Week by Week: Week 24

Yikes- how did 3 weeks pass by with me forgetting to do this! So much fun has happened in the past 3 weeks! During Week 22 we had another midwife appointment. Everything was good and strong, but I measured shorter than I should by 2 cm... the midwife said she would expect my fundal height to be higher, but that she wasn't worried. We also hired our birth assistant, who is very experienced and talented. It eases our minds that she will be there to help us through the pregnancy and labor! After the midwife appointment, we took the fun "bump" picture, above :) We also got some additional baby things from a great couple that we bought an ottoman from- they just gave us some of their things! The kindness of strangers is just amazing. At the end of Week 23, and beginning of Week 24, we flew to Florida for Herber and Tressa's wedding, and had a beautiful long weekend in Sarasota, FL. Now we are back into the swing of daily life, and just enjoying my growing belly! 

How Far Along?  24 weeks! 

Maternity Clothes? My maternity work pants (which are for early pregnancy and post partum) are now too tight to button. I am using the rubber band with them, or using dresses. Luckily, I found a great pair of maternity jeans and shorts at Goodwill, so I am good to go on the weekends!

Stretch Marks? Nothing! Grandma Overholt told me she never got any, and neither did mom, so maybe I will be ok too (crossing my fingers). 

Sleep? Still good, although I have had two dreams of being in labor to date. I imagine that they will just keep coming! 

Best Moment of the Week? There were a lot of great moments in the past weeks. Baby G hiccuping, taking our Gonzalito to the ocean for the first time, salsa dancing and swing dancing with Julian (which is just fun, but even better because Gonzalito can sense movement now), and seeing my belly "twitch" for the first time. Now my bump is showing more, which is nice. I'm amazed at how excited strangers or acquaintances are about babies, and love that it is something that brings people together.

Movement? More and more! When we were at the beach in Florida, I was relaxing a lot and felt Gonzalito move a lot more than usual, probably because I was distracted. I may also be having Braxton-Hicks contractions- I'm not 100% sure, because I've been having a similar feeling for the last few weeks, but always thought the baby was up to something. Now they are stronger, and I am suspecting that they are the BH contractions!

What I miss? Nothing!

Symptoms: The newest one is that my ankles started swelling. It doesn't happen every day, but when it's hot and humid or I've been on my feet all day, my ankles (esp. the left one) will swell a lot. It's a good reminder to slow down and put my feet up!

What I’m looking forward to? More movement!

Milestones: Baby is the size of an ear of corn!

Emotions: Very happy and content currently, but slightly anxious about all of the changes that are coming down the road in the future. It's amazing and slightly overwhelming to think about how everything is going to change once Baby is here!

Week by Week: Week 21

How Far Along?  21 weeks! 

Maternity Clothes? Motherhood stretchy pants all the way, every day :) I have a couple of pairs of jeans that are still comfy with a rubberband, but for Mother's Day Julian took me to a consignment shop for maternity clothes and got me another pair of stretchy maternity pants for my current stage. They should fit for another month or 2, and then post-partum. I definitely don't need any big belly pants yet, but it is so nice to have comfy pants that I can button! Now I have two pairs! :)

Stretch Marks? None yet, but today I thought I spotted one. When I went to show Julian, I couldn't find it again, but it was a good reminder to moisturize! :)

Sleep? Pretty good, with some crazy dreams!

Best Moment of the Week? The kicks are getting stronger, and Julian even felt one big one on Saturday morning! I am looking forward to increased kicking that he can feel. Also, we bought two little outfits for our little guy at the consignment shop for Mother's Day. It was really fun to look at clothes, but we are trying to not get any more than we need. 

Movement? It is getting stronger! I am trying to pay attention more, because I think I don't always notice when I am moving or at work.

What I miss? Yesterday I wanted to sample the rose wine in Trader Joe's because it looked so pretty. They were pairing it with a really bitter dark chocolate. Since I couldn't sample the wine, the sample-giver gave me double chocolate, which was very kind of him!

Symptoms: Same as before- sore lower back, colostrum leakage, heartburn. Yesterday after working with the tots at church and then gardening I realized how much I should stop bending over!

What I’m looking forward to? More movement, and getting more things together.

Milestones: Baby is as long as a carrot!

Emotions: Happy, and distracted. My mind keeps floating to baby things at work!

Week by Week: Week 20

How Far Along?  20 weeks! 

Maternity Clothes? Nope, still making it with just the Motherhood stretchy pants and rubber bands for jeans!

Stretch Marks? Nope!

Sleep? Good- I even didn't get up in the middle of the night a couple of nights last week!  

Best Moment of the Week? Making the halfway point in our pregnancy!

Movement? I am feeling it more than before, including some strong-ish kicks. But the majority of what I feel is still just the large movements.

Gender? It's a boy! I'm going to take this question off of the next weeks' questions... cause that shouldn't change! 

What I miss? Nothing, really. 

Symptoms: Sore lower back, colostrum leakage, heartburn. I caught a little cold during week 20 too, which made me extra tired.

What I’m looking forward to? Lots of little things. Now that we know he's a little boy, I am imagining not only a little baby, but all of the fun we will have together beyond baby days!

Milestones: Baby is as long as a banana!

Emotions: Happy, and a little anxious since we're halfway and it feels like there's a lot of things to learn and prepare still!

Week by Week: Week 19

How Far Along?  19 weeks! 

Maternity Clothes? Same as before- stretchy Motherhood pants and rubberbands are my best friends since it won't warm up enough for dresses!

Stretch Marks? None!

Sleep? Good!

Best Moment of the Week? Seeing our son for the first time. He is a wiggle worm! He was very active during the ultrasound- sucking his thumb, flipping around, playing with his toes, etc. Maybe we caught him at his playtime because when we first saw him he gave a little yawn. Maybe he was waking up to play and put on a show for us!!! The ultrasound technician said that he has a beautiful heart. We are praying that this will continue to be true, both physically and spiritually. :)

Movement? Well, I am still feeling just the bigger movements here and there, but now we know that he is moving a lot!

Gender? It's a boy! We saw clear evidence! :)

What I miss? Not a thing.

Symptoms: The new one now is a sore lower back. I am a little surprised because I thought my bump would have to be a lot bigger for that to happen!

What I’m looking forward to? Sharing the gender news. Right now Julian and I are just enjoying it together!

Milestones: Baby is now a  big tomato!

Emotions: Just happiness. Thinking about raising a son, and praying for him.

Week by Week: Week 18

How Far Along?  18 weeks! 

Maternity Clothes? Not exactly.. I am getting by with my stretchy pants from Motherhood, and with rubberbands closing the buttons on my regular jeans.

Weight Gain? Not sure- I stopped weighing myself! I figured that it's not usually super accurate anyway- I always have to estimate since it fluctuates so much so I'll just weigh myself at doctor's visits. 

Stretch Marks? None so far! I haven't "stretched" that much though.

Sleep? Good! I have had some fun and crazy dreams!

Best Moment of the Week? I started feeling our Gonzalito move this week! I can't feel it all of the time, but I started feeling what seem to be large movements, like the baby rolling over. Sometimes I felt them when I was walking, and sometimes when I was sitting down. As the week went on, I started feeling it a little bit stronger, so I'm really looking forward to feeling Baby more in the coming weeks!

Movement? See Best Moment of the Week above.

Gender? We are starting to take everyone's predictions, since we will find out early in Week 19! We don't have a preference for gender, but Julian and I both are predicting a boy (I have been thinking of a boy when I think of the baby recently), and the majority of family and friends are predicting a boy. We will see!

What I miss? Can't think of anything!

Symptoms: Some extreme hunger on some days (I woke up at 3 am hungry again this week), and a little heartburn.

What I’m looking forward to? The ultrasound early next week!

Milestones: Baby is now a  bell pepper!

Emotions: Happy, content. Also a little anxious and nervous to make sure everything is ok at the ultrasound. And a little anxious/nervous for the financial and work planning that we are looking at. But everything will be sorted out. :)

Week by Week: Week 17

This week has been so much fun! We took some announcement pictures (thanks mom and dad, for being the photographers), and announced our news to the world! The joy and happiness that friends and family have expressed in response to our news has been wonderful and encouraging. :) We had another midwife visit and got to hear our baby's strong heartbeat, started our first birthing class, and scheduled our ultrasound!

How Far Along?  17 weeks! 

Maternity Clothes? I'm wearing either my Motherhood pants or using a rubber band to button my regular pants... or just going with dresses when I can!

Weight Gain? I gained 3 pounds over the last month, for a total of about 8-9 pounds.

Stretch Marks? Nope

Sleep? Pretty good!

Best Moment of the Week? Too many! Sharing our news, hearing Baby's heartbeat, and going to the birthing class together were all top moments. 

Movement? I am waiting.... I have felt some things that might be the baby, but I'm really not sure. 

Gender? Both grandmas now think it is a boy. We will find out soon!

What I miss? Not really anything. 

Symptoms: Heartburn has been worse lately. And some milk discharge! I thought it was too early, but apparently it's not.

What I’m looking forward to? Feeling the baby move. 

Milestones: Baby is now a turnip!

Emotions: Content :)

Week by Week: Week 16

  

I am very behind on my journaling!!! It is April 7th.... yikes! So much has been happening! Luckily, the answers to the questions below don't really change at all from week to week (so far). I am still not really showing, but we have begun telling more people now that I am in the 2nd trimester (yay!). We have told immediate family (we told Julian's aunts, uncles, and grandma over the phone, and told the Overholt side of the family and the Walkers at Easter, and the Jarvie side over the phone). We've both told our bosses, but haven't made it public knowledge at work. We've been working through our close friends, telling them when we see them. It was been so fun to share our news!!

How Far Along?  16 weeks! 

Maternity Clothes? Pants are now getting slightly tighter. I used a hair tie to shut a pair of "skinny jeans" last week so I could still wear them, and Julian bought me a pair of pants from Motherhood. They aren't full maternity pants, but have some good stretch in them for the next month or so and for the time period after I give birth.

Weight Gain? It is so hard to tell! My weight fluctuates 2-3 pounds when I weigh myself at home, but I am estimating that I have gained a total of 6-7 pounds so far... maybe 8. 

Stretch Marks? No! 

Sleep? It's actually been better than usual the past couple of days, since I actually slept through the night (didn't get up to pee) the last 2 nights!

Best Moment of the Week? Well, the best moments of the past weeks have been telling people, and all of the excitement and joy that is pouring on us. :)

Movement? Can't feel it yet, but this is the first week where I could possibly start feeling it, although I think it's more typical to feel it later.

Gender? No idea yet- I need to schedule an ultrasound!  Julian is leaning towards a boy, as is my mom, whereas Julian's mom and sister are voting for girls. The grandfathers seem to have no preference, as long as it's healthy! 

What I miss? Last week I thought a deli sandwich or a salad sounded good, but I am trying to stay away from that due to listeria. But it's not really anything major!

Symptoms: The main symptoms recently have been a lot of hunger (Julian makes me gigantic breakfasts so I don't get hungry right away at work), and unfortunately, irrational crying. I will get a little upset about something, and know that it's not a big deal, but I can't calm down and I end up sobbing. It's happened really badly twice now, and not so intensely several more times. I have had a lot more energy lately though, which has been great!

What I’m looking forward to? Feeling the baby move! I also need to schedule things, like the ultrasound and the birthing classes.

Milestones: Baby is now an avocado! Our Gonzalito has been growing a lot, from a lime, to a lemon, to an apple, and now an avocado!

Emotions: Very happy, but currently disappointed that I haven't been keeping up with this! Also, sometimes it feels surreal that I'm really pregnant, since it's not really that noticeable yet. When we tell people, they have been thinking that I'm not as far along as I am. But I should be grateful for that since it's allowed us to wait to tell people (especially at work) while we learn about different options!