18 weeks: bell pepper'd

Eighteen weeks: 12.28.11








Size of baby: a bell pepper according to Baby Center and a sweet potato according to The Bump. I think bell peppers are super cute and prettier than a sweet potato, no?

Cravings: Not much but we had burgers on pretzel buns the other night and I'm still salivating over it. And sugar is still the bomb.

What I love: feeling baby move so much, looking pretty darn pregnant, and inching towards that halfway mark. Love.it.all.

What I'm looking forward to the most: Anatomy scan in 2 measly little weeks!! A BIG huge pregnant belly. And let's just jump right to it: having a newborn baby in my arms.

Worries: Now that I'm feeling baby move so much, I get a little panicky when I DON'T feel the child kick all day long. On Sunday I felt a little worried thinking back about how I hadn't felt any real kicks in about a day. Had to bust out the doppler again, but the great thing is that I'm not even using it every day anymore! This is big news, since I used it daily from 9 weeks until about 17 weeks. Gotta love feeling movement for reassurance!

What is different this time around: I read back over my 18 weeks post from Truman's pregnancy and first laughed out loud at my puny belly pic, then smiled when I read that I had just started unbuttoning my regular pants for added comfort. Oh, things are different now with this belly and I'm definitely in maternity clothes for good.

Symptoms: Seems like I'm getting a bit of the lovely pregnancy acne. And I did need two hour naps both days last weekend, so apparently I'm still tired.

Sleep: Love it, no issues here.

Movement: Lots. Definitely stronger jabs this week, daily, and usually most in the mornings and at night when I'm the most still.

The belly: It's large and in charge. Sometimes it seems smaller on certain days but overall it's still mind-blowing.

Boy or Girl: Ugh, I just don't know. Used to think boy, then a girl, now it's more boy thoughts again. I seriously cannot wait to find out!

Milestones: He's 5.5 inches and 7 ounces now, nerves are finalizing, ears are in position, and external genitalia are formed. This baby is growing into a real little creature that we are going to meet in the not-so-distant future and I just can't handle the anticipation of meeting this new little life.

Best moment of the week: Getting the call from my OB that the Quad Screen came back negative. This was a HUGE cloud lifted away from my head and I don't even think I realized how nervous I was to hear bad news from this test. Now I feel much more confident going into the anatomy scan and can embrace this pregnancy even more. Plus, Christmas was a pretty amazing moment this week. I love being pregnant over the holidays, being so thankful for 2011 and looking forward to 2012.

It's been a wonderful and extremely challenging year all in a matter of 12 months and I can't help but feel a little emotional looking back on it all. Truman's first birthday, first steps, first words. A positive pregnancy test, dreams of a November baby, then devastating news in April. My 30th birthday. A prolonged, painful, expensive miscarriage. Nate graduating with his doctorate, getting a fabulous job, and turning 30 himself (I'm a cougar, 4 months older than my man). Me switching jobs and dropping my hours again, to just 20 per week. A fun Florida vacation. Another positive pregnancy test. Dreams of a May baby. Getting pre-approved for a mortgage, meeting with a relator, and finally moving forward in our first home journey (much more later). A wonderful Christmas spent with loved-ones and the feeling of gratitude to God for giving us so much in this life. Here's to another amazing year in 2012!

Merry Christmas to me.

A couple of weeks ago, I was busy taking my friend's Christmas card pictures for them and after about 50 shots, I turned around to take one picture of Truman standing behind me. And guess what? My camera made a weird noise and said, 'Err 99" on the screen. Ruh-roh.

At first I didn't think I would even be able to get the images off my memory card, but after a little Googling I tried to change out lenses, and sure enough--I could pull all the images onto my computer, thank goodness. But then when I went to take another picture I saw that something was seriously jacked with a shutter inside my camera. It would produce a big black line/blob across my images and if I took off the lens, looked inside, and pulled back the little mirror in there I could see the bonk shutter. It was laying in an odd position, all crumpled up and looking totally defeated and I knew it wasn't a good thing to see.

I emailed and called Canon and they said I could send in my beloved 3 year old Rebel XSi for $190 to be fixed. Or I could get a refurbished 'new' camera at a discount instead. I took a few days to really mull it over and after talking to Nate I decided this must be a divine sign that it is time to upgrade my camera body:) I mean, might as well consider it if I would be paying $190 (and waiting about 8-9 weeks) to get my current camera fixed anyway. So after a LOT of debate, spreadsheets, and talking Nate's ear off about the darn decision I decided to go all out and upgraded to the Canon 60D body. No more Rebel for me (tear, tear) although I was really close to getting the newer styles of Rebels T2i or T3i. I decided that the 60D would probably hold up better for my 'use and abuse' with two children, it's heavier and seemingly sturdy, and it is SUCH an improvement from my little Rebel that I can't even explain how it is blowing my mind.

For instance, my old Rebel could only go up to 1600 ISO which basically means indoor or low-light shots were a total crap shoot. And now? Um, 6400 ISO. Which translates to 'oh my goodness, I can actually take indoor pictures during the winter now!!' And it's not grainy. And my monitor for viewing the pictures is so crystal clear I can immediately see if the image is in focus or not. And all of that plus more, but mostly, OMG I love it. I had a few hours of buyers remorse before my new baby arrived, worried about money (of course) but I already know it's going to be worth every cent.

Not that these photos will blow your mind as much as my camera is doing to mine at the moment, but a few to show you how much fun I'm having playing with my new toy:)







And a Truman series--begins with a TOUCHDOWN pose, then a wave, and the last two are the signature Aaron Rodgers 'championship belt' poses. Packer fans will understand, I'm sure...


our new fun game to play in Truman's room--stacking animals on blocks on books. Good times.




The first pose is what Truman does when I ask him to 'smile for the camera'. The second is just my fave because of the tongue.


Vrrooooming trucks in low light conditions? No prob.




And baking Christmas cookies with dad. Love.


So yeah, that is my big news over here. An unexpected Christmas gift, but a welcomed one none the less. Even Nate is into my new purchased and was a big part in me just biting the frugal bullet and taking on this big dog. Love that man:)

17 weeks: blooming onion

Seventeen weeks: 12.21.11







Size of baby: an onion according to The Bump, or a turnip by Baby Center's standards. The turnips at the store were sort of overwhelming and weird to me, so I stuck to a safer pick this time around. :) And now I am craving a blooming onion from Outback.

Cravings: not a whole lot this week, which is a first! I mean, I'm still eating VERY well and loving my desserts but haven't had true cravings this week.

What I love: wearing maternity clothes and feeling more and more pregnant each day.

What I'm looking forward to the most: Anatomy scan in just 3 more weeks!! And I can't wait for those big, intense movements that will make my entire belly move. Oh, and nursing. Seeing Andrea nurse baby Gabriella this week, as Gabby reached her tiny hands up towards Andrea's face made me yearn for that sweet bonding experience again. Can't wait!!

Worries: I should get a call from my OB's office before the end of the week about my Quad Screen blood work results. Have I ever mentioned I HATE waiting for test results via phone calls? Every time my phone rings my heart also skips a beat. Hoping they call sooner than later...

What is different this time around: Wearing maternity clothes at 17 weeks.

Symptoms: Nothing really, but I did need a 2 hour nap on Sunday. I think I got a little overly excited about updating my blog tabs on Saturday night and stayed up until almost midnight working on it! Nate jokes I haven't seen the midnight hour in years. Slight exaggeration but party animal, I am not.

Sleep: Yes, love it.

Movement: daily movement with no-joke kicks. I got a massage on Saturday and figured I'd be fine to lay on my stomach with a pillow under my hips but it was SO uncomfortable, and baby was totally freaking out and kicking like crazy. I was totally worried I was smooshing my baby to death but didn't get the courage to speak up, so I just tried to keep shifting my hips back and forth instead. But wow, this baby can really show off some movement when he/she isn't happy!

The belly: It's big. Like 'for real pregnant' big. In fact, I think I 'popped' this week. I think we are due for comparisons between Truman's pregnancy and this one, right? Observe the insanity (but ignore how pale I look this time around, should have just used the darn flash for a better comparison to the first time but whatevs):



And I think I am basically 8 weeks ahead of 'schedule' at this point. Yep, two whole months. Compare and see for yourself, wearing the same jeans for better effect:



Boy or Girl: Still thinking girl but I noticed whenever I use my doppler, I refer to the baby as a boy? No idea why, but I was telling Truman, 'That's his heartbeat!' this morning and realized I just picture him a boy when I listen to him move around. So maybe I'm not so sure about the girl thing anymore, huh?

Milestones: Baby is 5 ounces now and 5 inches long. The skeleton is turning to actual bone while the umbilical cord gets stronger every day. And apparently he has sweat glands, too! This little baby is not messing around anymore.

Best moment of the week: Lois gave me a cash gift for Christmas so I could go maternity clothes shopping and let me tell you, I lived it up like it was my job to find adorable clothes at a decent price. I was at Motherhood Maternity for almost 2 hours trying things on. All of my current maternity wardrobe is just too big for me now, since I bought it all in my third trimester last time, so I got some great 'intermediate' pieces that should last me a good few months (I hope). Trying on fun, cute outfits that don't just make me look like I have a big beer gut does a lot for self-confidence. I think it's really important to feel attractive when pregnant and I'm hoping my new purchases help me feel more like a rockstar and less like an awkward pregnant but-not-too-pregnant-person.