Week 18

Well here we are at week 18, 2 more weeks and we'll be half way done. I can't believe how fast time is flying. In case you haven't heard we are having a girl, Grace Victoria!

What's happening with Gracie this week:
"Your child is nearly half a foot long and nearing a half pound. Their skin is now covered in a waxy substance known as vernix and their external genitals are now developed enough to be seen from an ultrasound."
What's happening with me this week:
Yup, still getting sick, in fact between 6am and9am I got sick 6 times, it was not a good morning. Other than the throwing up, I'm feeling pretty good and I'm loving being pregnant.

Our doctor's appointment went well last week, we heard Gracie's heartbeat for the first time, and boy was it fast! My uterus is right at my belly button and I'm still down as far as weight goes. My doctor isn't concerned, so neither am I. I'm just hoping I won't suddenly gain 10 pounds over night.

Well, we started on the nursery this weekend. Here are a few pictures of our progress.

A close up of the bedding
Lily waiting for her baby sister, she's going to be waiting a long time!
Our glider
The shelf with the pictures of our grandmothers

Letters I made for the wall
Close up of the letters
Letters in place above the closet
Just an added cute picture of Jackson

I hope you like PINK

because we are going to be seeing a lot of it around here.

IT'S A GIRL!

Can't wait to meet you Gracie!

17 Weeks

Well, here we are at 17 weeks! We're getting closer and closer to the half way mark. We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so we'll see how the little one is doing.

What's Happening With Baby:
"As your baby is in the middle of an impressive growth spurt it should come as not surprise to hear that they've already added nearly another inch to their length and over an ounce and a half to their weight (they're around 5 ounces and 5 inches). You're definitely feeling the growth as your belly expands enough to make you feel a bit off balance now and again."

What's Happening With Me:

• "Morning" Sickness- Well, I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone, but I am still getting sick, everyday and all day. It doesn't really bother me anymore, it's just part of my life now. I been getting sick now for 12 straight weeks, everyday, so it's just routine. It gives me some reassurance. As long as I keep getting sick everyday then I know the baby is still there and still growing. I think this baby is going to be a picky eater, because, well it already is.
• Weight- I'm still losing weight, last week I had gained a pound, but then this week I lost 3.5. So I'm still down from where I started, which is good. I know the doctor doesn't really want me gaining a lot while pregnant. I think we're shooting for around 15-20 pounds. So far so good, and we're almost half way there, but I know most of the weight gain during pregnancy happens during the 2nd and 3rd trimester. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
• Pee-Pee-This baby apparently likes its space and does not like it when my stomach, bowels, or bladder are full. It wants all the space in there to its self. As of the last few weeks the nighttime pees are getting worse, I am now getting up almost every hour to pee. It's not like a full pee either, it's just a little tinkle, so annoying. I think all this nighttime pee is making me tired, so I've actually been going to bed before midnight, which Cole loves. Speaking of sleep, I've officially taken over the bed and can no longer share. So Cole now sleeps on the couch, if he can get there before Lily.
• Belly Growth- I feel like my belly is growing everyday, and when I look at pictures I can tell it is, but until yesterday no one had commented on it. This made me think that maybe it's just in my head and that I must still just look fat, not pregnant. Well, last night we went out with some of our friends and their parents to watch the Bruins game. One of the mom's, who we hadn't see in a few weeks, commented on how big my stomach was getting, I bet she had no idea, but that totally made my night! Now, I can't wait for a complete stranger to comment on it, then I'll feel good.
• Kicking- I'm still feeling the baby kick here and there, some days it's very active and other days I feel nothing. If we drive down a bumpy road, especially the road near the South Shore Hospital, the baby goes crazy. I think the baby is either going to love roller coasters or hate them. I can't tell if the baby moves around out of anger, like "how dare you wake me with the all this bouncing!" or it moves out of excitement, like "wow, this is fun, let's do it again!"

Just some added random pictures from the last week:

This is me on the deck before we went out last night. I think I see a baby belly. I think my belly's getting rounder and my butt flatter. Lily loves to hang her paws off the porch, I have no idea why, but it's cute.
Lily snuck outside yesterday when me and Cole weren't looking. This is her, please don't make me come in face. (I didn't)
Jackson carrying his Build-A-Bear around the mall. He would not let us help him carry it, he insisted on doing it himself. What a big boy!

Jackson finishing my shake for me. Jackson with his sunglasses. What a cutie!


Plus an added video. This is Lily sleeping, you can't see anything because it's dark, but just listen.

No wonder I don't sleep.

Gender Guess

Well I did one of those gender prediction things and this is what I got. Hey, it's a 50/50 chance. We'll see if it's right.


Baby Gender Predictor

16 Weeks

Well, here we are, week 16. Where has the time gone? Only 4 more weeks and we'll be at the half way point. I'm getting really antsy and just want to know if it's a boy or a girl. Hopefully we will find out in the next 4 weeks or so.

What's happening with the baby:
"Your baby is now a real teddy bear with downy hair all over! He is really limber and can stick his feet in his mouth. He wriggles his little fingers and sucks on his thumb, because he can already make a little fist. He plays with his umbilical cord and he can swim in his own safe little swimming pool. That warm swimming pool is the amniotic fluid safe inside its amniotic sac in your uterus, which is still hanging slightly loose in your abdomen, attached to four ligaments. During the coming months, he will keep growing until he is around 20 inches (50 cm) and weighs - on average - between 5 1/2 and 11 pounds (2500 and 5000 grams). "

What's happening with me:
Well, there isn't really a whole lot going on with me. I'm still getting sick, but it seems to be getting better. I'm only getting sick 3 times a day- which is wonderful and I will settle for this. I'm starting to gain weight back now, unfortunately. I know it is best for the baby but I still hate to see the numbers on the scale go up, even if it is just a pound or two. I've been getting random bursts of energy and I just want to finish everything for the baby, but we're at a standstill until we know the sex.

Well, I guess that's it for now!

Weekend Update

We had a great weekend, so I thought I would share!

Friday night when we came home from The Brennan's I found a package at our door. I opened it up to find a gift from Cole. He bought me the Baby K'tan Baby Carrier I've been drooling over. If you are curious about it please go see it http://www.thepolkadotplatypus.com/catalog.php?item=1224&catid=217&ret=catalog.php%3Fcategory%3D217. It is wonderful, you can wear it over 12 different ways, and I can't wait to put a baby in it and try it out!

Then Saturday morning we ventured out to the South Shore Plaza to go shopping. I finally gave in and bought some maternity clothes and I finally bought a bra that fits. Let me tell you how horrifying bra shopping was. I knew my boobs had outgrown my current bra, I thought that I was maybe one size bigger, but two sizes bigger, oh my! Please let them stop growing now!
We then came home from an exhausting mall trip and relaxed.

We caught Lily spying on the neighbors
She was then embarrassed that she got caught.

We then went outside to enjoy the nice weather and get some reading done.
Lily watched the birds and enjoyed the fresh air.
We then ordered Thai food, yum! Lily wanted some, but it was to good to share.

She then forgot that her tongue belongs in her mouth
On Sunday, we went to my parents for dinner. Jackson practiced not peeking.
Grandma played baseball with the boys
and Jackson watched!
Overall it was an uneventful weekend, but it was so nice!

Saltine Thief

The Saltine Thief has stolen my water!

15 Weeks

Another week has come and gone, only 25 weeks left to go. I can't believe how fast the weeks go, but I guess when you measure your life in weeks it's bound to go fast.

Baby Info:
"Your baby's skin is still very thin and his little body is now completely covered in fine downy hair called lanugo. Almost all babies will shed their lanugo near the end of the pregnancy. It will float in the amniotic fluid - he will even naturally swallow some of it! The liver, kidneys, stomach and gall bladder glands are all functioning well. The intestines are filled with meconium, a greenish-black substance that consists of intestinal mucus, intestinal cells, swallowed amniotic fluid and skin oils. The dark colour arises from the release of gall dyes during this period. The fat and sweat glands begin to function.Downy hairs will grow on his head during these weeks. His head is approximately 1/3 of his total body length, measured from the crown of the head to the tail bone. He can bend his spine, neck and head, so that he can lie comfortably or stand straight up if he wants to. Your baby is now approximately as big as an orange. He's continuously practicing all of his movements and his muscles are becoming stronger and stronger. His vocal chords are also ready now, but he can't make a sound yet, because he needs oxygen for that."

Mommy Info:

• Morning Sickness- Well I'm still getting sick, no new news here. Although,I have found that the earlier I get up the worse it is.
• Movements- Well I'm pretty sure that I've been feeling the baby move the last few days, which I am very excited about! I keep getting random little flutters in my uterus, so I'm assuming it's the baby. Also I think the baby hates my belly button. In the morning when I roll over to my right side after laying on my left side all night, the baby has a fit and does something that feels like someone is stabbing a knife into my belly button. Apparently she does not like being woken up, so she takes it out on my belly button. Man, I hope the baby isn't always a bear about being woken up. Sorry Cass, but I hope it is nothing like you in that department!
• Belly- Well I feel like I'm finally starting to look a little pregnant. It was like I went to bed Friday night just looking bloated and woke up Saturday morning with a baby belly. I was shocked, Saturday I got dressed for my cousin's baby shower and then looked in the mirror and couldn't believe it, I actually look pregnant. I was so shocked I ran out to Cole and was like "Look! I look pregnant" Cole was like "Um..you are pregnant!"
• Boobs- Ok, so I know that my boobs have gotten bigger and are changing every day, but apparently they look like I have a baby in them. Yesterday Jackson and I argued for about 10 minutes about where my baby was. He insisted the baby is in my boobies, but I kept telling him no it's in my belly. He knows he's mommy's baby is in her belly, but apparently my baby is in my boobs.
• Saltine Thief- There is a saltine thief in my house! Every night before bed I put a stack of Saltines on my night stand, so that if I wake up nauseous in the middle of the night I can have a saltine and go back to bed. Well, the last few morning when I get up to pee, Lily is sound asleep next to me. I go to the bathroom and I hear her eating my Saltines, by the time I come back to bed she is in the same spot I left her sound asleep, but my saltines are missing. She thinks she has tricked me, but I know it's her! But then again, I guess she wins because every night I put them there and every morning she eats them.

Sunday Dinner

Nothing like a little baseball








Some dinner





A little milk bubble blowing!

And Lily pouting that she wasn't there

The Snoogle

You're probably wondering what the hell this is, well, it's a Snoogle! And now you're probably wondering what the hell a Snoogle is. The Snoogle is in fact the most amazing pregnancy pillow ever invented. It's the shape of a C and you wrap it around yourself when you sleep instead of using a million pillows to get comfortable, like I was before I invested in the Snoogle.

Well that's all good, but someone else has recently discovered how wonderful the Snoogle is, and now it's a fight to see who can get to it first.

Yup, Miss Lily has discovered the Snoogle and the minute I get up she's in my spot snuggling with the Snoogle. I guess she thinks she's pregnant to!