you and the miracle of being able to carry a healthy baby. It means so much and I feel truly honored that Heavenly Father has chosen me to be your mother. I want you to know how much I already love you and how much I'm looking forward to raising you. I love that you have a little piece of me and a little piece of your Dad in you, it makes my heart so happy. You are truly the greatest gift.

I love you Bria and can't wait to meet you.

Love,
Mom

37w 3d

2009-02-02T08:43:00.000-08:00

My appointment on Friday went well, just a normal quick check up. I measured a little small (could've fooled me, my belly feels huge!) but at this point that is pretty normal. The office did make a mistake and had me scheduled for 2 pm, but the appointment card they gave me (and the time I requested) was for 3:15 pm. So they thought I was late, but I fortunately keep my appointment cards and showed them. Since it was their mistake they squeezed me in real quick so it was an extra fast check up. The good news is I didn't gain any weight, so I guess my walking is helping after all! Bria sounds great and is head down, getting ready for birth.
Before that appointment though we met with the maternity care coordinator, Betty, and it was nice to get our questions answered. We finished pre-registering so that is something I can cross off my list. We also went over the birth plan, I don't have a lot of requests since I know things usually don't go as you expect them too. I just want to make sure I get to breastfeed ASAP.

Saturday was my shower (I haven't uploaded my pictures yet so those will be coming)! It was so much fun, I can't even express how grateful I am to my mom, sister's, and step mom. They did an unbelievable job, seriously. Jenny went all out and then some on the decorations, everything was perfectly coordinated in pink and brown. She even had a wooden stork out front of the house with balloons, which one of our neighbors thought was because we had her, lol. She got beautiful brown and pink linens for the table and then had gorgeous little vases with pink roses in them, tied with a brown ribbon. She also got these beautiful white parasol's and hung pink binkies from them, so cute. Every little detail you can think of, Jenny did it. Jenny's husband, Kyle, is in the party renting business. His family owns a party rental store so she has great resources available to her. And it makes me think she should do this professionally! My mom and Anna did the food and my goodness was it delicious. We had amazing artichoke dip with bread, crackers, cheese, chocolate fondue with all kinds of things to dip in it (strawberries, pineapple, short cake), a fruit platter, adorable pink cupcakes with brown M&M's, and I'm sure more that I'm forgetting. Funny story about the M&M's: They were the little mini cupcakes (which I love and are easier to eat at a party) but the M&M's were the regular size so only one fit on it, so it looked like a boob and we thought it was hilarious and very fitting.
Jenny also made delicious chocolate mousse that was to die for. My mom made an unforgettable punch that included: sherbert ice cream, pink lemonade, water, and sprite. Oh my gosh, it was awesome. Jaime had really fun games planned, we did The Price is Right, Baby edition where you guess the price of the baby items and can't go over. We also did the celebrity baby game where you matched up the celebrity parents with their babies, man those celebrities give their babies weird names. And at my request we did the baby food game where you taste different baby foods and guess which flavor it is. Vegetables are horrible, seriously, give me raw veggies any day over that baby food stuff! But I'll have to put my best act on and pretend to like them when I give them to Bria for the first time.
We had lots of fun talking and socializing and it was just a wonderful time. We received so many wonderful and thoughtful gifts which we of course are so grateful for. Lots of stuff off the registry which was very exciting for me, it was awesome to get the things we need. A few of the items included: car seat protector, back seat mirror, diapers, wipes, pacifiers, crib sheet, receiving blankets, gift card, papsan swing, photo mobile, Nursery Rhyme book, pink & brown canvas baskets, and bumbo tray.
I had so much fun showing Brian everything and got started sorting the stuff on Sunday. I have one load of her laundry to do and then I should be good. Heather also got us a basket of newborn to 6 month clothes from a friend of hers and wow they are cute. I will be going to the store to get more hangers :) Would you believe Brian and I have not bought one item of clothing but her closet is stuffed full? I love it. I'll take a picture to show you Bria's unbelievable wardrobe.

Brian attended his Daddy Boot Camp class on Saturday and absolutely loved it. I am so glad our hospital has that class, it's for first time Dad's and it's guys only. There is an instructor there as well as a few veteran Dad's with their babies. So Brian got to change his first diaper :) They give them a really helpful book and talk about what to expect. Since no mommies are allowed the guys are free to open up and talk which I think is just awesome. Brian left the class feeling more excited than ever and was so pumped. He was adorable when he got home, he couldn't stop talking about it and it just made me so happy. I highly recommmend this class to all first time Dad's, hopefully there is one in your area!

Sunday was suppose to be the day we got the last minute purchases that we needed since Saturday was the last baby shower before Bria comes. I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to this day, I just couldn't wait to get the car seat and have it installed. There were 2 things on the list that we needed: Travel System and the Diaper Champ. Easy enough right? Wrong, very very wrong. I started out Sunday innocently, excited about our big purchases and crossing things off our list. At long last we were going to get the car seat and officially be able to take Bria home when she decides to make her debut. We opted to go to a bigger Target than what our little town has to offer so we drove 35 minutes north. I anxiously hurry through the store to the baby department and spot the travel systems. This is where the day begins to go south, and it goes down fast. Not only is the selection not large, but they don't even have any in inventory. WHAT?! The only Graco they have is pink and brown, which of course I love, but wanted to get a neutral one in case our next baby is a boy. So we look for the Diaper Champ to at least make the trip somewhat successful, oh they don't have them in the store. I didn't have a melt down quite yet, we decided to go drive back home and go to our Target, at least they'll have some in inventory right? Nope. They have the same exact selection as the Keizer store, and once again they have nothing in stock. Why even have display models?? What is the point of that?! No Diaper Champ either. This is when I begin my 5 year old tantrum. Why does Target even have a baby section in their stores, they have minimal inventory and nothing stocked. I can't tell you how livid I was, this coming from someone who has previously loved Target. I whined in the store for awhile thinking that would help make our travel system appear, when it didn't we grabbed diapers and wipes that we had coupons for and headed home. I was utterly deflated and wanted to scream. But Brian being the practical guy he is said we would just get online and order it. We begin this process and all comes to a screeching hault when they only let you put in 4 giftcards, we of course have about 6. Brian calls Target and they tell him we need to go to Target and have them combine the gift cards. Sure, no problem, we like to go to Target multiple times a day. At this point I begin crying, I just can't hold it in any longer. This is what I am thinking: We want to purchase a travel system and diaper champ from Target, but the store doesn't carry them and we can't enter in all our gift cards online to purchase them. Why is Target making it so difficult?!?! Brian fears his wife has officially gone off the deep end so he returns to Target so they can combine our giftcards onto one.
This story does have somewhat of a happy ending in that he returned home, made the order online and we will be receiving the travel system any time between February 6th thru the 10th. The diaper champ will not arrive until the beginning of March, which really annoys me, but better that than the travel system.
It was a rough day to say the least.

So that has been the last couple days for us, very eventful and busy. I'm looking forward to a low key week and weekend. I want to tackle lots of stuff this weekend, much of which includes organizing :) It also includes a pedicure since my Mom so kindly got me a certificate for one, I'm beyond excited to get a pedicure.

I'm still feeling good pregnancy-wise, Bria is still moving but a little less than in previous weeks since she is running out of room. But I still feel her stretch and kick and just love it.
We have our second to last childbirth class tonight and I'm looking forward to going. I think that's it for now, my goal for this week: walk, walk, organize, walk.

Week 37

2009-01-30T08:34:00.000-08:00

FULL TERM BABY!!! Can I get a woo woo!
Any time you want to come out now Bria, please feel free to do so :)

Surprisingly I actually slept better this week than I have in awhile. A few nights this week I only made 1 bathroom trip!! That is unheard of so I was thrilled beyond words. I noticed I wasn't quite as tired during the day so I'm very thankful for these good nights and hope they continue. I'm still going for walks, 7 days a week :) In addition to my evening walks I try and get out on one of my breaks at work and take a walk which feels really good. I would say 4 days a week I am walking 35 minutes and 3 days a week I'm totaling 55 minutes, not bad for a 9 month pregnant lady. My next goal is to get Brian to walk with me, at least on the weekends, I need a walking partner.

Symptoms:

Smaller appetite. I am noticing I'm not quite as hungry anymore which is nice. Although I'm still gaining weight so apparently it doesn't matter how much walking I do or how healthy I eat. A little frustrating, but worth it. I eat more often but I eat smaller portions since there's not a lot of room in there.

Braxton Hicks. Lots of Braxton Hicks this week, still not painful just a little uncomfortable. My belly just gets rock hard and it feels like everything in there is squeezing so tight.

Swelling. My ankles will occasionally swell throughout the day, but by the next morning they are almost back to normal. My hands are swelling a little as well during the day, enough so that I am wearing a fake wedding ring that is a size bigger than mine. This way I still look married and people don't glare at me for being a pregnant teen (since I look about 17).

As far as food goes this week there is nothing new, just my usual cereal and toast. I'm making sure to put peanut butter on my toast so I get protein.
I think that is about it for symptoms this week, not too many.

Baby:

Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, her lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

36w 4d

2009-01-27T07:47:00.000-08:00

Well yesterday was our 3rd childbirth class and we are still enjoying it. We got a tour of the labor and delivery floor and saw all the rooms and everything which was fun. We also watched another video of a baby being born and then the placenta being delivered. Oddly enough watching it only made me more excited, just the thought of finally getting to see Bria is incredibly thrilling beyond words.

I had lots of braxton hicks yesterday and in the evening, but then they completely stopped once I was in bed. She was also really active yesterday and I just love when her little feet kick because they are so tiny. I can't wait to rub and kiss those little things.

This last weekend we hung a few more items in the nursery and I was all giddy with excitement. On one side of the window we hung a pink canvas frame that her foot prints go in, and on the other side of the window we hung a little white shelf and put her name on it. Originally we were going to hang the letters above the crib but we really like the pink letters on the white shelf, they just pop. So now I think we'll use the 3 little square fabrics that came with the bedding to hang above the crib which should look nice. Then the last thing are the curtains. I'm not a huge fan of the curtain that the bedding came with, it's cute but just wasn't doing it for me. So I decided I want floor length brown suede curtains, of the tab top variety. I think that will look really good since we hung the pink on either side of the window. I'll try and remember to take some pictures of the nursery this weekend. I'm so excited with how it is coming along. Plus, I need to take a picture of this little girl's closet, it's stuffed full.

On Friday we are meeting with the maternity care coordinator and I'm excited to iron out all the details and get pre-registered. That will be another thing I can cross off my list. Speaking of the list, let's take a look at how I'm doing:

1. Verify the pediatrician is covered by Brian's insurance-Done, she is!
2. Call pediatrician-Done, although we don't do anything until we actually have Bria in the hospital, at which point we just tell them who our pediatrician is.
3. Find a list of what to pack for the hospital-Done
4. Pack hospital bag-In progress (probably will be until we actually leave for the hospital)
5. Create a phone list for people to call when I go into labor-done
6. Iron out details for when I go into labor-Done, we will drop MJ off at my moms and head to the hospital. Once we get confirmation I am in active labor we will get settled, and then start making the calls. In the room with us will be: my mom, Brian's mom, Jaime, and Jenny. My Dad and Anna will also come visit of course and maybe Heather if it's on a Saturday :)
7. Pick coming home outfit for Bria-Done, although I'm open to changing it if we get something before then.
8. Clean and organize house-In progress (always, this is broken down into more detail below)
9. Wash bottles and teething rings
10. Call Maternity Coordinator to go over birth plan and get a hospital tour-Done, meeting with her on Friday.
11. Pre-register (this will be done on Friday when we meet with the maternity coordinator)
12. Get MJ's bag ready
13. Check to see if insurance pays for some of breast pump
14. Organize little table in computer room
15. Organize kitchen
16. Organize downstairs closet
17. Organize upstairs hall closet-Done

So here is the new revised list with some additions (how am I ever going to complete the list if I keep adding to it?!):
1. Pack hospital bag-In progress (probably will be until we actually leave for the hospital)
2. Clean and organize house-In progress (always, this is broken down into more detail below)
3. Wash bottles and teething rings
4. Pre-register (this will be done on Friday when we meet with the maternity coordinator)
5. Get MJ's bag ready
6. Check to see if insurance pays for some of breast pump
7. Organize little table in computer room
8. Organize kitchen
9. Organize downstairs closet
10. Hang 3 fabric pieces above crib
11. Buy and hang curtains

Not too shabby :)

Week 36

2009-01-23T14:59:00.000-08:00

The appointment went well today, nothing too eventful. She did the strep B test which was just a quick swab. My belly measured right on track once again and her heart beat sounded good. At this point if I went into labor they would not stop it, I can't believe I'm at that point. 1 more week and she's considered full term.

Symptoms:

Uncomfortable. My belly is growing and growing, which means Bria is getting bigger and bigger! This also means she's getting heavier to cart around and by the end of the day I'm exhausted and just feel like collapsing on the couch in a coma like state. I've taken a bath the last two nights and that felt wonderful, I'm going to start taking more of those. Turning over in bed is actually kind of painful and I have to have the body pillow under the belly to support it otherwise my muscles strain to support the belly.
The belly belt has been great for my walks and helps tremendously to support the ever growing belly bump. I'm very grateful for that.

Cramps/Braxton Hicks (BH). I get a few BH's throughout the day and they are a little more uncomfortable than they were in the beginning, but still not horrible. My belly just gets really tight and occasionally I'll get some good cramping going on. I doubt they are doing anything besides warming me up for the big show.

Exhausted. As I mentioned, I am completely drained by the end of the day, and even more so by the end of the week. During the work day I want to take a nap so bad I could cry. Needless to say I am not productive in the evenings after my walk. I'm hoping to spend the weekends nesting and cleaning since nothing is done during the week. On the weekends I usually fight naps because they seem like a waste of time, but I've given in the past few weekends and it feels great. I love my naps.

Lots of movement. Bria moved a lot this week and I of course loved it. I've heard towards the end they reduce their movement since they run out of room so I'm glad she's still wiggling away. The right side of my belly is really sore and hurts, I think it's from all her kicking :) Wednesday night I was dreaming about her moving all around in my belly and sure enough I woke up to her swimming around in there. I felt punches really low, where her head is, which made me nervous that she had turned around and those were her feet or something. So I couldn't get back to sleep because I was stressing out and praying she was head down and not breech. Although, first and foremost I want a healthy baby. Anyway, at the appointment today the doctor confirmed she is still head down and in the same position-whew.

New food obsessions:
1. Wheat English muffins toasted, one with butter and honey, the other with peanut butter and honey-yum
2. Honey Bunches of Oats cereal

Baby:

Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Next week, your baby will be considered full-term. Most likely she's in a head-down position, but if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an external cephalic version, where she'll try to turn your baby by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Maternity Photos

2009-01-22T08:22:00.000-08:00

I cannot begin to tell you how in love with these pictures I am. That is saying A LOT considering I don't like any pictures of me right now. It just goes to show you how incredibly talented Jaime is. I sent these to Brian while he was at work and one of his first responses was how Jaime needs to do this professionally. We did these at Jaime's house even though they look like they were done in a studio. I've showed some of my friends and they also comment on what an amazing photographer Jaime is-seriously. I just love how they turned out and I am so grateful to her for this wonderful and irreplaceable gift. I'm thrilled to have pictures of the belly and can't wait to show Bria when she gets older :)

These are just a few of them:

35w 4d

2009-01-20T14:09:00.000-08:00

So as I said in the previous post, my co-workers were so kind and threw me a baby shower last week. I am so incredibly grateful to them, they are all so generous and we got some adorable outfits and blankets for little Bria.

Here is the cake:

One of my co-workers, Chris, made a diaper cake and it was a huge hit. Here it is in my cubicle:

Me with my adorable diaper cake:

One of the many adorable outfits:

Another adorable little outfit:

The Rainforest Jumperoo!

Anyway, it was a lot of fun and I'm just so appreciative to everyone for their support and generosity.

Last night we had our second childbirth class and we again had a great time. We started the evening by separating the guys and girls and each group had to make a pros and cons list of the pregnancy. So we would shout out different things for the writer to put on the board for both positives and negatives. After we had put down a bunch of stuff for both I added that the larger breasts are a huge positive so we all laughed and put that down. Then they brought the guys in and they also had that on the positive side which was funny. But what was hilarious is that Brian is the one that said that! So he brought it to the attention of the class that we had each said that and everyone got a kick out of it, guess we're meant to be :)
We went over more relaxation techniques which are incredibly helpful. The women massaged our coaches for awhile before it was their turn to massage us. She instructed different methods for different stages of contractions and then we went over more breathing tips. Next week we get a tour of Labor and Delivery so that should be fun. I'm really enjoying these classes.

I know I should be scared and nervous about the labor and delivery part of it all, but I am just completely ecstatic. Obviously not about the pain, but I'm over the top excited to meet this little girl that I don't even have room to feel scared. I know I probably sound crazy, but I can't help it. I'm so looking forward to holding Bria and seeing what she looks like that I'm not nervous about the pain. Oh well, I'm sure once I start contracting that I'll get scared :)

Things are still going well with the pregnancy and I have more good days than bad. The bad days are just those days where I'm tired and ready to be done being pregnant, but those are expected right?
I'm still going for my 2 mile walks every night (or in the mornings on the weekends) and I'm glad that I've kept that up. I don't even waddle on the walks, I actually speed walk. Well, it's speed walking for me and my short legs.

I have my next appointment this Friday and they are doing the Strep B test. It's possible that I might have an internal exam since I'll be 36 weeks but it depends on which doctor I see and what they do. So who knows, I don't really care either way since it really won't tell me a lot. Some women can be 2 cm dilated for weeks while others are 0 dilated and go into labor within 2 days. I start going every week to my appointments which is just crazy, we are getting so close!

Week 35

2009-01-16T09:01:00.000-08:00

Check it out, 35 weeks along and 35 days to go, wahoo!
I made it, 35 weeks was the next big milestone for me and I can't believe I'm here. Wow. 2 more weeks and Bria will be considered full term, 5 more weeks until my due date.

My co-workers had a shower for me at work yesterday and it was a lot of fun. It made me feel very loved to have so many people there and excited for our new arrival. We got tons of great stuff and I had a blast showing it all to Brian last night. I do have some pictures so I'll try and upload those this weekend. The big item was the Rainforest Jumperoo:

I registered for this at Target but I recently got an email saying they weren't going to be carrying it anymore so I should go and find something else, I was bummed. So you can imagine my surprise when I opened this yesterday! Apparently they purchased it before Target ran out and I'm so glad they did. It came from the whole Contract & Procurement department. We also got lots of clothes, blankets, binkies, diaper rash cream, and more clothes! This little girl has a full wardrobe, let me tell you. That closet is full and she better enjoy it now because it won't always be like that. ;) Anyway, I'm so grateful to my co-workers for all the wonderful gifts and I can't wait to use them, not too much longer now.

Symptoms

Insomnia. Well, I don't think I would say it's that extreme, but I'm definitely not sleeping very well. It takes at least an hour and a half, usually 2 hours to get to sleep. That doesn't include the time I spend reading in bed to try and make myself sleepy enough to go to bed. Usually as I'm starting to wind down and may be about to enter dreamland, I have to go to the bathroom, so I start the whole process over again. My 3 trips to the bathroom in the night wake me up since getting out of bed is a huge task, as is switching sides. I think I shake the whole bed whenever I move, luckily Brian has gotten use to that and usually sleeps right through it.

More frequent urination. I am definitely taking more trips to the bathroom and I know that will only get worse. As our childbirth instructor told us, towards the end our bladder is flattened to a pancake and we'll be going to the bathroom every 1/2 hour. Brian was in shock.

Food. I was definitely hungry this week, I packed healthy snacks for work but found myself very hungry every 2 hours so I ran out of snacks fast. I swear that half our grocery bill is just snack food. But I've always loved snacks so no big surprise there. My favorite foods right now are:

Cereal-big surprise! I have been enjoying Lucky Charms, Honey Nut Cheerios, Granola, and Chex.

Yogurt & Granola-Oh man I am loving this, I've always enjoyed this combination together, but I am in heaven when I eat it now. So. Good.

Banana Pudding-still love banana snack packs, yum.

Granola bars-Nature Valley granola bars are still doing it for me, they are like my dessert for lunch.

Izzy's Pizza-I LOVE their crust, yum. I dip it in ranch and I have a little party in my mouth, mmmm.

Grapes

Apples

Chocolate-That is in the 5 food groups right? ;)

Tootsie rolls

Heartburn. So that's what heartburn is. This week I started feeling mild heartburn at night, I wasn't sure what it was at first since I've never had it. But when I laid down to go to bed I got this burning sensation in my chest that would rise up to my throat like a wave. It was icky. But I know some women have very severe heartburn so I'm not complaining. Not that it was a fun feeling, but I would classify it more as uncomfortable than painful at this point. I do have a couple more weeks though so it may get worse (crossing my fingers is doesn't).

Here is my list from a few weeks ago (the ones in gray are done):

1. Verify the pediatrician is covered by Brian's insurance-Done, she is!
2. Call pediatrician-Done, although we don't do anything until we actually have Bria in the hospital, at which point we just tell them who our pediatrician is.
3. Find a list of what to pack for the hospital-Done
4. Pack hospital bag-In progress (probably will be until we actually leave for the hospital)
5. Create a phone list for people to call when I go into labor-done
6. Iron out details for when I go into labor
7. Pick coming home outfit for Bria (this will probably wait until after the baby showers)
8. Clean and organize house-In progress (always, this is broken down into more detail below)

and I've added a few new items:

9. Wash bottles and teething rings
10. Call Maternity Coordinator to go over birth plan and get a hospital tour-In progress, we are playing phone tag
11. Pre-register
12. Get MJ's bag ready
13. Check to see if insurance pays for some of breast pump
14. Organize little table in computer room
15. Organize kitchen
16. Organize downstairs closet
17. Organize upstairs hall closet-Done

I'm feeling better about my list now that I've actually completed some of them, plus it feels good to have it laid out in front of me so I can see what there is left to do. The only thing that is stressing me out is the travel system. I have dreams about it, in fact I just had one last night: we were headed to the hospital to have little Bria but we had not gotten the travel system yet so we didn't have a car seat. That is really the only thing left that we HAVE to have before Bria comes so that is probably why it's on my mind. The one we registered for at Babies R Us is on sale until the 19th so I am tempted to go buy it, we'll see. By the way, I like Target and all but they have crap for travel systems. Seriously. Even online they have a very small selection, especially in the brands that I want: Chicco or Graco.

Anyway, that is about all I have for this week. Tomorrow my sister is doing a little maternity photo session for me and I'm really excited, so I'll be posting those pictures sometime in the future.

Baby:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

34w 4d

2009-01-13T09:35:00.000-08:00

1st childbirth class-check.
Brian and I both had a good time at our class last night. The instructor is really nice and the class is huge, there are 34 people in there. A lot of it is geared towards the coaches and how they help us get through labor, I like that. We sat in front of our coaches while they did some relaxing techniques, I think they should massage us every class :) We get to learn more in depth about what is happening during labor and what your body is doing. Right now Bria is laying with her head down, her back on my left side, and her legs and arms on my right. Since babies come out with their head facing down I was wondering when she would move into that position. Well I learned last night that it's not until she is making her way down the birth canal that she turns to get her head through, and then turns back to the side to get her shoulders out. Man, the whole birthing thing is amazing! Anyway, it's nice to be more informed and be able to ask questions. There is only 1 couple that is due before us (they are due February 14th-cute huh?) so I'm hoping we're one of the first to give birth. The rest have due dates of March or April.
I must say, Brian is pretty darn adorable. He is just so into it and excited, I think he'll be an amazing coach.

Bria's movements are definitely stronger so I can tell she is growing. Sometimes she'll kick so hard it'll make me jump and cringe at the same time, but then of course I laugh and hope no one saw me, otherwise they may try and drive me to the hospital thinking I'm in labor. Bria is pretty active during the day, as I'm typing this she is moving around like crazy in there. She is not as active during the night which is backwards from what I hear is the norm.
I got the sharpest pain in my back the other night and it caught me so off guard that I let out a scream. I scared Brian so bad he said he was ready to warm up the car and head to the hospital. I started laughing and told him I'll try not to scream like that, it just slipped out because it startled me.

My sister's and mom sent out the invites for the baby shower they are throwing for me! The invites are really beautiful and I'll try to take a picture of it to post. I was all giddy when I got it in the mail and can't wait for the shower. It's family and close family friends, I know we'll have a great time and I love getting together with all these amazing women in my life.
Speaking of baby showers, my co-workers are having one for me on Thursday! I do work with some very generous people and I feel so warm and fuzzy that they want to have a shower for me. I'm looking forward to that shower as well. Many events to get excited about :)

I have been doing so good about going for walks every night, MJ and I do almost 2 miles when I get home from work. It feels really good to get out and I know MJ is loving it. Last night was the first night I didn't go on account of our childbirth class. I think taking 1 day off a week is ok though, especially since I went for 2 walks on Sunday. My goal was to go at least 4 times a week so I am still surpassing that.

Only 38 days until my due date, wahoo!

Week 34

2009-01-09T11:15:00.000-08:00

We had a great appointment today! I met with Dr. Tina Gain for the first time and oh my goodness she was the sweetest thing. Brian liked her as well, thought she was maybe too happy, but I told him that is what I need. I just loved her and hope she is on call when I go into labor. Although, all the doctors are really nice so I won't complain whoever it is.
Anyway, my blood pressure is still good and she said I look nice and healthy. Most importantly though, Bria is doing well. She is in a vertex position, so she is head down and optimal for delivery, wahoo! Dr. Gain showed Brian all of Bria's different body parts and had him feel her bum, back, and head. She was very impressed that he got in there, most guys are timid and don't want to squeeze or push too hard. But Brian observed how hard she was pushing so he did the same. He is excited now that he knows where all her different body parts are and can feel them. Her heart beat is in the 140's and going strong. It was just so good to hear that Bria is doing well and everything looks and sounds good.
At my next appointment I'll get the Strep B test and then start going every week!

Symptoms

Nausea. Still feel nauseous on and off, some days are worse than others. I'm not sure what really sets it off either which makes it hard to try and avoid. I actually threw up on Saturday which I was not expecting. I had my normal breakfast of cereal and toast, then ate a little cinnamon roll and was sipping on hot chocolate. It went down the wrong tube so I was coughing a little then sat down on the couch and all of the sudden out of nowhere my hot chocolate comes right back up. All over my new electric blanket that was keeping me warm since our furnace had gone out. Brian thinks I shouldn't drink hot chocolate anymore but there is no way I can give that up!

Belly tightening. I've noticed that my belly will get really hard and feel tight every once and awhile, are these braxton hicks? I seriously have no idea. They don't hurt, they just feel kind of weird.

Extreme excitement. I am ecstatic beyond belief, I cannot wait to meet this little girl who squirms, hiccups, and kicks in my belly. I am so in love with her already it's not even funny. I can't wait to see her little face and hear her cry, it seems absolutely surreal that we have 6 weeks, give or take depending on when she is ready, until we meet her. Oh I can hardly contain my excitement!

Heavy belly. When I go for walks (which by the way I have been very good about, I know MJ appreciates it) my belly just feels so heavy. All my stomach muscles feel like they are holding on for dear life. Doing chores around the house is really hurting my back too, but I must get it done. My belly belt helps so I need to remember to wear it when I'm up and about.

I think that is about it for symptoms. Things are still going very well and I feel good which I am so thankful for. I'm trying to slow down and enjoy these last few weeks, it's hard when all I can think about is meeting this little girl and seeing what she looks like, giving her kisses, and snuggling her up. But I do love feeling her move around in my belly and knowing that she is safe inside me.

Baby

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Belly pic (It was a long day)

33w 3d

2009-01-05T14:43:00.000-08:00

Books

I love to read and so of course when I got pregnant I wanted to start reading all the pregnancy books I could get my hands on. Especially since it doesn't feel real in the beginning, you aren't showing, it's too soon to do the nursery or shop for things, and you are just waiting for the first appointment. So I wanted to list the books I read and what I liked/disliked about them.

Pregnancy Books

Your Pregnancy Week by Week
Like it.
What I really enjoy is that each week I can read a new chapter instead of only getting to read one chapter a month. Plus there are lots of changes that occur in just one week and I love being able to picture what Bria is up to. The only downside is that some of the chapters/weeks are full of information that does not apply to everyone. Which is totally fine, they shouldn't have to cater to me or anything, but sometimes the whole chapter is about that one subject so I don't feel like I learned anything. For example, some weeks are about Hepatits, or HIV, or the Bird Flu. I'm not saying these shouldn't be mentioned or discussed, but maybe not the majority of the chapter, ya know? But overall it gives lots of medical information and I enjoyed that.

Belly Laughs
Like it.
It's a really fun read and she is brutally honest, so much so that I was expecting the worst and have been pleasantly surprised so far. I just liked to be able to laugh and read something light hearted. The only con is that there isn't any medical information, it's more just her opinion, but that is why you get Your Pregnancy Week by Week.

The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy
Like it.
I love her honesty and knowledge. You can tell she is more experienced than Jenny (author of Belly Laughs) and so it is easier to take advice from her. She's really funny and makes you feel normal. She brings experiences from multiple women so it's not just one persons experience which is cool. It is another easy, light hearted read.

What to Expect When You're Expecting
So so.
Although I like the medical information and expertise of this book, it goes through month by month, instead of week by week. Now this is more of a personal preference of course, but I like being able to read a new chapter each week instead of once a month. I do like the information it provides though, and it tends to have more useful information than Your Pregnancy Week by Week. I was glad to have this book, but also glad that it was given to me instead of having to purchase it.

Frankly Pregnant
Like it.
I have really enjoyed this book. Again, it's a week by week book which I love and it's straight from someone who is going through it at the time. So it's nice to compare the symptoms you are having with what she had at that week. She also had a doctor edit it who throws in information here and there. It's a great blend of Belly Laughs and Your Pregnancy Week by Week. The chapters are pretty short which is maybe the only down fall. I look forward to reading the next week and then there is only 2 pages or so. But still a good read.

Baby Books

Secrets of The Baby Whisperer
Love it, must have!
My sister gave me this book and I absolutely love it. She (my sister) has 3 kids who are all excellent sleepers which is proof enough for me that this book works. I also learned that others have had success with it and that makes me even more excited. I just love this author and her methods, I am learning a lot and feel much more prepared and informed for when Bria comes. Also, she is great about reminding you of your marriage and "you" time. I really have no complaints about this book and wish I could articulate just how good it is.

Baby Wise
Like it.
It follows pretty closely with The Baby Whisperer and I think they compliment each other nicely. I think I will choose Baby Whisperer's advice over this book when they differ on topics, but for the most part they are pretty in sync so that is not an issue. Both books focus on a flexible schedule of: Eating, Activity, Sleeping for the baby.

Baby Bargains
Love it.
Brandi got this for me and I'm so thankful that she did. It reviews every baby item you could think of and it does so very honestly. I like that it doesn't favor the most expensive brands and has no advertisements of any kind, in fact, they make sure it is known that no one paid to have their name in there or not in there. They just review all items and give you an honest opinion as well as facts. It's a must have as well.

And for goodness sakes go make your guess as to when Bria will arrive (to the left)!

Week 33

2009-01-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

We got signed up for our childbirth class! We start on January 12th and I'm looking forward to it. It's surreal to think about sitting in a childbirth class, practicing breathing techniques, I just can't believe we're at that point, so exciting!
Another thing to mark off the to do list: I picked a pediatrician (based on recommendations) and now I just need to call her. I also got my FMLA stuff figured out which is nice. My last day will be February 13th, just 6 weeks away!!! That is of course unless she comes early, but I hear with your first that you are more likely to deliver late that early. However, I was 10 days early so maybe she'll take after me :-)
I'm going to be a mommy this year!!!

Symptoms:

Swelling. I wore my pretty red shoes on Tuesday and when I took them off I noticed my feet were pretty puffy. So after my walk I sat on the couch and tried to elevate them, I think it helped a little. Well, Wednesday when I got home from work, holy cow, I had cankles. My ankles were really swollen and I couldn't believe how fast it came on. Having Thursday off work helped though because they are almost back to normal, although I'm sure when I go home tonight they will be swollen again.

Big Belly. Apparently I am starting to look large and in charge, as per my co-worker. When I walked by her she said, "Whoa, what are you feeding that girl?" Now, I realize I am overly sensitive so I tried to be ok with this, but it hurt my feelings. Granted, being pregnant and complaining about getting fat is like standing in a swimming pool and complaining that you are wet, but still. It's not that I mind people commenting on my growing belly, but maybe think about how you say it. You could say, "Your belly is getting so cute and big," and then add, "...by the way you're very pretty and glowing and radiant." Alright, maybe the last part is a stretch, but still, you get the idea. I think I have just hit that point in the pregnancy where I feel large all over and it's just an adjustment. My body is changing rapidly and it's a challenge to take it all in.

Less-irritable. I was definitely less emotional, irritable, and irrational this week which was a refreshing change. Brian still had to be up North for a few days which bummed me out, but I dealt with it way better and was much more positive. I also didn't cry at all this week, wahoo!

Sleep issues. Sleeping was a bit rough this week, I now go to the bathroom 2 or 3 times instead of just once so that has probably contributed. I also will wake up randomly and have a hard time getting back to sleep. My hips started aching during the night so I know that doesn't help.

Dreams. I will have dreams that I am getting further and further along in my pregnancy until finally I reach 37 weeks and think, "She can come out now!" But then I wake up and realize I am still 33 weeks and she needs to stay in there for at least another 4 weeks. I also had a bad dream that I didn't like. Bria was here (although I think it was a boy) and I was trying to put her to bed but she was crying really hard and wouldn't lay down, I was getting frustrated. Then I woke up. I guess what disturbed me is that instead of snuggling with her I was frustrated. I think maybe because I'm scared I won't be as patient as I want to be. I'm reading the Baby Whisperer and I'm on the sleeping chapter where she talks about walking away for a second to take 3 deep breaths if you find yourself getting frustrated. Anyway, I just hated the thought of getting frustrated with this precious little miracle that's growing inside me, I love her so much and all I want to do is give her kisses and cuddle her.

Lots of movement. She was very active this week, especially in the beginning of the week. I think it was Monday that it felt like she was moving all day, it was cracking me up. It's funny to watch my stomach get all distorted. Every once and awhile I'll feel a little kick down on my pelvis bone, it's really weird and kind of tickles. I love feeling her move, it is the best.

Hot. I woke up sweating most nights, even though the house is set to 56 and I sleep in my underwear. Fortunately Brian's internal furnace is set to hot so I'm not freezing him out yet :) I can't imagine how awful I would be sleeping if it were summer-we have no AC.

Overwhelmed. I read a few pregnancy books and they all have lists of things I'll need/want before Bria arrives. I'm wishing I would've bookmarked these pages because now I just feel overwhelmed and can't remember everything I need to do. I have 2 more baby showers before Bria is born (so excited!), one is at work on the 15th of this month and the other is the one my sister's and mom are throwing for me on the 31st. So I'm going to wait until after those to go purchase any "must have" items (although I'm not 100% sure I know what those "must have's" are). Aside from that I think this is what I still need to do, but please add anything you can think of:
1. Verify the pediatrician is covered by Brian's insurance
2. Call pediatrician
3. Find a list of what to pack for the hospital
4. Pack hospital bag
5. Create a phone list for people to call when I go into labor
6. Iron out details for when I go into labor
7. Pick coming home outfit for Bria (this will probably wait until after the baby showers)
8. Clean and organize house

What else am I missing?

Baby:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

*I am horrible and still don't have a belly picture to post, I'll do it this weekend!

Week 32

2008-12-29T08:18:00.000-08:00

The appointment on Friday morning went well, she sounds healthy and strong which is great! My blood pressure is good and I have no swelling (knock on wood). She is head down with her back on my left side.

Symptoms:

Emotional, cranky, and irritable. I thought I was going to be able to get through this pregnancy and be pleasant the whole time, but I feel hormones creeping up on me and I just can't control them, gosh darn it. It seemed like I cried a lot last week which I don't like to do. But Brian had to work up north (2 hours away) all week so I didn't get to see him until Christmas Eve at like 9 pm. So I was very emotional about that and I think it led to my cranky and irritableness (is that a word?). I was just kind of in a funk all week. We were able to have a good Christmas nonetheless.

Tired. I am definitely feeling lazy as I don't ever want to do anything that requires physical exertion, but I'm forcing myself to go for walks-even in this rainy weather. I just can't stand being on the couch any longer!

Braxton hicks, I think. On Monday I had what I think was a braxton hicks, but I'm not really sure. I had 3 more throughout the week and my rookie guess is that they are braxton hicks, but who knows.

Nausea. Still feel nauseous on and off throughout the day and I'm not sure what causes it, I take a Tums and drink water which sometimes helps a little. It's not horrible, 1st trimester, nausea, just more of an inconvenience.

So excited. As my due date gets closer I become even more anxious to meet Bria, I've started having dreams where I'm in labor. I just can't wait to see what she looks like and bring her home, it's so close! 8 more weeks until my due date, which means 7 more weeks of work, wahoo!

Baby:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

So I don't have a belly picture yet (I will take one this week), but here is a review over the last couple months:

6 weeks

9 weeks

14 weeks

17 weeks

20 weeks (I totally thought I had a belly-little did I know...)

23 weeks

26 weeks

29 weeks (now that's a belly!)

Whew, that belly sure is growing!

Week 31

2008-12-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

Symptoms

The week started out pretty good, but half way through I started feeling nauseous and uncomfortably full. I also experience shortness of breath often-It feels kind of like asthma, my chest gets really tight and I start taking more frequent breaths. It happens when I'm just sitting down relaxing which is kind of weird, I just attribute it to the fact that she is getting bigger and longer so she's stretching upward, and sitting down probably scrunches her.

Bria has been getting the hiccups more often which is pretty funny, sometimes they last quite awhile. I can feel when she stretches out because both sides of my stomach will be pushed out and it feels like she's going to come through the side! It's usually just a quick stretch but it definitely catches me off guard.

At night if I stretch too much or move too fast I get this stabbing pain on the right side of my stomach, it made me gasp out in pain the other night and I had to breath through it. Maybe they are the round ligament pains I've heard about?

The other night we were in bed ready to fall asleep and Brian rested his hand on my belly, he couldn't believe how much she was moving. He was like, "How do you sleep with her moving around so much?" I just laughed and said the hiccups interrupt my sleep more than her moving, the moving actually kind of comforts me. I liked that he got to feel how much she moves at night.

Nesting. I was putting away the laundry and decided that I just had to organize Brian's sock drawer, I just had too. Well, let me tell you, it's a good thing I did because...wait, no, there is no reason that someone HAS to organize a sock drawer. It's definitely the nesting :-) I also re-organized some kitchen cupboards and moved the baby cupboard to a different one-didn't I say I was going to do that? ;) We'll see how long it last where it currently is, as of right now I'm really happy with it-I think.

Big. I'm feeling bigger that's for sure. Fortunately I'm not sleeping too bad these days even with my 2 potty breaks and big belly. I'm not complaining about 2 potty breaks either because I know other women have a lot more trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night. However, during the day I go about every hour. Sometimes I'll go to the bathroom and no joke, 15 minutes later I have to go again.

Baby:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Week 30

2008-12-12T07:58:00.000-08:00

I had my 30 week appointment yesterday and it went well, the doctor said she's measuring right on schedule and her heartbeat sounds great. She said the blood work from my glucose test looks fantastic, she was in shock about how good my iron level is. It was something like 38 and she said that is almost unheard of in a pregnant woman. These prenatals (Target brand) must be magic pills because I was anemic all through college, plus I'm not really eating meat right now so it definitely has to be the prenatals. Or maybe the cereal I'm eating has iron in it ;) I think I'll keep taking them after Bria is here since obviously they are doing a good job. My appointments are every 2 weeks now, I love that I get to hear Bria's heartbeat every 2 weeks, it's a beautiful sound.

Symptoms:

Holy cow, I'm 30 weeks! That is huge, I've entered the 30's which has been a huge milestone in my head and I'm actually here, it's very surreal. I guess it doesn't feel that different than yesterday when I was 29w 6d, but I still need to let it sink in.

Sleeping is getting tougher and I blame my occasional grumpiness on that. When I get up to go to the bathroom I have a hard time going back to sleep and Brian's snoring doesn't help. If I can get him to turn over he usually stops, but he's a bear when he's sleeping so disturbing him just a tiny bit is scary. He says not to wake him even if he's snoring, he likes to say, "Well at least one of us should get good sleep so don't wake me." Sweet, thanks babe.

Nothing really new this week, just the same old stuff. Even though I just complained about sleep, I really do feel good still. I have a pretty good amount of energy (thank you prenatals) and am able to still get stuff done when I get home from work. I organized our junk drawer and sorted through one of our kitchen cupboards to make room for baby stuff. I'm still deciding what cupboard I want for baby stuff so I may change my mind - in fact, I'm sure I'll change my mind a few times - and that's my prerogative.

My maternity pants are fitting better which means I don't spend 3/4 of my day pulling them up, just 1/2 now. It also means I'm getting bigger, and not just in my belly.

We bought diapers. We thought it would be smart to buy a Costco size box like once a month to help spread the cost out, plus there was a coupon for it. So I got a box of 216 diapers, size 1-2 (up to like 15 pounds). Then next month we'll get size 3, we like being prepared.

The next milestone I'm looking forward to (besides my due date) is 35 weeks, I'm not sure why but I think that'll be another "whoa" moment. Only 10 weeks until my due date-can you believe that?

Baby:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

29w 4d

2008-12-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

Baby Shower!
Oh my goodness Saturday was so much fun. I cannot thank my wonderful hosts enough, Sara and Tiff threw me a wonderful baby shower and I just appreciate them so much. I had an absolute blast with all my girlfriends, the food was delicious, the games were so much fun, and Bria got spoiled. It was just such a fun time, I am now even more excited for Bria's arrival which I did not think was possible.

Here are my gracious hosts and myself:

Tiff had lots of fun games planned, one being the belly size game. Everyone cut a piece of yarn of the length they thought my belly was, then I went around and they put the yarn around me to see how close they were. Rachel was the big winner! Sara #3 (there were 4 Sara's there!) and Shauna were a close second.

Here is Mindi measuring me

And my neighbor Adi:

From left: Sarah Clark, Shauna & Baby Aria, Jess (who is 21 weeks pg with a little girl!), Kristie, Sara, and myself

From left: Brittany, Sarah Rodgers, Kristen, Roxie, and Adi

From left: Cheryl, Sara, Rachel, Mindi, and Allyonna (Jess' daughter)

It was fun having it at our house because I was able to show everyone the nursery and give them a tour if they hadn't seen the house yet. Plus, after it was all said and done I didn't have to load up the presents and unload them at the house, they were already in my living room.

Her first OSU Cheer outfit! This is from Kristen (neighbor) and I can't wait for Bria to wear it, how adorable is it?!

I look evil, but I was showing little Aria the Lily Leapfrog and she had the most adorable smile on her face:

We got so much fun stuff and I had a blast showing it all to Brian when he came home. As you can see from the picture below, I had quite the laundry to do. I washed 2 loads on Sunday and still have more to do. That includes the clothes I already had in the closet that Shauna gave me, which by the way, she brought over 2 more boxes to add to the 3 sacks she already gave me. She rocks!
I had the best time at my shower and am so grateful to all my incredibly generous and supportive friends, I have no idea what I would do without them.

Week 29

2008-12-05T09:53:00.000-08:00

I had my first belly rub from a stranger! It was from a 7-11 cashier and she had a mustache, she leaned over the counter, rubbed my belly, and said, "Hi little baby." I smiled and kind of laughed, but then she took it too far- she told Bria to be a Duck fan-gasp! I was in my OSU jersey since we were heading to tailgate and apparently this woman was a Duck fan. Of all the nerve. It was funny though because the second she touched my belly I thought, "Oh, my first stranger belly rub, I have to put that in my belly book and blog about it!"

We also got our first Beaver gear for Bria! My mother-in-law got an adorable Beaver blanket for Bria and we are so excited. I can't wait to wrap her in it :)

Symptoms:

Feeling blah. I started to feel kind of blah around week 28, just not as happy as I have been this whole pregnancy. Not that there is anything wrong, but I think maybe my hormones are going through a shift or something. I've started to feel more normal the last few days, I think decorating the house for Christmas has really helped, and my upcoming baby shower on Saturday! Can't wait for the shower by the way, so excited.

Still chin acne. I want to scream, I always have at least 2 huge zits on my chin and it's driving me crazy. I have been so good about washing my face morning and night, step by step according to Acnefree, but those monsters still get through. They are getting bigger too, even Brian looked at me the other day and said, "Wow, that is quite the pimple you're growing." Hey, at least he was honest, and I couldn't blame him because it was large and in charge.

Lots of movement, every week I feel Bria more often and I cannot tell you how much I am loving it. She is most active in the mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and then in the evening. It is just the coolest thing ever and I know this will be one of the things I'll miss when I'm not pregnant. I can feel her roll around in there which usually makes me laugh because it feels so weird, even Brian got to feel her rolling over and couldn't believe how crazy it felt. Her little hiccups are funny too, it takes me a few minutes to realize that she is hiccuping because they are still muffled. I just love feeling her move.

The belly is feeling heavier that is for sure. I can see how the pregnant waddle came about, it would feel pretty good to waddle around right now, but I'll refrain for awhile yet.

Foods I am into right now:
Cereal, of course (Wheat Chex, Corn Chex, Lucky Charms, and Kix)
Banana Cream pudding
Nature Valley bars (peanut butter and regular)
Green Apples (still)
Chocolate-plain M&M's have been on my mind a lot

11 more weeks until my due date, wow. I am so excited I can hardly stand it!

Baby:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. To meet her increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

29 week belly picture

Week 27/28

2008-11-28T08:47:00.000-08:00

Symptoms:

Feeling overly full and bloated. Ok, so maybe that has to do with the fact that it was Thanksgiving yesterday :) The sweet potatoes and berry pie were so worth it though, yum.

I took my glucose test on Wednesday, the drink wasn't that bad, although I'm glad it was only 8 oz. No news is good news so hopefully I don't hear from them.

Movement and irritability. I think those are the 2 main symptoms for week 28.
Bria is definitely more active at night, although it usually doesn't keep me up. I just notice when I go to bed she'll move a little and then when I take my bathroom breaks in the middle of the night I feel her. Every once and awhile she'll wake me up due to her kicks, but I don't mind. Every time I feel her move I let Brian know, I think he may be a little tired of me alerting him when Bria moves. Not that he doesn't like to feel her move or hear about it, but my constant updates are probably a little much.
Then there is my irritability. My patience is definitely way down and I get irritated easily. For those that know me, know this is unfortunately a characteristic of mine without being pregnant, so you should all feel sorry for Brian. The poor guy can't even breath without me giving him the death glare. When my hormones chill for a few minutes I take that time to tell him I'm sorry and that it's the hormones, please hang in there with me. Hopefully that makes up for it.

I understand now why pregnant women don't have a lot of pictures of themselves pregnant. Ugh. I've never been one to shy away from the camera, if someone points a camera at me my first response is to smile. Now I want to duck and cover when I see a camera. Not that I'm not proud of the belly, but pictures just aren't capturing the glowing pregnancy, they capture a full face and chunky body. So please be kind to pregnant women, if you capture an unflattering photo, the nicest thing you can do is delete it so no one has to see it.

The right side of my lower back is starting to hurt again, especially when I go for my walks. It's not horrible pain though, just a constant nag that worsens with activity. I'm able to work through the pain though, I want to keep my walks up.

I'm still loving my cereal and am starting to get stronger cravings. I feel such a strong urge for chocolate, I refrain at times, but other times I grab a few chocolate chips to help quench the chocolate thirst. Or maybe a small peanut butter cup that my cubicle neighbor keeps stocked at all times, darn her.

My cousin Lanie felt Bria move, she is the first one besides Brian to feel her move. Bria gave her a good hard kick on Thanksgiving, we think it was her way of saying I love you :) We are going to my mother-in-law's tonight and I'm hoping Bria will give some kicks for her and my sister-in-law, Heather, to feel.

Baby:
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

27w 5d

2008-11-26T08:47:00.000-08:00

As promised, pictures. Although they aren't the standard belly ones they'll do for now.

(Notice the hot red shoes, they are the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned...and the prettiest)

I am sporting more of my maternity purchases from the shopping trip I went on :)

My little one woke me up at 4:30 am this morning doing her aerobics and I loved it, especially since she has been quiet the past 2 days. Even though I know it's normal for her to have quiet days, I prefer to feel her kicking and moving about, it's just reassuring.

I go in for my glucose test today, wish me luck. I hear the stuff you have to drink is delicious ;) Actually I hear it tastes like an orange soda without the fizz, it might not be too bad but I'll let you know.

I've been doing good about going for walks on the weekends, and sometimes at work I have to walk down to another building to get the mail, it's about 6 blocks away so round trip it's a good little walk. But I'll admit it's hard to get motivated to go in the evenings when I get home from work and I'm tired from the drive, plus it's dark out, and I'm hungry.

Happy Thanksgiving!

27w

2008-11-24T08:13:00.000-08:00

The appointment went great on Friday, I really like the doctor I met with. There are about 8 doctors in the office and I meet with a different one at each appointment so that whoever is on call when I go into labor is familiar :) Anyway, she said little Bria is head down, yay! But obviously she can still do plenty of moving from now until go time. I measured about 3 days ahead which was kind of exciting. On Friday I would've been 26w 4d, but I measured 27w. That would make my due date February 20th as opposed to February 23rd. Bria's heart beat was nice and strong, she gave the Doppler a good kick that even the doctor felt and we both laughed, I guess Bria is like her mom and doesn't like annoying noises :) I have to take my glucose test this week so that should be fun, I hope I pass.

I will take a belly picture tonight for sure, Brian mentioned this morning that we needed to take one and then I saw the comments in the post below so I better get a move on!

I am loving feeling Bria move everyday, she'll roll around, kick, punch, and I just smile the whole time. She got the hiccups yesterday! It was the first time I felt them, it was more muffled than I thought it would be but I'm sure as she gets bigger it'll shake my whole belly. Brian was able to feel them too which was cool. I learned that instead of poking the belly all over, if I press on the belly for a little bit that she'll usually kick back. Or if I am resting my arm or elbow she'll give a little kick, it totally makes me laugh.

I am feeling more irritable lately, and here I thought I could float through pregnancy all pleasantly and without being short with my husband. But I find myself getting very easily annoyed and that makes me feel bad.

So now that I am officially in my 3rd trimester (oh my gosh!!!) I feel big. Simple tasks like squeezing behind Brian in the bathroom no longer happen without wacking him in the back with the buddha belly, and forget about bending over. The funny thing is I still have 13 more weeks for this belly to grow, holy cow! I can't believe in 13 weeks (plus or minus) we are going to finally meet this little girl, it is unbelievably exciting to think about.

Week 26

2008-11-21T09:43:00.000-08:00

I have my appointment today :) Nothing exciting, just the usual, but I'm hoping they start measuring my belly. I should also be getting the gestational diabetes test soon since that is done between 24-28 weeks. I hear that is not a fun one, let's hope I pass it!

Symptoms:
Hunger pains. I am hungry often, so much so that I can't even pack enough snacks for work. I have a bowl of cereal before I head off to work, then I sip on hot chocolate, then I eat either dry cereal or an apple around 9 am-sometimes I hold out until 10 am, by 11:30 am I'm hungry again and try to have a few crackers until lunch at 12:30 pm. I usually have a sandwich or bagel sandwich, carrots, banana or other fruit and crackers for lunch. Come 2:30 pm I'm hungry again. Ugh, it's hard to pack all that stuff. Plus, it's hard to think of healthy things to eat since my mind automatically goes to cookies, chocolate, chips, all the good sugary or salty foods. The afternoon is usually when I give in and get a piece of chocolate from my cube neighbor, darn her good chocolates! By dinner time I'm actually not as hungry, cereal and toast will hold me over all evening thankfully.

I think Bria is changing positions, I don't feel as much movement to the left of my belly like I was. Most of it is down low now which makes me think her legs are down there? Anyway, because of her shifting I feel her much less now and I don't like that. It's like all her movement is muffled. Even in the evening when I lay down for bed I just feel a few nudges from her but some can't even be felt from the outside. I liked it better the other way she was laying, hopefully she is at least comfortable in there. Also in this position she kicks my bladder multiple times a day, I need to kick up the kegel count even more!

Panic attack. We were lying in bed and Brian was talking about his day at work and how he drove to a few different places to take care of peak stuff (Christmas time is peak time) and I started freaking out about how much he drives the bug. He drives it to and from work obviously and it's a 50 mile drive one way, plus a lot of the time he has to drive during the day for work stuff. I couldn't get a grip and I just freaked out about how that is too much for driving for the bug and it's so much wear and tear on it. I had to sit up and breath slowly because I was seriously nauseous over thinking about this, I knew I was having a panic attack so I tried to calm myself down but it doesn't help that your husband is laughing and thinks it's hilarious. Sheesh. It was one of those times I had to think back to his good moments of this pregnancy. I got over it although it still stresses me out that he drives so much.

Brian asked me last night, "So how is this pregnancy going for you, is it what you thought it would be?" I told him I thought I'd feel more pregnant, I still feel like my normal self, minus being able to shave my bikini area and bend over, and add bigger boobs. All and all I feel really good, my back pain is not as bad as I was expecting, although I know the last month or 2 is really going to kill me. But I'm so grateful that this pregnancy has gone so well and that Bria is healthy and safe in there.

Baby:
The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.

26w 1d

2008-11-18T08:05:00.000-08:00

First things first, to the left you will notice an ExpectNet poll, click on that and make your guess about when Baby Bria will make her appearance, how much she'll weigh, and her height. Brian and I both weighed 6 pounds when we were born (plus some ounces), I am not sure how long we were though, I think I was around 19 inches? That is all the information I know at this point that may help you with your guess :)

Things are still going really well and I'm feeling great. The main thing that reminds me I'm pregnant (besides the belly) is how my back and feet start hurting after just a little bit of activity. My back is absolutely killing me and my feet feel like they are on fire when I do any type of activity, cleaning for example. But after a good rub from the hubby and some sleep the aches usually subside. I do notice my tail bone hurts after just a little bit of sitting, which in my job is pretty much what I do-sit.

I have pictures of the star we painted, er, Brian painted. Here he is priming it after it was sanded a little:
And here it is after the final coat of pink spray paint:

All hung up in the nursery above the changing table, I love it:

I think I want to spray paint some letters for above her crib the same color. Originally I was just going to leave them white, but I love the pink so much and I want it to match. I don't actually have the letters yet, but we found really cute ones at a Craft Store in Corvallis that I think we may get.

Bria has been quiet the last few days, I still feel her kick and squirm throughout the day, but she is just not doing her full out "routine" or at least I can't feel it if she is. I wish I knew how she was laying in there, if I had to guess I'd say she was actually head down (or maybe I'm just being hopeful, although I know it's too soon to worry) with her feet close to my right side-so maybe her back is on the left side? Who knows. I just feel tiny little movements down low, and the stronger "kicks" up to the right of my belly button (on the left side from my perspective).
I've also started to feel when she punches my bladder, can babies do that for real? Every once and awhile I'll feel a sudden sensation that I am going to leak out and pee my pants, but fortunately my muscles thus far have prevented that and quickly contract to avoid any leakage. I'm thinking I should do kegels to avoid a pants wetting episode that I hear is common among pregnant women.

I am getting so anxious and excited to meet this little girl that I can barely stand it. The weeks are going by faster than they were before we found out the sex which I am grateful for. Although I know I need to enjoy this time, this is my FIRST pregnancy and I need to live it up. It's just so hard to not want her to be here already so I can see what she looks like. I am enjoying the pregnancy though, I feel great and am so thankful for that. It has really allowed me to think positively on the whole pregnancy experience.

I'm still proud of my Buddha belly and love to rub it, so does Brian. I think the big change in the last few weeks is how round it's getting, the size increase is more gradual now, which is good since I still have 14 weeks to go!
One from the front angle, it looks so much bigger when it's bare that's for sure.

I think that is all the updates for now :)

Week 25

2008-11-14T09:08:00.000-08:00

Symptoms:
Here are the cereals that I am into right now: Lucky Charms, Wheat Chex, Corn Chex, and Corn Flakes. I could also go for Captain Crunch but I refrain from getting too many sugary cereals, especially since I am eating it for 2 meals out of the day usually.

Hot. Sweaty hot, I woke up 2 nights ago and my whole body was damp with sweat even though we had already taken off the extra blanket we use in the winter. I was actually kind of excited that my internal heater kicked it up a notch finally as I'm usually always freezing. It got me thinking about how at this time of year I am usually freezing when I get home from work (I like to save money by keeping the heat at like 65 when we're home, don't worry, when Bria comes I'll keep it warmer-she's worth it!) and bundle myself up on the couch. But now in the evenings I'm perfectly comfortable which is great.

My sleeping just ain't what it use to be. I wake up at random times throughout the night and occasionally I won't be able to get back to sleep for awhile, my mind is racing and I can't calm down enough to drift off. Also sleep is getting less comfortable, I have a hard time finding the sweet spot amongst the 3 pillows that surround me: body pillow to put in between my legs, pillow behind my back, and a pillow for my head of course. What makes it tough is when I want to switch sides, I have to move all these pillows into place. But then I place my hand on my belly and smile-she's so worth it.

The other night she was kicking up a storm again and it was so much fun. Brian was so surprised when he felt her and asked, "Was that her?!" It was so weird to feel these lumps kick at my belly and move all over, I could not stop smiling. She was just going nuts in there! Move while you can babe, because I hear it's about to get snug in there.

I love the little smiles that strangers give me when they see my belly, I remember giving those same smiles when I saw a cute belly. Hopefully they are smiling at my belly and not a booger on my nose or something.

Tiff sent out the invites for my baby shower! I am so excited Tiff and Sara are throwing a baby shower for me, it is so sweet of them and I really appreciate it. It's December 6th and I just can't wait. I asked them if we could do it at my house because I thought it would be easier to not have to haul the gifts from one house to another, plus then I can show everyone the nursery :) My sisters and mom are also throwing me one in January and that will be more of a family one which will be fun. Can you believe it doesn't stop there? My mother-in-law wants to throw me one as well and wants to invite her friends, so about a month after Bria is born her and Heather (my other sister-in-law) are going to have one. She wanted to do it after Bria was born so that everyone could meet her little granddaughter which I thought was a cute idea. I feel so blessed to have these wonderful people in my life, so generous. I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the showers and just getting all the women I love in the same room, that always makes for a good time.

I have started slacking on my belly pictures again, but no more! I will take one this weekend and I will also upload the pictures of the star in the nursery.

Baby:
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

25w 2d

2008-11-12T08:43:00.000-08:00

Cereal & toast, my love. As I've mentioned before I love breakfast food: cereal, toast, pancakes, eggs, you name it. I've always loved having cereal and toast for dinner, but with this pregnancy I'm taking it to the extreme and I eat it a majority of the time for breakfast and dinner. I can't get enough and it's hard to keep my cereal pantry stocked. You would think I'd get tired of it and maybe I will, but for now I absolutely love it.

We painted the big star that will go above the changing table, it's pink and it turned out even better than I had imagined it would. It's the perfect color pink and looks adorable all hung up. I will post pictures a little later, although due to my amateur photography skills the star looks white in pictures, but trust me, it's pink.

So my mom came over and looked at the nursery and glider and decided it would be easier to make some slip covers for the glider instead of trying to find new cushions. We are going to find a chocolate brown fabric to cover it with and I think it will look so nice, I can't wait. It would be perfect if we could find a swede fabric since the nursery bedding is swede, but we'll see. I also need to order another curtain since the one that came with the bedding is not quite long enough. I read that on the reviews and should have checked the measurements but I was blind to any flaws at that time and just wanted the bedding! After those 2 things I feel really good about the nursery and we'll focus on the essentials: diapers, wipes, clothes, those kinds of things :)

3 more months of work, I cannot tell you how happy that makes me, although it also decreases my motivation even more which I didn't know was possible. Our budget will definitely be tight since I'll be staying home, but so worth it.

As I type my little one is rolling around in there and I just love it. I'm still in that phase where I love when she moves, she just seems so quiet and calm that I don't feel her all that often so when I do it is very welcomed. 2 nights ago she was moving all over, it was the most she's ever moved (that I've felt) and it was cracking me up. I was feeling tons of kicks (Brian felt some too) from the outside, then she'd roll around and do somersaults, than kick, than punch. It was quite a routine and I loved it. When I lay down for bed that is definitely when she is most active, which I've heard. Luckily Brian and I get into bed early to read so it doesn't keep me from sleeping. By the time I actually lay down to go to bed she is done moving around.

My sweet hubby. ~If you have a weak gag reflex you may not want to read this paragraph, just a warning, I'm going to brag about my awesome husband. Again, since this is my pregnancy journal I want to jot these little moments down so I don't forget them.~ Brian is one of those people that can talk and b.s. pretty easily, sometimes he'll deliver some corny pick-up lines on me and I usually just laugh at him. I also know when Brian is being very genuine since I've known him for 7 years now and we've been together for 5. Anyway, I was getting ready for bed and just had my underwear on. He was laying in bed and he looks over at me and says, very genuinely, "You are the sexiest pregnant woman ever." I couldn't tell him enough how much that meant to me, I already suffer from being self-conscious, so being pregnant is just adding to that. But when he says things like that out of the blue and not being prompted by me complaining, it means so much. Especially now that I feel my hormones kicking in a little bit. The last week or 2 I've noticed I get angry more easily and I don't like it. He's been pretty good about not playing into it and just letting me get it out, which is really the best thing to do. Let me throw my tantrum, then give me a hug when I apologize for my little outburst. Brian=awesome.

25 week update coming in 2 days...

Week 24

2008-11-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

Symptoms
Monday the 3rd, Bria was taking tumbling class to prepare for her cheerleading career, she moved so much! It was about 2 hours after lunch and I ate a fun size Snickers (only one of the day), well apparently she liked that because for the next while she was moving all over and it was kind of tickling me. She has never moved for such a long period of time, well that I have felt, it was cool and I loved it.

I am still over the top obsessed with Granny Smith green apples, oh my goodness I love them. Before I was pregnant I would always get small apples because I couldn't seem to finish a large one, but now I am looking for the biggest apple I can find and even then I want another one. They are so good. Plus, if you want to dress them up you could put cheddar cheese slices on them or sprinkle some salt. These days I just prefer them plain.

Still having problems with blemishes on my chin and it's driving me nuts. It'll start to clear up and I get all excited, then I wake up and look in the mirror and a new blemish is waving at me. So I apply my bare minerals makeup to attempt at getting the pregnant woman glow on the outside since I feel it on the inside.

Surprisingly I had a few moments of very mild nausea, usually in the middle of the night when I would get up to go to the bathroom. I've also been having mild period like cramping which I assume is the uterus and everything stretching and getting bigger.

Apparently the belly is more noticeable this week as I've had 2 strangers ask me my due date out of the blue. I don't mind it at all but I keep thinking, what if I wasn't pregnant? I guess they feel confident enough with my bulging belly to ask :)

The bedding has arrived!! Brian picked it up on his way home from work and I was beyond excited, I could not wait.

We went upstairs to open it up and get an idea of what it'll look like with the paint color and everything. I couldn't believe they fit everything in that small bag, I was worried for a second but it was all there, whew. Here is the quilt/blanket:
Here is the bedding all put together on the crib, once we get the correct detergent we'll get it all washed.
Here is the changing table (this is the view when you first walk in the room) with the diaper holder:
And these are wall hangings, I wasn't sure if I was going to like these in person but I actually kind of do. We'll see if they look good hung on the wall.

The only thing not pictured is the curtain. I am so excited about the bedding and the nursery in general, I love the colors and just love it all. I am going to start looking for new cushions for the glider, as you can see now it is channeling the early 90's and doesn't so much go :) I want to get chocolate brown cushions and then I'll put a cut pink pillow in it, and possibly hang a beautiful pink blanket over the back. Speaking of beautiful pink blankets, I realized I never took a picture of the blanket my grandmother made for my first born:

Isn't it just gorgeous? The detail on it is wonderful and the yarn she used gives it an almost shimmery look, I love it and can't wait to wrap Bria in it.

I feel Bria move everyday now, some days more than others. She is still pretty quiet, probably because she still has some wiggle room. My mom and I like to think she just has her Dad's laid back personality so that's why I don't feel her often. But I do feel better now that I feel her at least once a day. I usually feel her either mid-morning or mid-afternoon, and then in the evenings.

The nesting instinct has definitely kicked in, all I think about is organizing. Organizing the guest bedroom, the hall closet, our closet, the office, and the kitchen. I have all these wonderful ideas about everything being sorted and in order, now I'm waiting for that nesting instinct to move up one gear so I actually get motivated to do those things. I'm hoping to start on the guest room this weekend, but we'll see if I actually do it.

Baby
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Happy Birthday Brian and Sara, 32 years young and lookin' good :)

24w 0d

2008-11-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

In 12 days I will have less than 100 days to go! And, in 3 weeks I will enter my 3rd trimester, holy cow. That is all very exciting to me, we are getting closer and closer to meeting our little girl which thrills me to death.

I had a great weekend and fortunately the energy train came by my house and I was all aboard- woo woo! I had a lot more energy than I've had in a long time. I was like, "Wanna stay out until 1am? Ok!" I haven't seen that hour in a very long time (besides one of my trips to the bathroom at night), but Friday night we went to Nate and Amy's for Halloween and I just got caught up in playing Skip Bo (love that game) and talking. I felt like such a party animal :) Although I did sleep in until 9 am and then took a two hour nap on Saturday, but hey, it still counts. Plus, Saturday we went tailgating so I had to be up and ready for that, and I was.

Leg cramp city. Holy mother did I have the worst calf cramp in the entire world on Friday night. It was excruciating and it came on with no warning, I just started freaking out and contorting my body thinking that would help-it did not. Brian had no idea what to do since he couldn't get a handle on me to try and rub it out, plus he was woken out of a dead sleep to his wife screaming and flailing. I felt my calf and oh my goodness was it rock solid, I could feel every crevice of my muscle it was so tight. I've had some pretty bad charlie horses (one being on Saturday) but this calf cramp takes the cake. Brian won't stop telling me to drink more water and eat more potassium, I'd like to think it's because he doesn't like seeing me in pain, but I know it's because he doesn't like his precious sleep interrupted, just wait for Bria hun! So Saturday and Sunday my calf felt like I had lifted 100 pounds and was more sore than it's ever been. It made me feel like I worked out. It's safe to say I've been drinking extra water and I bought more bananas at the grocery store.

So the bedding is set to come on Thursday, yay! Obviously we will most likely be at work when it gets delivered, gosh it would be nice if one of us worked for UPS and could go pick it up at the center at our convenience. Oh wait, my big strong husband does, I'm in luck! So rather than having the bedding sit on our front porch all day, and waste the driver's time delivering it, Brian is going to pick it up Thursday morning. I can't wait, you know I'll be posting pictures of the nursery all set up.

16 more weeks until my due date!

Week 23

2008-10-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

Symptoms:
Doing well, I'm sleeping better which is great. Some nights I don't even get up to go to the bathroom!! My hips still get achy at night, but the body pillow helps, I'd be lost without that thing. One night I woke up out of a dead sleep to a cramp in my hip/side, it was really strong so I kind of moaned a little and gasped, Brian immediately asked, "Is Bria ok?" I thought it was so cute because he was still half asleep but the first thing he thought of was his little baby. I told him she was fine and he went right back to sleep. The pain was short lived and I was able to shake it off and go back to sleep.

I have jam everyday. Anna gave me homemade jam and it is delicious, I am so spoiled. So everyday I either have toast for breakfast, dinner, or I have a PB&J for lunch. I can't get enough of that homemade jam! Not that I have anything against store jam, but let's face it, homemade jam rocks.

I can tell the difference between Bria's kicks/punches and when she is somersaulting/rolling. It's a funny feeling when she rolls and kind of tickles.

My secret fit maternity pants are cute, but fall down after 2 steps. I still have room to grow into them so maybe that is part of the problem, but my normal pants are uncomfortable so I don't like wearing those. I'm just kind of in between I guess.

I haven't been as hungry this week, guess she's not going through a growth spurt right now. My belly is kind of staying the same size, but maybe in the next few weeks she'll grow again. Then I'll be able to feel her more often which I love!

I ordered the bedding! I am beyond excited, it should arrive between next Wednesday the 5th-Monday the 10th. I'm hoping it arrives sooner than later but I won't hold my breath. It will just be so fun to have her room all cutsied up.

Baby:
Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

23 week Belly pic:

23w 1d

2008-10-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

Well, as my other blog said, shopping was a huge success and we had a blast. How can you not when you're with your girls? We did so much walking that day, I definitely got my exercise in. My feet were killing me and so was my back, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat, maybe I'd wear my belly belt for back support though. Here I am rocking one of my new outfits:
I got some great work outfits as well as casual everyday wear, I am just thrilled to pieces to have some cute new clothes to wear. I can't tell you how long it's been since I've had so many new clothes in my closet!

I am just loving being pregnant still. I love my little belly, I love feeling Bria move, I love how excited Brian is, I love doing the nursery, there's just a lot 'o love going on here. I hate to get all mushy but since this is my pregnancy journal I don't want to forget how sweet my hubby is (I'll need to look back on this when he's driving me nuts). On more than 1 occasion he will tell me how much he appreciates what I am going through. He says he can't imagine how I must be feeling with all these changes going on in my body so rapidly and that he is so amazed. He loves seeing my belly get bigger and likes to read the newspaper to Bria. He'll relate it to work and say that when he feels pressure or great responsibility he thinks of me having to grow a human life in my body and it helps put it in perspective. He's adorable, I think I'll keep him ;)

Tiff got me some adorable outfits for Bria just for fun, which I thought was so sweet. We went to their house for the pumpkin carving contest and she pulled me in the guest bedroom to give me a bag of new clothes she bought for Bria because she couldn't resist. So cute, I loved them all. I can't believe how thoughtful people are, I can't tell them how appreciative I am, it means so much.
For the first time I am looking forward to doing laundry- I can't wait to wash all of Bria's clothes, sheets, blankets, etc. I don't mind doing the laundry, I just hate putting the clothes away, but putting away Bria's clothes is going to be the best part! At least the first time :)

I love thinking about the fact that we'll meet our little girl in less than 4 months! Most the time it feels far away, probably because I am looking forward to it so much. It's like being a kid and waiting for Christmas morning, only times 100. There are times when I think about how much it's going to change our little family and our world, then it feels like she'll be here in no time. I am just trying to enjoy being pregnant, especially for the first time since it's all new.

17 more weeks until I'm due, 14 more weeks until I'm considered full term, wahoo!

Week 22

2008-10-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

I cannot wait to go shopping tomorrow! Not just because shopping is fun, but because both my sister's are coming too! I am beyond thrilled that we are all going together, I love having their help and just spending time with them. So we are all meeting at my mom's house at 8:30 am and heading up to Portland for some shopping. Then for lunch we'll meet up with Lanie and then continue shopping afterwards. It's going to be a fun girls day that's for sure.

Symptoms:
Since I have a cold my sleepless nights are due more to the stuffy nose than the baby, but I didn't get very much sleep at night, I mostly just laid there. Tuesday night I was complaining to Brian that I hadn't felt Bria very much since Friday night when he felt her. I think we both went to bed concerned. I woke up around 2 am to my little one nudging and moving around, I was sooo happy. I put my hand on my stomach and just smiled, she went on for awhile which I simply loved.
I am still so in love with the green Granny Smith apples, I can't get enough. I'm also still loving bananas and green olives (not together), yum. I really don't have any aversions, maybe that's why I gained so much weight.
Shaving my bikini area is proving to be quite hilarious. Since I can't see down there I will start to bend over, but I still can't ever see it, my darn belly is in the way. For some reason I found this hilarious the other night in the shower and I was laughing hysterically. So I'm still able to shave (I know you were all worried about that), but it's just more difficult and I'm having to try and move the belly out of the way.
Still having acne problems on my chin, but they are starting to fade. Nothing like some huge zits to make you feel beautiful, ick.
I'm loving my nails right now, they grow at lightening speed and are nice and strong. Thank you prenatal vitamins!

I've gotten to the point where I am tired of acquaintances giving me advice. Now, that does NOT mean I don't want advice, I love when experienced friends' and family give me advice. I want to hear what worked for them and what didn't, but it becomes a little much when co-workers are constantly telling me what to do and what not to do. I appreciate their interest, really I do, but it kind of comes off as bossy and opinionated. Times have changed people. I don't want to hear horror stories either, I worry enough as it is.
Also, there are a few co-workers (and I really like them) who have teenage kids or older that keep saying how glad they are that it's not them and how happy they are to be done with this stage in their life and they couldn't imagine having to go through it again, blah, blah, blah. I totally understand that and I'm sure when we complete our family I will feel done and ready for the next phase, but really? Do you have to tell me that everyday? I'm actually thrilled beyond words that I'm at this point in my life, I've dreamed about this and feel utterly over the top blessed to be able to be pregnant. Do you realize how many people suffer from infertility? It is a miracle to be pregnant and have a healthy child. I know the next year is going to prove to be incredibly trying and exhausting, but it should never be taken for granted. I truly have never been happier, so please don't rain on my parade.
::steps off soap box::
I feel better now :)

Baby:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

I don't have a belly picture for this week (I will take one this weekend) but I thought it would be fun to compare my past ones:

Week 6-say goodbye to your little stomach!

Week 14-losing the waistline, adding the bloat

Week 17-a little more bloat and some baby

Week 20-SHABAM! Hello baby, goodbye feet!

22w 3d

2008-10-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

The appointment went well yesterday. The doctor said baby looked really good according to the u/s and she was measuring on schedule. I asked about her measurements and how big she was but she couldn't tell me, I was kind of bummed about that since the whole u/s was the tech measuring her, but whatever. At least she is healthy and looks good. Her heartbeat is in the 150's so that is looking good as well.
I was so happy that Brian was able to make it to the appointment since at first he wasn't going to be able to. Even though it wasn't that eventful, I still love having him there.
I was a little shocked at how much weight I've gained to date, a total of almost 15 pounds. I've gained 5 pounds at each appointment so at least it's gradual I guess. I wish I wouldn't focus on weight, but I was just a little surprised since my eating habits haven't changed that much. In the last week or 2 my appetite has grown a little, but I usually have an apple or banana to help quench the growing hunger pains. I have a piece of candy here and there but I've always done that. If anything I am eating more healthy because I know I have a little one in there to supply for. Plus, my normal pants are still fitting, I just can't button them. So I'm not 100% sure where the extra pounds are going, besides the baby which does not equate to 15 pounds. I'm just going to try and be more active and watch what I eat even closer, I don't want to become overly obsessed though (after I ramble on for a paragraph about it).

After the appointment we went to a craft store because Jenny (my sis) told me they were having a big sale and the star I want for the nursery was marked down from $17.99 to $13.50. So I brought it up to the cash register and it rings up at $4.50!! It was an additional 75% off the clearance price!! I was ecstatic to say the least, I LOVE finding a good deal and holy cow was that a good deal.

I am getting really anxious to order the bedding, I can't wait to see it in person. It will help pull the nursery together more and I'll be able to see what shade of pink I need for decorating with. I'm thinking I'll get a better idea for wall decor once the bedding is in place.

That's about it for now, I'll update tomorrow on Week 22.

22w

2008-10-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

So I think I got Brian's cold. He got sick last Tuesday and is still sick, mainly his throat is on fire and is killing him. Friday morning I woke up with a lovely sore throat and stuffy nose. I decided to stay home from work to try and kick the sickness in the rear, I think it actually helped since Saturday I was feeling better. But Sunday and today my throat was still hurting and my nose is stuffy today. Just trying to drink lots of fluids and get rest.

I forgot to note a few symptoms in my last post, namely: acne. My chin is breaking out and it sucks, I know my AcneFree is trying to do it's job but these pregnancy hormones are winning out. I've got some monsters on my chin that I would really like to go away! Also, Sherbet. I've always enjoyed Sherbet ice cream but have never gone as far as to purchase a gallon at the store. Well I did just that last week and every night I have a small bowl of it. I rationalize it by saying that it has fruit in it and I don't add any chocolate or fudge to it, funny how we can rationalize anything huh? Anyway, I'm loving Sherbet right now.

Guess what I got in the mail?

This adorable crocheted beanie and bootie set, I just love it! My friend Jenn whom I met through a TTC forum (among many other wonderful women whom I adore) sent these to me and I just love them. She also sent an adorable pair of yellow booties that have a little bow. It's amazing the love and support you can get from people you meet on the internet.

Bria has been pretty quiet lately, just little nudges here and there, I'm debating whether or not to devour more M&M's since she seemed to like those on Friday :) I feel like I'm at a good stage right now, I'm not uncomfortably large but I feel that I look pregnant and not bloated.

I got a recommendation for a pediatrician so in a few months I'll probably call her and schedule an appointment. I also need to sign up for birthing classes since they fill up fast. I think the next one that meets once a week starts in January so I guess that'll be the one we go to, unless we decide to do a Saturday class.

My mom is taking me shopping this weekend, yay! When Jaime got pregnant with her first (Jaidyn) my mom took her maternity clothes shopping and got her some must haves, so she is doing the same for me. We are heading to the big town of Portland since it has the best shopping, and that means we get to have lunch with my cousin Lanie! She moved to Portland and I still haven't seen her so I'm excited to finally give her a hug and welcome her to Oregon officially ;) It should be a fun day.

2 days until my next appointment. I'm excited because they will be going over the 20 week ultrasound. Since we didn't hear from them after the ultrasound that is good, no news is good news. But now we get to hear details of how things are looking and hopefully get a size estimate of the little one. Wahoo!

Week 21

2008-10-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

Brian felt her kick! Friday night we were laying on the couch and she was being pretty active, so I told him to keep his hand on my stomach for awhile and be patient. He had it there for 5-10 minutes and she finally kicked. He felt her a couple times and we were both so excited, we also looked at my belly and got to see her kick. Oh man it was so much fun, we were loving it. I had M&M's that night and Sherbert ice cream so I think she was letting me know that was a good dessert :)

Symtpoms:
Leg aches during the night. I don't get cramps, but my calf or knee will start aching bad enough to wake me up. I usually get up to go to the bathroom or switch positions in bed. After awhile it lessens and I'm able to go back to sleep.
Increased appetite. I'm trying really hard to at least eat healthy snacks, but I definitely find myself eating more and still being hungry an hour later. I've been snacking on an apple or banana to help quench the hunger, but I must admit to an occasional fun size snickers or tootsie roll.
Kicks :) Feeling her move around has been absolutely wonderful, I love it. It makes me know that she is doing ok in there and everything is fine. When I try to poke her back she immediately stops, so I just have to rest my hand on my stomach if I want to feel it.

Baby:
Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

21w 2d

2008-10-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

Brian told me he won't be able to make it to the next appointment. I'm sad. I know I can't expect him at all of them, but he didn't go to the last monthly one either. The ultrasound wasn't at our doctor's office, it was at the hospital. Anyway, I'm just being whiney and pouty. They really are just quick check ups but still, I want him there.

Ok, enough of the pouting, I do have exciting news. I felt Bria kick on the OUTSIDE! I felt it Monday night and I was so excited, I immediately grabbed Brian's hand (we were in bed reading) so he could feel, she did it again but he said he didn't feel it. :( I felt her again last night but Brian still has yet to feel her. It is really cool to feel it on the outside of my tummy, I love it. This morning while sitting at my desk I believe she was doing some pilates, they were little movements but she was pretty consistent for a few minutes. Then I think she got tired and konked out. I just love feeling her move, it is such a wonderful feeling.

My mom told me she got my blanket out of storage which made me so excited, let me explain. My grandma (mom's mom) would always knit a blanket for her grandchildren's first born (so her great grandchild). When I was 17 I got all worried that she wouldn't be around for my first born (I've been thinking about babies for a long time). For graduation she made me my first born's blanket and I was so excited. She crocheted it and it is just beautiful (picture to come), want to hear the cool part? It's pink. She just knew I guess. From then I always figured I would have a girl first since that baby blanket was pink, and look at where we are now! My grandma passed away this year in April and I like to think that she helped pick out my little girl in heaven. I can't wait to wrap Bria in that blanket as it has such a special meaning.

Nursery Pictures

2008-10-14T09:16:00.001-07:00

So here is how we did the stripes:

1. Measure and tape for the stripes (12 inches wide and 12 inches apart)

2. Since paint tends to bleed through the taping, we used the original paint (satin finish) and painted a "seal" where the semi-gloss stripes were going to be. We let this dry.

3. Then we painted with the semi-gloss finish paint, just one coat was enough.

4. Took off the tape slowly and carefully (important to use tape that won't take off the paint under it) to reveal a beautiful and straight line :)

Anna, Brian, and my Dad hard at work while I supervised and took photos:

The finished product! Since I am not a photographer and don't have a professional grade camera the stripes are a little harder to see, they are more apparent in person:

We just love it!

And here is Abby and Cassidy keeping MJ entertained :)

21w 0d

2008-10-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

The nursery paint is complete! I should accompany this post with pictures, but I didn't get a chance to upload them yet, I will though. We are so happy with how it turned out, it's exactly what I was picturing. My Dad and Anna came over to help which we really appreciated. Anna brought over some adorable outfits from Old Navy that she couldn't resist, it was so sweet of her. She even brought me some hangers she had so I was able to put up some more clothes in Bria's closet. I had so much fun looking at all the clothes Anna got, I can't wait to dress Bria in them.
Taping the stripes actually went pretty quick, especially with 4 of us there. There really wasn't enough for all of us to do so I sat down and "supervised" and spent time with my little sister's, Abby and Cassidy. We were sitting there eating candy corn and I said to them, "Man, I am working really hard on this room." Totally joking of course. Abby looked at me confused and asked, "THEY are working hard or you are?" We all started laughing and I told her I was just kidding, THEY were working hard.

After the paint dried and we had taken the tape off, I vacuumed the room and then sat down with all Bria's clothes. I hung as many outfits as I had hangers for and then sorted the rest by size. I was in heaven. I could seriously go through those clothes everyday, I love imagining my little baby girl in these cute clothes and can't wait to dress her in them.
I am so curious about what she is going to look like. Will she look more like me or Brian? Or maybe a perfect mix? What color of eyes will she have (I have blue and Brian has green)? What color will her hair be, will it be curly like Brian's or straight like mine? So many questions, I just can't wait to meet her.

Week 20

2008-10-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

Symptoms:

Feeling hungry often during the day, but trying to control those and not over eat. My hips get numb and achy during night so I have to switch sides often which is not easy with a body pillow and belly. I use to be able to stand up, bend over, and put socks on gracefully - this is not happening so much. I have to brace myself and bend my leg and set it on the other leg, or just sit down and do it, I can imagine how hard it will be to tie shoes and such when I get bigger!

We started reading Babywise this week and wow do I love that book. We both agree with what the author says and the techniques they suggest. We're excited to use them and pray we do them right so they work.

Bria is still not kicking very hard so I only feel faint movement. But I am feeling her a little more often than I was. I am being told to enjoy this "quiet" time since soon I hear she'll keep me up, but I also really want to feel her kicks more strongly and consistently. I may bring it up at my next appointment just to see. Maybe she's just a calm baby? If so that is definitely from her Dad!

We are starting the stripes in the nursery tonight and I am very excited. I hate that all the nursery stuff is shoved in the guest room all unorganized, it's driving me nuts. I just don't like the in between stages, I get impatient and just want the end result now. Brian is like that too, when we painted our whole downstairs we were done in a weekend. We just couldn't stand the tape being up and furniture in the middle of the room. So needless to say I'm ecstatic that by Sunday we'll be done painting :)

Baby:
You're at the halfway mark — congratulations! Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (The way your baby is measured changes now.) She's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first soiled diaper (although some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Belly picture (it got round!):

And just so you guys don't think I run around in a sports bra and pj bottoms, here is one with clothes on :)

20w 1d

2008-10-07T08:02:00.001-07:00

I went to see my friend Shauna last Friday and her little girl, Aria who is 6 months old and adorable. Shauna and I cheered together at OSU and had some great times together, she is a phenomenal cheerleader, seriously. Anyway, she gave me a sack full of maternity clothes, 3 sacks full of baby clothes, and a newborn bath-the exact one I had registered for! It was so incredibly sweet of her and I really appreciate her generosity. The bonus is that Aria was born March 3rd and Bria's due date is February 20th so all the clothes were the right size for the seasons, yay! It was a lot of fun catching up with Shauna and hearing how she loves being a mommy. And oh-my did I have fun when I got home and looked at all the adorable clothes. It was seriously the best Friday night.

So we went to get the bedding on Saturday at Walmart and on our way Brian said, "Now remember, they may not have the bedding in the store, it might just be online." I sat there and couldn't believe I never thought of that, both Babies R Us and Target didn't have very much of their bedding selection in the store, most of it was online. So why did I think that Walmart Supercenter would have it? I was thankful he said that because it prepared me for the truth-no bedding at Walmart. I warned Brian I may lay on the floor and throw a tantrum because I wanted the bedding and I wanted it NOW! He thanked me for the warning and said he'd be in the tool section. Lucky for him I did not flop myself on the ground because it would've been uncomfortable and hard to get up. After some pouting we headed to Home Depot for an extra shelf thing for Bria's closet. I cheered up even more when I got a decaf pumpkin pie latte, mmm.

So we headed home and accomplished a lot that day. Brian put up the shelf in the closet which I am so excited about, thanks hun :) The closet is small in there so I wanted to add another place to hang clothes and a shelf.

Before

After

Then we painted the nursery! Well, Brian did most of it since I didn't want to breath in the paint fumes and get both Bria and myself high. Even with the window open and 2 fans going it was pretty strong in there. I would paint for 10 minutes and then take a long break. Anyway, we painted it a beige color and I just love it. On 2 of the walls we are going to do thick stripes. What color are the stripes going to be? The same beige color. So how will we see a difference and what is the point of that? Because we are going to do the stripes in a gloss finish. My stepmom did this with Cassidy's room and I just loved it. It's very subtle but just enough to add a little somethin'. So we are hoping to do that this Friday night, yep, we get crazy on the weekend!

Brian painting

Me and the belly painting

The 2 walls you see in this picture are the ones that are going to have the gloss stripes

I just love the color, did I mention that?

I was seriously in heaven doing the nursery. I feel like this is such a big moment and it helps it all feel more real. This is just such an exciting time and I'm trying to take it all in and enjoy it. Bria is making it easy on me to enjoy since I feel great. I love being pregnant (please remind me I said this in another 2 months or so when I'm complaining).

I know part of the reason I feel so great is my iron level. At 2 of my appointments the doctor's commented on how great my iron level was, they couldn't believe it. I told them I couldn't either because I've always been borderline anemic (most young women are) and that I owe it all to the prenatal vitamins. I've been taking them since January which I believe really helped.

I'm at the halfway point, wahoo!

Week 19

2008-10-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

*I split up the last post I did where I mixed the u/s pictures with the week 19 update.

Symptoms:

Things are moving right along. My belly is definitely getting bigger and people are commenting more and more on it. I love rubbing it and talking to her, especially now that we can say "her" and use her name.
I told little MJ that she was going to have a younger sister, she stared at me blankly, I think she's still in shock. But once she realizes Bria won't be able to deflect her constant licking I know she'll be elated. Every second I'm not watching the baby I know MJ will be licking her to death. As Brandi always said: Dog can't hold it's licker!
Still not craving anything crazy, loving my green apples and peanut butter protein bars. I could eat cereal for every meal, but that was true when I wasn't pregnant. My favorites right now are Shredded Wheat-Honey Nut and Corn Flakes. It changes every 2 weeks, that's when I go grocery shopping.
I'm just feeling really good and I am very thankful for that. I am about half way through the pregnancy, which means only 20 more weeks until we meet little Bria!

Baby:

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. The hair on her scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, taking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you. *I actually did remember to take a 19 week belly shot, but our computer at home is painfully slow so I have a hard time getting motivated to download pictures from it. I will soon though!

Belly picture

Ultrasound Pictures!

2008-10-03T15:59:00.001-07:00

Bria Michelle

The first shot is a profile with her head on the left, then belly, and finally her legs which are curved up.

And here is her adorable little foot that I can't wait to kiss and tickle.

Guess what...

2008-10-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

That's right, our little one is a little baby girl! We are thrilled to have a little daughter :) The ultrasound went great and it was so fun to see her moving around in there. I can't believe I can't feel all those movements, she was a mover and a shaker. Apparently my bladder was too full so I had to empty it a little before we could start, which was just fine with me!

Her heart was beating at 140 bpm and she had 10 little fingers and 10 little toes. Oh goodness it was just amazing, I can't believe we're having a girl!

We of course started calling family as soon as we left the doctor's office, everyone is very excited. Brian's mom had 3 adorable outfits that she gave us, I love that I can start filling her closet already, hehe.

Then we went and registered which was fun. I'm glad we took the whole day off, it was a good day.

Tomorrow!

2008-10-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the big u/s!!!! I can't believe it's less than 24 hours away, I am just so stinkin' excited to see our little baby. The doctor's office just called to confirm the appointment which made me all giddy, I'm such a dork.

We are going to register afterwards but I will try and post the big news in the early evening, at the latest Friday morning.

We welcome prayers that our little one is healthy and growing strong :)

19w

2008-09-29T11:42:00.001-07:00

So ya know how I said I was holding off on wearing maternity pants? Well Saturday I looked at the maternity pants Jaime gave me and thought, "Well it's Saturday, I should be comfortable, I'll just wear them today." It was a good day, I was very comfortable. I ended up being very productive that day:
Did laundry
Cleaned bathrooms
Cleaned wood floors
Went to the bank
Went to Target
Went grocery shopping
Made banana muffins

Aww the power of comfort :) I think I'm going to put the maternity jeans in the mix of pants I can wear now, no use holding off now.

I am beyond excited that our big u/s in only 3 days away, WAHOO!!! As fast as the weekend went by, and as much as I dread Mondays, today I was happy because it is 1 day closer to seeing our little baby :)
I can't believe how close the gender poll is, it's almost split in half between who thinks boy and who thinks girl. Can't wait to find out.

I'm still not feeling consistently stronger kicks from the little one, but I think I'm probably just being impatient. I'm reading Frankly Pregnant (among many other pregnancy books) and at week 19 not only was she feeling kicks consistently, but her husband could feel them too! Ugh, should I be feeling them more consistentely? Should they be strong enough for Brian to feel? Should I chill out?

I bought another shirt at Target. Not a maternity shirt, just a normal flowy, long shirt that is in style right now. Lucky me. It's very comfortable and it was on clearance for $6.98. I love finding good deals. So far I've purchased 3 shirts for a total of $25.00, not too shabby.

Week 18

2008-09-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

Symptoms:

Happiness :) I am just so excited to be pregnant and can't wait to meet the little person that is growing inside me. Although I don't feel them often, the tiny nudges and kicks are amazing.
Things are going well, just plugging along. I feel like the last 3 weeks have gone by terribly slow, but that may be due to our big appointment next Thursday that we simply can't wait for. We haven't seen the little one since week 10, that was a long time ago! I pray everything is good and healthy with the baby. I also hope we get the money shot so we can see if we're having a son or daughter.

I'm starting to get hungry more often, I still have small meals but an hour later I'm hungry again. So I snack a lot throughout the day and try to make it healthy snacks, I'm loving green apples right now. I don't have any weird cravings, I enjoy scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast lunch or dinner, but that's always been a favorite meal of mine.

*Warning: This paragraph is about boobs (mine, to be specific):
I do enjoy my bigger boobs and Brian isn't complaining either. I know most people still wouldn't consider them large, but they are to me! They aren't too sore right now like they were at the beginning of the pregnancy, but I know that won't last so I told Brian to take advantage while he can ;)

I had more nerve pain in my lower back on my left side for a few days. It wasn't horrible, but it was embarrassing when my leg gave out because of the pain. It has since gone away, but I know it'll be back with a vengeance.

I'm still squeezing into my jeans, although that doesn't mean I haven't gained weight. I'm just trying to get as much use out of them as I can since once I have to wear maternity clothes I'll get tired of them quickly. No muffin top though, don't worry. My sister gave me a pair of maternity jeans that fit me great, some days I almost wear them because of how comfortable they are, but then I remind myself I'll be wearing those everyday for awhile so just to hold off. I am in need of more shirts so I may have to make a quick Old Navy and Target run this weekend. Hopefully there are some sales going on :)

My hair is shedding like crazy. Seriously, how do I still have hair left on my head? Somehow I do and it's growing fast, I may take an inch or two extra off at my next hair appointment. Speaking of, I need to make that appointment.

I need to wrap up my research as we'll be registering next Thursday! We might purchase the bedding set so we can get the room started, but we'll see. I feel like I want to do a lot of registering online since there is more of a selection. Plus, I'm remembering how much "fun" Brian was when we registered for the wedding, it might be better to do some of it myself or with my mom and sister. If he's in a good mood than he'll be patient and have an opinion, otherwise he just stands there and waits for me to make a decision only adding things like, "Sure," "Ok," "That's fine." These may sound great, but it's his way of hurrying the process and I don't like that. So let's cross our fingers he's in a good mood next Thursday, he better be after we find out the baby is healthy and we're having a son or daughter!

Baby:
Head to rump, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, although he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Belly Picture:

18w 2d

2008-09-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

I had my appointment yesterday, it went very well. I did much better this time when I gave my urine sample, I was so proud. The actual appointment went very quickly, I asked if I could get a flu shot and she said they actually recommend it since a pregnant woman's immune system is not as strong. Then we heard the heartbeat, which she found right away. I really wanted to put that doppler in my purse because I could listen to that heartbeat all day long. So if you want to get me a present then a doppler would be great ;)
Afterwards Marna took me out to dinner which was really sweet of her. We had a good time talking about baby stuff and she told me her labor and delivery stories. All I have to say is I hope mine are as quick as hers!

I felt a good strong kick last night when I was talking to Brian, it made him jealous and want to feel the baby. Hopefully it's not too much longer until he can. I know he'll just love it. I'm hoping to feel more kicks as right now they just come a few times a day at random times.

So I'm not sure what month I'm in, am I in the 5th month? The book What to Expect When You're Expecting says approximately 18-22 weeks is the 5th month, but a booklet I got from the doctor's office says the 4th month is from 16-20 weeks, so I wouldn't start my 5th month until week 20. It's all so incredibly confusing, I just think it's easier to say how many weeks I am, but a lot of people give me a puzzled look, pause and then ask, "So how many months is that?" Your guess is as good as mine, lol!

I'm feeling great and trying to relish in this as much as possible. I still have a stuffy nose but such is pregnant life and it's easy to deal with when you think of the little one growing inside you.

1 week and 1 day until we find out the sex!!!!!!

17w 6d

2008-09-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

I'm 17 weeks 6 days today :)
My body is fighting off a cold and I hope it wins. I started feeling sick on Friday, sore throat and headache all day at work. I chugged down water like it was going out of style and I think it helped because Saturday I was feeling a little better, just had a stuffy nose. Still have a plugged up nose today but that may be a pregnancy symptom.

I feel like I popped this week, my 18 week photo really shows that. I will post in the next few days so stay tuned ;)

I am so excited that I am almost halfway through the pregnancy, yay! Only 22 more weeks (give or take a few) until we get to meet this little person growing inside me, I just love thinking about it. My friend Tiff gave me some baby clothes that Maggie has already outgrown, 0-3 months. I also have a few items that Jaime and Anna (stepmom) gave me. I have the clothes sorted in 3 piles: boy, girl, neutral. I absolutely love looking at those tiny clothes. Obviously I've always thought baby clothes were absolutely adorable, but now that I'm pregnant it is crazy to think my little one will be wearing those cute clothes. I just love it.

Only 10 more days until we get to find out the sex!! I really hope our little one cooperates so we can see the money shot, please don't be shy baby-we want to get your nursery all set up. Brian and I both took the day off so we can go out to lunch and celebrate and then get started on registering. Maybe we'll pick up a cute outfit or two, if I can get Brian to loosen the purse strings ;)

I wanted to take some pictures of the nursery before we start to work on painting and decorating:

From the door:

To the right when you walk in (we plan to recover the glider):
Standing in front of the closet (crib is on the right side):
Standing by the crib, looking at the changing table:
View from the glider:
Standing by the changing table:

It's not a huge room, but we will make it work. I can't wait to see what it looks like as the end product. I'm thinking the walls will be a tan/mocha color, boy or girl. Then on 1 or 2 of the walls doing thick vertical stripes in the same color, but a glossy finish. Anna did that for Cassidy's room and I really liked it. It's subtle, but adds just a little something extra.

I have to say thank you to Tasha for letting me in on the Walmart info. I never even thought to look at Walmart since I was trained as a business student to dislike it due to their business process'. Anyway, I love finding a good deal and I even found another bedding there that I might like for a girl. Either way Tasha, we have good taste :)

I think I may have started feeling the baby. It doesn't feel like a "flutter" like I thought it would, it's more like a twitch inside my tummy. I felt it last night and it came every 5-10 seconds for quite awhile, hiccups maybe? I was pretty excited, I hope it was the baby, either way I like to think it was :) I've felt it a few times since then and I get the biggest grin on my face and start talking to the little one.

One of my favorite things is when Brian puts his hand on my belly. We'll be lying on the couch, or standing around talking to friends and he'll start rubbing it. I just love it. I can't wait for him to feel him/her kick. I told him to be prepared because I might wake him up in the middle of the night to feel the little one, he said he was more than ok with that.

Alright, I'm going to get on with my Sunday chores. I'm hoping to update more frequently than weekly as I don't want to leave out anything!

Week 17

2008-09-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

Symptoms:

Sciatic nerve pain-ouch! I was hanging out in the kitchen cleaning up a bit and about fell over when I got this pinching pain in my lower back on the right side. I've heard when things move around in there that nerves can get pinched so I am pretty sure that is what it is, but it's true I'm not a doctor so technically can't diagnose myself. Although isn't it early for sciatic nerve pain, maybe it's just a nerve. Who knows, either way it was there for a few days but thankfully it's almost all gone. I feel it a little when I bend over, but nothing compared to what it was. The only remedy was lying on my side with a pillow in between my legs. You can imagine that is tough to do at work, I so wish I could've worked from home. Oh well, it's all worth it.

My next appointment is coming up, the weekly check up. I'm excited to pee in a cup. No wait, I'm not excited to pee in a cup because I suck at that. I'm excited to hear the heart beat! And I like that Marna will get to hear her little grandbaby's heart beat too. Only 2 weeks until we know what we are having!

Other than that I'm pretty boring. Things are going well. I continue to get excited when I look at different things we will need for the baby. My kind and generous sister, Jaime, has 3 wonderful children and her family is complete. Since she has no use for baby stuff any longer, she gave us her crib, changing table, playpen, Baby Bjorn, toys, and more toys. We are so fortunate, that is a huge savings. So the nursery is just waiting for bedding to be added, clothes to be hung, finishing touches to be made, and of course, a baby.

As far as maternity clothes I'm still scraping by with what I have, trying to save money. When I mentioned to Brian that I may need bras he asks if I can borrow them from Jaime. I love that he is willing to spend money eating out all the time, but he doesn't want to fork over some money for my expanding breasts that are housing the food for his child! Sheesh.

I don't think I have felt any movement yet, but maybe I have and just didn't know what it was. I'm looking forward to feeling little flutters and kicks :)

Thanks for the belly pic reminder Jenny. I had all these great thoughts when I first started this blog that I would take belly pics every other week until about week 16 and then start doing every week. Man the weeks can go by fast! But I really do want to get better about taking weekly belly pics as the baby is suppose to double in size over the next 4 weeks! My photo this week looks the same as week 14, I think I had just eaten dinner in the week 14 belly pic.

Baby:
Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Belly picture:

Week 16

2008-09-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

Symptoms:

So far so good, things are about the same. I am noticing at night that I can't eat as much because I get that uncomfortable full feeling pretty easily. But I do eat breakfast, snacks, lunch, and more snacks so I think a small dinner is still plenty. Still no new cravings, just trying to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. I am eating lots of fruits but I have to say my vegetables are lacking a little now. I enjoy cooked asparagus so I think I'll get some to help fill my quota.

I think since I have very little symptoms and my belly still looks like a pot belly to me that I feel like the last few weeks have gone by really slow. On one side I feel like I've been pregnant for a really long time (can you imagine how I'm going to feel at 7, 8, and 9 months?!). But on the other side I think to myself how long I've been wanting and praying to get pregnant and it's finally here, I'm actually pregnant and soon we get to find out the sex!
I LOVE reading pregnancy blogs and labor stories, I can't get enough. So if you know of any let me know :)

Brian isn't going to the next monthly appointment since our big u/s is just 2 weeks later. I asked his mom if she wanted to go with me so she is going to join me :) I made sure that Brian informed her we won't get to see the baby or anything just hear the heartbeat. He said she was still very excited and can't wait. There is a chance our kids are the only grandchildren she'll have (depends on Sara-Brian's twin, no pressure though, lol), so I want to include her in this journey. Plus, she was a nurse before she retired and I always love to have a medical professional on my side, hehe. I asked my mom if she wanted to come as well but she says she'll make it to another one, she wants Marna to enjoy this one.

I've been reading my Baby Bargains book and looking online for some things. I think I want the Chicco travel system, where the car seat snaps right into the stroller. That is the one Brandi had and I took it for a test ride and loved it, it's easy to steer and easy to use. I also have been brainstorming colors for a girl or boys room. I'm thinking for a girl we'll do pink and brown. That is really popular right now and while I don't like to copy, I just love the colors together. This is one of my favorite bedding sets for a girl. I really like this one for a boy. Who knows, once we find out the sex I'll start more serious searching. We don't plan on going crazy with paint, just a neutral color, then we'll use the decorations to nursery-it-up. For diaper bags we are going to keep it kind of sporty, so Brian can carry it. I LOVE this one. It's a perfect mix of sporty and cool which I love, plus it has orange which is a plus since we're Beaver fans :) I still plan to get a smaller one for me to carry around for little outings and that one will be more girly and cute.

Baby:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length . Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too.

Little One:

Week 15

2008-09-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

Symptoms:
Feeling good this week, nothing too monumental to report. Still feel a little tired but that could just be me being lazy.
We went to Motherhood Maternity to get a belly support thing for my back. I know it is way too early, but I have a sway back which means my lower back is already under pressure. I haven't started wearing it because it just feels too soon, Brian is very adamant that I start wearing it early to try and help alleviate some of the inevitable back pain. I kind of like that he's so bossy about it, just proof that he cares :)
I'm still able to wear my jeans without having to unbutton them. All my jeans have room in the waist because my junk is big so I have to buy my jeans one size bigger to fit it in. My shirts are causing the problem, I need longer shirts to cover the pot belly. I borrow from my mom and I bought 2 long shirts which has helped.
Brian has been referring to the baby as a girl now so I have no idea what he thinks it's going to be. Oh well, only 3 1/2 weeks until we find out!

Baby:
Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam.

Week 14

2008-09-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

Symptoms:

So our appointment last week went good, we heard the heartbeat with the doppler, we even heard the baby kick a few times. The little one kept moving around so the doctor had to keep chasing it around. It was wonderful to hear the heartbeat and I think I slept a little better that night.

She told me to stop sleeping and exercising on my back, the reason has to due with lack of oxygen to the baby. So it's just side and tummy sleeping for me, although the belly sleeping may not last too much longer. I have been loving my body pillow, it feels good and helps sleeping on my side more comfortable. Oh, and no pilates.

My energy level has gone down a little. We went to Washington for a few days and saw some friends, I seriously was falling asleep by 10 pm and sleeping until 8 or 9 am. I felt like such a party pooper but I could not keep my eyes open for the life of me.

I am still liking vegetables, celery to be specific. I know that doesn't have a lot of nutritional value but hey, it counts. Steak is not so appetizing, which is weird for me. It's not that it sounds gross, but it just doesn't sound good. Brian swears his kid will like steak though.

Brian thinks the baby is a boy, and I think it may be a girl. Although I did have a dream last night that we found out it was a boy, we'll see if my dream was accurate. 5 more weeks and we find out! We really don't care either way, we are just praying for a healthy baby and can't wait to start the nursery.

Baby:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam.

Belly pic (it's getting big! Please excuse the crazy hair)

Update

2008-08-26T15:46:00.001-07:00

I scheduled our big ultrasound, the one where they make sure baby is healthy and we get to find out the sex!
Mark your calendars people, it's a big day......October 2nd, 2008.

6 more weeks, don't forget to cast your votes (points to the left)!

Oh, and I want a green olive.....like now. Gotta love cravings.

Week 13

2008-08-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

**Note: I think I'm kind of doing the whole week thing a little late. When I am 13 weeks-13 weeks 6 days, I update that as week 13, when in reality that is actually week 14. I realized this awhile ago but didn't want to change it. I'm thinking I may try and adjust it so it's accurate, we'll see, either way I'm updating weekly. :)

Symptoms:

We have our 2nd appointment today!! I am of course thrilled, I really want and need to hear that little heartbeat. I wish I got an u/s every time but I'm trying not to be greedy :) Seriously though, is it so unreasonable to want a picture of my baby every 4 weeks?!

I am feeling great (knock on wood), seriously. Although my gag reflex is sensitive, my nausea is non-existent, my headaches have subsided, and I'm starting to get a little energy back. So far I really like the 2nd trimester. I'm getting a little belly so it's a good thing I finally told work. My boss was very sweet and asked nothing work related, she just talked about her pregnancies, asked how I was feeling, and told me to tell her anytime I wasn't feeling well. My co-workers were all very excited for me. Whew, so glad to get it out in the open.

My favorite thing to eat right now is toast with raspberry jam, yum. I'm still doing a good job of drinking water, especially while I'm at work. I am going to make sure I go on walks with MJ at least 4 times a week, which I started doing last week. Also I started pilates last week and am hoping to do that at least 3 times a week. I did notice my lower back was sore the day after I did pilates so I think I need to do the modified version, guess my old back just ain't what it use to be ;)

Baby:
Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a peach) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Baby:

*Last week I used week 13 information for week 12, I went back and adjusted. I got a little ahead of myself!

Week 12

2008-08-11T16:03:00.001-07:00

Symptoms:
I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open to write this. I want to sleep all.the.time. I've also started to get headaches which sucks, Tylenol is not my pain reliever of choice, but of course it is while I'm pregnant.

Felt a little nauseous in the beginning which I wasn't expecting, that's ok though, it's worth it. I did crave vegetables on Tuesday! All day at work I was thinking about celery, broccoli, carrots, and dipping them in yummy ranch. I had carrots and cucumbers at home so I stopped by the grocery store and picked up the rest. I got home and vegged out, it was awesome and I'm thrilled to be craving healthy stuff. Talking about it makes me wish I brought some to work, dang.

Tuesday was also the day I took out my belly button ring. It was time, even though I'm sad that chapter of my life is over, it is more than worth it and I'm so happy for the next chapter. One week until our 2nd appointment yay!

I still haven't told work, eeks. I'm not sure why I'm delaying so much, I'm not afraid of their response as I'm sure they'll be happy for me. I don't know, I just need to tell them because I think I'll feel relieved.

Time seems to be going slow these days, and I hear it will only get worse in my 3rd tri. Since I'm not really showing (although my layer of fat and bloat makes it look like a baby belly) and my symptoms are lessening it just feels surreal. Also we aren't purchasing any baby stuff until we find out the sex so I think that adds to the feeling of, "Is this real or am I dreaming?" Soon enough I'm sure I'll get that belly and it will feel more real. In 3 days (13 weeks 3 days along) I'll be in my 2nd trimester, yay! The first trimester has definitely been a stressful rollercoaster, every odd symptom was scary to say the least. I know that will continue and I will stress about different things as the pregnancy goes on, but hey, one trimester down, woo woo!

Baby:
The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.
Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Baby:

Week 11

2008-08-06T16:12:00.000-07:00

Symptoms:
Started out pretty uneventful, which is good. My nausea is definitely lessening, although my energy has plummeted as well. I go to bed by 9 pm every night (sometimes earlier) and I'm still tired. I still have a bland appetite, no more real cravings, although Burger King and McDonalds sound good most the time.
On Wednesday night I was absorbed in Breaking Dawn (so good it's not even funny) so I only took time to eat a quick bowl of cereal. At 9 when we crawled in bed I realized I was VERY hungry, normally when I get hungry I feel nauseous so I was excited I actually had hunger pains. Brian asked what I felt like and I told him scrambled eggs and toast, do you believe he went downstairs to make it for me?! I couldn't believe it, so I joined him to help because I felt so guilty. He said next time I can stay in bed and he'll bring it to me. ?!?! I could get use to this, although I hear it's not the same when you're pregnant with your 2nd so I'll try to enjoy it while I can. Either way, he's a sweetie and I was very appreciative.

I have seriously been slacking on belly pictures, I will get better. Not a lot of change, just more lovely bloat. I can suck it in though so I know the baby is not showing yet, it's just a nice cushion around my mid-section, gotta love that ;P I do have a week 9 belly picture on my camera that I'll post.

Baby:
Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

Little One:

Belly Picture:

Week 10

2008-07-31T16:08:00.000-07:00

Symptoms:
I had a little bleeding in my nose, started in the morning and continued all day. It wasn't dripping out or anything, but everytime I stuck a kleenex up there it came out red. Nauseous, very nauseous. I can't tell if my boobs aren't sore anymore or if I'm just use to them being sore, I'm leaning towards the latter.

I'm starting to "feel" pregnant, especially when I bend over, it's a subtle change but I feel it.
I had my first craving: McDonalds. Now, normally I am a Burger King girl, but Wednesday I was driving home from work -- hadn't eaten a real meal since Saturday (the day before we caught the bug/food poisoning) -- and a flat cheeseburger and fries from McDonalds sounded so good. I got a happy meal so it was a little smaller at least. It tasted pretty darn good, although the nausea came back shortly after I finished my meal, oh well. I still motivated Brian and I to go on a walk with MJ, it was a short one as the nausea started to take over, but it still counts!
Towards the end of week 10 I started to feel a little better, still rough in the evening but much more manageable.
We have shown pretty much everyone our u/s pictures, we're proud parents :) We started telling friends that we're pregnant and I LOVE that, it's so fun to share our wonderful news with our loved ones.

Next appointment: August 25th.

Baby:
Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature. He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

Little one:

Week 9

2008-07-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

Our first appointment was today!!!! We had an amazing appointment and found out I'm a little ahead of what I originally thought, what great news :-) I thought I was 9w 4 d today, but I measured at 10w 1d. We saw our little one moving about and oh what a sight that was. Then we got to hear the heartbeat, hands down best sound ever. We both got a little teary when we heard that heartbeat beating away, music to our ears. The heartbeat was beating at 158 bpm. It's real, we're having a baby!
We got pictures from the u/s that I'll have to scan at my mom's and then I'll post. It was the greatest day.

Symptoms:
Alright, so week 9 as it would've been went pretty smoothly, I was feeling good. Then Sunday came (which would be the end of week 9) and I got the flu along with many others from our fun family reunion in Arizona.
Honestly, the reunion was a blast, just not getting the flu ;) So I was throwing up all day Sunday, as were Jenny and Kyle and other members of our extended family. Jenny, Kyle, Brian, and I all had to fly out that night which we of course were not looking forward to. So we are in the security line and luckily Jenny brought a big ziplock bag with a brown paper bag inside it. She needed it. She started throwing up in it so the 3 of us stood around her to cover her up. As she was finishing up I realized I was about to pass out and started walking towards the garbage, Jenny pushed me the rest of the way and I began throwing up. So the 3 of them now covered me up. At this point we were kind of laughing (well after I finished violently throwing up my stomach bile) because we couldn't believe what a mess we were. We debated trying to catch another flight but decided we wanted to be home. So we pressed on and made it home. What a memory it was!
Monday was pretty bad, I didn't throw up but I was incredibly nauseous all.day.long. And today is the same, I feel so sick. I'm wondering if it's morning sickness though since Jenny and Kyle are doing better. I haven't really eaten the last 3 days because food sounds disgusting. But I'm trying to stuff down crackers and wheat chex and luckily I can still stomach my prenatal vitamin. The family at the reunion was so excited that we were pregnant and gave us lots of congratulations. I told them how good I was feeling and I'm thinking that's why I'm nauseous now ;)

Baby:
Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

Little One:

Belly Picture:

Week 8

2008-07-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

Symptoms:
Earlier in the week I was feeling pretty rough, very nauseous. On Tuesday the 15th (our 2 year anniversary) I started dry heaving very painfully. Up until this point I have not dry heaved, I don't care what I said, I was merely just gagging. But last Tuesday, I was actually dry heaving, my nose was running into the toilet and I couldn't stop, it was so painful. I finally got a little to come up and felt better which was a relief. The funny thing is that while I was bent over the toilet the only thing I could think was, "This is so worth it, as long as our baby is ok I will do this as much as I need to." Call me crazy but that is what I was thinking.
The weekend went great though. We went camping at Detroit Lake with my Mom & Randy, and the Jensens, we had a great time. I didn't feel sick at all, just really tired. Of course I started to worry that something is wrong because I'm feeling fine, but I think I just need to thank my lucky stars :)
Jenny made the cutest tank top for me for the reunion. Our reunion this year is Pirates of the Caribbean so she thought we could announce our pregnancy by doing a shirt. I got a white tank and she ironed on a little thing that says: "Lil matey coming soon..." It is absolutely adorable and I'm so excited! Thanks sis, you are the best. I'll post a picture of it later.
Our appointment is 1 week and 1 day away, I am so flippin' anxious to see the little one.

Baby:
New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone.

Little one at 8 weeks:

Belly picture (coming soon...)

Week 7

2008-07-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

Symptoms:
Nauseous off and on throughout the day, the evening being the worst time. I avoid dry heaving as much as possible because let's face it, that's not exactly fun. Sometimes it sneaks up on me though while I'm at work, thankfully no one has seen this yet. Sore boobs still, cramps every once and awhile, not nearly as often as weeks 4 and 5 though. Food doesn't generally sound good, but I force myself to nibble on crackers or something as that helps the nausea lessen. Water seems to be helping as well, I've increased my water intake this week and hopefully will continue that. Bloating, I feel very bloated especially after I eat.

When we told my Dad we were pregnant, we had Brian take a picture of us and my sisters and Brian said, "On the count of 3 say Lou Lou's pregnant!" It was awesome. Here is that picture:
The girls didn't really get it so we told them after :) I love that we were able to capture it!

I also wanted to post the pictures from Shasta. These were taken the morning we found out, my Mom pulled out the champagne to celebrate with mimosas :) I just had orange juice of course.

Baby:
The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

2 1/2 weeks until our 1st appointment, yay!!!

Week 6

2008-07-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

Symptoms:
Boobs are still sore and still have the occasional cramping, bloating. Spotting, ick. I spotted brown on Friday the 4th which really scared me. Everything I've read says it's pretty common, my sister had it, my mom had it, one of my friends had it, but seeing it is a different story. I called my mom and Jaime right away. Jaime was able to calm me down so much (I knew she would) and I was able to just relax and not stress. Fortunately the spotting was NOT accompanied by extreme cramps or anything and by Saturday it was almost completely gone. I still had sore boobs and felt a little nauseous so I thought that was a good sign as well.
Sunday I was very nauseous and dry heaved in the toilet for awhile after my shower. Nothing sounded good to eat but I needed to make the nausea go away. I ate cheddar and sour cream Ruffles and pickles and drank a coke, healthy. But I am definitely not complaining, I welcomed the nausea and took it as a sign that our little one was healthy and doing well.
Today I am better than yesterday, but still not excited about food. We'll see what the rest of the week brings. 3 weeks and one day until our first appointment, I seriously cannot wait!

Baby:
This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a sweet pea.

Little one:

Belly bloat picture:

Week 5

2008-06-29T15:19:00.000-07:00

Symptoms:
Pretty much the same as week 4, cramps and sore boobs. I feel pretty tired at times but that may just be me.
People we've told: Mom & Randy, Jaime & Schuyler, Dad & Anna, Jenny & Kyle, Sarah & Travis, Chris & Brandi, and Tracy Beaver. We are going to tell Brian's family tonight and I can't wait!
We got our first baby gift: 2 books from Chris and Brandi. Brandi and I went to Borders and she bought us The Baby Belly book which I am just thrilled to death about, she has one and I just love it! I already started filling it out of course. She also got us the Baby Bargain book which provides us ample information on everything we could ever want to purchase for baby. We had fun and it was so sweet of her.
It feels like I've been pregnant a lot longer than I actually have, I think because I am anxiously awaiting our first appointment (July 29th) when we get to see our little one. I simply cannot wait.

Baby:
Your embryo (looking kind of like a tadpole) is starting to form major organs (heart, kidney, liver, stomach) and systems (nervous, circulatory, digestive). Baby's presence in your uterus triggers production of hCG (the hormone detected by pregnancy tests)... which triggers production of other hormones like estrogen and progesterone... which trigger all those great symptoms you've probably been noticing!

Our little one is the size of an appleseed

Week 4

2008-06-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

Symptoms:
Is it even possible to have symptoms this early on? ;-) I feel cramps on and off all day but nothing too painful. My boobs are sore and I'm hoping they start getting bigger soon, hehe. That is really about it.

Baby:
This week marks the beginning of the embryonic period. From now until ten weeks, all of your baby's organs will begin to develop and some will even begin to function. As a result, this is the time when she'll be most vulnerable to anything that might interfere with her development. Right now your baby is an embryo the size of a poppy seed, consisting of two layers: the epiblast and the hypoblast, from which all of her organs and body parts will develop.The primitive placenta is also made up of two layers at this point. Its cells are tunneling into the lining of your uterus, creating spaces for your blood to flow so that the developed placenta will be able to provide nutrients and oxygen to your growing baby when it starts to function at the end of this week.Also present now are the amniotic sac, which will house your baby; the amniotic fluid, which will cushion her as she grows; and the yolk sac, which produces your baby's red blood cells and helps deliver nutrients to her until the placenta has developed and is ready to take over this duty.

Our little one is the size of a poppyseed:

Belly picture (for comparison purposes)

It's Official!

2008-06-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

I took a pregnancy test on Friday and found out we're pregnant!! Brian and I could not be more thrilled.

Here's how it went down:
We were in Shasta for a week boating and camping with my mom, stepdad, and all their friends having a great time. It helped keep my mind off the impending period that I was hoping would not show up. This was our third cycle trying.
Wednesday, no period or spotting. Thursday, no period or spotting.Friday morning I woke up and told Brian I couldn't wait any longer, we had to go to the store NOW and buy a test, he completely agreed. So we drove to the store which was about 4 minutes away and bought both the pregnancy tests they had. We drove back to the campsite and I went to the restroom. Brian walked back the our site and went about packing the cooler for another day out on the boat. I used both tests and waited anxiously.
When I saw positives on both tests my heart stopped and my eyes got wide. My eyes started to get all teary eyed and the biggest smile spread across my face. I quickly stuffed the tests in my bag and walked in a fog back to Brian. I stopped before I got the campsite and called his name. He started walking towards me and I smiled so big at him. We hugged and cried, we're gonna have a baby!!!